The weeks are running together because of the timing of
when retreats start and end. I began my “3 weeks” on a Tuesday but my 6 day
retreat began on a Thursday…When I posted last Saturday I was almost 2 days
into my retreat. Now, as I sit here typing this reflection, I am 2 days out of
my retreat back into to volunteering (believe or not I am washing dishes and
cleaning bathrooms again).
The 6 day retreat was a wonderful experience. It was time
spent deepening my understanding and belief that all things are part of God’s creation.
We were silent, except for the hour we met in the morning
after breakfast, during signing in morning mas, and the hour we met in the
evening. You think being quiet and being silent are the same thing until you experience
it for yourself. There were a great number of extremely loud silent people on
retreat with me. While they weren’t talking, they were stomping through the
hallways, shutting doors loudly…I am sure to other I was a very loud quiet
person. I spent time listening to music,
the birds and the ocean, children playing on the beach, and the sounds of the
house (creaky floors, running water, flushing toilets…) it is amazing the
sounds of everyday life we miss out on because we become so busy rushing from
one agenda item to the next.
In our group gathering we spent time hearing and reflecting
on the changing world around us. Even though we might look around us and see
the “terrible”, destruction of our plant, hatred, violence, racism, and the
list could go on, we can become discouraged, we can become hopeless. We might
start questioning “Where is God?” It reminds me of a sermon (or two) I’ve
preached on the story of The Flood Story in Genesis. God set a new covenant and
reminded Noah with the rainbow that never again will the earth be destroyed by
flood. However, with the placing of the bow in the sky God was, in a way,
saying ‘I won’t do this again, if creation is destroyed again it’s on y’all” (yes
my God is southern).
Throughout various times during this retreat we talked
about different moments in our history, that is the world’s history, that we
have been at a point of rapid destruction when “something’ happened, a movement
of positive actions that had enough force to make the change needed for society
to live again in harmony with one another and with God. With over 200 million groups working around
the world in some local way to make changes that impact all of creation, “something”
big is on the verge. This movement is such however, that we don’t know what it
will be that makes the shift more real. It could be as simple as one community taking
on a new commitment to recycling and better waste management or one person
deciding to sponsor a village in Africa. It could be a group of women getting
together for brunch and buying jewelry from other women trying to make a better
life without having to reenter the world of sex trade and abuse (I’m looking at
you ladies of FCC Osky), it could be supporting homeless coalitions or food
cupboards, or turning off the air conditioner and opening a window.
There is so much more I want to share about this retreat
and I will over time but I don’t want to ramble on now.
I am looking forward to my next several days of
volunteering and spending time with the other volunteers here. On Wednesday I
will begin traveling again and I ask your prayers that I arrive safely to my
destinations and have uneventful times on the train, plane, and in the
automobile!
Week
Five (Cape May and traveling) (8/30-9/5)
Hope
for the week: I hope
this coming week I am able to continue reflecting on my retreat so I can hare
in a more succinct way my experience.
Is
there an Answer (last week’s question): How can I share God’s
grace with someone this week, even in the silence?
I am not sure where I shared God’s grace with someone but I
saw and felt God’s grace shared toward me when I was invited to help with parts
of mass that “non priest” people can help with, this is not always a common
practice but when there aren’t enough people to do all the things they (like in
other churches) let just about anyone help out. J
Question
of the Week: What one thing will I continue doing from my
time on retreat?
Thought
for the week: I
wondering if September will fly by as quickly as August did…
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