Dear St. Simon Family,
As your consultant for liturgy and music and happily pinch-hitting for Fr. Brendan while he enjoys a well-deserved vacation, I am delighted to share a few reflections with you this week. But first, let me start off by saying… it has been a true joy and blessing to journey with this vibrant community. Your warmth, openness, and deep love for liturgy and for one another have been a gift to me. Thank you!
This weekend we celebrate the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the readings invite us into the heart of prayer and trust in God. Our psalm proclaims, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.” (Psalm 138). It’s such a short verse, but it carries a lifetime of faith within it. How many times in our lives have we reached out, whether in desperation, in gratitude, in confusion, only to discover that God had already been at work before we even found the words?
In the Gospel from Luke (11:1–13), we hear the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus gives them and us the Our Father. Beyond this familiar prayer, he invites us into a spirit of boldness: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” It’s an invitation to approach God not as a distant judge, but as a loving parent who desires to give us every good gift.
This teaching resonates deeply with the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, whose feast we celebrate this coming week. St. Ignatius taught that God is present in all things — not just in the quiet moments of prayer, but in the hustle of work, in difficult conversations, and in the simplest tasks of daily life.
Last year, I had the privilege of participating in SEEL (Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life), a beautiful program rooted in Ignatian spirituality that many in our St. Simon community know well. SEEL helped me cultivate a practice of noticing God’s presence in the ordinary. Each day became an invitation to pause and ask, “Where did I feel God today? When did I feel most alive, most loved, most myself?”
This practice of daily reflection, often called the Examen, can transform not only how we pray but how we live. It reminds us that prayer is not just about asking for things; it is about relationship. It is about allowing God to shape our hearts, to open our eyes, and to move us toward greater love and generosity.
I wonder: What would it look like for each of us to live this week with open hands and open hearts? To ask boldly, seek intentionally, and knock without fear? To trust, as the psalmist does, that when we call out, God answers. Perhaps not always in the ways we imagine, but always with a love deeper than we can fathom.
As we move through these summer days, I invite you to take up a simple practice: each morning, pray, “Lord, help me to see you today.” And each evening, reflect: “Where did I notice God today?” You might be surprised where God’s fingerprints show up: in a shared laugh, a moment of stillness, a kind word, or even in the challenges that stretch us to grow.
May this week bring you a renewed sense of God’s nearness and may we all continue to become a people who pray with bold trust and deep gratitude. If you are interested in learning more about SEEL or just a little curious, I encourage you to talk with parishioners and staff who went through the program last year, visit the webpage here, or email Sr. Gloria Marie at seel@stsimon.org. Applications are due on Thursday, July 31st so feel free to reach out with any questions.
Blessings on your week ahead,
Meredith Augustin, Liturgy and Music Consultant. Email: maugustin@stsimon.org
