These past months have been challenging, tiring but surprisingly fulfilling. Indeed, much has happened. There were moments to honestly take stock of my life, faith and vocation. In them, I found myself growing up. There were also moments to celebrate the gift of family and friends; I cherish them so much more. In my work and ministry, I have learnt invaluable lessons for the future, as I have also learnt to better manage the disappointments and regrets that arose.
It is always good to bring all of these to the Lord and to share them with him, especially at retreat time. A retreat is a special time set apart for a more intense encounter of being in and with God. It is also a time when one can more honestly come before God as one is and realize how much one continues to be God's beloved. A retreat can be a surprisingly reassuring and hopeful experience. Together with other Jesuits in our region, I will have this time when we begin our annual 8 day retreat this evening.
While it is usual for retreats to have structured times for pointers by the spiritual director, prayer, meals and Mass, I'd like to think of retreats as one's vaction with the Lord. It is a time to simply be on holiday with God. Like all good holidays, it is important to enjoy. A way to enjoy this time is to simply be present to God and the experience He gifts the retreatant with. All the retreatant is asked to do is to be open to God and to enter into honest dialogue with Him. This is always how we are invited to begin and to go through a retreat.
Most communal retreats have a theme. Ours is no differnt. This year, we will silently pray and contemplate on our recent General Congregation and its decrees that invite Jesuits to discern how God continues to call us to life with him and in ministry.
However, as I go about packing and preparing this morning, I find myself turning to Paul's prayer in his Letter to the Ephesians:
I pray that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fulness of God (3: 17-19).
I feel this too is my prayer in this retreat.
Dear friend, is this a prayer you wish to pray as well this week?
Kindly remember our community as we go on retreat. We will keep you in ours too. God bless.
photo: hdr-the empty bench by emmedibi33
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