Long before he wrote “Wicked” Gregory Maguire has been weaving careful attention into his artistic pursuits and his prayer. He joins host James Martin, S.J. on “The Spiritual Life” podcast to talk about his spiritual journey, from a Catholic orphanage and formative education with religious sisters who helped him draw his first picture of God, to his current practice of seeing Jesus’ face on the margins. Timecodes 0:00 Introducing Gregory Maguire, author of “Wicked” 5:04 The tragic circumstances surrounding Gregory’s birth 11:42 Gregory’s first image of God 17: 45 Discerning the shape of his own ministry 25:42 The art of paying attention + studying people’s faces 35:55 Are there Christ-figures in “Wicked”? 40:40 The experience of being gay and marginalized 42:50 Audience Question: What advice would you give to a young, gay, Catholic striving to live authentically? Do you have a spiritual question for Fr. Jim? You can write to us at: [email protected] Become a subscriber today at Americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.