Category: A life worth living

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Playing your hand

On By dpavinatoIn A life worth living, a school of God's service, a season of hope, Answering the great question, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, contemplation, curious and receptive, Daily Prayer, discernment, Every day Catholic, Jubilee Year of Hope, Life in the Spirit, Life of purpose, Our unique call, Personal call and vocation, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, spiritual freedom, spiritual healing, Spiritual Journey, spirituality, surrender, Trust the journey, waiting and reflectingLeave a comment

I love YouTube videos! I can find something to satisfy every mood – videos to learn a crafting technique, Paul Fey visiting and playing organs in various churches and countries around the world, news reports (especially when I stopped streaming TV and wanted to catch up on events) and listening to and reflecting on various spiritual talks and discussions.

Last night, Saturday evening, was one of those nights when I wanted to listen to something inspirational. I had a strong desire to further reflect on my week and some of the things that came up in prayer and journaling, trying to make sense of what action might be next for me. A video by Fr. Gregory Pine, a very popular Dominican priest and conference speaker, popped up in my YouTube feed so I followed the serendipity of the moment and watched his talk at SEEK25. I’ve watched many of his talks in the past so I knew it would be worth the time to listen.

During the conference talk, Fr. Gregory, said that in life we need to play the hand we have been dealt. He said that the journey is to honestly reflect on the cards we have. We can look at others and say yes, there are others who are more talented or more gifted, but how are we going to play our hand? The goal is to “play the game beautifully even if you don’t have the best cards.” As we look at our lives we might not love what we find or where we are, but that’s ok because it is a starting point, the “Lord made you good, and he loves you, and he loves your destiny more than you do, and he is excited about the prospect of conducting you hence, strongly and sweetly.”

If you have been reading this blog over the past (almost) three years, you know well that I am always looking for ways to grow spiritually and improve my life. It has become more clear in the past year that I also want to discern the ways that I can help others do that. The past week or so has been a time of intense questioning of that desire and how that might come to life. I have to be honest and admit that in assessing thoughts about the “how” I have gotten dragged down and was melancholy about when it was going to become clear to me.

A couple of things happened this week that reminded me, as Fr. Gregory did, to slow down and trust the process and divine timing. Wednesday during my weekly two hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, during our parish Adoration time, I read a reflection by Christina Leano (on the staff of the Laudato Si Movement) in my Give Us This Day prayer guide that invited me to lean into curiosity and just show up in prayer, to simply ask “God, how do you want me to be with you right now?” and “rest knowing that the answer is secondary”. It was powerful and while letting go of the answer I might have been looking for, I was gifted with an insightful time of conversation with Christ. I was loved and beheld as simply who I am.

The next day I happened upon a seminar that might be helpful to me as I seek to use my gifts to help others. Then later in the week I listened to podcast that introduced me to some new concepts that are used in spiritual counseling. I was so excited about learning new ways that are being used to combine faith and spirituality in the realm of counseling, psychology, and brain science. I look forward to reading more about it, and my guess is, that in some way, it’s also a preparation and foundation for the healing work that will be experienced during my week long retreat the first week of August.

So Saturday evening, after listening to Fr. Gregory, I smiled in awe and gratitude in the ways that God might be aligning things in my path to pay attention to. I am also reminded today, in Luke’s Gospel for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, in the familiar story of Martha and Mary, that it is important to take the time to listen in prayer. Being busy, always doing, distracts from seeing those hints from God as they show up. It’s essential to be still and to be watchful for the guidance as it appears. But before all of that happens, it’s also important to know what it is I am seeking, to ask for the grace to be guided.

What grace do you seek this week? How might you just “show up” and sit in curiosity, watchful for the signs of God’s grace as they appear? Can you find time in your day to just sit and be held in the loving gaze and presence of God? You don’t need an agenda, or things to discuss, just show up and simply BE.

Wishing you abundant peace and hope, Deena

Image: Flowers and a bench on my patio

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Still learning

On By dpavinatoIn A life worth living, a school of God's service, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, contemplation, discernment, Every day Catholic, Jubilee Year of Hope, lifelong learning, ongoing catechesis, Our unique call, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Seeing things in a new way, spiritual freedom, Spiritual Journey, spiritualityLeave a comment

Did you know that a typical Jewish Torah scroll is 86 feet long? I didn’t! They are handwritten and if a mistake is made during the creation of the scroll it is discarded and process begun again.

