YA Retreat

Every year I go on one weekend retreat as a way to keep the fire of God burning in my soul.  This past weekend I retreated to Saint Andrew’s Abbey to be secluded in the desert with God.  God is so immensely wonderful, on Saturday was the feast day of Saint Benedict and I got to celebrate with Benedictine monks.  Every morning, we had the option of attending Festal Lauds and on Saturday (due to the feast day) the Bishop was in attendance and their prayer time was a little more festive than usual- they went all out as Father Carlos shared.  Below are some highlights of my weekend…

Meeting Father Martin- On Friday afternoon I met Father Martin who is a blend of Capuchin & Celtic spirituality.  He has a very unique habit.  He wears the brown tunic usually worn by Franciscans and a grey scapular.  Father explained that while walking the Camino de Santiago, God revealed to Him a special love and devotion for Celtic spirituality and he wanted to express his blend of spirituality in his habit.  He’s a great story teller and during the weekend he shared many simple yet meaningful stories.  My favorite was one that explained the purpose of a monk in Celtic Spirituality is to be an Anam Cara a “soul friend” for the journey.

The Desert- I love retreating into the natural splendor of nature when I go on retreat because it really helps me center my mind on God by shedding city noise and troubles.  When I am in the quiet of nature God is more easily seen and heard and I glorify Him just by enjoying His star covered night or the browns of my surroundings.  I loved laying down on the grass and feeling the rays of sunshine reaching down upon me through the slits of the tree branches.  Coming upon a lizard, a beetle, a squirrel or a family of quail gave me so much joy - there's so much life even on barren land (smile).        

My small group.

Community- I got to be with other young adults sharing my faith.  It’s always so motivating to be surrounded by people who are trying to live holy lives and who really love God- it’s such an encouragement.  We had many good discussions which fortified our faith.

Being in the Presence of Jesus- We had perpetual adoration so anytime I wanted to be with Jesus I could slip in and say hello.  I spent some time each day in prayer interceding for my loved ones, talking to Jesus about life and just quietly in His presence.  It’s so awesome to have access to God in such tangible form- to be able to fix my eyes on Him and know that He sees me!   

Reconciliation / Mass- The priests of the abbey made themselves available for confession, and after reconciling with God we were able to partake in the Eucharist.  As a cherry on top Father gave such a great homily!

My weekend was so blessed! And now I feel like Saint Ignatius when he said, “When the object of our love is infinite, we can always love more and more.”