“Brothers and sisters: I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received

“Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received…" (Eph 4:1-6)

I’m not sure if you are aware that when we take on the responsibility of being ordained or a professed vowed religious, we also have a canonical responsibility to take at least a five day personal retreat every year. Can you imagine that? What if in order to keep your job or life you have you HAD to make a retreat each year? Well, maybe we all do.

Being spiritual director at St Mary Seminary, I help organize retreats for the seminarians throughout the year and so I enjoy making some smaller retreats for myself in the summer…even if it means attaching retreat time during my days away to make a mini-pilgrimage. One of my favorite moments this summer came when I prayed with my Baptismal saint, St. Jerome (Sept 30). His body can be found and prayed with at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

Retreats and desert days are all about being away with Jesus. Sometimes it means even to journal…which I don’t always do as much as I ask my spiritual sons and daughters to do (ha sorry). So I’m wondering if you might be willing to spend some time during August to just pray in stillness and in beauty. To say something to the God who loves you and maybe just stay with Him in Adoration.

If you do not know what that means, why not find out through the actual writings and stories of some awesome saints I am praying with this week and next. St. Teresa of Avila (a.k.a. Teresa of Jesus) and St. John of the Cross will be primary Carmelite inspirations for me.

This coming week we have St. Martha (8/29) and St. Ignatius of Loyola (July 31), St Alphonsus Ligouri (8/1) and The Feast of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s beloved Our Lady of Oropa (8/2). The actual writings are preferred, but if you’re in a pinch to find something good try a compilation by Gloria Hutchinson, Six Ways to Pray from Six Great Saints. Here is a journal sheet you can cut out and use.

Pax,

Fr. Bline