31 July 2026 - Reflection on St Ignatius of Loyola and the Ignatian Spiritual exercises

Back in July 2019, I traveled to the Basque region of Spain to the retreat center on the grounds of the ancestral home of St Ignatius of Loyola to pray his spiritual exercises for an entire month. It was an amazing very intense experience that was done mostly in silence. Every morning, I would meet with my spiritual director, spend the day praying the exercises, and then spend time walking through the neighboring villages before Mass and dinner. As we celebrate the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola today on July 31, I gave thanks for the way Ignatian spirituality has impacted my journey of faith and my priesthood.

1 August 2026 - homily for Saturday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time - Mark 14:1-12

Looking at the calendar of saints these past few days, we see a lot of great luminaries from throughout Church history. Last Thursday we celebrated St Peter Chrystologus from the 4th century. He was a great preacher and the Bishop of Ravenna, Italy. He has been named as a Doctor of the Church.  Yesterday was the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola from the 16th century from the Basque Country in Spain, the founder of the Jesuits, and the author of the famous spiritual exercises. There is an entire movement of Ignatian spirituality that has developed from his teachings. Today, we honor St Alphonsus Liguori from the 18th century. Liguori studied law at the young age of 16.  After a successful law career, he became a priest at the age of 27. He started his priesthood working with the poor and the marginalized youth in Naples, Italy. Soon afterward, he founded the congregation of the Redemptorists, which focuses on preaching and teaching in poor cities and neighborhoods. From his experiences in ministering the poor, he developed a moral theology that had great influence in the Church. Liguori was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1871. It is an honor as a priest to offer masses that celebrate these great saints. 

When the people of Ancient Israel were trying to figure Jesus out, they speculated as to whether he was the return of one of the prophets or the second coming of John the Baptist. Herod was intrigued by the message that John the Baptist proclaimed, but fearful of him at the same time. Although he had an inclination to save John the Baptist’s life, trapped by circumstances and his desire to hold onto power, Herod had John the Baptist put to death. In our world today, a lot of different voices and a lot of different prophets call out to us. Our busy schedules and our busy lives can lead us in different directions, sometimes away from the faith. May we look to Mary and the saints and the values of our faith help us stay on the right path.