Retreating from life

RETREAT

 The act or process of moving back or away, especially from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant 

Once a year I go on retreat. A chance to step back from a busy, hectic and sometimes hazardous existence that is my day to day life. A few days in which I can stop and eradicate everything that  normally surrounds me and find what is truly important. I can listen to the silence, find God and in turn find myself again.

We are so busy rushing to obtain ourselves in a secular existence. We leap from task to task, aspiration to aspiration, possession to possession looking for love and satisfaction. Each year I return from my retreat resolved not to let these things take over my life again. However surely as the day will begin, they creep in without me even noticing. It is not until I stop, remove everything and listen again,do I realise how much I have been overpowered by my own desires, wants and needs. 

When we remove ourselves from what we perceive to be our comforts and crutches, it is only then that we realise that they are in fact the things that are causing us to struggle in the first place. I have not been on retreat yet this year. Lent is however in itself a mini retreat of kinds. It serves as a small reminder to oneself that all we perceive as necessary, is not. It is a time to pause and assess what we are dependent on and how that affects our faith and trust in God.

There is so much surrounding us that appeals to our impulsive and petulant desires, more so than perhaps in any other generation. There is food, clothing, technology, possessions and sexual pleasure in plentiful quantities all around us and they are all so easy to acquire. Things that were once taboos are freely available over counters and monetary restrictions on what were once perceived as luxuries are now considered measures for poverty. They are all distractions and temptations, they all take away from the simplicity of life and a faith in God. They are not necessary.

When you go on retreat, you remove free and easy access to communication (with any luck). You have a simple and basic room and basic food. All the immediate pleasures and pressures of modern life removed. When you remove all temptation and when I say temptation I do not mean necessarily a big evil thing, I mean the small distractions that take God out of our sights. When you remove these you can see clearly the overwhelming and overpowering love of God. You realise that all your hopes, ambitions and desires are not needed to be loved, to exist and to live. In fact they stop you in your tracks and send you down a long and empty journey where love is always on the next step, achievement round the next  corner and acceptance over the next mountain. In reality you have achieved, you are accepted and above anything else you are loved just as you are now.

I appreciate that in busy lives we do not always feel that we can take a few days to remove all of these things from our lives (though I if you can, give it a go). I often find that when life feels to much and I need to retreat from all around me sooner than I can get away. A small time in Church is often the answer, a mini retreat if you like. There is nothing more rewarding than spending a few minutes in still silence, listening and finding a grounding in your faith again. Finding God's peace and place in our lives. 

At the waking and closing of each day I hope that God is centre of my life. That I have not been distracted by the commotion around me.  At the close of each day, when all is passed I am thankful for all the times when I have been distracted that God has reminded me that he is there. That he loves and forgives all the has been and all that shall be. 

Marked for life

There are many times in our lives when we are marked by God. At Baptism we are washed clean and anointed and welcomed into God's family. At confirmation we are marked by the Holy Spirit as the Bishop lays his hands on us and claims us for Christ. On Ash Wednesday we are marked with the cross. Quite possibly the most visible of the marks we receive, particularly if like me you forget it is there. But to be marked with the cross at this point in the year is significant on many levels. First of all, we are reminded of our mortality. "From dust you have come and to dust you will return". But also in receiving this mark you are reminded that though you are dust the cross has saved your soul for eternity. The cross reminds us of the sacrifice that was made for us to receive such grace. This tiny mark is the starting gun for our minds to focus on the Lenten period.

Gone is ordinary time and we turn to the purple of Lent. We turn our thoughts to the journey towards the cross. We take this journey through the stations of the cross, devotions and services in the lead up to Easter. There is also another more personal journey we must take alongside the set religious one. We also turn our thoughts to self examination, penitence, reconciliation and renewing our relationship with God.

I have a love/hate relationship with Lent. I like the idea of Lent but the cold hard reality of examining my conscience, seeking confession, absolution and then 40 days of penitential fasting is just a bit daunting. I know that once I have got the first bit over I will be more prepared for the latter. But that first jump is always the hardest, even though I know it will do me the most good. There is nothing comfortable about going to confession when you have your eyes fixed on the cross. You know that that suffering only exists because of what you (and others) have done. Yet that suffering also exists that we might be absolved. Nothing is better than that whiter than white feeling you get from being absolved, even if , like me it does not last long. Will power and discipline do not come easily to me. They are things that really have to be worked at and I need to be in the right frame of mind to succeed.