This past week I went on a bus trip to three places of worship in Chicago – Holy Name Cathedral, the Chicago Loop Synagogue, and the Baha’i House of Worship in suburban Wilmette. It was a fascinating day and I loved learning new things about other faith traditions, as well as sharing some things about our Catholic faith and tradition at the Cathedral with those on the trip who pulled me aside to ask questions.

While we were at the synagogue I noticed a lamp burning above the Ark, where the Torah scrolls are kept, and asked about it because of the similarity to a sanctuary candle in every Catholic Church by the Tabernacle. The assistant director of the synagogue praised my question and acknowledged that the Ner Tamid, or Eternal Light, always burns above or near the Ark representing God’s eternal presence. In a Catholic Church we have the red sanctuary light burning at all times (except after Holy Thursday Mass until Easter Vigil because Jesus is no longer present in the Tabernacle) by the Tabernacle in the Church indicating the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

I admit to being enthralled with studying and learning new things. When people ask what I am reading they might expect a current bestseller or fiction book but it is almost always a book on spirituality, self-improvement, or a biography of someone I admire. As a matter of fact I could probably stop buying books and still read new books for the next 5 years! I’ll catch up one of these days.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) encourages our study and ongoing learning. In Article 6 regarding Moral Conscience, the CCC tells us that it is the voice that calls us to love, do good and avoid evil. It guides us to behavior that we view as just and right for ourselves and those we encounter. But it goes on to say that our conscience must be informed and enlightened. We can’t expect that we learned everything that we need to act with an informed conscience, or to act in accord with the teachings of the Church, or whatever faith we practice, when we were instructed as young children. Education of our conscience is a lifelong and ongoing task, according to the Catechism.

Many of us, in Catholic and Protestant services, listened to the scripture of the Good Samaritan this weekend. Jesus teaches with this parable to encourage unconditional love and fair treatment to all regardless of our differences. An insightful Benedictine reflection that I read this Sunday morning reminded us that “we aren’t there yet. We need to keep re-tuning our ear and correcting our vision with the lens of charity, humility, and truth.” That is exactly the reason we continue to listen and be transformed by the Living Word of God (and hopefully by homilies and sermons that encourage the kind of behavior that Jesus challenges us to).

This desire for ongoing learning is the reason that I love the Wednesday Papal Audience and Angelus addresses given by our Popes. They are a brief catechesis on current topics of the day, how we should treat each other and live our lives. I want to keep my mind and heart open to seeing things a new way and changing those aspects of my thoughts and behavior that are not aligned with the heart of Christ.

Whether it is your faith life, or an area you desire to grow deeper in understanding and knowledge, keep learning! I offer these reminders for us to consider this week:

“I am still learning.” – Michelangelo (aged 87)

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein

“Therefore we intend to establish a school for God’s service. In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome…But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.” – The Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict

Wishing you abundant peace and hope this week, Deena

Image: Torah scrolls in the Ark at the Chicago Loop Synagogue

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Pause and rest

On By dpavinatoIn A life worth living, Catholic faith, Coming home to myself, contemplation, Daily Prayer, discernment, Every day Catholic, hope and healing, Life in the Spirit, mindfulness, Pause and rest, Pope Leo XIV, Rest for the weary, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Seeing things in a new way, spiritual freedom, spiritual healing, Spiritual Journey, spirituality, Trust the journeyLeave a comment

Some days writing is like turning on the kitchen faucet and the ideas, like water, pour forth easily. Other days it is like watching water boil, but I am ready for the tea right now! None of the ideas I had to share today were developing. I decided not to fight it. I am just tired.

I am weary from the news. As if this week’s National news wasn’t enough, today my heart is breaking for the families who sent their children to Camp Mystic in Texas and now will be planning funerals. I can’t imagine the sorrow and grief they are experiencing. They will be on my heart, and in my prayers, along with all the others experiencing the devastation from the flooding river.

I didn’t realize how changes around me, some personal and some broader, were impacting me until I made an effort this week to breathe a little deeper and slow down. I felt the weight of those changes and decided to honor them instead of ignoring them.

This morning I saw a quote by Etty Hillesum, Dutch Jewish author and modern mystic who was murdered at Auschwitz in December of 1943, which said “Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes.”

I sighed and thought “Yes, just rest today. You don’t have to write or do anything else.” I was going to simply write and suggest we all rest and pause today.

But, I was also reminded of Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intentions for July on discernment and the prayer he wrote. Part of the prayer says: “I ask you for the grace to learn how to pause, to become aware of the way I act, of the feelings that dwell within me, and of the thoughts that overwhelm me which, so often, I fail to notice.”

