SOLACE: Soul + Grief
This podcast is sponsored by SOULPLUSGRACE serving the San José area, offering grief support and grief journeying with spirituality. We hope to help you travel through grief with God at your side. Candee Lucas, your host, is a Jesuit-trained-and-inspired spiritual companion to the dying and their families, friends and caretakers.
"I am a trained Spiritual Director for those who seek to complete the 19th Annotation of St. Igantius’ spiritual exercises. I have also worked as a hospital/cemetery chaplain and grief doula. I believe all paths lead to God and that all traditions are due respect and honour. I take my sacred inspiration from all of my patients and companions–past, present and future; the Dalai Lama, James Tissot, St. John of the Cross, the Buddha, Saint Teresa of Ávila, and, of course, Íñigo who became known as St. Ignatius. I utilize art, poetry, music, aromatherapy, yoga, lectio divina, prayer and meditation in my self-work and work with others. I believe in creating a sacred space for listening; even in the most incongruous of surroundings."
BACKGROUND
Jesuit Retreat Center, Los Altos, CA -- Pierre Favre Program, 3 year training to give the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius/Centro de Espiritualidad de Loyola, Spain -- The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola -- 30 Day Silent Retreat/Center for Loss & Life Transition – Comprehensive Bereavement Skills Training (30 hrs) Ft. Collins, CO/California State University Institute for Palliative Care--Palliative Care Chaplaincy Specialty Cert. (90 hrs)/Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City, CA -- Clinical Pastoral Education/19th Annotation with Fumiaki Tosu, San Jose, CA, Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius/Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA M.A. – Pastoral Ministries
SOLACE: Soul + Grief
Reflections of Hope and Divine Comfort
Have you ever felt truly unmoored after the loss of a loved one, grappling with questions about your identity and future direction? With reflections and spiritual insights to light, using Psalm 71 as a beacon of hope and strength.
Through personal stories and scripture, navigate the complex emotions that accompany grief, recognizing how God's enduring presence can serve as our refuge and fortress. Amidst the profound changes and uncertainties, share the solace found in prayer and faith, and the enduring bond with those we have lost.
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION WHILE GRIEVING IS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE
You can reach us at: candeelucas@soulplusgrace.com to arrange personal spiritual direction.
Music and sound effects today by: via Pixabay.
We welcome you to Solace: Soul Plus Grief. I'm glad you're here. I'm Candy Lucas, a Jesuit trained Catholic chaplain and spiritual director, and I've been involved with a bereavement ministry since 2009. We know that loss can make profound changes in people's lives. We understand how difficult it is to travel this path of grief and how important and monumental the loss of a loved one can be. So we created this podcast to help you walk with God as you grieve your losses, understand what's happening in your heart and soul as you grieve, to be available in the best way we can to accompany you on this journey. You're always welcome in this circle of healing, love and support.
Candee:Today, my Bible fell open to Psalm 71-- I seek refuge in you, o Lord. May I never be disappointed, as you are beneficent. Save me and rescue me. Incline your ear to me and deliver me. Be a sheltering rock for me to which I may always repair. Sheltering rock for me to which I may always repair. Decree my deliverance, for You are my rock and my fortress. My God, rescue me from the land of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and the lawless, for You are my hope, o Lord, God my trust.
Candee:From my youth, while yet unborn, I depended on You. In the womb of my mother, You were my support. I sing your praises always. I have become an example for many. Since You are my mighty refuge, my mouth is full of praise to You, glorifying you all day long. Do not cast me off in old age, when my strength fails. Do not forsake me, for my enemies talk against me. Those who wait for me are of one mind, saying God has forsaken him. Chasten him and catch him, for no one will save him. O God, be not far from me, my God, hasten to my aid. Let's pray. I will hope always and add to the many praises of You my mouth tells of your beneficence, of your deliverance. All day long, though I know not how to tell it, I come with praise of your mighty acts, o Lord, god, I celebrate your beneficence, yours alone. You have let me experience it, God. From my youth until now, I have proclaimed your wondrous deeds, and every hour, and even in hoary old age. Do not forsake me, God, until I proclaim, until I proclaim your strength to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come, your beneficence high as the heavens. O God, you who have done great things. O God, who is your peer, You who have made me undergo many troubles and misfortunes, will revive me again and raise me up from the depths of the earth. You will grant me much greatness and you will turn and come for me. Then I will acclaim You to the music of the lyre for your faithfulness. Oh my god, I will sing a hymn to you with a harp. Oh, holy one, my lip shall be jubilant as I sing a hymn to You, my whole being, which You have redeemed All day long. My tongue shall recite your beneficent acts, how those who sought my ruin were frustrated and disgraced.
Candee:Grief goes on. This is one of its gray days. The weather outside is turning and it reminds me of the changes in our life --that some go quietly, some with abandon, some with fanfare. I am afraid I am only seeing the rim of the crater of my grief.
Candee:I have found myself contemplating this death for so long that the happening, the reality of it, is hard, hard to appreciate. I've been taking a course on female artists and individuation and I'm thinking it came at the most perfect time, because I'm not sure if individuation is possible while our parents live. Until we are alone, unmoored from the past. Can we really be separate from it? Can I be separate from my mother, who died so long ago? Can I be separate from my father, who died recently, when they are the source of my life? My first trunk on my family tree that has now withered and been removed. What direction does it lead when its trunk is no more? These are the questions I struggle with these days, but I am encouraged every day by God's new word to me. T hat concludes another episode. A new one drops every Friday. Please join us on Spotify, Amazon Music or Apple. Thank you for joining us. Spiritual direction is always available. See my contact email in the show notes. This is Candee Lucas, your host, chaplain and spiritual director. Go with God. Namaste, vaya con Dios.
