I have just completed a 5 Day Retreat at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos.
The weather was glorious. I was able the watch the miracle of sunrise every
morning and it was a time of reflection, peacefulness, and slowing down. I am leaving the
notes from the daily presentations here as well as the lyrics that popped into my head.
For some reason, each morning as I trekked down the hill to coffee and breakfast, a song
would enter my head. I’m not typically drawn to music so it was quite fascinating.
Five-Day Guided Retreat
March 13, 2019
Wednesday 4:15 PM
Here in this place. On holy ground. On eagles wings.
Living life among the trees with the wind among us as is the Spirit. All writers should
have a space this beautiful in which to compose.
I forgot how beautiful it is here. How the awe strikes you dumb in just one glimpse.
You know that you are someplace special and that something wonderful awaits you.
The tears are making themselves known already.
Goals for this retreat.
Return to my focus on contemplation. Finding and welcoming the silence.
Be present to this moment and let it reveal all that is waiting for me.
Quiet the ego and worries of the mind. What will be. Enough. This is enough.
You are enough.
Day by Day
Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
March 14, 2019
Thursday, 12:00
Encountering Jesus
Who do you say that I am?
*You are God. You are the Lord, the Messiah. You have come that we might grow
closer to God and that the divine in you will truly know what it is to be human.
You are my savior, the one who loves me more than I can fathom.
What does my relationship with the Lord Jesus look like? Is my life Christ-centered, in
knowing Christ deeply and following him in faith, love and selfless service
*My relationship with Christ is that of constant companion. It is the “Did you see that?”
conversation that is ongoing throughout the day. Christ centering is happening more
deeply every day as I grow closer to the Source. I give myself the permission to fall on
and off the path of following Christ. There is still fear in being truly known to Christ or
in giving him permission to know me
Do I consistently create sacred space to remain in his presence, in silence, to be looked
upon by him? Do I allow his tender gaze to warm my heart? What distracts me or gets
in the way of this personal intimate relationship with the Lord?
*It is consistent and then it is gone. I still fear to be loved completely by him. His tender
gaze frightens me. The tears show that the divine is near and I cower. I get in the way.
The mindless dialogue that goes on in my brain. My ego gets in the way and I allow it
to happen until I don’t and then I do again.
Gather Us In
Here in this place new light is streaming
Now is the darkness vanished away
See in this space our fears and our dreamings
Brought here to you in the light of this day
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken
Gather us in, the blind and the lame
Call to us now and we shall awaken
We shall arise at the sound of our name
We are the young, our lives are a mystery
We are the old who yearn for your face
We have been sung throughout all of history
Called to be light to the whole human race
Gather us in, the rich and the haughty
Gather us in, the proud and the strong
Give us a heart so meek and so lowly
Give us the courage to enter the song
Here we will take the wine and the water
Here we will take the bread of new birth
Here you shall call your sons and your daughters
Call us anew to be salt for the earth
Give us to drink the wine of compassion
Give us to eat the bread that is you
Nourish us well and teach us to fashion
Lives that are holy and hearts that are true
Not in the dark of buildings confining
Not in some heaven light years away
But here in this place the new light is shining
Now is the kingdom, now is the day
Gather us in and hold us forever
Gather us in and make us your own
Gather us in, all peoples together
Fire of love in our flesh and our bones
Fire of love in our flesh and our bones
March 15, 2019
Friday, 9:00 A.M.
Putting on the Mind of Christ
Love generously and lavishly.
The greatest shall be the least. They will have the greatest freedom to serve
Honoring the child. Embrace the powerless who have nothing to offer to you.
How have you loved despite knowing you will get hurt in the process?
What’s it like to for you to love even when you are rejected, ignored or
unappreciated?
In what ways do you live humility in your life?
How do you seek to be last and not be consumed to be judged the best of the greatest?
What are your gifts that you have used in the service of the reign of God?
What has kept you grounded so that you don’t fall into the temptation of
being entitled?
