During one of my college retreats, I underwent my first Ignatian exercise and imagined myself as the Good Thief. This meant that I imagined myself crucified alongside Jesus. I was hyperventilating and I felt a sharp pain on my back. I could’ve sworn that my hands and feet were pierced because I felt air blowing through them. When the exercise ended, it felt like I woke up from a very vivid dream. I was still in the dark room, shaking in... Read more
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”-Luke 23:34 Whenever I heard this particular verse from the Passion narrative, I always wondered if someone snarked “We know exactly what we’re doing.” In the eyes of the Romans, they were eliminating a threat to the peace. In the eyes of the Pharisees, they were helping to eliminate a blasphemer, a false prophet. John 18:14 says “Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to... Read more
Since the official date of Mother Teresa’s canonization has been announced, I want to look into her insights on humility today. Practicing humility is not an easy feat. It’s one thing to imagine the concept of humility, but actually living it out is hard. “These are the few ways we can practice humility: To speak as little as possible of one’s self.” In this social media-saturated world, we always love to talk about ourselves. It can be as vague as... Read more
I never thought I would be so annoyed about setting the clocks forward. Since I already wake up earlier than usual as part of my Lenten resolution, I’ve lost a little more sleep now that Daylight Savings Time has started. And I really could’ve used some extra sleep since my retreat ended on Saturday night. But as I’ve learned on retreats, you are never really on your own time, but actually “God’s time.” Retreats have schedules, but things rarely go... Read more
Last weekend, I was away on a 2-day Ignatian retreat. This retreat was unique from all the others I attended or staffed in a few ways. For one thing, the retreat was more contemplative, focusing on a series of reflections that centered on who we thought Christ was, forgiveness, and the idea of dying to oneself and rising in Christ. I spent a lot more time in silence during this retreat than any other retreat. It wasn’t a silent retreat,... Read more
Tomorrow and Saturday, I will be on retreat and it’ll be a different experience from my usual retreats. For one thing, I’m going as an attendant and not as part of the volunteer staff. The other thing that makes this particular retreat different from the ones in the past is that it’s an Ignatian retreat. While I did an Ignatian Spiritual Exercise during one college retreat, I never had the full Ignatian retreat experience. In anticipation of my upcoming retreat,... Read more
I am a woman facing uncertainty Sometimes my best laid plains are just castles in the sky Other times, my desires are like flowers I learn to bloom where I’m planted I am a woman like a tree covered with scars I am not broken by those who caused them Like a soda bottle, I get shaken a lot Like a vodka martini, I never get stirred I am a woman whose feelings stir her heart like the currents of... Read more
My current favorite song from Taylor Swift is not one of her big hit singles. It’s the 13th song of her album 1989 “Clean.” When she went on the 1989 tour, she did a speech before performing this particular song. Here’s a variation of one of them: I still remember how lost I felt a few years ago. I was so trapped by all the anxieties and lies that almost lost myself. And if it wasn’t for God holding me in... Read more
From Heart of Mary Women’s Fellowship: Who is Mary Magdalene? She’s a saint that’s shrouded in mystery. She’s a woman who’s been labeled as everything from a prostitute, to Jesus’s secret wife, to a goddess. Let me tell you right now, no matter what you may have heard about Mary Magdalene, the Apostle to the Apostles was none of those things. So who was Mary Magdalene? Find out here! Read more
From Heart of Mary Women’s Fellowship: The hard part of living a Christian life isn’t when we make mistakes or find ourselves struggling. It’s regaining the will to try again. We live in a society that sells this illusion of unattainable perfection, that we can’t let anyone see our problems or else end up being mocked and ridiculed or worse, written off as a lost cause. But this particular station shows us that as human beings, we are bound to fall... Read more
Monique Ocampo Writes
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