Givens Creative

Life at the intersection of faith, nature, history and art

Ignatian Spirituality

Four offerings for your Good Friday

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Greetings, friends and readers. Today I offer you four resources for prayer and reflection on this Good Friday.

The first is the conclusion of my seven-part video series on the Seven Last Words of Jesus. If you missed any of them, they are all available here on my blog, of course. Today’s message is from the gospel of Luke and gives us Jesus’ last words to his father at the very moment of his death.

“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23: 44-46

Next up is a short poem and image for reflection, another in the daily series I have been offering during this time of the pandemic.

Below is a new music video for an older song, composed back in 2002 with my friend and collaborator, Phil Cooper, “Consider the Nails.”

Finally, if you’re available this afternoon at 3 p.m. (Central Time), I will be presenting “Crossroads: Stations of the Cross for a Time of Change” on Facebook Live from the Marianist Retreat and Conference Center, just outside of St. Louis. If you want to join in and pray with us live (or view it afterwards at your leisure), you can find the Center’s Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/retreatschangelives/

Blessed Triduum and a Happy Easter to you all!

Steve

The Seven Last Words: I Thirst

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The Seven Last Words, Day 5: Today, we see Jesus experiencing a common and most human need. He is thirsty.

“I thirst.” John 19:28-29

Another thought for the day: Count your blessings. They remain.

What’s Inside?

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I see you. Faust Park greenhouse. SJG photo.

What’s inside, everyone wants to know
what’s inside? And I’ve always told them,
but I feel something needs to change.
You wanna know what’s inside?
I could tell you if I wasn’t hiding.
My whole life is in here,
in this kitchen, baking.
What a mess I’m making.

Sara Bareilles, “What’s Inside,” from Waitress.

I had the privilege a few years ago of seeing the musical Waitress on Broadway with its original Jenna, the remarkable Jessie Mueller (who also portrayed Carole King in the original Broadway cast of Beautiful). What Jenna is hiding inside is, on the surface, the ingredients in her delectable pies. But on a deeper level, she is hiding her insecurities, a bad marriage, an unwanted pregnancy, and her stifled dreams. And the mess she’s making? Oy vey. Go see the play.

We’re all hiding something inside, and we’re all making a mess of it from time to time. We’re multilayered people, all of us, onions (to shift the food metaphor) that need to be peeled away if we’re ever going to get at our centers.

[Read more…] about What’s Inside?

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