The amygdala is that tiny almond-shaped part of the brain that packs a powerful punch.  This emotion-processing center is set deeply in the recesses of our gray matter, beneath the senses, beneath the imagination, and even beneath our memories.  The amygdala is the threshing floor and altar, the place where time converges and meaning is made.  It is the dark room and the inner chamber, the sanctuary and the butcher’s block.  When we pray seriously or discern sincerely or examine our consciences, we are exercising our amygdalas and practicing life as an emotional creature.  The result of such intense psychological processing is the spirit.  Indeed, by analyzing the various movements of our lives – the literal meaning of “emotion” – we will discover again and again that the spirit is behind all activity, and that all of our experiences only ever mean something ultimate.  Let’s therefore get comfortable hanging out in the almond orchard of our souls and in so doing meet our beloved (Song 6:11-12).  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

“To give thanks” is the antidote to all of our problems.  Whether we feel wounded, confused, resentful, angry, fearful, unhappy, dissatisfied, full of self-pity, or simply tired of the monotony of our days, there is hope in the posture of gratitude.  That slow and trusting turn towards the direction of life, that graced encounter with reality, the risk of openness to mystery, and the vulnerability of reception cannot but serve as the seed of our inner transformation and existential realignment.  Let’s therefore spend this week exercising our gratitude muscle by literally saying “thank you” in prayer and “thank you” to the members of our household and “thank you” to that person who gives us preference in the grocery line or in traffic.  Let’s not forget, however, to also say “thank you” for the unexpected flat tire, “thank you” for the burnt dinner, “thank you” for the seasonal flu, and “thank you” for the snarky comment at work.  Such a “thank you” discipline will deliver us from a complacent and lukewarm way of life and gradually draw us into the arms of the eternal giver who only ever says “thank you” with us. 

Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

If the spiritual life had a bumper sticker, it would say, “Stay Tuned.”  How easy it is, indeed, to fall into the delusion of thinking that we have figured things out for good, that we have arrived at our ultimate destination, that we have finally found the solution!  Yet, such impulsive, left-brained dopamine hits only reveal our deep insecurity, lack of openness, and unwillingness to live in mystery.  In a tragic way, we become self-contained and suffocate in the stuffiness of our fear-based way of thinking.  Let’s therefore sit or kneel or clasp our hands or take a deep breath in prayer.  Let’s practice discerning between a truth of our lives and living a life of truth.  Let’s have the courage to not only hear the words that our beloved speaks to us, but to keep listening to those words as we are gradually drawn into eternal life.  Let’s stay tuned with a trusting heart.  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

In the drama of the human mind there always seems to be a scapegoat (Lev 16:18-22).  My computer doesn’t work and immediately my anger gets directed toward the tech guy; my bus is running late and my resentment against the driver grows by the second; my keys have somehow disappeared and my mind instantly goes to the kid wearing the hoodie; and how often have I scapegoated myself when experiencing one of life’s many disappointments!  The good news is that a beloved friend dwells within us and offers to be the ending point for all of this negative emotional activity (Jn 19:30).  This one stands at the doorway of the soul and will catch all of the blame and condemnation before it consumes us (Jn 10:9,11).  On the other side of this sheer grace, we will see that the many goats we had instrumentalized for the appeasement of our anxieties over the years are actually our sisters and brothers.  Ours is simply to release them from whatever psychological altar we have tied them to and walk with them into a future full of hope (Ps 119:32).  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.