Like Pope Leo (as stated further in the prayer), I long for the choices that bring joy and bring me closer in my relationship to God.

So, today I pause and rest. I will make some tea, slowly, not rushing the water as it boils. I will enjoy the flowers that seem to be as relieved as I am from the intense sun and heat and are just radiant under the cloudy skies. Perhaps you will be able to take some time to rest today too.

As I researched the quote shared above by Etty Hillesum, to make sure I was sharing her words accurately, I saw another. I offer it to you today too.

“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it toward others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.”

Wishing you abundant peace and rest today, Deena

Photo: Butters will be my muse for rest today. He is an expert!

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The paths we choose

On By dpavinatoIn a life of joy, A life worth living, Answering the great question, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, contemplation, Daily Prayer, discernment, Doing what we love, Every day Catholic, Fruit of the Spirit, Jubilee Year of Hope, Life in the Spirit, Pope Leo XIV, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, spiritual freedom, Spiritual Journey, spirituality, surrender, waiting and reflecting2 Comments

This past Friday evening, the final 8th grade class of Holy Family School (HFS), our parish Catholic grade school, graduated. I mentioned two weeks ago in my blog that our three local Catholic grade schools are merging and becoming one new school, The Carlo Acutis Academy, beginning in the Fall of 2025. As I looked at pictures shared by the family members of the graduates, as well as friends with grandchildren graduating high school this past week, I find myself a bit sentimental thinking about all of the moments from my first day of kindergarten at Holy Family School and the years that followed. The post image I am sharing this week is our “Oglesby Girls” group (we still gather for lunch and other special events, friends for all these years!), and other classmates who were able to join us, for a final photo with the school name on the building before it changes. We were the first class of HFS that studied Kindergarten through Eighth Grade in the school building.

This week I also participated in a couple of workshops or seminars that helped me to continue to reflect on my topic last week on personal vocation and our call in life. Today, Sunday, May 18, was Pope Leo XIV’s Inaugural Mass of the Petrine Ministry (yes, I woke up at 2:30 a.m. for it!). I listened as commentators muses on his background and priestly and missionary calling that led to his role as Pope and Shepherd of the Catholic Church. He seems perfect, has all of the right qualifications but more importantly the pastoral heart that the world needs right now. Will he make mistakes or do something that will result in questions or criticism? Of course, he is human. But at the moment, I am enjoying the honeymoon period of learning more about him and all the work he has done leading up his selection as Pope just a short 11 days ago. The paths he chose in life gave him the necessary background, along with the working of the Holy Spirit, to bring him to this momentous day.

Before sitting down to write this, I read Maria Shriver’s weekly post, Keep Room In Your Heart for The Unimaginable, regarding her unexpected trip to Rome for the Inaugural Mass and her thoughts on the “yeses” we say in life and making room for the extraordinary. Most of us didn’t, and won’t have the opportunity, to pick up and jet off to Rome for a special event like Maria did this weekend. However, what other choices do we make in life to make room for unpredicted outcomes?

This week my spiritual director asked me if I would be willing to consider a training program she was aware of. My instant response was “No” and all the “blocks”, “restrictions” that came with that response – I’m too old, it’s too late, it’s too expensive, it would take too long… While I need to pray and discern if that program is truly one I might be called to consider, I did realize as the week went on, that there may be other things, other learning opportunities, for me to consider once the “Blocks are blasted” (using the Artist Way terminology regarding facing our inner critics and resistance). These choices we face each day aren’t always big ones, but in each of them we might be invited to make room for Spirit to present new opportunities to us.

Do you still have a dream in your heart whispering for your attention? Is there an invitation that keeps placing itself in front of you, asking you to say “yes”? Are you open and willing to consider something new? I will reflect on those questions this week along with you!

Wishing you abundant peace, Deena

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Listen and hear

On By dpavinatoIn a life of joy, A life worth living, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, Daily Prayer, discernment, Every day Catholic, Ignatian prayer, Jubilee Year of Hope, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, spiritual freedom, spiritual healing, Spiritual Journey, spiritualityLeave a comment

On Friday of this week I read the daily reflection by Fr. Michael Casey, “Christ in our ear” in Give Us This Day. We studied Fr. Casey’s books in our Benedictine Oblate study so, when I see his name in the daily reflections, I am always ready to listen to what he has to say. Early in his post he says “The world is full of surprises and it is only by responding creatively to the unexpected that we allow the full power of our latent potential to emerge. Mere routine can’t do this.” As I have been trying to contemplate a more creative perspective of my retirement years, I was moved by that statement.

