In the tender compassion of our God,This is from the end of the Canticle of Zechariah, found at the end of Luke 1, which is the gospel canticle for morning prayer every day.
the Dawn from on high shall break upon us,
do shine on those who dwell in darkness, and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
It also happens to be a passage that summarizes my retreat experience this past week, five days in silence alongside my brother seminarians at the beautiful St. Joseph's Retreat House in Milton. Following a typical Ignatian formula, we spent the first day reflecting on prayer itself, the second day on desire, the third on Ignatius' Principle & Foundation seeking the grace of detachment, the fourth day on sin and mercy, and the fifth day on Ignatius' Call of the King, which looks essentially at Vocation and our willingness to respond to God's invitation to us to grow in holiness and deepen our relationship with Him.
It was an amazing retreat! At times, the birds or the bees (literally) became a distraction (bees were drinking from a Bonsai planter in the sun as I was enjoying a cup of hot tea at lunch outside - not much different!), and at times other preoccupations would threaten the silence of my prayer, but overall, it was a very grace-filled time of renewal, and I am excited to begin Theology classes and continue in our formation program here, welcoming "the new guys" and enjoying the company of our returning seminarians.
And my Dominican sister-sister is writing even more frequently, which is also a joy for me! So I echo St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (4:4): "Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again: Rejoice!" and remind myself to "Think of the Lord in goodness" (Wisdom 1:1) as we begin this new year.
May our good God, through the intercession of His Most Holy Mother, grant you every blessing! And, as the vocations directress for the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist once said: "Mutual prayers!"
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
i went to bed very early last night (like around 8:00 p.m.). i ended waking up at 3:30 a.m. surfing the web and i came across your blog. i really enjoy reading your stories of seminarian life. i wish you all the best in your journey. it's so heartening to know that people like you are devoting your future to spread the word of God.
ReplyDelete