Spiritual Retreats

With vestry meetings, sermons to write, a house to clean, a husband to spend time with, a youth group to teach, etc. etc. etc. I often get caught up in the busyness called life. If I am honest with myself I would admit that many times I get so caught up in my to-do-list and calendar that I forget that I have a relationship with Christ. However, through scripture I am reminded that even Christ took time away from his busy schedule to be with God. He retreated to a mountain, into a desert, and even out into a boat in order to spend time with his disciples and with God.

It's easy to make excuses in today's age as to why we don't have time for spiritual retreats. There's a lot to do and a lot of people and things fighting for our attention. But these excuses are just that, they are excuses. As followers of Christ it is our responsibility to spend time with him and one way this is made possible is through spiritual retreats.

Just a little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to go on such a spiritual retreat. I'm not quite sure why I agreed to go on this particular retreat, maybe it was because my boss talked about it non stop, or I felt like an outsider because so many of my parishioners had already been, whatever the reason both John and I headed to the Bishop Claggett center for what was sure to be an interesting weekend.

When we arrived at the retreat center I had no idea what I was in for. Turns out the spirit moves whether we like it or not. The weekend consisted of numerous "talks", worship, fellowship, and lots of conversation. We spent the weekend being reminded that we are loved, plain and simple. I witnessed my parishioners ministering to one another and to me. I was humbled and refreshed. I saw people worship with reckless abandonment. And I fell even more in love with God through the worship, fellowship, and beauty of creation. It was a weekend of vulnerability. We were vulnerable to one another and to the Spirit. Turns out a spiritual retreat was just what God had ordered.

The most amazing part of the weekend was the fire that was lit in my heart and the heart of my parishioners. The spirit of Cursillo didn't stay up on that mountain top, instead it has filtered into the ministry of the parish. And it is a beautiful sight to behold.

The moral of the story is that we could all be spending more time with our Lord and Savior. Whether that's on a mountain, in a desert, or out on a boat doesn't matter. What matters is that we take the time out of our busy schedules to honor the most important relationship we have. Turns out our lives and our ministries will be transformed because of it.