This week the Tuesday Morning Mindfulness group prayed with a poem by Hafiz, entitled "The Seed Cracked Open." As we enter into the Lenten Season, may the spirit of Hafiz's insight and playfulness with God ground our prayer and action.

‘It used to be
That when I would wake in the morning
I could with confidence say,
”What am ‘I’ going to
Do?”

That was before the seed
Cracked open.

Now Hafiz is certain:

There are two of us housed
In this body,
Doing the shopping together in the market and
Tickling each other
While fixing the evening’s food.

Now when I awake
All the internal instruments play the same music:
​
”God, what love-mischief can ‘We’ do
For the world
Today?”

Dear Community of the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center, 
As we enter the Lenten Season, preparing to walk with Jesus in His suffering, death and resurrection, we pray that we might have the courage and vulnerability to grow in our relationship with God by experiencing Jesus' love for us and hearing Jesus' call to be His disciples. We can journey together this Lent in the ISLC's community reading of Mercy in the City: How to Feed the Hungary, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned and Keep Your Day Job by Kerry Weber, managing editor at the Jesuit publication, America Magazine. The book documents one of Kerry's Lenten experiences where, instead of giving something up, she decides to do the corporal works of mercy. 

Kerry inspires us this season to ask, "how do I let God work through me?" With a world and a country in crisis, we must make a commitment to ourselves, to our community and to God to stay grounded in God's love, to be contemplatives in action and to prophetically, fiercely and compassionately love the world. 

This Lent, join us at the ISLC for a community reading of Mercy in the City, to pray for peace, experience Holy Yoga and continue to work with the Sanctuary Movement- all so that we can continue learning how to better love God and our neighbor. 
See you soon at the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center! 

Peace & Prayers, 
​Natalie 

​Natalie Terry, Director of ISLC, had the pleasure of meeting the sisters of the Redwood Monastery four years ago when she made a retreat at their beautiful spot along the Lost Coast in California. She had a profound experience of God's love and mercy there and has looked for opportunities to collaborate with the Cistercian sisters ever since. 

This year, the Sisters are generously offering a Lenten retreat to young adults at the ISLC. The day offers a guided introduction to Liturgy of the Hours, the Practice of Silence, and Lectio Divina. The day will also include light manual labor, silent contemplative prayer, sharing on Monastic Life, and talks with the Sisters. Click here for more information. If you know a young adult who could benefit from this experience, please pass the word. 

We are grateful for the sisters bringing the monastery to the city for a day!

At the ISLC launch in January, we invited the community to participate in a new apostolic council structure made up of three Councils: Church Justice, Global Justice, and Spiritual Life. Many of you have signed up to participate to guide and invigorate the life and work of our community. Because of the sudden and sweeping work of the Sanctuary Movement at St. Agnes and ISLC, we have been slower than anticipated in taking the next steps. But rest assured, they are coming! We will be holding our first planning meetings in April and May. These meetings are crucial to getting the structure up and going for the Fall. We hope you will bear with us and keep your enthusiasm alive as we move forward. Stay tuned for specifics and In the meantime, join our Sanctuary work! We can use your fiery spirit and willing hands! 

As you know, St. Agnes and the Ignatian Spiritual Life Center declared sanctuary in January just prior to the inauguration. Since then, our community has responded swiftly and generously. We have had two training sessions for the Rapid Response Network totaling over 400 people and we have begun several initiatives that empower our parishioners and community members to give back. We are now in the process of forming a Sanctuary Committee, an Accompaniment Team, and a Parish Education Initiative. Read more about our Sanctuary work here, and contact Natalie Terry if you are interested in being part of this loving response. 

The Ignatian Solidarity Network is offering an online series entitled "Rise Up! A Lenten Call to Solidarity." From Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday, ISN will send a daily reflection exploring response to injustice through the lens of daily readings and Ignatian spirituality.

This series has an impressive line up that includes: 

• Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., founder and director, Homeboy Industries
• Sr. Norma Pimentel, M.J., executive director, Catholic Charities, Rio Grande Valley
• Fr. Gregory Chisholm, S.J., pastor, St. Charles Borromeo in Harlem
• Sr. Simone Campbell, S.S.S., executive director, NETWORK
• Kristen Trudo, community engagement coordinator, La Salle Middle School
• Fr. Fred Kammer, S.J., executive director, Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans
• Giulia McPherson, director of advocacy and operations, Jesuit Refugee Service USA

Subscribe to these reflections here. Pray well!