Growing Strength

Growing Strength

62/4 October 2023

Philip Endean, on grace and the cross. Patrick Goujon, on conversation with God. Henry Shea, on the Spiritual Exercises and theologies of grace. Emily Abdeni-Holman, on spirituality and imagination.

£15.00 (about $15.10 or €14.02)

Berry Bishop, ‘Spiritual Direction as a Source of Healing in the Wake of Trauma’

The time-honoured art of spiritual direction can help or hinder people as they heal from traumatic experiences. This critical appraisal encourages practitioners work with sensitivity to discover the positive approaches that foster resilience.

Woo-jung Kim, ‘Vulnerability and Virtue in the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises’

The dynamic of the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises leads from vulnerability to growing virtue as we become aware of the forgiveness of God. The freedom to love is rooted in our recognition that God shares our vulnerable nature through the cross.

Robert Green, ‘Was Jesus Abandoned?’

This theological analysis rejects the notion that God abandoned Jesus on the cross. It releases us from a bundle of unsettling theologies and demonstrates how, in not abandoning Jesus, God reveals that he will never abandon anyone with important repercussions for our understanding of pastoral practice.

Robert W. McChesney, ‘Noticing Hibakusha’

The survivors of the first nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki are reminders of the necessity of recognising human fragility both within and without. It is only by acknowledging that God shares that fragility that we can hear the good news proclaimed to all those who suffer.

Gerard Garrigan, ‘Spirituality and the Arts: The Healing Nature of Poetry and Jazz’

The endless play of art in life, exemplified by jazz, is a reflection of the indefatigable human spirit..

Mary Cohen, ‘New Narratives: Dementia, Arrupe, and Living the Suscipe Prayer’

Pedro Arrupe’s surrender to God in the face of a suffering is the inspiration for this meditation on how to accompany those who suffer from dementia. God can make use even of the involuntary surrender of memory, understanding and will in order to bring patients and carers closer to Godself.

Willliam Watson, ‘The Perennial Vitality of the Ignatian Examen’

The connection between the Examen and the autobiography of St Ignatius creates a deeper understanding of the inner workings of this prayer. Watson shows how God made use of the trauma that Ignatius received to fashion him anew, and shows how we can receive the same healing in our own lives..

Annemarie Paulin-Campbell, ‘Has the Pandemic Changed the World of Spiritual Accompaniment Forever?’

A hallmark of Ignatian spirituality is its capacity to adapt to circumstances of person, place and time. The new context of the pandemic was the cause for a reevaluation of the use of technology in spiritual ministry. Perhaps surprisingly this has opened up new frontiers in practice and formation for spiritual directors

Gavin Murphy, ‘Bursting Out in Praise: Faith and Mental Health’

A former Jesuit novice describes his journey through mental ill health to arrive at the discovery of the affirmative work of the Holy Spirit at work within each of us.