But Lent is a time for striving to be better, to make ourselves that little bit more worthy. Though we still be inherently stained by our own fallibility during our life on earth. We will ultimately be washed clean in the grace of God and kept safe for all eternity.

Christ's sacrifice for us is far more than we can ever give, but we can at least start Lent by being sorry for all we have done wrong. So if you have not already been to confession on Shrove Tuesday, might I recommend you give it a try.

And with all the company of heaven

There have been many occasions in the last few days when I have been reminded about the closeness of heaven to our lives. Some reminders have been painful and others more pleasant, even uplifting and regenerating. Nothing reminds us more so than the reading from Mass this morning, the narration of the transfiguration of Christ. In a dramatic revelation for those closest to Christ, whose minds were willing to see the revealed truth, he was transfigured before them. Christ bridged the gap between heaven and earth.

The temptation to think of heaven as somewhere far off that our little souls float off to as we shuffle off our mortal coils is convenient and very neat solution. It means we do not have to think about the complexities involved in the intertwining of our lives and that of the divine. Yet, we bring ourselves to Mass each week (hopefully) and witness right before us that intertwining of the mesh of heaven and earth. Our Priest invites us to join with all of heaven with these words :-

"Therefore with angels and archangels,

and with all the company of heaven"

Then after the Sanctus, we ourselves see the bridging of the gap as the bread and wine before us is transformed into Jesus at the hands of our Priests. 

When we stop and pause, when our minds are open and willing we can see the divine touch our lives. Be it in moments of pain and anguish or those of joy, God is closer than we like to think. He is there and present in every part of our lives. Sometimes his presence is thrust before us in obvious ways, such as through the sacraments. At other times he touches us in more gentle ways through the ways our lives are shaped. Maybe we should be more aware of how close God is to our lives and view the wonders and miracles of our lives with a more open mind.There are so many beautiful miracles all around us. We are so busy rushing and bustling around that we don't open our minds to the true miracle of life itself.

This week as we enter into Lent, may Christ touch your lives and mine in new ways each and every day. May we learn to see the divine in all around us, that in turn we may treat our life and others with the respect they deserve. 

The butterflies are back

While it is a bit early to be talking spring and new life talk, the mornings are getting lighter and it is warming slowly.However we have seen a lot of new beginnings in the last few weeks and best of all the butterflies are back. They reappeared just in time for the incumbent to hold up the bill for heating during the stewardship sermon. It seemed to me a brief and subtle "thank you Father" for keeping me warm.

These tiny vulnerable creatures have survived a cold winter and have started out a new year strong and new born from their cocoons. They will flutter around our Church for the best part of the year taking advantage of our hospitality, heating and flowers. They are our guests, without us they would die.

Once upon a time these butterflies must have journeyed into our Church, either through the door independently or on some flowers. Now they have made a home here. We all have a journey that led us to faith and ultimately through the doors of a Church. When we came we received that welcome, hospitality and for us biscuits (we don't find flowers so yummy). Welcome is not just important, it is vital,  Chances are that there is a reason why that new person stumbled through your doors this morning. They are looking for somewhere safe, warm, welcome and hospitable. They are looking to find Christ in everyone they meet. This does not mean they are looking for perfection, it means they are looking for a touch of humanity.

Much like our first days at nursery, school, university, college and work, our first time in a Church is a bold new step. Unlike the others which we ultimately have to do, we choose Church. Something calls us in. Be it reconciliation,  consolation or questions needing answers. Ultimately these are just reasons for finding our faith in God. They are the foot through the door moments. They are the moments when we can bring Christ into peoples lives, so like the butterflies they keep coming back.

If we get it right, it means we can bring new people and families to faith. If we get right they will keep coming back so they can learn about the Holy Trinity and it's place in our lives. If we get it right they in turn will turn to others and encourage many more through our doors. We should not concern ourselves with bums on seats, numbers, statistics and adaptations to our Church to encourage people in. If we bring Christ into peoples lives through love, hope, faith and charity, they will come to us.