I also reflected on the previous day. I sat glued to my computer screen on Thursday morning, believing for some reason that the vote for our new Pope would come early. All of the announcers were saying if the vote came Thursday, it would more likely be the vote later in the day. I kept watching, I had an inkling to stay put. But I still gasped as I saw the white smoke swirl from the chimney around the pair of doves and their little one on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. “We have a Pope” I quickly texted friends!

To learn that an American, Illinois-born, dual citizen of Peru and missionary, was selected to be our Pope was a complete surprise. I saw Cardinal Prevost’s name on lists but never in a million years would I have imagined an American pope! Seeing his experience, it’s easy to understand how his brother Cardinals placed their confidence in his ability but it still seems unbelievable, in the most wonderful way! Every video I watch and Vatican News update on his speeches and homilies excite me even more. He is a man of deep faith. A man of service, asking “God to help us all live “in service to one another…capable of helping one another to walk in love and truth.” He is a voice of peace and building bridges. A voice that we so desperately need!

I watched all the reports and commentaries about his vocation story. It was fascinating to learn that even as a young boy he knew he wanted to be a priest, then discerned the life of an Augustinian friar and missionary priest vs Diocesan life. I was touched by his visit to a Shrine outside of Rome, dedicated to the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano which has been run by Augustinians since the 1200’s. He made his profession to the Order of Saint Augustine in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel of Chicago in 1978 then solemn vows in 1981. Our Lady of Good Counsel is a special Marian title to me, so I love his devotion to her under that name. (And the image I selected, from a chapel I visited on the grounds of the Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, WI for today’s blog).

On Saturday evening I watched the debut of a rookie pitcher in a Chicago Cubs game against the New York Mets. Cade Horton’s mother shared the joy of seeing her son’s dream come true. She shared that he wanted to be a baseball player since he was little and the broadcasters shared an adorable t-ball picture in a Cubs jersey.

I only know one other person, personally, who has been laser focused on what they wanted to be from a very young age. Seeing that dream come to life for him has been an inspiring journey. He also is someone I see as destined for greatness in his career. I wonder about hearing a call and having the courage to remain steadfast to it throughout life. Do some of us know early? Do some have a special ability to hear and respond to a call?

A few years ago someone wrote me and stated that, throughout my life, I have been ignoring a call to religious life. That may or may not be true, but I responded that there are many ways to respond to God’s call and that I felt living a single life, outside of a community, was my journey. But somehow I am still on a path of discernment. Would that be the case if I had said “yes” to the invitation in the 1990’s?

In a small book on discernment of personal vocation through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Fr. Herbert Alphonso, S.J. says that the unique, true and deepest part of the self is our personal vocation. He suggests that the deepest transformation in any of our lives takes place when we live out that vocation. It doesn’t have to be to religious life (but my continued prayers for all those who choose this as their path in life), or have to be discerned early or late in chronological years. But he shares from his years of experience walking with and leading individuals through the Exercises and retreats, that confirmation of a personal vocation is “written into one’s concrete history and into the inner dynamism (that is, movement of the inner forces) of one’s life.” He goes on to say that the manifestation of that vocation may change with life circumstances but the unique way that the Spirit calls us never changes. (Discovering Your Personal Vocation, Herbert Alphonso, SJ)

Perhaps some of us listen more carefully. Maybe some of us are more stubborn. But I turn to the Saints and great teachers of my faith to know that sometimes the response to the call happens at various stages in life. I have hope in that knowledge.

Fr. Casey in his reflection, mentioned above, states that we would be wise to consider that God may be speaking to us even when our lives are turning out a little different than expected. That perhaps we are being asked to change course. The key is listening and remaining open.

He concluded his reflection by suggesting that we respond, not expecting to understand what we are called to completely, it remains a mystery for us but that “Saying ‘Yes’ gives us entrance to a world beyond our reasoning”.

This week let us be open to hearing that small voice that calls us to more in life. Let us pray for the grace to be receptive to an invitation to change course if needed or simply a more discerning ear to listen. In doing so, let it bring forth more surprises and peace as we live out our individual and unique call in life.

