Who Needs to Retreat!!
In these days of military action on TV and casualty numbers on the ticker this
word has some interesting connotations. I heard a comedian recently saying that one of
the good things about all this military action is that Americans are learning their
geography. Certainly, none of us knew the names that we now use everyday, Faluja, Abu
Gareb, not to mention imbedded reporter and all the rest. Mostly it is for bad reasons that
we learn these things. How many could find Sri Lanka on a map prior to December,
2004 when the Tsunami hit that region. The word retreat does not have any positive
connotations under its normal uses. But when we think of God and His working in our
lives the term Retreat has a very different meaning. It loses the feeling of being beaten in
battle of being attacked and fleeing and gains meanings of recommitment and
strengthening.
Last weekend I was blessed to be with five teenagers from our parish when almost
100 teens from around the Diocese did a retreat at Camp Stella Maris in Conesus Lake.
There are two of these retreats a year and I have always tried to be there for one for them.
Teenagers, 9-12 grades, come from all over the Diocese to meet, talk, and grow together.
They come from different places but those differences seem to fade in the very first night
as they share who they are and a little about themselves. The teenagers from our parish
fit right in with kids from all over. I will not speak for them but if you were there to see
them interacting and laughing with kids then never met a few hours before, I think I can
comfortably say they had a good time. These retreats are important for more than just
social reasons. Every day there are a number of talks, most given by their peers, about
living the Gospel in their difficult world. They speak to each other in a way that no adult
can. They talk about their own successes and failures. Once the talk is finished all the
teens go into smaller groups where they discuss what they heard and how they can relate
to those experiences.
I usually stay out of the small groups as they develop closeness that my entrance
might breakup. There are adults and peer leaders in each group so our kids are always in
very good hands. I am there to talk with them during breaks and meals. I also am
available to sit and talk during free time and in the evenings. My highlight is Saturday
night when I get to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with these kids. This
weekend two other priests came to help out and over 3 ½ hours later we were finally
done. I would never discuss what was talked about in this Sacrament but I can tell you
that if you ever think that our teenagers are not spiritual and interested in church you are
very wrong! They want to know God, they want to see God. They believe in God, they
hope to find God. The only difference is in the way they get to God. They are searching
for God on their own terms, not the terms of their parents of grandparents. They do NOT
want to reject the faith that has been given to them by their families; they simply need to
come to that faith in their own way.
The retreat ended with a celebration of the Eucharist. Even though they were
tired, the one thing these retreats lack is sleep!, they were excited and were praising God
in song and prayer. It is a powerful event with parents and siblings present to share the
closing. I know that these kids will be sharing their experience with their peers in our
Youth Group. I know that Amy Mikolajczyk, our Youth Minister who was there as well,
will help these kids bring this new experience to their lives and help them share it.
Our readings this weekend reflect some of the same themes that we think of with
retreats. Our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah says that God has something new for
us. This is not one new thing to be had once in our lives. This is something new
everyday. We have to find ways to find what God is calling us to and where we are to be
growing. We hear from St. Paul that God never changes but we must be constantly
growing because although God is permanent, we are constantly growing towards our
Heavenly Father. We can see the amazing power of God revealed in our Gospel, in our
everyday lives, but there may be a problem. Our world and everything we have to do can
cloud our eyes and make it hard for us to see God. When we are up to our eyeballs in
work and family and stress, there is no place for God to fit into our minds. Many times
we are moving so fast it is hard to see things right there beside us.
Many people are thinking or planning their February vacation. I know that many
people are either away this week or will be away in the near future on vacation. Think
how long it takes you to slow down and forget about work even while sitting on a beach
in South Carolina. The same is true with God. How hard is it for us all to just sit down
and relax and think about God? Many of the people that are part of our Perpetual
Adoration Group, and those that visit our chapel, often may know this feeling. They have
gotten used to stepping out of the race and for an hour a week sitting thinking of God.
But even for these people it is not easy and some days are better than others. That is what
a retreat is all about. A retreat is a chance to leave our regular surroundings and step out
of the race to give God a chance to speak to us. I do not know anyone that has taken a
retreat seriously and did not have a positive experience.
There are many retreats in which any of us can participate. Cursillio is a retreat
program that many people in our parish have participated in and go back again and again
as staff, sharing their experiences with those that are new to the program. There is a
beautiful retreat center in our area that offers retreats every year with one especially for
our parish; this has been listed in the bulletin. Our teenagers have various opportunities.
There is Marriage Encounter for couples.
Retreats fall into may categories. In many ways those that participated in our
Parish Mission last September were taking part in a retreat. That once a week activity
was like a retreat in many ways, taking time out of our schedule to be with God. This
was something more than just one hour a week. This is something more for God. Next
weekend I will be in Penn Yan doing a Parish Mission Retreat very similar to what we
did last year in our parish. They will be doing Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday next week.
Three evenings focusing on God and asking God to renew us and our faith. Please keep
this parish in your prayers as they grow together.
As is always the case we must make a choice about how we spend our time. We
have many things that take our time that we cannot control. In many ways we can not
just stop the world and ask to get off – no matter how much we wish we could! But, like
all things that are important, we will make time for those things that we choose to put at
the top of our list. If our health is a problem we will take off work and stop everything to
get to those that can bring us healing and strength. In the same way we must try to find a
place and a time when we can stop and step out of our regular day-to-day and put
ourselves in the presence of the greatest healer – God. We may take care of our hearts
and our Cholesterol but we look the other way as our spiritual health slowly withers and
dies. Please pray for our teens and all those teenagers that went on retreat last weekend.
Please pray for all the teenagers that were with us as well. God’s blessings were flowing
there and I am confident that His Holy Spirit will help them as they grow in faith. Also,
take a moment to think of your own faith journey and see if there is a place for a retreat in
your life as well.