By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ •  St. Josaphat Formation Center • Phoenix, AZ

Our annual retreat is the time our Lord invites us from our cares, duties and daily enjoyments to go apart with Him to a quiet place so that He may speak directly and personally to our hearts.

We cannot hear these words of the Lord outside a retreat because they do not regard any passing business or worry or joy of daily life. It is like a long love letter from the Beloved of our soul that takes days to read and savor for a good while in a quiet setting. Better even than the many moments close to Him during our daily life. A retreat goes well beyond these good but passing graces, and it is the necessary foundation for us to be able to recognize Him in the passing ones.

Yet, the first stage of the retreat (the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell) can sometimes be intimidating to face ourselves before Him who knows everything about us. “Do not be afraid, it is I.” This period of the retreat takes courage and generosity, since we work at turning everything in our mind, our heart and our past to the “off” mode, so we can be attentive exclusively to His voice. Without this effort, we cannot hear Him. The consideration of the four last things should help us experience the abundance of His loving mercy towards us in a general confession. This helps immensely to release the heart and to open its doors to His presence and grace. Our focus is then turned away from ourselves to Him.

So then we contemplate the great mysteries of His life – from becoming a baby in Bethlehem to suffering painfully in our stead upon the Cross. We dwell on the memory of His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to conquer our sins and open a place for us in Heaven with Him.

Once we warm our hearts up with the contemplation of the mysteries of His love, then arrives the special time of the retreat when He can speak to us of His loving plan, as He did with His Mother on the morning of the Resurrection with no one around or even aware. Just the Lord Jesus and me; the Consoler and me; the Beloved alone with me, speaking to me. In these contemplations, our gratitude for His many gifts urges us to confirm our desire to follow Him, to work with Him, to willingly be sent by Him again back into the vineyard seeking the fruit that will last.

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