Wishing you abundant peace, Deena

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A heart burning with desire

On By dpavinatoIn A life worth living, a season of hope, Coming home to myself, contemplation, Daily Prayer, discernment, Easter Hope, Every day Catholic, Ignatian prayer, Jubilee Year of Hope, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, spiritual healing, Spiritual Journey, spiritualityLeave a comment

Last week I saw the movie released about Blessed Carlo Acutis, the impact of technology on us, and how Carlo used technology, by creating a website on Eucharistic Miracles, to spread his message of the importance of the Eucharist. Carlo was a 15-year-old Italian teenager known for his devotion to the Eucharist. His canonization, as the first millennial saint, was postponed, from April 27, due to the death and funeral of Pope Francis. Besides being an amazing young man, he is also the new patron of the Catholic grade schools that will consolidate in my home town area in The Fall. I attended the movie with two friends, Kelly and Mark. Kelly and I are parish point people for the Eucharistic Revival, for which Carlo is a selected “intercessor”, so we enjoyed seeing the bonus video at the end with highlights from this past summer’s National Eucharistic Congress. As I watched it I felt my heart fill with the same emotions that I experienced during the events of the Congress in July of 2024.

But, I wondered where those feelings of excitement and passion for the Revival went? Did they leave me, were they lost forever? Did I just get busy and forget about the importance of the topics discussed during the keynote speeches and guided prayer? Did I let others things take their place?

Later in the week, I talked to my spiritual director about my experiences during Lent, Easter and the death of Pope Francis. I commented that life got so busy at the end of Lent, that I felt I rushed through those final sacred days of Triduum and Easter. While I felt Lent and Holy Week were deeply transformative this year, I lamented that I didn’t want the intensity of the penitential days to go away. I wanted to be transformed by them, to make sure the experiences carried on beyond the Easter season. I wanted a life that reflected my beliefs as I mused on how Pope Francis lived his life. He was a Jesuit during his priesthood and papacy, keenly aware of the teachings of St. Ignatius, shaped by the Spiritual Exercises and discernment. He was a Contemplative in Action, one of the ideals of Christian life and Jesuit spirituality. He lived what he believed.

I asked “who am I now that Lent is over?” How do I feel I am being called to live the grace of resurrected life beyond Easter?

It became clear as we talked that rather than viewing these feelings as regret over something that didn’t last, it was, in fact, an invitation by the Holy Spirit to go deeper, to enter the mystery and grace of life with the risen Christ more fully. The desire was welling up in such a way that the resistance to moving in that direction could easily feel like sorrow and discouragement. I prayed for the ability to see that truth more clearly as I discerned what I was being called to. Later that day, I reflected on the gospel story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Easter Wednesday, Luke 24: 13-35).

In the gospel account, Jesus walks with some of his disciples, who are so focused on his death, they can’t recognize who is standing in their midst and what is happening as Jesus discusses all the prophecies of his ministry, death and resurrection.

My heart burned with desire to live life differently, so much that I almost missed the invitation to go deeper. I focused on what I thought I lost instead of the Spirit inviting me into a deeper union.

How often do we miss these occasions of grace? How often do our hearts burn to move closer to Christ and our mission in life? How often do we pray and focus on the change we desire that we miss a potential opportunity to look at a situation in a new way?

Would you be willing, this week, when things look like they aren’t going the way you would like them to, or you are wrestling with a deep desire for change, that you might pause and look for a threshold moment to live in deeper grace, faith and hope? What are you being called to embrace, what new perspective is waiting for your glance and awareness?

As always, I would love to hear from you, in a private message or in a comment, as you reflect on these invitations this week.

Wishing you abundant peace and hope, Deena

Photo: a fire burning at Stronghold Retreat Center this weekend.

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A lost sheep

On By dpavinatoIn a life of joy, A life worth living, a season of hope, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, Divine Mercy, Easter Hope, Every day Catholic, Jubilee Year of Hope, Laudato Si, Pope Francis, sacred listening, sacred seeing, season of change, Spiritual Journey, spirituality, waiting and reflectingLeave a comment

I woke up Friday morning from a dream and felt lost. In my dream the school children did a presentation in our church, before Mass, but moved the ambo, altar and tabernacle. As I was helping to remove their displays, a visiting priest came from the confessional. He didn’t know where everything was and I could’t find the items to help. How were we going to go on?

I woke with the realization of the heavy loss and sadness of this week. The loss of our shepherd, Pope Francis, is weighing heavily on my heart.

