Another sparkling day of retreat, in every way. Beautiful sunshine, and good reflective talks. Today's talks were entitled, 'Notice what God is doing' and 'What's next?'
Fr. Conroy's 1st talk of the retreat repeated the old cliche that 'God is love.' Whenever I hear that I kind of just roll my eyes, because my early experiences of religious education were a bunch of 'warm, fuzzies' that centered around 'God is love.' I remember my parents asking our teachers when we going to learn something!
But, in this instance, when Fr. Conroy spoke of God as love, his point was that the more we love, the more we come to know God. And the more we come to know God, the more we are able to serve Him through all that we say and do. So, the object of our lives must be to love everyone, at all times. That must be our goal, because that is what God does, and when we achieve that, we will know and understand God completely as well.
So, today's 1st talk took us to the suggestion to notice what God is doing.
And we can do that best by being in touch with Jesus' presence in everyone and in every situation.
He shared a story of someone who was at a construction site. Men with wheelbarrows full of bricks were passing him. He stopped the 1st man he saw and asked, 'What are you doing?' The man gritted his teeth and in a very put-out tone said, I...am...pushing...a....wheelbarrow...full...of...bricks.' He stopped the 2nd man he passed and asked him the same question. That man said, 'I have a wife and three children. They need to eat and have clothes to wear. I am just doing my job so I can fill their needs.' A third man passed and was asked the very same question. This man said, with a smile, 'I am building a cathedral!'
When we look for Jesus in every situation we find ourselves in, when we view the world around us through the eyes of God, we get a completely different view of things.
Our 2nd conference continued that theme. In Luke's Gospel, the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus tell us how the disciples were dejected because Jesus had been killed. They were broken and wounded. But they came to recognize the Risen Jesus in the breaking of the bread. And in John's Gospel, Chapter 21, having caught no fish the entire night, the disciples headed back to shore. Someone on shore suggests they cast their nets to the other side, and their nets were filled. They recognized Jesus as that person on the shore. When the disciples were aware of the presence of the Lord, their nets are full. When we can see Jesus in all things and at all times, our nets will be full as well, and the outlook, bleak as it sometimes is, becomes filled with hope and promise.
After evening prayer, we head to our dinner, what is usually an exquisite affair. Sometimes the Archbishop joins us for our last evening's dinner, so we will be on our best behavior.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
retreat day 3
What a difference a sunny day makes. It sure seems easier to pray when the sun is out! Day three was a good day. Our 1st session dealt with sin, and went back to the premise that we cannot look at ourselves through our eyes, but only through God's eyes. When we look through our own eyes, what we see is distorted by all the baggage we carry. And so it is with sin. When people say they have no sins to speak of (I hear that all the time in confession), they are looking through their own eyes. Only when we come to understand the orderliness of God's creation, can we see the disorderliness within ourselves.
When we look at sin in that way, we see we have a part in the problems of this world. For instance, we in America have the capacity to feed the entire world. So how is it that we allow poverty and hunger to persist everywhere we look? Our materialism, our greed, our sense of entitlement keeps us from being in touch with the pervasive nature of evil in the world.
The 1st reading at Mass was the continuing story of Jonah. Jonah tried to run from God, but in so doing, he put not only himself, but many others in great danger. The ship on which he was hiding was about to sink! In the same way, our sins affect not only us but those in the world around us. There is no such thing as a 'personal sin.'
Our 2nd conference dealt with the need for balance within our lives - the four 'legs of the table' that make the table stable or wobbly. Those four areas are physical, psychological, intellectual and spiritual. We need to be healthy in each of these areas and nurture ourselves regularly in these areas.
We ended our day celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Fr. Youngberg (those from St.Thomas remember him as the priest who led our mission that began our anniversary year) assisted as a confessor.
This afternoon I got a 3 mile power walk in, and then I got to sit in the sun for a couple of hours. I finished reading Jim Stovall's 'The Ultimate Life', the sequell to 'The Ultimate Gift.' I highly recommend it. One of the gifts that the main character has to pass on is the Gift of Gratitude. He is told to find 10 things every day for which he is grateful. My 1st thought was that this is something I already do every day. But then I re-read the passage to discover that the task was to find these 10 things at the start of each day - before you even get out of bed!
I wondered why? After all, it is certainly much easier to do it at the end of the day, isn't it? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. Instead of beginning the day thinking about the crises and problems awaiting me on the other side of my door, I can leave my room in a positive frame of mind if I have those 10 things in the front of my mind. those negative things no longer seem as burdensome or overwhelming.
This ties back to the theme of the retreat - seeing things through the eyes of God because they are out of focus if I see them through my own eyes. I do not need to focus on what might go wrong, but on what is right!
Anyway, it was a full day, and we have one more full day tomorrow.
Lastly, I leave you with a funny-but-true saying I heard today that I really liked: Remember, it is better to be seen than to be viewed!
When we look at sin in that way, we see we have a part in the problems of this world. For instance, we in America have the capacity to feed the entire world. So how is it that we allow poverty and hunger to persist everywhere we look? Our materialism, our greed, our sense of entitlement keeps us from being in touch with the pervasive nature of evil in the world.