What are the people who remind you to stay humble?
Do you feel slighted or offended when the world overlooks you or considers you
insignificant?
Is being a servant to others life-giving to you or does it feel burdensome?
Jesus says, “Whoever receives me, receives not me, but the One who sent me.”
How have you been welcoming and hospitable to God in your life?
Opening myself to a more generous and lavish love. Slow down. Open my
heart to what can be instead of what I want or have planned. Surround myself with the Ann
Fischers and Nancy Doyles of the world.
Remember that the habits of mind are constantly changing. Know, as the alcoholic
does, that I’m going to take that drink, I’m going to forget to pray or walk. Something
will get in the way. Forgive yourself before it happens. You will be prepared for the
missteps and ready to go left to right the drifting boat.
Canticle of the Sun
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Praise for the sun, the bringer of day,
he carries the light of the Lord in his rays;
the moon and the stars who light up the way unto your throne!
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Praise for the wind that blows through the trees,
the seas' mighty storms, the gentlest breeze;
they blow where they will
they blow where they please to please the Lord!
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Praise for the rain that waters our fields,
and blesses our crops so all the earth yields;
from death unto life her mystery revealed
springs forth in joy!
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Praise for the earth,
who makes life grow
the creatures you made to let your life show;
the flowers and trees that help us to know
the heart of love
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
March 16, 2019
Saturday 9:00 AM
Imagining yourself at the foot of the cross, contemplate the Lord’s suffering and death,
asking for the grace to be transformed by Christ’s redemptive love. Allowing yourself to
identify with Jesus in his suffering, what do you see and hear...what moves and touches
you?
Christ emptied himself on the cross out of his immense love for us. As you reflect on the
mystery of Christ’s self-emptying love on the cross, what moves or resonates deeply within
you? How does Jesus’ emptying of his “self” an invitation to your own emptying of “self” -
from false self to true self?
Self-emptying necessitates an interior disposition of spiritual freedom, that is our
willingness (openness of heart) as opposed to our willfulness (hardness of heart).
Encountering Jesus at the cross, how are you invited to surrender to grace in order
to be united with Christ in his love and suffering? What blocks or impedes your life
and spiritual growth? What is in need of healing and transformation?
*As I move into the contemplative prayer life, I embrace the “no longer I and Thou, but
only Thou” approach but I still fear to fully give in to self-emptying that God calls of us.
It is the fear of vulnerability and completely releasing all that I am. For some reason,
I refuse to accept that in that emptying I will be refilled.
I have difficulty seeing suffering in my life. Richard Rohr says that suffering is when we
are not in control. If that is true, it is clear why I don’t comprehend suffering. I am a solver
of problems, a planner and a doer. Very few times in my life have I felt powerless or
without control. My brother’s death, my divorce - that’s about it. It takes a lot for me to
give up control so this idea of emptying myself may be a serious challenge. As I move
through lent, this will be on my mind.
Anthony Mello, SJ
You do not have to change for God to love you.
Be grateful for your sins. They are carriers of grace.
Say goodbye to golden yesterdays - or your heart will never learn to love the present.
Morning Has Broken
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight
Mine is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise ev'ry morning
God's recreation of the new day
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world
March 17, 2019
“May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been
given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance,
praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.”
― Teresa of Ávila
“And all shall be well. And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be exceeding
well.”
― Julian of Norwich
This is the Day
This is the day, this is the day.
That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice, we will rejoice,
And be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day, this is the day
That the Lord has made.
We are Called
Come! live in the light!
Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!
We are called to be light for the kingdom
to live in the freedom of the city of God!
We are called to love tenderly.
We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.
Come! Open your heart!
Show your mercy to all those in fear!
We are called to be hope for the hopeless,
so all hatred and blindness will be no more!
Sing! Sing a new song!
Sing of that great day when all will be one!
God will reign and we'll walk with each other as sisters and brothers united in love!
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