ANNUAL RETREAT

Leaving the blogosphere for Annual Retreat.


Be back August 01, 2001.


Please pray for me, a sinner.

I come from God; hence, I belong to God. I am destined for God, who is not only my creator and my master, but also my last end. Thus my end is to know God, to love God, to serve God. ~St. Ignatius of Loyola

We are all made in the image and likeness of God. ... In order to be ourselves, we need to be like Him. Jesus told us frequently, "Come follow me." You could say that we are programmed to imitate somebody, or more accurately, we are programmed to imitate Somebody with a Capital S.

A lot of people in today's world have the idea that we are supposed to be completely independent, and that being ourselves means being as weird and offbeat as possible. I'm sure you know people who try to express themselves by calling attention to themselves through wearing strange clothes, getting weird tattoos and piercings. ...

In spite of this modern emphasis on individuality, the urge to follow and to imitate cannot be driven completely from our minds. But many of our peers, our friends and neighbors have never had an encounter with Jesus Christ, the God Man. So, they can't figure out whom to follow. They follow pop stars or sports heroes or political figures, all the while going to great lengths to distinguish themselves and demonstrate their uniqueness.

The irony of this pose of independence is that Jesus is the one person we can follow and not lose ourselves or our identity. In fact we become more ourselves than ever. We can become the best versions of ourselves, by following Jesus. ~Jennifer Roback Morse

Go ahead! Courage! In the spiritual life one who does not go forward goes backward. 

~St. Pio of Pietrelcina

“Even in the midst of this life of tears and tribulations, what happiness, what great joy it is to realize that we are God’s flock! He keeps watch over us when we are awake; He keeps watch over us when we sleep. A flock belonging to a man feels secure in the care of its human shepherd; how much safer should we feel when our shepherd is God? Not only does He lead us to pasture, but He even created us.” ~St. Augustine

Let the will of the Lord be thy delight and joy. Let neither thy desires draw thee on, nor they fears dishearten thee. ~Ven. Maria of Agreda

Contemplation is a way to hear with the Spirit and not with the head. Contemplation is the search for a wide open space. This space is broad enough for the head to have room in it; it’s broad enough for the heart, the feelings, the gut, the subconscious, our memories, our institutions, for our whole body. We need a holistic place for hearing. Christians have to go to this place if they’re looking for wisdom. If we don’t produce any more wise men and women, then the reason is that we have forgotten the art of contemplation. ~Fr. Richard Rohr, ofm

Thank, thanks be to you, Eternal Father! I am imperfect and full of darkness, but you, perfection and light, have shown me to perfection and the way of your Son. I was dead and you brought me to life. ~St. Catherine of Siena

There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand. ~St. Bernadine of Siena

It is not possible to live and grow in the faith without the support of a group, of a Christian community. It is here that you will learn together to build a better world. ~Bl. Pope John Paul II 

Praise Our God, You Silent Green Forest

Praise our God, you silent green forest,
Praise our God, you deepest blue sea.
Praise our God, tall mountains before us,
Now let all creatures praise the Great Harmony!

People of earth and rulers of nations
God the Sov'reign forms our days!
Women and men, young children and elders
Dance with creation singing God's praise!


~ Jim Strathdee

One of the greatest gifts that the Holy Spirit can bestow on us is peace in time of struggle, calm in the midst of trouble, so that in time of desolation we are armed with a strong courage.

~ St. Claude De la Colombiere