Some thoughts ...

I saw this on one of the social apps I'm using ... a memory of something I saw and experienced, posted exactly 2 years ago. Many things have happened in between the picture (2015), my post (2016) and now (2018) ([!] like duh right!), but there are also things that haven't changed... like MOUNTAINS :D, Deo gratias et Mariae! 

Somewhere on the Great Saint Bernard Pass, oh... the mountain air

Anyway, just a compilation of my rest time reading: somehow as I sat to rest and read, the stuff that popped out, are links and that picture above, I want to keep in my long term memory: filed and retrieved when necessary, hence a note on this blog. 

part of something I'm interested in: my work in school

https://www.jefferson.edu/university/news/2017/03/23/spiritual-retreats-change-feel-good-chemical-systems.html

"The study, funded by the Fetzer Institute, included 14 Christian participants ranging in age from 24 to 76. They attended an Ignatian retreat based on the spiritual exercises developed by St. Ignatius Loyola who founded the Jesuits. Following a morning mass, participants spent most of the day in silent contemplation, prayer and reflection and attended a daily meeting with a spiritual director for guidance and insights. After returning, study subjects also completed a number of surveys which showed marked improvements in their perceived physical health, tension and fatigue. They also reported increased feelings of self-transcendence which correlated to the change in dopamine binding. [I want to read the actual paper but I am trying to get access ...]

“In some ways, our study raises more questions than it answers,” said Dr. Newberg. “Our team is curious about which aspects of the retreat caused the changes in the neurotransmitter systems and if different retreats would produce different results. Hopefully, future studies can answer these questions.”

Article Citation: Newberg, A., et al. “Effect of a 1-week Spiritual Retreat on Dopamine and Serotonin Transporter Binding: A Preliminary Study.” Religion, Brain & Behavior. 2017."

https://www.catholicfamilynews.org/blog/2018/3/27/in-the-shoes-of-one-who-tried-their-vocation-and-left

"Those who had to leave the convent or seminary can likewise make this their prayer. Notice Zélie did not put down the religious state, which some people may be tempted to do after leaving, but she still held it in high regard even though it was not her calling. Notice also how she makes it very clear that she wishes to accomplish His holy Will, not her will which was likely to be a nun, but His. That needs to be our focus. Following a way we perceive is more perfect is not going to sanctify us if it is not God’s Will for us."