Retreat

I had the opportunity recently to direct several people on an eight-day retreat. I like to look at retreat as an occasion for personal renewal, an opportunity to relax into God’s presence, to trust that this time is a gift and that the Lord is there for me.

I’d like to share a poem by Denise Levertov that expresses for me this sentiment. “As swimmers dare to lie face to the sky and water bears them, as hawks rest upon air and air sustains them, so would I learn to attain freefall, and float into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace, knowing no effort earns that all-surrounding grace.”

Signs of the Spirit’s all-surrounding grace, signs of new life and the persistence of life are all around us. The opportunity to pay attention to God’s presence on retreat helps us to pay attention to God when we leave retreat and return to our regular daily life.

A spiritual retreat can help me become more deeply aware of God’s love for me and of the consequences for me of that love. What is the Lord calling me to at this stage of my life? A time of retreat can help bring clarity of vision and confidence in the Lord’s presence.