Leaning into Our Belovedness
A Lenten Journey that Can Change Us as Never Before
God loves me as I am, no matter what.
We invite you to use this fundamental truth of the Spiritual Exercises as the basis of your prayer this Lent. Gretchen Crowder – campus minister, retreat director and spiritual writer – will share weekly reflections on this page each Sunday during Lent to help you lean into your own belovedness.
Begin to prepare for Lent by reading Gretchen’s reflections and suggestions here. Or download and save it. Then return to this page each Sunday for new inspiration.
Easter Season – Continuing Friendship in the Easter Season
(from Ignatian Spirituality) Gretchen Crowder invites us to continue our journey of friendship with Jesus that we began by accompanying him in his suffering and death into the Easter season. Read it here.
Palm Sunday – Can we make a return of love?
As we enter Holy Week, Gretchen Crowder escorts us through the last leg of the journey with Jesus – his last moments on the cross. Using imaginative prayer and colloquy, we invite you to dialogue with Jesus as he reaches his final destination and makes the ultimate gift of love for us, his life. Read and watch here.
The Fifth Sunday of Lent – Are we comfortable engaging with our mortality?
For the fifth week of Lent, Gretchen Crowder challenges us to consider our own mortality. Her video prayer prompt is a Colloquy with Jesus in the Garden. Read it here.
The Fourth Sunday of Lent – Are we truly open to God’s offer of friendship?
Gretchen Crowder invites us to consider how we respond to the invitation to friendship with God. Her video prayer prompt is an Examen on the Beatitudes. Read and watch here.
The Third Sunday of Lent – Can we get emotional with God?
This week Gretchen invites us to consider how comfortable we are when we read about an angry Jesus and what it might mean to use anger for good. Read a brief reflection and watch a video on the the 7th through 12th Stations of the Cross here.
The Second Sunday of Lent – Can we see ourselves as God sees us?
What if we, like Ignatius, we pause to consider how God is looking at me? Read a brief reflection and watch a video on the first six Stations of the Cross here.
The First Sunday of Lent – Are we really free?
In this reflection, Gretchen expands on her theme of God’s magnanimous love and offers an Examen based on the First Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Read it here.
Additional Resources
Find more Ignatian inspiration for your Lenten prayer and reflection from the Jesuit resources below.
- Read “Follow Jesus into the Desert,” a reflection by Fr. Mark Thibodeaux, SJ. Perhaps Jesus’ sojourn in the desert was modeling what we must do at the beginning of every new turn in our spiritual lives.
- Travel with St. Ignatius in the Jesuit Pilgrimage App from the Society of Jesus. Through maps, 360-degree photographs, audio and text meditations, users can visit each of the transformational stops on Ignatius’ journey.
- Subscribe to Traveling the Landscape of Lent, a digital pilgrimage with the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Sign up to receive retreat modules via e-mail every Monday of Lent.
- Explore how to listen for God’s voice through Living Lent Daily, an e-mail series inspired by God’s Voice Within by Fr. Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ. Each day you’ll receive a message with an excerpt from the book, a prayer experience, or a reflection on discernment and decision-making.
- Find Beauty in the Desert through a series of reflections from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Diverse authors use poetry and song to find beauty and hope during an often gloomy season.
- From Ashes to Glory invites you to take up the practice of reflecting on your day, its gifts and graces, and the progress you are making in life with Christ. Pray with the Examen through Lent using materials by Joseph Tetlow, SJ.
- Join the Ignatian Solidarity Network for Refresh, daily written audio reflections throughout Lent, or Finding God in the Chaos, a Lenten podcast. How are we being refreshed and consoled in our lives, in our Church, and in our work for justice?