Home from Retreat and Rejoicing in God's Blessings

I'm giving thanks today for the blessing of another grace-filled retreat. The Spiritual Exercises provide such an intense course in meditation. And my "backup book" was St. Louis de Montfort's Secrets of the Rosary. The stories and meditations on the mysteries of the rosary were the perfect accompaniment to the exercises.

And the setting was absolutely beautiful. San Damiano retreat house is lovely. Take a look and consider how such a setting lifts one's heart and mind to God. Have you made a retreat lately? Don't forget to set apart time for God. Think about it... you can't love someone if you don't know him. And you can't know someone if you don't spend time with him.

Remember one of the first questions in the Baltimore Catechism. "Why did God make me?"

"God made made me to know him, to love, him, and to serve him in this world and be happy with him in the next." Make a retreat with the Lord. If you can only spare a day, there are days of reflection. If you have a weekend, even better. God will not be outdone in generosity. If you give him time, he will bless you abundantly!

When was the last time you made a retreat?

I love going on a silent retreat every year to recharge the batteries and allow the Holy Spirit to blow the worldly dust of cynicism and discouragement out of my soul.

Every Catholic should make a regular retreat to remember that we are pilgrims in a strange land here on earth, far from our true home. The only purpose of this life is to prepare for the next. If you aren't on the road to heaven, you are probably on the road to hell. Time for a U-Turn? It's never too late.