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.