I've been asking myself how can I make this isolation more
productive. We are all a little fearful of this whole mess. The antidote to fear is getting in touch with
God and his love for us. So I thought
I'd try having a retreat during this time.
I'll post it here on my blog for anyone who wishes to join me on this
journey.
Day 1 - “Come and See”
John 1: 35-39 The next day, John was standing there again
with two of his disciples, when he saw Jesus walking by. "There is the
Lamb of God!" he said. The two
disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. Jesus turned, saw them
following him, and asked, "What are you looking for?" They answered,
"Where do you live, Rabbi?"
"Come and see," he replied.
"Come and "See," that is the call of our
retreat. To follow Jesus, to get to know
Him, and see what he desires of us is the goal.
Like the disciples Jesus called, we too are asked to respond to his
invitation, to follow Him, and get to know Him. The hope of this retreat, this
time in forced isolation is to make it productive, spending time with Jesus,
asking Him: What do you want of me? What
are you looking for from me?
In newspapers, magazines, T.V., the internet, etc. there are
opinions expressed in the advertisements concerning what we should do, look,
think, say, dress, etc. Christ is the
opposite. He expresses no superficial
opinions on what we should do, look, think, say, dress, etc. Instead, he
communicates to us – the truth – of how and what we should do. He said, "Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my word will never pass away."
So why then do we listen more to the opinions of others that will pass
away then His truth? During these
challenging times, let us focus on the truth of Christ, which will last?
During this retreat, let's be open and listen, obediently to
Christ - not the world.
Let’s ask ourselves - What in my life am I afraid of? Why am I fearful?
As followers of Christ, as members of his Body, we must
develop self-knowledge – the kind of knowledge that will lead us to love. We
must want and desire to love and be loved with all our being. To come to Christ
and see Him with fresh eyes. In this retreat, let's pray that we may genuinely
seek to know the Risen Christ, here and now present. In doing this, we are seeking His peace – the
peace of a real friend. The peace beyond all understanding.
In the end, we want to be able to say: I hope in Christ
because I have found that I am loved more than I can possibly love, and I am wanted by God even more
than I want to be wanted. When we "come and see" this incredible love God has for us, we are asked not merely to luxuriate in this love, we
are asked to share it. Jesus told us – “If you have love for one another, then
everyone will know that you are my disciples.” Let's all use this unique and strange time in our lives to love God and love each other more than ever.
Prayer: O God allow us to put our hearts where Christ's
is. We beg you that we may be open to
Christ, to be more loving and even more loveable, to worry less, and love more. Amen
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