What Better Time For A Retreat?

[Googler]

I’ve never been on a retreat before. I’m planning a pilgimage to Marytown this Christmas.
It will be a retreat alternative because of limited time and funds.
Other than Marytown, consider a private retreat at a hermitage or monastery.

Why A Retreat?

• Jesus spent forty days in the desert fasting and praying. You may only have the time to get away for one or two days, but the example has been set and we need to follow it.
• It will do things for your relationship with God that you could have never imagined.
• During a Catholic retreat you are able to more effectively hear God’s voice throughout your entire day.
• A private retreat affords you time for silence, prayer, holy reading, and reflection. Many places will also make the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and confession available.
• There are many different types of Catholic retreats. Retreats can be a single day or a whole week or month.

Things That God May Expect Us To Do During A Retreat

• Clarify our minds regarding the basic truths of faith. Reaffirm in our minds what we as Catholics are supposed to believe. We were created to praise, reverence and serve God our Creator, to do His will and thereby save our souls.
• Identify my own personal spiritual needs; “What does God want me to do?” with the stress on “what God WANTS” and “me to DO”. “What needs to be done by me in order that I might serve God the way He wants to be served?” He wants me to realign my own wants with His.
• Obtain light from God to know better than I know now what these needs are. “Lord, make me free. Lord, that I may see Your will and then, make me free to do it.”
• Determine what we are to do with God’s grace. An act of the will must be made by which I recommit myself to the Christ who called me. I decide on what God wants me to do, what He wants me to give up and on what God wants me to endure.

“There are certain moments in Sacred Scripture when Jesus separates Himself from the disciples and prays. This is a great example set by the Son of God, reminding us that everyone needs that special time with God in order to listen to what He wants from him or her in this life. Jesus was listening to the Father as the obedient Son.
The Church, in her wisdom, demands that all priests and bishops attend a yearly retreat – it’s a requirement of office. It’s meant to make sure that the individual doesn’t get so caught up in the doing of things that they forget the person (Jesus) for whom they are doing these things. A retreat sounds somewhat like surrender, but in the real sense, it’s a regrouping, marshalling the forces and regenerating energies so that all resources might be maximized for the best and most effective use possible.
Prayer is power. It acknowledges our relationship with God. It affirms His love for us and witnesses our love for Him. During the most difficult situations that we encounter, we are not alone. God is with us.”
~Archbishop Jerome Listecki

Find a nearby Catholic retreat to refresh thy soul HERE.

 

[myway]

You might not need a retreat. Sometimes you just need to pray more.