The week has been full of beautiful tributes and remembrances of Pope Francis’ writings and impact, so I won’t presume that I can say anything different, or more eloquently, than others have already. I have lived in a church and world guided by 7 different popes. Pope Pius XII was only pope two more years after my birth, but each of the other popes since Pope John XXIII have influenced me and my faith in various ways, but none as much as Pope Francis. He focused on themes such as joy, mercy and hope and lived a life that honored the dignity of all people. He asked us to hear the cry of the earth, our common home, and the cry of the poor and respond with love. He called us to evangelize with our lives and let our joyful way of living be the way we share the Gospel with those we encounter. His smile radiated love and compassion. These teachings, his spirituality and catecheses on other topics, were tenets that I resonated with, more than any other pope, therefore I feel the loss more deeply.

I watched the Requiem Mass live from the Vatican on Saturday morning and thought it was so fitting for the person he was and the way he lived. If things can be simple by the standards of the Vatican, and all the trappings of being Pope to a church of a reported 1.4 billion people, I think it was. I captured images so that I can recall the day, but as I watched the Mass and journey to his final resting place, I was especially moved by two images, that I felt represented the man that he was. There was something very poignant about the unadorned casket in St. Peter’s Square. Later, as the proceedings came to a close, I loved watching the white “Pope mobile” travel the city of Rome from the Vatican to Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis has been laid to rest. The Pope’s body moved through the streets of Rome among his people, close to the people, just as he preferred his pontificate to be.

I was fortunate enough to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore during my 2023 pilgrimage and now that his tomb is open to the public as of today, Divine Mercy Sunday, I have a reason to want to return.

The picture that I used for this blog image was taken during our general audience with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square. I posted it on social media this week, and in 2023 during our visit, it’s my favorite picture from the pilgrimage and I am delighted I hadn’t used it in a blog post previously.

So now I turn my prayers to formidable task ahead for the College of Cardinals. I pray for the future of the Church and for the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinals to select someone with a pastoral spirit similar to Pope Francis and with a heart and mind capable of offering wisdom to leaders in the world today.

Wishing you abundant trust in God’s mercy, and a heart full of joy and hope, Deena

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Cultivating beauty

On By dpavinatoIn a life of joy, A life worth living, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, Coming home to myself, Doing what we love, Every day Catholic, la dolce vita, Lenten journey, Life in the Spirit, mindfulness, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, seeing beauty around me, Seeing things in a new way, Spiritual Journey, spirituality, Teachers and Guides on the journeyLeave a comment

On March 24, for the Third Week of Lent, I read the following quote by Joan Chittister, in her Reflection Resource, Cry Justice, Cry Hope, and I began implementing the practice of being, or at least attempting, to be more aware of beauty around me, with a strong desire to cultivate it more within me.

The purpose of life is to cultivate the sacred in ourselves so that we can come to know God before we see God. Goethe puts it this way: “A person should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful that God has implanted in the human soul. ” This week, follow Goethe’s advice. Every day this week, list one way that you tried to “cultivate beauty in the human soul. ” In your own life … in your neighborhood … in the world.

––from Cry Justice, Cry Hope by Joan Chittister

I think that is why I love having a garden, keeping fresh flowers on my kitchen counter each week, like the daisies in my blog photo, or creating little vignettes of objects in my home. Looking at something beautiful uplifts and inspires me. It does as Sr. Joan suggests, help me see God in the world around me. After reading Sr. Joan’s quote, I want to raise my awareness of the beauty I see around me in the world. I want to make a conscious effort of cultivating beauty in my life so that I might create more beauty in the world. It’s going to be a work in progress for sure!

This weekend I was blessed to be a participant, virtually, in a retreat being given by my friend, author Judith Valente for the Associates of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kentucky. The presentations by Judith and by Brother Paul Quenon, her friend, co-author of books and a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani, were wonderful but perhaps my favorite was Judith’s talk on Saturday evening, “What can we learn from Italians this Lent about living more mindfully”. So many of the practices, la dolce vita (living the sweet life), that Judith discussed are practices I grew up with or still make part of my life. Sunday meals at my Italian grandmother’s home while growing up, the art of sitting and engaging in conversation over coffee, as well as visiting our family cemetery plots to clean up and remember our beloved deceased.

My return to Italy in the Fall of 2023 rekindled a passion for living and savoring the good life. My friend Kelly’s visit to Italy this past week, and pictures she shared of a family dinner gathering, reminded me of the graces of sitting down together for aperitivo, good food, wine and conversation. I tend to rush through dinner, if I even make it, instead of savoring the slowing down of the day before the quiet time of evening.

