Sacred Ordinary Days with Jenn Giles Kemper Jenn Giles Kemper, Brooke Cherry Reich

Rev. James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, best-selling author, and editor-at-large of America magazine. Father Jim, as he graciously lets us call him, joins Jenn Giles Kemper to explore why he believes prayer is, well, for everyone. In this warm and welcoming episode, Father Jim and Jenn discuss Ignatian spirituality, the power of imagination in our prayers, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and how contemplation and action go hand-in-hand. Father Jim also shares how, in his words, “God is making us more loving in prayer.”

Experienced spiritual director and award-winning author Dr. Barbara Peacock joins Jenn to share the compelling, beautiful ways in which African American women and men throughout history have approached soul care, prayer, and spiritual direction. Dr. Peacock also gives a glimpse into how a great cloud of witnesses has shaped her vocation and personal to ministry. Dr. Peacock and Jenn discuss the power of sabbath in our walk toward wholeness, the necessity of lament in our lives, and the gift of reflecting on our personal spiritual autobiographies.

World-renowned artist Makoto Fujimura, author of “Art + Faith: A Theology of Making,” draws from his deep well of reflections on creativity and the spiritual aspects of “making” in this poetic, inviting conversation with Jenn Giles Kemper. Experienced in the Japanese art of Kintsugi (mending broken ceramic with lacquer and gold to create something new) Makoto (Mako) talks with Jenn about what he’s learned about the very nature of our Maker God through this process of being “not only restored, but made new.”

What becomes of the brokenhearted? In this final week of communal prayer, Kayla Craig guides us as we pray for broken hearts. She offers a brief devotion, a time of guided prayer and scripture erading, and ends with some prompts for your reflection this week.

What is hope to you? In this fifth week of intentional prayer, we’re praying for hope. Liturgist and podcast producer Kayla Craig reads a communal liturgist for us to pray this week, along with scripture and prompts for your reflection.

Naming our fears doesn’t make us weak—it makes us brave. Join us as we pray for the fears that so easily entangle us. How do we discern when our fear is our God-given intuition, protecting us? And how do we discern when it’s a lie taking root in our hearts, wrapping around us like a weed to prevent us from walking the path of love God intends for us? In this fourth week of Sacred Ordinary Days communal prayer, Kayla Craig reads a meditation, a prayer, and some scripture to help you on your journey of becoming more wholly human, more fully faithful.