.

I’ve had two retreats in the past few days, one for the parish of Ponsonby – Herne Bay and the other for 60 administration and pastoral staff of the diocese of Auckland.

Whether people gather for a two-hour a two-day or a week-long retreat there is always a mix of experience and expectations in the group. As the one invited to facilitate the gatherings I am always curious to see what God will do and I am never disappointed.

One of the points I often begin with is a consideration of the word retreat.

Taking time for reflection is probably named retreat because of a common misunderstanding that a retreat is a time of stepping back from life.

Such thinking suggests that a retreat, a time of reflection and prayer, is a time of stepping away from reality.

But God is wanting to engage with our reality however messy and imperfect our reality is.

A retreat is a time of realising that God comes to us – and we are more sensitive to this wonderful fact when we relax, breath, take time…to retreat into reality.

So my suggestion is that in a time of retreat what we are retreating from is all that is not reality.

In a time of spiritual retreat we are not escaping and disengaging but instead engaging with reality at a deeper level than might be possible in a regular day of demanding routines.

And the good news is that this retreating possibility is available to us not just when others provide the opportunity, but every moment of every day and night…

This is what we do when we take time for prayer…

…perhaps taking five minutes a few times each day…

…to relax

…to breathe

…not necessarily to try to pray

…but to know that however and wherever you are

…God is gazing on you with love.

Amen! Yes this is a fact!

I’m always happy to hear from any parish or group who would like to chat about the possibility of a retreat: john@fff.org.nz