Word to the Wise
Saturday, February 6, 2016 - Saturday in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Kgs 3:4-13 and Mark 6:30-34]The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught He said to them: "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. [Mark]
FEBRUARY 6 ST. PAUL MIKI, SJ, AND COMPANIONS [martyrs in Japan]
One of my principal ministries as an itinerant preacher is preaching retreats. My audiences are usually priests, deacons (and spouses) and women religious, although I do preach occasional "day retreats" at parishes. For clergy and religious, canon law or the constitutions of the orders will generally require a retreat of anywhere from five to eight days. In my experience, priests' retreats will begin on a Monday evening and conclude on Thursday or Friday. Deacons' retreats generally (although I've had exceptions) begin on Friday evening and end by midday on Sunday. Sisters' retreats usually go six days. Retreats for cloistered Dominican nuns (the only ones I have preached to) go eight days! I am acutely aware that the audience will enter into the experience with mixed feelings of worry about what is going on elsewhere while they are "in a deserted place," or resentment at being required to make the retreat, or excitement that they really will have some "time away." The Manresa Retreat center in South Louisiana stays full year round on weekends because a weekend retreat is a custom for men in that Catholic area and even Protestant and Jewish men go on those retreats.
Jesus' is often portrayed as going off to a "deserted place" to pray. In today's gospel he takes the apostles away for some quiet time. The effort is short-lived because his growing popularity leads to the loss of solitude and privacy (something not highly valued in collective societies like the Middle East and the Orient). Nevertheless, the necessity of getting away for some focused spiritual reflection and prayer is clearly shown as a value in the gospels.
The challenge of making that time worthwhile for the participants is a big one but I enjoy the time. I once asked a priest in charge of one retreat I gave if they had a form to evaluate the retreat. He responded, "No. Just look around. They're all still here!" I highly recommend the experience of at least an annual "retreat." Spouses can give this as a gift to one another. If a group thing is not attractive, then many retreat centers offer individual opportunities, even hermitages, like the Desert House of Prayer near Tucson, AZ. Consider this as part of your spiritual regime. The world will still be there with its demands when you get back. You have the example of Jesus' own efforts to inspire you. AMEN
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