Last weekend, I was blessed to go on the St. Mary's Parish men's retreat. I've gone on the retreat for three years now and it never fails to uplift me. Located somewhere east of here that has a lot of trees, the scenery is stunning! Last weekend, we had perfect weather and a nice, clear view of Mt. Hood both days. The fellowship is great, the food is always amazing (and plentiful), and it's a "journey out into the wilderness" to encounter God... away from cell phones, Facebook, work, and TV.
Each year, something different has struck me. Last year, the Bible verses that stood out to me was John 8:31-32: "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." This hit me between the eyes! The primary obstacle in my spiritual life at the time was laziness. I prayed for God to set me free from that laziness. That, instead of drifting through the world, I stand up and make a commitment to a stronger Catholic life. Temptations vary, and we must never forget that the temptation to do nothing--while not something evil like killing someone--can be disastrous to our spiritual lives.
That realization led to a renewed appreciation for my favorite of St. Paul's letters, Ephesians. At the end of Ephesians, he exhorts the community to put on the armor of God. After all, "we are not contending against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph 6:12) I heard a reading of Eph 6:17 before, that "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" should be used by us to attack the sin inside of us. Very, very powerful image after that retreat.
This year, the focus turned out to be a little different. Laziness is still a struggle for me, but not as much as last year (by the grace of God). This year the spotlight was on leadership. Fr. Mitch Pacwa (from EWTN) was our speaker on the retreat and he was phenomenal. Our retreat closed with a talk on the history of the Catholic Church in the last 50 years since Vatican II. Fr. Mitch highlighted a lot of the movements within the Church. Nearly all of the movements that reignited the laity were started by the laity. And the future of the Church is bright! The Spirit is no less present to us than it was to the Apostles.
The fruit from all that was excitement. I was even more excited about the Theology on Tap that is happening in Mt. Angel. I saw the good men that were on the retreat and saw that the Church is strong. And I thought, yeah, why don't I try to start blogging and writing about these things again?
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Great reflections on the retreat! You very eloquently described the temptations to laziness that we all struggle with. Thank you for exhorting us to put on the armor of God and resist those temtations. There is so much we can accomplish for the kingdom day by day our own little ways.
ReplyDeleteNice tilling, John! I appreciate your insights, even though they can hit too close to home--but that's a good thing.
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