The 1st reading at Mass was the continuing story of Jonah. Jonah tried to run from God, but in so doing, he put not only himself, but many others in great danger. The ship on which he was hiding was about to sink! In the same way, our sins affect not only us but those in the world around us. There is no such thing as a 'personal sin.'
Our 2nd conference dealt with the need for balance within our lives - the four 'legs of the table' that make the table stable or wobbly. Those four areas are physical, psychological, intellectual and spiritual. We need to be healthy in each of these areas and nurture ourselves regularly in these areas.
We ended our day celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Fr. Youngberg (those from St.Thomas remember him as the priest who led our mission that began our anniversary year) assisted as a confessor.
This afternoon I got a 3 mile power walk in, and then I got to sit in the sun for a couple of hours. I finished reading Jim Stovall's 'The Ultimate Life', the sequell to 'The Ultimate Gift.' I highly recommend it. One of the gifts that the main character has to pass on is the Gift of Gratitude. He is told to find 10 things every day for which he is grateful. My 1st thought was that this is something I already do every day. But then I re-read the passage to discover that the task was to find these 10 things at the start of each day - before you even get out of bed!
I wondered why? After all, it is certainly much easier to do it at the end of the day, isn't it? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. Instead of beginning the day thinking about the crises and problems awaiting me on the other side of my door, I can leave my room in a positive frame of mind if I have those 10 things in the front of my mind. those negative things no longer seem as burdensome or overwhelming.
This ties back to the theme of the retreat - seeing things through the eyes of God because they are out of focus if I see them through my own eyes. I do not need to focus on what might go wrong, but on what is right!
Anyway, it was a full day, and we have one more full day tomorrow.
Lastly, I leave you with a funny-but-true saying I heard today that I really liked: Remember, it is better to be seen than to be viewed!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
retreat day 2
I am thrilled to have better access to the internet than yesterday and earlier today, and thus I am posting the second blog on my retreat.
I did receive some feedback already regarding my first post. And so let me elaborate a tad. In the Old Testament, in Psalm 139, we hear God saying, 'Before you were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you!' He had great things planned for us even before we came into existence. We are wanted by God! And He desires an intimate relationship with us.
On the flip side, when we stop and reflect on it, do we not also desire an intimate relationship with God? And so THAT should be the object of all our prayer, building that relationship with the God who wants to be completely with us. Prayer is built on desire - God's desire to be with us, and our desire to be with God. Everything else in our life and in our world then flows from that.
As I said, I don't believe in consequences. The Gospel passage the church gave us for Mass today is the story of Jesus visiting the home of his friends Martha and Mary. Martha was busy with all the chores of hospitality while Mary sat listening to Jesus. Martha eventually complains to Jesus that her sister should be helping prepare the meal. But Jesus tells her she has her priorities all wrong. What is of most importance is sitting in the presence of God, building that relationship with the Lord.
Our third session dealt with transition - or that nasty 'c' word: change. Martha was stuck in a rut. Someone once said that no sin is more punishable by nature than resistance to change. Fr. Conroy even brought in the inevitable 'getting older' example. We simply cannot do what we once did. But how do we deal with that? If we live in the presence of the Lord and let Him lead us and guide us into new things and new ways, we can be at peace with where we are. If we resist, we will be as frustrated as Martha.
Our retreat has also been one great meal after another. I was happy to see a few stars in the sky tonight. Hopefully that is a sign of better weather for tomorrow so that I can get out for a walk before I put on too many pounds.
I did receive some feedback already regarding my first post. And so let me elaborate a tad. In the Old Testament, in Psalm 139, we hear God saying, 'Before you were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you!' He had great things planned for us even before we came into existence. We are wanted by God! And He desires an intimate relationship with us.
On the flip side, when we stop and reflect on it, do we not also desire an intimate relationship with God? And so THAT should be the object of all our prayer, building that relationship with the God who wants to be completely with us. Prayer is built on desire - God's desire to be with us, and our desire to be with God. Everything else in our life and in our world then flows from that.
As I said, I don't believe in consequences. The Gospel passage the church gave us for Mass today is the story of Jesus visiting the home of his friends Martha and Mary. Martha was busy with all the chores of hospitality while Mary sat listening to Jesus. Martha eventually complains to Jesus that her sister should be helping prepare the meal. But Jesus tells her she has her priorities all wrong. What is of most importance is sitting in the presence of God, building that relationship with the Lord.
Our third session dealt with transition - or that nasty 'c' word: change. Martha was stuck in a rut. Someone once said that no sin is more punishable by nature than resistance to change. Fr. Conroy even brought in the inevitable 'getting older' example. We simply cannot do what we once did. But how do we deal with that? If we live in the presence of the Lord and let Him lead us and guide us into new things and new ways, we can be at peace with where we are. If we resist, we will be as frustrated as Martha.