As a note, you will be able to read more of Judith’s reflections on life in Italy in her new book, The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life, which will be released on May 5. (Click on the link to preorder it.) Judith’s book will help us learn to look more deeply for beauty in life and experience the grace of the present moment, the life we are living. It is not only an Italian way of life, but a spiritual lifestyle. It is the same awareness that Goethe and Sr. Joan Chittister are encouraging us to have.

So this week, I invite you to look for and instill more beauty in your life, just as Sr. Joan and Judith have excited in me a desire to look for more awe-inspiring moments in the everyday. Look for, and pause to savor, these moments when you encounter them. Create them in your daily living and the way you express yourself in the world, with your family and in your home.

In a previous blog post I mentioned a new practice of keeping an ongoing list of my daily gratitude, tracking the sequential numbers versus jotting down three new entries each day. To this practice I have added an area to reflect on beauty that crossed my path each day. Besides my daily spiritual and creative reflections, I write in my daily Examen journal the consolations or graces and desolations each day. Before those movements of the Spirit, I note my reflections of gratitude and beauty. I have included a sample of today’s page, in this blog post, before writing in it later today. Try it and let me know what you think.

Wishing you abundant peace and this week, la dolce vita! Deena

My daily Examen journal image:

Tilling the soil

On By dpavinatoIn A life worth living, a season of hope, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, discernment, Every day Catholic, Jubilee Year of Hope, Lenten journey, Life in the Spirit, Life of purpose, sacred listening, sacred seeing, sacred waiting, Seeing things in a new way, Spiritual Journey, Teachers and Guides on the journeyLeave a comment

It’s March Madness time. I don’t really follow NCAA basketball all season but I love watching during tournament time. Anything can happen. Players rise above challenges they may have been having all year, determination and drive kick in. I’m looking forward to seeing if some of my favorite teams advance in each round. I have a variety of reasons that teams are favorites, not always because of the team or it’s location but rather the character of school and leadership, like Loyola University’s team chaplain Sr. Jean Schmidt. Another favorite has always been Duke University, because of the legendary coaching style of “Coach K”, Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K coached Duke basketball for 42 seasons, having the most winning seasons in college basketball, and was also a six-time gold medalist head coach of the US Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. Coach K is no longer the coach at Duke, but his influence remains.

I recently watched an interview of Coach K by Kate Bowler, an author that I have quoted here before, and associate professor at Duke Divinity School. The interview, available on YouTube, was called “Love in Winning, Love in Losing”. Kate began the interview by stating that one of Coach K’s qualities is bringing out the greatness in others, and asked if it is hard, because many of us don’t look inside and see that level of greatness. Coach K responded that, as a coach, the team leaders looked for individuals that were talented with character, talented individuals who were willing to do the work to improve, and not talented characters, who see themselves as better than they are. Throughout the interview, he shared examples of believing in his players, asking them to step up, being honest and building trust within the team, being willing to hear the good things when things are going well, but also to receive honest feedback and work through the tough times. He shared his four A’s of Leadership; Agility, Adaptability, Accountability, and Attitude. They are great characteristics in life as well! He also spoke of his parents and their mentorship in his life. He said “if they didn’t till the ground, till the soil the right way”, his decision to go to West Point, and the influence of others, all as aspects that led him to be who he is, develop his leadership style and allow him to accomplish what he has. It’s an outstanding interview, I would highly recommend watching it.

In today’s Gospel, Luke 13: 1-9, there is a story of a fig tree that isn’t producing fruit. The owner instructs the gardener to cut it down. The gardener responds that he will cultivate and fertilize the soil and requests another year to see if the fruit will produce fruit. This morning I read a reflection by a monk at Conception Abbey that explained the fig tree as an ancient symbol of fruitfulness in the Bible and provided several scripture passages as examples. Br. Michael goes on to say that the Gardener is the Lord who loves each of us, lavishes mercy on us and continues to prune and fertilize our lives so that we can grow in love and continue to make a return to the Lord with our hearts and lives.

Spend some time this week reflecting on the teachers in your life? Who believed in you when you didn’t see your own capability and worthiness? What is the fig tree in your life that is dormant and needs some attention and nourishment? Lent is the perfect time to till the soil so that we bring forth new life at Easter and beyond.

Wishing you abundant peace, Deena

By the way, there is an adorable three minute video of Kate preparing for her interview with Coach K. Check it out here.

Photo: Taken during a prior year early Spring visit to Hornabaker’s Gardens in Princeton, IL.

