Dear <<First Name>> ,
 
The Lord Jesus called his disciples aside for a time of rest after ministering to the crowds: “Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while.” Mk 6:31

Jesus understood his disciples’ need to retreat better than they did. They had been ‘doing’ much and were overwhelmed. Are we not also too often overloaded with duties and obligations, some of which are self-imposed and unnecessary?

Many of us may be spiritually dehydrated, keeping busy and unconscious of the deeper yearnings that inhabit our heart. Noise, anxieties, plans, relationships and a multitude of concerns can be sapping our energy and stifling our spiritual life.

When we do stop, things of greater importance will begin to surface. The temptation can be to jump back on the treadmill, to avoid dealing with them by keeping busy, or because we think that doing more will provide solutions.

Jesus invites his disciples to simply ‘be’. He invites you and I to come aside from time to time, not by ourselves only, but with Him!

Rest can help my heart to return to the one thing necessary: God’s love for me, and my own relationship with God. Silencing the noise inside and outside gives the Word a chance to penetrate the hardness of my heart, or to fall gently on my brokenness. The lonely place inside is where he wants to meet me. This is sacred ground.

One of the most beautiful aspects of our mission is welcoming people into a prayerful and intimate retreat space that fosters this encounter. The time spent on retreat, in His divine company, is not time wasted. On the contrary, it can enable the right ordering of priorities and relationships in my life, beginning with that most important relationship: that between me and my God.