Back From Retreat and I'm Exhausted!

Not complaining, just explaining. Five days of silence was a real gift, but not, by any means,  a restful silence. One can be silent and working. Think of a Trappist monastery where the monks all pray (ora) and then go to their work in silence (labora). Some monks garden raising a crop to make jellies and jams. Some might suit up to work the apiary, checking the bees while praying for a sweet golden harvest. Some make fruit cake or roast and pack coffee beans. I once saw two monks up on ladders picking pecans at Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma. But all their work is wrapped in silence. 

Sunday Meditation: What would Pope Leo IV think of the Crisis in the Church?

 

As I posted yesterday I'm going on a silent Ignatian retreat this week from Sunday evening (tonight) until Saturday morning, July 25th. I've scheduled some articles on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but will be completely off the internet starting this evening. 

I won't be moderating comments either. You are welcome to leave them, but they'll sit in the combox until I return on on July 25th. I will be praying for all my readers while I'm on retreat. Please pray for me as well.

For those who read regularly you've seen my open letter to Bishop Michael Burbidge about the treatment of the laity in the decree of Pope Leo and the explanatory note from Cardinal Fernandez. I mailed the letter on Monday, July 13th, but delayed publication out of courtesy for the bishop. Then I scheduled the letter's publication on Friday, July 17th. 

Thinking about Gratitude for the Three Fs: Faith, Friends, and Family

Gratitude!

I was thinking about it on Saturday while we celebrated 250 years of this great country. And how grateful I was to see all the enjoyment of the day with family and friends. What a blessing going in the pool with our little two-year-old grandson who sat on the steps and splashed with glee. What joy! What laughter! O beautiful for summer skies and little toddlers' feet!

Sometimes You Just Need to Take a Break!

I need a break from thinking about the controversy over the SSPX consecrations and the crisis in the Church. Even members of the Church Militant need R&R occasionally which is what retreats and days of reflection are all about as well. But hobbies and interests also offer opportunities to put down the stress occasionally and give our minds and hearts a rest.

On Retreat with Brendan

I just returned from my annual five-day silent retreat using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. I asked my blogging partners, Susan and Chriss, to fill in for me while I was gone and they did a stellar job of it. Thanks Chriss and Susan! And, really, you need to post more often.

Having the time and freedom to retreat from the world is a great gift. Doing it in silence is an even greater gift! I think of the movie a few years ago, Into Great Silence, about life in a Carthusian Monastery where the monks live in profound silence offering their lives and work for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. What a blessing it is to be engulfed, even for a few days, in profound silence.

I was awake and walking one morning before sunrise and heard the birds in symphony as they welcomed the new day. The wind was blowing rustling the leaves. I felt like I was hearing God's voice as Elijah did in the small whispering sound which is often lost in our noisy world.

Prayer Requests? I'll Take Them on Retreat

Be still and know that I am God.

I'm going on a five day silent Ignatian Retreat starting Monday evening and ending Saturday. I will leave some posts scheduled to appear while I'm gone, but won't be moderating any comments. Please be patient; I will moderate them on my return. The only comments that will post will be those written by my colleagues, Susan and Chriss, who have the authority to post without moderation.

When I'm on retreat I always pray for the intentions of my readers and for all the challenges troubling our poor Church and our even poorer world. I look forward to the silence and peace that accompanies these days to seek the Lord's will in my life and for this little media apostolate! My motto for this retreat will be to fulfill the vision of the prophet Micah: to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with the Lord.

I'm Back from Retreat, and Feeling a Longing Not to Be.

I miss my retreat already. There is something so wonderful about silence. All the ladies on the retreat were very good about keeping the silence this year, and it's amazing how it opens up possibilities to hear God. When your life isn't filled with chit-chat, the radio, social media, TV, blogging, etc. you can enter into the exhortation, "Be still and know that I am God." I'm longing for it to continue.

This year my re-entry into the noisy world was abrupt. I'm taking part in a conference on "end of life" issues and had to leave the retreat early. To go from complete silence to seeing old friends and meeting new ones, hearing stories discussing serious issues in the culture of death -- well...it's exhausting. I want to go back to the chapel and sit with the Lord and let the world go to hell in a handcart on its own without me.