“Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” -Luke 6:12.
In today’s Gospel, our Lord went up a mountain to spend a long time in prayer. We should imitate what our Lord does and go up a mountain to spend a long time in prayer as well! Our “mountain” should be a yearly retreat.
Relationship
Going on a yearly retreat where you have extended time alone with God is so important for your relationship with Him. A retreat gives you time to reconnect with God, let Him speak to you, and give you renewed strength for ordinary life. There are many religious orders and Catholic retreat centers that offer inexpensive planned weekend retreats which are a great option. If you have young children or another reason that makes a weekend away not possible, try doing a mini retreat for 3-4 hours on a Saturday.
Find a close perpetual adoration chapel or open church and make your retreat there. Meditate for 30 minutes, pray the liturgy of the hours, then go for a short walk or read. I would suggest alternating between these spiritual activities until your time is up.
Silence
Silence and minimizing distractions are so important on retreat. Mute your phone, go somewhere distraction free and give God your full attention! He will bless the time you give Him. Retreats are so helpful in giving us renewed strength, fervor, and peace.
God desires to reveal Himself and His plans to us, but if you are not spending time in silence, you are going to miss them. A retreat is such a great place to reconnect with Him and learn His voice.
Even St. Thérèse, a cloistered Carmelite nun who spent hours every day in prayer, would go on a yearly retreat in her convent. If the Carmelites need a retreat, how much more do lay people living in the world need a retreat!
St Ignatius, patron of spiritual retreats, pray for us!
Saints Simon and Jude, pray for us!