Our retreat has also been one great meal after another. I was happy to see a few stars in the sky tonight. Hopefully that is a sign of better weather for tomorrow so that I can get out for a walk before I put on too many pounds.
retreat
I am in the process of making my annual retreat, and wanted to share a few reflections with you. About thirty priests are gathered and are being led by Fr. Jim Conroy, a Jesuit. We began with two sessions yesterday, and had another session this morning. Fr. Conroy is from Pittsburg (a big Steelers and Pirates fan), served in Vietnam before entering seminary, and currently works with an initiative that is promoting the Ignatian Way among lay people so that these spiritual exercises might not become extinct even as the number of priests declines.
Yesterday's sessions focused on prayer. And the one thing that popped out of his talks for me was the possibility that we have 'prayer' all wrong. Our approach to prayer, at least I know that I usually approach prayer this way, is to come to God with our lists. We have lists of things we are thankful for and lists of things we need. And so we enter into prayer - both personal prayer and communal prayer - armed with these lists. Really, we come to God with our agenda.
Perhaps another approach would help us achieve what we are looking for alot more effectively. And that is to leave behind everything that is happening in our world, in our life, in our mind and heart, as we enter prayer. And when we come into the presence of the Lord, simply acknowledge His presence, and feel His love holding us and enveloping us. Scriptures tell us we have been made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, we are love, just as He is love.
When we can truly feel this, then we can approach anything and everything in life with love. Then, as I say in every homily, will we be on the road to true and lasting peace.
Today's morning session focused on the priesthood as a 'timely vocation'. What he said to us priests is true of all disciples of the Lord. God calls us to follow Him, and above all, be faithful to Him. As in the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, Jesus will take whatever we have, no matter how much or how little, and feeds his people with it - IF we are faithful to him and allow him to do it.
Alot to think about and meditate on and pray with. Internet access has been a problem, but I am hoping to blog again during the retreat. Pray for me as I will for you.
Yesterday's sessions focused on prayer. And the one thing that popped out of his talks for me was the possibility that we have 'prayer' all wrong. Our approach to prayer, at least I know that I usually approach prayer this way, is to come to God with our lists. We have lists of things we are thankful for and lists of things we need. And so we enter into prayer - both personal prayer and communal prayer - armed with these lists. Really, we come to God with our agenda.
Perhaps another approach would help us achieve what we are looking for alot more effectively. And that is to leave behind everything that is happening in our world, in our life, in our mind and heart, as we enter prayer. And when we come into the presence of the Lord, simply acknowledge His presence, and feel His love holding us and enveloping us. Scriptures tell us we have been made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, we are love, just as He is love.
When we can truly feel this, then we can approach anything and everything in life with love. Then, as I say in every homily, will we be on the road to true and lasting peace.
Today's morning session focused on the priesthood as a 'timely vocation'. What he said to us priests is true of all disciples of the Lord. God calls us to follow Him, and above all, be faithful to Him. As in the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, Jesus will take whatever we have, no matter how much or how little, and feeds his people with it - IF we are faithful to him and allow him to do it.
Alot to think about and meditate on and pray with. Internet access has been a problem, but I am hoping to blog again during the retreat. Pray for me as I will for you.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Seminarian
Today we welcomed a new seminarian to our parish. His name is Mateusz. He is from Poland, has completed his first year of Theology at Mt. St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg MD, and is taking a Pastoral Year. His weeks will be split between working here and taking some courses.
Under the heading of 'It's a Small World', after the last Mass this morning, while greeting the parishioners as they left Mass, one gentleman approached and said that he was visiting from Michigan. He was here on business at ESPN, and was flying back on Monday. I welcomed him, but he continued, saying that there was more to his story.
It seems he had relations with a girl at the age of 17, and she became pregnant. They had the child, a baby boy, and gave him up for adoption. Almost exactly a year ago, he sought out his biological son, and made contact with him. It seems he, also, is a seminarian, studying at Mt. St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg MD, and Mateusz knows him! Isn't that something!
But I also got to thinking of another powerful message embedded in this story. We are celebrating Right To Life Month in October. This man and his girlfriend at the time conceived a child even though they were not in a position to care for it. But instead of terminating that precious life, they brought the boy into this world and gave him up for adoption, and because they did that, more than likely we will have one more priest serving our church!
Under the heading of 'It's a Small World', after the last Mass this morning, while greeting the parishioners as they left Mass, one gentleman approached and said that he was visiting from Michigan. He was here on business at ESPN, and was flying back on Monday. I welcomed him, but he continued, saying that there was more to his story.
It seems he had relations with a girl at the age of 17, and she became pregnant. They had the child, a baby boy, and gave him up for adoption. Almost exactly a year ago, he sought out his biological son, and made contact with him. It seems he, also, is a seminarian, studying at Mt. St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg MD, and Mateusz knows him! Isn't that something!
But I also got to thinking of another powerful message embedded in this story. We are celebrating Right To Life Month in October. This man and his girlfriend at the time conceived a child even though they were not in a position to care for it. But instead of terminating that precious life, they brought the boy into this world and gave him up for adoption, and because they did that, more than likely we will have one more priest serving our church!
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