August 26, 2015 WBAS Topics For Families, WBAS Cat Prayers & Reflections
By: Kathy Hendricks
“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” Mark 6:31
I remember my first spiritual retreat vividly. After taking a year off from college I was ready to return with renewed passion for the major I had chosen – elementary education. As a way to mark my entry into this new endeavor I signed up for a weekend spiritual retreat geared for young women. While I enjoyed the presentations by the retreat director and the small group activities, the best times were on my own. The grounds of the retreat center included gardens, walking paths, and a gorgeous view of the Colorado foothills. This may have been where I discovered the blessing of “quiet places” where one finds rest for the soul. The weekend brought me a palpable sense of God’s presence within and around me. It also led me to seek other quiet places as I moved into the busy pace of college life.
The invitation Jesus extended to his disciples so many years ago is one we can accept as well. Our mission as his disciples is to give witness not only through our words, but also through our actions. “Go and do likewise” and “love one another” are not suggestions, they are calls to move forward into the world, transforming it through the power of love. Even so, we are called to the periphery – to step out of center ring, so to speak – in order to maintain our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This certainly doesn’t living in a cloister. Rather it reminds us of the reality of human limits. We simply aren’t meant to be on the go each and every waking moment.
In her classic book, Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh drew inspiration from the shells strewn along a beach to describe her solitary sojourn by the ocean. Using the delicate spiral of a moon shell to describe the experience of being alone she noted how solitude paradoxically improved her relationships with others. “When one is a stranger to oneself then one is estranged from others, too… Only when one is connected to one’s core is one connected to others… And for me, the core, the inner spring [that nourishes me] can best be refound in solitude.” Going on a spiritual retreat is a wonderful way to find our way back to that inner spring of life.
Bright Ideas
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Learn more about leading Catholic spiritual retreats for children and young people by visiting the We Believe blog.
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Download my Prayer for Reverence and use the free printable prayer cards as a way to enter into a quiet place.
