“His reputation continued to grow and large crowds would gather to hear him and to have their sickness cured, but he would always go off to some place where he could be alone and pray.” (Luke 5: 15-16)
One of the benefits of summer is that we have more time or at least we feel that we have more time. Life slows down and we strive to enjoy the sun for as long as we can.
Summer brings thoughts of vacation, a time when we leave behind the stress of work to relax and refresh. Our spiritual life also needs time for refreshment and the best way to accomplish that is to go on a retreat.
A retreat is time spent away from our normal activities in order to become more acquainted with the presence of God in our lives. It is intended to help us attune our hearts to hear His voice and strengthen us to make the necessary changes in our lives which will lead us more directly to Him.
Historically, retreats are rooted in the experience of the Old Testament prophets who often were led into the wilderness where they encountered God. Jesus himself did the same when after his baptism he passed 40 days in the desert before beginning his public ministry.
During the first 1,500 years of the Church, men and women who wanted to live a life of prayer and contemplation withdrew to the solitude of the desert (St. Anthony of Egypt) or to monasteries (St. Benedict) in order to grow in Christian perfection. The practice of “going away to pray” however generally was not followed by parish priests or lay people. They simply lived their lives and prayed at Mass and at home.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, however, restored the ancient practice of retreat to prominence with his book “The Spiritual Exercises.” There he combined the methods of seeking the will of God, what he called “discernment,” and reforming one’s life during a time of seclusion. In fact, the religious order Ignatius founded, the Society of Jesus – better known as the Jesuits – was the first religious order that made the practice of a yearly retreat mandatory.
Beginning in the 16th century, Jesuits became known for leading retreats for priests and lay people. One person who was extremely instrumental in promoting retreats was St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), the archbishop of Milan, who established an annual retreat for diocesan priests, seminarians and candidates for ordination. He even built what was called an “asceterium” in Milan. It was a house solely dedicated to those who wanted to go on retreat.
Two other saints, Francis de Sales and Vincent de Paul, furthered the practice and made retreats available not only to the clergy and religious women, but also to lay Christians who wanted to advance their spiritual lives.
Prudent pastoral experience identifies five elements that are necessary for making a good retreat: silence, Eucharist, Reconciliation, spiritual reading and closeness to the Blessed Mother. Let us look briefly at each one.
First is silence. A retreat is an opportunity to be alone with God. In daily life, we live with a great deal of noise from other people, cell phones, computers and the world around us. During a retreat, God gives us His full attention and asks that we give Him ours. Although it is difficult at first, for a retreat to be successful we must unplug ourselves for all external communications and listen carefully for the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Second is the Holy Eucharist. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, the Mass is the “source and summit” of our faith. In other words, it is the firm foundation on which our faith is built. Daily Mass during a retreat is essential and rewarding.
In the Holy Eucharist, we receive Jesus, body and blood, soul and divinity. Filled with the Spirit of the Lord, God transforms us from the inside out. It, likewise, can be helpful to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, what we call “Exposition,” during a retreat.
Third is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Often times, a retreat offers us special graces that call us to make a deep examination of conscience and lead us to a profound contrition for our sins. This is a graced moment to confess our sins to a priest and receive the forgiveness of God.
Fourth is spiritual reading. It is difficult in our busy lives to find the time to read about the spiritual life, but we have that time during a retreat. We can open the Bible and read a section from the Gospels, slowly and carefully. We should not worry about getting to the end. Instead, we can place ourselves in the story and listen to Jesus speak to us.
Fifth is closeness to the Blessed Mother. Mary said “yes” to God. She now intercedes for us with her Son. During a retreat we can pray the rosary and ask the Blessed Mother to guide us to know what her Son is asking of us.
Summer is a great time to go on retreat. In our area there are a number of places that offer retreats, such as the Ursuline Motherhouse, Villa Maria Center and the Jesuit Retreat House in Parma. You can find information about retreat schedules on their websites.
I cannot tell you where a retreat will lead. But whatever direction it takes you, if you utilize the time alone with the Lord, you will leave the retreat a stronger and more committed Christian with a clearer sense of what God’s will is for you. And that is well worth the time.
Original Blog used with permission can be found here:
http://doyorg.ipage.com/files/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2230:have-you-considered-a-retreat&catid=37:bishops-column&Itemid=54
