Today’s Invite: LOOK!
What if God is already showing up in the ordinary moments of your day-and you simply need to LOOK?
A Thought to Begin
“Let me keep company always with those who say ‘Look!’ and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.”
—Mary Oliver, “Mysteries, Yes,” Evidence (2009)
Scripture
“Stand and consider the marvels of God!”
Reflection
The other day, I was driving with my adult son when I saw the most amazing sunrise.
I immediately said, “Joey, look! Isn’t it beautiful?”
In a perfectly monotone voice, he responded, “It’s a sky, Mom.”
Maybe it was still a little too early for him. Maybe it was the stress of driving on a busy expressway. Or maybe he was already thinking about everything he needed to accomplish before the day was over.
Unfortunately, many of us live with these kinds of distractions. We become so focused on the demands, stresses, and worries of the day that we miss not only the beauty surrounding us, but also the quiet gifts God places before us.
God is constantly revealing Himself to us—in the colors of a sunrise, the sound of laughter, the kindness of another person, or a moment of unexpected peace. These small gifts can easily go unnoticed when we hurry through our days without stopping to look.
Today, God invites us to slow down and pay attention.
Look at the beauty surrounding you.
Look for the person who may need your kindness.
Look for the quiet ways God is present in an ordinary moment.
When something catches your attention, pause. Allow yourself to experience wonder. Let that moment remind you that God is near.
Something to Think About…
What may God be asking me to stop and notice today?
Today, I will pause and look for one small sign of God’s love—and when I find it, I will stand in wonder and give thanks.
The Journey: Hindsight is 20/20
Sometimes we can only recognize where God was leading us when we look back. This is the story of an unexpected opportunity and how God used it to prepare my heart for Choose Joy Always.
View of the Rocky Mountains through the library windows at the Jesuit high school where I worked for twelve years.
A Thought to Begin
“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.”
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, “Patient Trust”
Scripture
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Reflection
I am sure you have heard the saying that hindsight is 20/20.
There have been many times in my life when I could not understand what God was doing or where He was leading me. It was only later—after spending time reflecting, discerning, and praying—that I began to recognize His hand at work in my life.
One of those times was when I went back to work as my children were reaching high school age.
I saw that the Jesuit high school where my twins had just started was looking for a library assistant. Even though I had no experience in library science, I went ahead and applied. To my surprise, I got an interview.
I felt it was a good sign when I walked into the school and heard my name being shouted from across the hall.
“Mrs. Whitley, what are you doing here?”
It was one of the girls from my parish. She ran over and welcomed me with a big hug.
That same welcoming love continued to embrace me throughout the next twelve years as I worked at the Jesuit high school.
It was there that I learned the true meaning of cura personalis, the Ignatian term for care of the whole person. I experienced that care firsthand. Through the love and care of those around me, God gave me countless opportunities to experience His love—and to share that same love with others.
It was also there that my own faith life continued to grow. I was given the opportunity to attend Mass regularly. As a school community, we stopped four times each day to pray, including an afternoon Examen. I came to know and understand Ignatian spirituality more deeply, especially the practice of finding God in all people and in all things.
The opportunities I received to grow in so many areas of my life were incredible.
Even then, I knew how fortunate I was to be surrounded by such wonderful coworkers, students, and families who were filled with faith.
What I could not have known was where those twelve years would eventually lead me.
Looking back now, I can see that through every prayer, every relationship, and every opportunity to grow, God was quietly preparing my heart for Choose Joy Always.
Something to Think About…
What do you think God is preparing your heart for?
Can you even imagine?
Tonight’s Reflection: God, So Here’s What Happened
The Ignatian Examen taught me to look over my day and notice where God was present. Tonight, let’s invite Mary to join us as we bring our joys, struggles, and ordinary moments of our day to her Son.
Our Lady of Peace Shrine in Pine Bluffs Wyoming.
A Thought to Begin
“Let us ask, at the end of the day… what happened today in my heart?”
—Pope Francis, General Audience, October 19, 2022
Scripture
“Probe me, God, know my heart; try me, know my thoughts.”
Reflection
My days have become so full that many nights, the moment my head hits the pillow, I am out.
