Recently, I appeared on Radio Maria’s “Meet the Author” program.
The host, Ken Huck, and I spoke about living a spiritual life in contemporary times, my book Already There, and briefly about my new book, Saint Ignatius Loyola–The Spiritual Writings.
You can listen to the interview here.
Already There is now available in audiobook version. You can sample it, and download it, at Audible.com. You can ‘read’ it in about six and a half hours, which is about four hours less than I spent recording it! For you multi-taskers, just imagine the things you can do while listening to the book :). And you don’t have to wait for it to be shipped, you can download it immediately! Get it here.
I was excited recently to find myself pictured on the cover of America magazine (see photo). How that happened I’m still not quite sure. But I’m even more excited by the latest issue of America!
Emilie Griffin has offered a very kind review of two books by Fathers named Mark, Fr. Mark Thibodeaux’s book, God’s Voice Within, and my own book, Already There. It’s a nice commentary on our similarly-themed, but very different books. Here’s how she starts:
“Ignatian wisdom is universal and has blessed many (including me). No question, St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, meant this practical spirituality to speak in all times, places, cultures and all life’s seasons. That original vision is fine-tuned and fresh in the hands of two very different Jesuit spiritual masters. Mark Mossa and Mark Thibodeaux, both Jesuit priests who are creative teachers, directors and ministers, bring life to the ancient path. And it is good; we who were once formed by it have reason to welcome these new treatments of spiritual life in all its depth and surprise. Each author pins down for the reader a yearning, a sometimes disturbing voice, coming out of real stories, personal pitfalls and God’s sometimes puzzling response.
Mark Mossa, long a minister for young adults, now teaches theology at Fordham University. He seems to have spent most of his life growing up; he wants to help others through the same self-doubt, darkness and blundering. With chapters like “Living in Palookaville,” “Taking the Scary Bits Out of the Freezer,” and “Who Told You That You Were Naked?” Mossa buttonholes the reader. After stumbling through most everything in life (that’s his version of the story), he puts his practical insight to work for us. “Already there” is the seemingly casual phrase he uses—insists on—to tell us how he eventually learned (and has to keep relearning) that the Lord was with him through every dilemma, every pratfall . . . “
Enjoy the rest of the review here.
One good shout out deserves another. Glenmary Brother David Henley has written an insightful reflection about the experience of vocation. He also kindly jumps off a quote from Already There! Here’s a little snippet:
In a book I have been reading, Already There: Letting God Find You, author Jesuit Father Mark Mossa gives a good explanation about some of our doubts regarding whether we are being called. “In the course of history,” he writes, “some saints and even some crazy people have shared with others that God has spoken to them in an audible voice. It may be that I’m not saintly or crazy enough, but this has never been my experience.”
I think that is true for the vast majority of us. Only a few have had an experience like St. Paul, who fell down when he heard the voice of Jesus calling him: “He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ He said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.'” (Acts 9:4-6)
So if the vast majority don’t hear voices or get struck by lightning bolts, how do we know if we are being called? I believe the answer is that we are all being called. Each of us has the capacity to listen to that inner voice that helps in discerning good or bad decisions—”Should I go to Mass today, or should I spend the morning updating my Facebook account or reading my friends’ drunken tweets from the night before?” . . . .
Read the whole thing here.
After a pretty busy February spent giving talks and retreats in various places, I’ve finally reached my Spring Break vacation, of sorts. I’m about halfway through my week in L.A. which has been a great time to reconnect with family and friends and prepare myself for what promises to be the somewhat overwhelming experience of my first Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, which some refer to as “Catholic Disneyland.”
My brother lives and works here as the Art Director for the show Parks & Recreation (my mother was somewhat taken aback a couple of years ago when he said his new job was with Parks & Recreation! She hadn’t heard of the show.) I spent the first part of my trip with he, his wife, and their three children. They have twins–a boy and a girl–who are, as my nephew repeated more than once, “6 and three quarters” years old, and another four year old daughter. The weekend was a reminder of the pros and cons of family life, as we moved from one sporting event to another. There was T-ball with my nephew, where I was drafted as a third base coach, and practice for the two girls’ soccer teams that my brother coaches. One of the Moms asked me, “Has he always been so wonderful with kids.” And while this was the first time I’d seen him coach, I had to admit that he’s pretty darn good! I’m also proud to see what a great father my little brother has turned out to be! Saturday was soccer practice, and Sunday was the soccer games, and I had the joy of seeing my youngest niece score a goal!
