If you’re like me and my friends, you might be noticing the dystopian future unfolding before us and you’re wondering:

What can I do?

How can I possibly make a difference in the world?

What is mine to do?

Inspired and encouraged by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, we are going to immerse ourselves in STORIES and notice how they move us. When Ignatius was recovering from a terrible war injury, he read stories of the Saints. As he imagined himself in these stories, he noticed a stirring in his heart. When he thought about his current life with its vain ambitions, he felt an emptiness. By paying attention to how he was moved by these stories, he was able to discern God’s will (or his purpose) for his life. He also learned that his purpose was in alignment with his deepest desires!

I have noticed over the years, that I feel so much encouragement and inspiration from Science Fiction stories. For one, I love that they stretch my imagination to consider other ways that things can be. My sense of Wonder and awe, the way I play with metaphors to describe the Mystery of God - it all comes from my meditations and contemplations of sci-fi stories.

I also love science fiction stories because so often, there is a message of HOPE. Even in the apocolyptic/post-apocolyptic sub genre of sci-fi. Here’s what I notice:

• Courage!

  • I think that the purest form of courage actually comes from deep HOPE. The characters in the story believe that things can be better.

    • We will spend time crafting a vision of the Future of our Wildest Imaginations to fuel our Courage.

• Creativity!

  • The heroes of our stories identify and “work the problem” with curiosity and ingenuity - one problem at a time.

    • We will spend time identifying the specific problem being presented to each of us, individually. Then we will brainstorm solutions and small steps to take.

• Collaboration!

  • Rarely does the hero of the story solve the problem on their own. It usually requires teamwork. Each person working together, using the tools available to them to manage their part of the solution.

    • We will consider how to cultivate or find a local team to work with in bringing the solution into fruition.