I undeniably enjoy retreat ministry! It is a ministry that I began doing when I was 17 years old as a senior in high-school, and once I started I never stopped. This was not intentional at first, but rather various opportunities that kept falling into my lap to help lead retreats. After a few years, though, I began to realize that I was naturally drawn to retreat ministry.
Among the many reasons I enjoy this ministry is the fact that retreats provide space for us in the busyness of life to stop and to be still. When we are still, we can stop and listen to the depths of our heart. It is in this Sacred Space that we can then begin to hear the urgings and longings of our heart. It is in those urgings, those longings, and those desire that God speaks to us. God places all of those things in our heart as opportunities to help us be authentic, to help us answer God’s invitation to us, and to help give us clarity as to our calling. Retreats provide moments of stillness where we can rest in God’s presence. At best, retreats allow us to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
So, I invite each of us today, to take a moment, a mini-pause, a brief retreat, and sit and be still and to soak in the reality that God is there in each of us, that God is in our surroundings, and that God is in all who grace us with their presence in our lives.
Please also keep the 45 men and women in their 20s and 30s who will be on a Charis Retreat this weekend at my parish. Our theme is “Choosing to Be Catholic”, and we will be looking at the unique elements of our Catholic Faith, and how they form our faith and our call to live.
Great article on Stillness in US Catholic in March’s issue titled, “Open Space, God and silence”. I encourage you to check it out!
How can I find moments of stillness and silence in my day to day life?
Do I need to go on a retreat myself to “retreat away” from the busyness of life?
When have I experienced God speaking to me in a moment of stillness and silence?
Becky Eldredge
Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.
Becky, what a great article! thanks for sharing it. I received a card from a friend last October that challenged me to having more stillness in my life. In the card she said, “Less Thinking, More Inner Space.” It’s been a challenge for me, but it’s been a great reminder to trust in the calm quiet center of my core (aka, where God is) and believe that in the midst of all that is good, bad, exciting and challenging in my life, I am okay, and I am taken care of. Thanks for sharing the message!