Robert C Hart

Light in the Garden Robert C Hart

Ten years ago, in the cardiac recovery room at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, I began a journey - a journey toward a deeper faith. I was recovering from triple bypass surgery, following my third heart attack in three months. Still in the fog of anesthesia, intubated and unable to speak, only vaguely aware of my whereabouts, I awakened with a powerful sense of urgency. For the first time in my life, I felt a desperate need to know who I was and why I was alive. My heart had indeed broken. That day, God's Holy Words fell into my brokenness. Two communities of encounter (to borrow a phrase from Pope Francis) assist in my journey: the Living School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Sister Parish Ministry in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The Living School is an experiential faith learning project that feeds my head. The Sister Parish Ministry is an experiential faith service project that feeds my heart. This book is a record of my second journey through the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola, a collection of his insights, prayers, and suggestions for spiritual growth.