She scores!
It was a bit of a surprise, because just minutes before she didn’t seem so into the game! This was true of most of the girls on the team, whose interest seemed to wax and wane throughout the game. Sustained competitive intensity is probably not so a common a trait for most four year old girls.
While all this was going on, I also provided entertainment–some voluntary, some not–for the niece and nephew who was not playing at the time, at one point simultaneously pitching balls to my nephew and kicking the soccer ball with my niece. It was wonderful to spend time with them, as I don’t see them as often as I’d like, but also exhausting! A reminder that I really need to get into shape!
I also had a wonderful dinner last night with my friend TerriAnn, who asked if she could bring her boyfriend, Ronnie Kovic, along. I wrote back to her that I would be delighted if he could come and, isn’t his name the same as the guy from Born on the Fourth of July? Not only was it the same name, but also the same guy! It was wonderful to see TerriAnn, who I always visit when I’m in L.A., and to meet Ron, who is a lovely man, and who doesn’t look anything like Tom Cruise! 🙂 It was a privilege to meet a man who has really struggled with great hardship in his life, but has now achieved such great peace. And he an TerriAnn are such a lovely match.
TerriAnn & Ron
We talked for hours, about all sorts of things. Ron quizzed me on what I’ve been doing, I of course asked him about his experiences (and since I’m a movie nut, it was also exciting to be sitting with a Golden Globe winner!), and I got caught up with TerriAnn, who I hadn’t seen since my last visit to L.A. How wonderful it was to see my friend, who lost her husband some years ago, to be so happy with someone new! What a blessing.
All this is a prelude to the L.A. Congress which I hope will be an enriching experience, and also an opportunity to spread the news about my book, and to see a lot of friends and colleagues from around the country who I don’t get to see as often as I’d like! I’ve also volunteered to be available for Confessions, which is always such a great privilege.
If you’re coming to the L.A. Congress, look for me at the booths of the Jesuits, Charis ministries or Saint Anthony Messenger Press (where you can also buy my book!). I’ll report more on the Catholic Disneyland experience in a future post!
The second installment of my “Thoughts for the Week” interview (see below) is due to air this Sunday morning, for you early-risers! For those who, like me, don’t rise quite so early, you can listen to part 2, and part 1, of my “Thoughts for the Week” interview at Spirituality.org.
My sincere thanks to the folks at Clemons productions and the Diocese of Bridgeport for this wonderful opportunity!
May I please ask your prayers for one of my interviewers in these two interviews, Fr. Mark Connolly, who has been experiencing some health problems lately? Thanks.
Hope you can have a listen!
Several months ago I had the opportunity to discuss Already There with Kris McGregor, of “Inside the Pages.” The interview is now available for stream or download by clicking here. I especially enjoyed this interview, and have been anxious to see it posted. I hope you enjoy it too!
Kris also has a large archive of interviews with a wide variety of Catholic authors available at her site. It’s well worth checking out, though you might be there for a while!
You may not have thirty minutes to watch the “Jesuits in Conversation” interview mentioned below, so here’s an eleven minute version, which hits some of the highlights:
Fordham University has produced a series of video interviews with Jesuits at Fordham entitled “Jesuits in Conversation.” You can now watch my approximately thirty-minute interview, in which I discuss my vocation, my ministry and my writing, in particular the then forthcoming book, Already There. You can access the video, as well as interviews with various other Jesuits, by clicking here.
Part 1 of my interview about spirituality for young adults, and my book, which aired this past Sunday, is now available at Spirituality For Today. You can find the link on their home page, along with links to articles and other interviews, or you can go directly to the interview by clicking here. This was a panel interview with three interviewers, so there is a good variety of questions and comments from them, as well as from me.
GODsTALKed~ 
