Retreat Reflection

A couple of weeks ago, my Small Church Community took a day-long retreat. This retreat was planned just for our little group by the pastoral associate from the parish of one of our members. Let me tell your right off the bat...she was awesome & this retreat was incredible, full of laughter & tears, joy & sorrow.

A little background on our group: This Small Church Community was formed about 20 years ago (I joined the group about 12 years ago) through the "Come as You Are" program. At the time, we were members of the same parish at the time. All but one have since transferred to other parishes for a variety of reasons. Also, due to moves, health issues, births, & deaths, the number of members has fluctuated. Currently we are six members strong & better described as a very close faith family.

Over the past couple of years, we have gotten off track & we felt a retreat would be the perfect thing to help us refocus our priorities.

We gathered about 9am. After a prayer to get us started, we were led in a guided imagery meditation. Next we went into the sanctuary to spend time reflecting on the statue of the Risen Christ emerging from the stone wall behind the altar. Each of us sat in a different spot from where we've sat before so that we could gain a different perspective of this beautiful statue. When we got together again, this time in lobby of the church, we discussed our thoughts. It was very interesting to hear how each of us had different revelations from the image.

After lunch, we met again w/ our focus on Mary. We prayed the rosary, then watched a brief, yet powerful & emotional, video of scenes from Jesus of Nazareth & The Passion of the Christ. She also led us through a prayer of forgiveness & reconciliation.

Something that really struck me about our retreat director was her responses to things we said. She had the perfect thing to say...whether an offer to pray, a story from her own life, or just a great thought. None of her comments were of that "one-upmanship" type that you often hear. Each comment was sincere & heartfelt.

One of my favorite activities of the retreat was a paper lunch sack. Each one held a different item...an ordinary object. We were to take some time alone w/ that object & figure out what God is trying to communicate to us through it. After all, God isn't only in our extraordinary faith experiences, He's in the ordinary, too & we just need to be open to recognizing them.

Each of us "chose" (by God-incidence!) the PERFECT item for that point in our lives. Mine was a scallop seashell. I sat in the back of the chapel w/ my seashell & almost immediately "heard" what God was trying to tell me.

This shell is one from a sea of many. Like this shell, I am one in a sea of many...wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends. I cannot change/fix/do all, BUT I can do what I am able to do, using my talents & gifts. I have a tendency to compare myself & my family to others. I need to stop comparing myself because each situation is different.

I wish I could go into more detail on how this retreat affected me, but as one of our members put it the other night...it's just one of those things that just can't be put into words. Retreats touch each person in a different way. I'd never been on one w/ such a small group (small in number, but BIG in faith!) & the intimate setting was what each of us needed that day. I look forward to our next one...and there WILL be another! We're thinking of making this an annual activity for our group.

Small Successes

Danielle Bean says, "It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

1) I've relinquished control of the kitchen the last couple days & let The Prophet cook. He's done quite well for a 10 yo boy & is enjoying the planning & creativity that can go along w/ cooking.

2) Along the lines of #1, I did not get angry when he accidentally burned our counter when he placed a hot pot on it. We all make mistakes & that is the way we learn.

3) I don't know if this is my success so much as the Holy Spirit's...I've been getting a LOT out of my spiritual reading the Lenten season. Between Jeff Cavin's Great Adventure 8-Week Bible Study, The Word Among Us & Not By Bread Alone: Daily Reflections for Lent by Robert F. Morneau (both for the daily readings), & The Life-Giving Power of the Cross by Jeanne Kun (a Word Among Us book my Small Church Community is using...a GREAT book, BTW), I can really feel my faith deepening. Plus, I'm finding a lot of parallels between the four books at times.

How have things been for you lately?

Outdoor Mass

Have you ever been to the celebration of the Eucharist at an outdoor Mass? For the past 10 years, our Small Church Community has (w/ the exception of one year that was too wet).

First a little history...About 14 years ago, our previous parish was using the "Come As You Are" program. It is a 12-week program for forming small faith sharing groups. From there, most of the small communities continued to meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly (depending on their individual schedules). The group I was originally in never made it past those 12 weeks, however, another group that had already formed was open to having Casinodad & me join them. Most of our group has since gone to other parishes, but we have continued to meet bi-weekly. We study & discuss the readings for the upcoming Sunday, share prayer requests, & focus on a book to read & discuss. We also focus on charitable work...donating clothing, toiletries, money, etc. throughout the year to a local ministry center.

The pastor who was at our previous parish when the "Come As You Are" groups formed has since retired & lives on about 25 acres of land. Once a year, for the past 10 years, our group has taken the meal & spent a Sunday afternoon on his "farm." Underneath the colorful trees of Fall, Father will say Mass for us. When he gets to the homily, he preaches from his notes then sometimes sits down & lets us share our thoughts. This is great for the kids who are there. He invites them to ask any questions &/or voice their thoughts, too.

One of the things he asked yesterday was the difference between the day's Mass & our normal Sunday Masses. My answer was that Casinodad & I were able to attend the whole Mass because neither of us had to take The Saint out to the lobby...LOL! He was very well-behaved!

Yesterday's weather was perfect for this celebration...mid 70s & no rain. The fall colors seem so brilliant this year & sitting together beneath the trees was so faith-filling. As one of our group's members shared at the end of Mass, she could feel the Holy Spirit's presence among us in the rustling of the wind through the leaves above us. What a wonderful way to celebrate the Eucharist together!