A Retreat to Start Lent

Last weekend I attended a women's retreat in Pembroke with about forty other women. We hailed from the Greater Ottawa Area (if that's even a term!), the Ottawa Valley, and the Peterborough area. There were a few old friends there and I enjoyed spending time catching up. There were several women there whom I see on a regular basis, but with whom I spend little time, so over meals we had some time to share.

The retreat was a very peaceful experience for me. The pace was rather slow, which was fine with me since it seems that I spend a great deal of my life dashing here and there. After each talk - there were five from Friday evening to Sunday morning - there was time for sharing, praying, resting or knitting. Yes, I brought my knitting. It's like that old American Express commercial - "Never leave home without it." In fact, I knitted through all the talks and over the course of the weekend I finished two blanket squares.

The theme of the weekend was "God's Nurturing Presence". The presenters were from Madonna House in Combermere, one of my favourite places in the world. Seriously, this little community in the middle of pretty much nowhere, is an oasis of peace and truth for me. For the past four years Paul and I have been going there every few months for spiritual direction. In the course of our years of visits there, we have come to meet and know many "Madonna House friends".

The presenters for the retreat were Fr. David Linder, who spent a total of twelve years at Madonna House in Ghana, and Marie Thérèse McLaughlin, a laywoman who has spent the past 35 years in Combermere. They were both well-spoken, gentle souls who spoke from the heart. Marie Thérèse introduced the theme of the weekend with an overview of the topics for the weekend - the Trinity, Our Lady, the Eucharist, living in the present moment and beauty. The words that they shared were simple, yet profound - the kind of spirituality with which the simplest soul could identify. I don't deal particularly well with lofty profundities, so this was right up my alley.

I was introduced to a term that was new to me - perichoresis - a term from the early Church Fathers regarding the intimate relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are invited to be part of the dance. I came across this poem that I think embodies what Marie Thérèse was sharing.

Marie Thérèse gave a lovely talk about Our Lady and how we can grow in our relationship with her. Some of what she shared is in this article. She reminded us that when we walk with Our Lady, fears dissipate. Our Lady has the love and strength to be with us at the foot of the cross, just as she did when she was with her Son.

Fr. David gave a very practical talk on clearing the way in our lives for God's nurturing presence. By means of humility, the sacraments, and God's love (the Holy Spirit's bulldozers) the following boulders and rubble - blocks to receiving and living in God's nurturing presence - can be removed. They are a false notion of God, lies about ourselves, sin, disordered attachments, apathy, fear, and self-centredness. We need to protect God's life within us and get rid of whatever threatens that life.

Fr. David's second talk was about the Eucharist and how we need to move the Eucharist to the centre of our lives, however that might look depending on our state in life. This really confirmed what I had been thinking and feeling for the past few weeks. As part of my Lenten journey, I was feeling drawn to attend Holy Mass during the week. In fact, it was like a magnet drawing me. Fr. David encouraged us to seek our Beloved in the Eucharist. He also shared about asking the Lord for a specific healing each time we receive the Eucharist. He told us that the choices we make for love are Eucharistic choices, and that the Eucharist sustains our ability to love sacrificially, generously and wholly.

The last talk by Marie Thérèse was about abiding in the present moment. She drew our attention to four writers whose work expounded upon this topic - Brother Lawrence, Father Jean Pierre de Caussade, Blessed Dina Belanger and Servant of God Catherine Doherty. She shared that when we abide in the present moment, there is no fear. When we immerse ourselves in whatever we are doing, that is where our attention should be. We have to pray for faith so that we can live more fully in the present moment.

Finally, she shared ways in which the three persons of the Trinity are always revealing themselves to us and nurturing us. The Father uses beauty and illumination. The Son gives us His Body and Blood, and identifies with us in pain and suffering. The Holy Spirit breathes on us and gives us inspiration.

The retreat gave me lots of food for thought and was a wonderful way to start off this holy season of Lent. I only hope that I can carry the truths I heard over the weekend throughout this Lent and beyond.