It takes heart

On By dpavinatoIn A life worth living, Benedictine Oblate, Catholic faith, discernment, Doing what we love, Every day Catholic, Fruit of the Spirit, Lenten journey, Life in the Spirit, sacred listening, Spiritual Journey, spiritualityLeave a comment

March is Women’s History Month and yesterday, Saturday March 8th, was International Women’s Day. It was inspiring and uplifting to see and read positive posts about women and the potential influence and impact women have on each other and the world. I thought about the number of women who have helped shape me to be the woman I am today. I think of the women, personally and in the broader social arena, who inspire, and challenge, me to be more. I reflected on being in a later season in life, what I fondly called a Crone or Wise Woman phase of life, and my ability (and desire) to cast a positive example for younger women in an earlier season of their lives.

There are so many lovely idioms about the heart, such as pouring your heart out, losing heart, or wearing your heart on your sleeve, that express how we feel when something is important to us or suggests a deeper emotion within us about a certain event or our reaction to it. In speaking of others, to say someone “has heart” suggests that we see qualities such as kindness, compassion, courage or a deep level of empathy for others.

Beth Knobbe is a woman I met while working for Ignatian Ministries and is someone I would describe as a woman who “has heart”. I had the great pleasure of editing and publishing the weekly blog for the ministry and Beth is one of the frequent contributors. After leaving the ministry I stopped reading the blogs, not for any particular reason except to feel as though I was moving on and focus on my own voice and written content. This past Monday when I received the weekly blog email, “Blessed Are You Who Are Poor”, and noticed Beth had written it, I had a strong desire to read it and “connect” with Beth, albeit in her written word only. Beth shares a beautiful encounter (links to the pages below) with a family in her church parking lot, her reflection on that family and being called, in her mission and work with others, to stand even more profoundly on the side of the poor in the world. Beth works for Catholic Relief Services and as a result of her reflection I feel called to make a change, a small one, to stand in support of Beth, the poor, and her work at Catholic Relief Services.

When I initially planned my upcoming Lent evening of Reflection, Make My Heart Like Your Heart, I had a draft plan of launching an additional site or platform, besides this Journeys blog page, of courses or other events. The past two weeks have been a time of deep prayer, discernment, reflection and journaling. I have realized that creating such a platform isn’t what I want to spend time and energy on. I won’t go into all the details today, but some of my motivation for having a suggested registration fee (not required!) for the Retreat was for the cost of Zoom, starting and maintaining a website to handle registrations and a platform on which classes could remain and be viewed again. Yes, I still need to have Zoom as a platform for us to gather, but that really is the only expense I have and will use for other things like prayer gatherings or future retreats. So, all that said, I still plan on offering the retreat on the evening of March 20 but 100% of the proceeds from the retreat from those who choose to donate (not required to attend) will be donated to Catholic Relief Services and an event she is hosting (also on March 20) for the 50th Anniversary of Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl. I’m not going to set up an online registration, you can send me a message (on this blog or on social media) if you would like to attend so that I can send a Zoom link privately the day before the event and provide my mailing address if you wish to donate for the event.

You can read Beth’s blog on Ignatian Ministries Into the Deep blog page or a copy of the same article on Beth’s website. I would encourage you to follow both sites if you don’t already.

It takes heart to put yourself out there, to have the courage and confidence to share your thoughts, feelings and emotions with others. It also takes heart to listen to and follow the inner guidance that comes from prayer and time spent in reflection and meditation. It takes heart to be a voice for others, like Beth and so many other voices that I share with you in the course of this weekly format. Take time to go within and listen to the quiet tugs on your heart. Who needs to hear your voice? Can you be a voice for others?

If you want to spend time in reflection and sharing with others in a format of prayer and support, I hope you will join us for the Lent Evening of Reflection, Make My Heart Like Your Heart, on March 20th. It will be a simple format of listening to scripture, reflecting on it and then sharing with others. I will have a few thoughts to share on each of the three scriptures. If this sounds like a new practice for you, no worries, come to be with others and experience prayerful community.

Wishing you abundant peace this week, Deena

Blog image: From PicMonkey

Retreat image and information:

Reminder: A Lent Night of Reflection entitled “Make My Heart Like Your Heart: Encounter and Change of Heart” will be held on Thursday, March 20 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Central Time. The suggested donation for the event is $19. As mentioned above, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Catholic Relief Services. During the event we will reflect on the things in the world that consume our heart and attention, our need and desire to give and receive forgiveness, and ways that we can pour out our love to God in a personal and sincere way. I am excited to offer this and I hope you will be able to join me.