Going for Retreat? Home is the Best Place

The Crucified continues to speak:

"Here is your mother, here is your father."

We have known them for years, but it is good to watch them lovingly (may be their character is folly and body has ailments), and say at our heart tenderly, "this is my father, this is my mother." We might regain the whole purpose of life and meaning of existence from this experience. It is a sense that we are worthy of an existence.

There, not only that we accept them,but we are also made aware that we are children. At times we tend to be rulers and victors. Awareness of being children will put us in right place. It will also help us to be better members of a community or church. Realising oneself as one among the children we will have better priesthood also. We must go, not to retreat centres for renewal, but it is to our own homes. There we might learn to be children once again. Stop glorifying and romanticising priesthood as kingship. Priesthood is only one of the seven sacraments, and it is only one of the ministries in the church. 

Formation to be a leader is important but the sense of being member of a family or community is essential.

Walk to the crucified, there is a family 

Walk to Bethlehem, there is a family.

Attention and reflection is what is required. Making an effort to identify the accompanying presence of God within the places of our daily living will be a liveable experience along with the grace of God. it is there we struggle, we celebrate, we are tempted, and we long for a presence. Home makes us revisit our life with memories of events.
Retreat is not recharging or refuelling, it is really to put ourselves face to face with our self, where we could see the face of Christ.It is a reciprocal revelation. As we see more and more clearly about our own life, we also will see the presence of Christ accompanying us. Similarly as we face Christ, we also will realise the mysteries of our own lives.