Over the weekend, my community of ICPE Companions met for our annual retreat and it was a huge sacred space where we welcomed Jesus, into our hearts, souls, minds and strengths, our lives, and received much.
We prayed, we listened, we praised, we worshipped, we broke bread together in the sharing of food and lives, we played, we laughed, and we were simply there for each other and God, and in so doing, we blessed each other and ourselves. Even those of us who could not make it were not forgotten and they were swept up with us in our communal prayer.
Besides taking community bond-building and my personal call to another level, it was a huge reminder of how imperative contemplation is for spiritual health. My spirit is bubbling over with joy today and to paraphrase Leonard Hofsteder's pick-up line in The Big Bang Theory, I am snapping, crackling and popping electric all because we sat together and listened to our Lord and our God.
Words are a poor vehicle to describe what I felt, and feel, and yet, they are all I have to share: that Jesus lives and walks among us, and He loves us, me, very, very much. The Good News experienced firsthand is indeed very, very Good.
He died for me so there is no reason to live otherwise than joyously and with vitality for I am redeemed, and thus I can rise up from the ashes of my woundedness, my disastrous past, and even my battle-scarred present, to new life, every new day. And what a life it can be.
The Gospel yesterday from Mark 10:46-52 was germane: If I am bold like blind Bartimaeus, and I can cast aside my perceived treasure (which is more encumbrance) to walk toward Jesus and ask for new sight, then He will respond. The reward is always restoration and a more precise vision and stouter heart to follow Him better.
My commitment to my spiritual growth has been renewed. It is clear that although my life will always be filled with activity, with demands on my time, space to be still, for me to listen to the Master's voice is necessary for emotional health, spiritual maturity and the stamina to keep up with Jesus. So my top priority for the future is to stay joyful by spacing out with Jesus.
We prayed, we listened, we praised, we worshipped, we broke bread together in the sharing of food and lives, we played, we laughed, and we were simply there for each other and God, and in so doing, we blessed each other and ourselves. Even those of us who could not make it were not forgotten and they were swept up with us in our communal prayer.
Besides taking community bond-building and my personal call to another level, it was a huge reminder of how imperative contemplation is for spiritual health. My spirit is bubbling over with joy today and to paraphrase Leonard Hofsteder's pick-up line in The Big Bang Theory, I am snapping, crackling and popping electric all because we sat together and listened to our Lord and our God.
Words are a poor vehicle to describe what I felt, and feel, and yet, they are all I have to share: that Jesus lives and walks among us, and He loves us, me, very, very much. The Good News experienced firsthand is indeed very, very Good.
He died for me so there is no reason to live otherwise than joyously and with vitality for I am redeemed, and thus I can rise up from the ashes of my woundedness, my disastrous past, and even my battle-scarred present, to new life, every new day. And what a life it can be.
The Gospel yesterday from Mark 10:46-52 was germane: If I am bold like blind Bartimaeus, and I can cast aside my perceived treasure (which is more encumbrance) to walk toward Jesus and ask for new sight, then He will respond. The reward is always restoration and a more precise vision and stouter heart to follow Him better.
My commitment to my spiritual growth has been renewed. It is clear that although my life will always be filled with activity, with demands on my time, space to be still, for me to listen to the Master's voice is necessary for emotional health, spiritual maturity and the stamina to keep up with Jesus. So my top priority for the future is to stay joyful by spacing out with Jesus.
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