That means I have to make a real effort to spend a little time talking with our Heavenly Father before I fall asleep.
Does your nightly routine include a few quiet moments with Him?
I was fortunate to spend many years working at a Jesuit high school. It was there that I learned the beautiful and powerful practice of the Ignatian Examen.
As an entire school community, we would pause near the end of the day and reflect on where God had been present throughout our day.
Those few quiet moments helped me recognize that God had been there through it all—in the people I encountered, the moments that brought joy, the challenges that tested me, and the ordinary details I might otherwise have missed.
What I came to love about the Examen was that it helped me see my day differently.
Instead of ending the day focused only on what went wrong, I began to notice where God had been present, what brought me joy, what remained in my heart, and where He might be inviting me to grow.
It taught me to ask not:
“God, where were You today?”
But rather:
“God, where did I see You today?”
God is always surrounding us. The Examen helps us pause long enough to recognize Him.
When we first began creating Tonight’s Reflection, I knew the Ignatian Examen would be its foundation.
Still, I felt something was missing.
While working on a special reflection for Mary’s birthday, I realized what it was. I realized that Tonight’s Reflection needed to include Mary.
Choose Joy Always is about opening ourselves to the invitations God places before us and not being afraid to answer with a big yes, as Mary teaches us.
Each night, we invite Mary to join us as we look back over our day and bring it to her Son—with all its joys, successes, laughter, tears, struggles, and moments that could have gone better.
I hope that, with Mary beside us, we will become more open to God’s invitation. That we will learn to return to our yes, no matter how our day unfolded. And that, with her help, we will continue learning how to choose joy every day.
Tonight’s Reflection is guided by the wisdom of the Ignatian Examen, but it follows the Choose Joy Always path.
The complete Tonight’s Reflection prayer can be found in The Prayer Room.
What a beautiful way to end our day—with God and our Blessed Mother beside us. Together, we bring it all to her Son.
And tomorrow, with God’s grace, we begin again with another faithful yes.
Something to Think About…
Before you go to sleep tonight, pause and tell God what happened today.
The Journey: Where God Found Me
Come… let me tell you where God found me, because I think you may discover He has been walking beside you the whole time.
A peaceful tree-lined path beneath a canopy of Aspen trees named Aspen Alley, Carbon County, Wyoming
A Thought to Begin
“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
—Saint Augustine, Confessions, Book I, Chapter 1
Scripture
“Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.”
Reflection
Come… let me tell you where God found me, because I think you may discover He has been walking beside you the whole time.
The Journey is where I share the stories that have shaped my faith.
Over the years, I have spent a great deal of time looking back, praying, reflecting, and discerning where God has been present in my life. These are the moments that have helped form me into the woman of faith I am today. They are my stories, but I have a feeling they may sound very familiar to you.
Because, in truth, they really aren’t just my stories.
They are the story of a loving God patiently drawing one of His daughters closer to Him.
As I look back over the joys and sorrows, the questions and the answers, the detours and the celebrations, I can now see something I often couldn’t recognize in the moment—God was always there. Sometimes I knew it immediately. Other times, I didn’t recognize His gentle hand until years later.
The names, places, and circumstances may be different, but the feelings are the same. We’ve all experienced uncertainty, doubt, loneliness, hope, joy, love, and the quiet confidence that grows as we learn to trust Him more deeply.
There is something beautiful that happens when we hear another person’s story. It often helps us recognize God’s fingerprints in our own lives. We begin to remember the moments He carried us, guided us, comforted us, or quietly waited for us to notice He had never left.
The Journey is one of the Stepping Stones along the Path of Joy. Through the stories we share, we will continue taking faithful steps toward a closer relationship with Jesus—the One who walks beside us and leads us to a life of true joy in Him.
My prayer is that as I share where God found me, you will begin to see where He has been finding you all along.
Together, we’ll continue this journey, one faithful step, one grateful heart, and one joyful yes at a time.
Something to Think About…
Let’s stop for a moment and think about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They had walked with Jesus without recognizing Him. Only when they paused at the table and He broke the bread were their eyes opened. Today, take a moment to pause and ask Jesus to help you recognize how He has been walking beside you, too. If possible, go to Mass and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.