I have never been to a three day silent retreat. I may have been to a half day retreat a long time ago. I had no idea what I was doing and I never did another one again.
I have registered to this men's retreat at Cedarcrest Conference Center at the end of this month. This is an outgrowth of my commitment to the Exodus 90 Spiritual Exercise for Men. I was assigned to an Anchor who helped direct me to making two important decisions: (1) Finding a Spiritual Director, and (2) Attending this silent retreat. The group of men who form our local Exodus 90 group have committed to help each other grow spiritually during this 90 days before Easter - a really extended and more intense Lent. I offered my 90 days for the salvation of my family members. I am already benefiting from this exercise and I look forward to even greater benefit for my inner life.
During today's one-on-one meeting with my anchor, he helped me start preparing for this retreat. I am to start writing down daily what I want to get out of this retreat, specific items for prayers, and concrete resolutions. He told me to make sure I book time with the priest at the retreat as soon as I arrive - to make sure I have at least one, or better, two meeting times with him. These meetings will serve as spiritual direction as well as confession. He suggested I should make a general confession again. Finally he offered to go for walks with me to chat over things during the free time (when we can talk!).
Regarding a Spiritual Director, I will be meeting a parish priest early next month. The trick is to schedule regular meetings at least one month before. I hope to be able to meet with my anchor as sort of another spiritual director beyond Easter - monthly, in between my monthly meetings with my Spiritual Director.
In terms of Spiritual Gleaning, I have not neglected the discipline but I have had some difficulty finding dedicated time to sit down to write. I will just say two things I recently learned and that I have already made good use of this new insight to help myself and others.
The first one came to me as I have been trying to understand the concept of the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments. I am trying to practice a better Examination of Conscience daily. One simple way is to simply think about a couple of things that were good and a couple of things that were bad during the course of the day. This has worked better than to go through a formal list of self reflections on the Ten Commandments or the Seven Deadly Sins. Anyway, I have not been satisfied with my lack of appreciation of why God made Observing Sabbath as one of the Ten Commandments (3rd commandment in the Christian tradition but fourth in the Jewish tradition). The commandment and the question to ask myself is this:
Third Commandment: “Keep holy the Sabbath Day.”
"Have I, through my own fault, failed to come to Mass each Sunday and every Holy Day of Obligation? Do I arrive at Mass late or leave early without good reason? Do I allow myself to be distracted at Mass?"
I would give myself an easy pass if I simply answer the above question. But the commandment must go deeper than that. What does "Keep Holy" mean? How would I make the activities of that day clearly consecrated to God.
Well one of the many things I learned from Dennis Prager's video "The Ten Commandments - What You Should Know?" (I bought his book "The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code" too - looking forward to reading it in great details) and reading his commentary on the Book of Exodus "The Rational Bible: Exodus" on the Ten Commandments (Exodus chapter 20) is how God introduced it to us: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;" (Exodus 20:2) This statement is so important that the Jews called it the First Commandment (that's why the Sabbath is their Fourth Commandment and not the Third!). It is important for me to know that I have been a slave and despite being freed from my previous bondage I still have a tendency to want to go back to slavery (as the Jews did in the desert). Sabbath is a revolutionary idea if your were a slave in Egypt. A day which I can set aside without the responsibility to obey my task master is a revolutionary idea! Anyways I can go on but this blog will be too long.
The second thing I learned recently is from the familiar Psalm 23. I never quite understood what this verse meant: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." - until I understood the communion table as described in John 13. I have been affected in many ways of what has been happening in our culture and even within the church. But this Last Supper taught me and prepared me before the battle - see how the Son of God, knowing that of the twelve disciples - Judas would betray Him, Peter would denied Him three times, and nine others would dessert Him (only the apostle John would stay with Him at the cross with His mother), he then showed them how the battle is won - He washed His disciples' feet!! Enough said!
Oh there are so many things to learn. I look forward to the silent retreat and come back with many more spiritual insights and strength to face the world and the devil who is running rampant right now!
