Retreats

When getting ready to have an at-home retreat, one still must act as if they are on a retreat. Benedictine Brother Louis de Montfort Nguyen, who works at the guesthouse at Mount Angel Abbey in St. Benedict, recommends a few things:

1) Begin all prayers by asking for God’s assistance. Brother Louis quotes St. Paul: The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Rom 8:26-27).

2) Silence external noises. “We need to silence the external noises, find a quiet place with little to no distractions, preferably a place of solitude where one can be alone with God. The best time to pray is early in the morning when our mind has just woken up and is not preoccupied with the business of the world like work, family life, etc. or in the evening before sleep,” says Brother Louis.

3) Silence internal noises. The monk recommends reading a short passage from Scripture, the daily missal readings or taking part in repetitive vocal prayers like the Jesus Prayer (Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner) or saying the rosary. These prayers can be accompanied by deep breathing exercises to take “our concentration from the world and reorient our mind to be sensitive to our being and living in the present moment.”

4) Silence our heart and soul. “Using Scripture as a tool to listen with the ears of our hearts is one of the most powerful tools available. We are not silent for the sake of silence, but it is a means by which we can encounter and experience a real, personal and all loving God,” says Brother Louis.

5) Encounter God. “In the end, it is not the destiny of the process or the fruits of prayer or whether it was a productive time that matters. It is the fact that we spent time with God, it is about the encounter,” says the monk.

“We need to pray with our whole being — the body, intellect, memory, imagination, emotions, heart and soul — not just with our mouth, mind or heart. Prayer is a total-person activity and we need to engage all of the faculties, just like we need to love God with our body and soul,” concludes Brother Louis.

catholicsentinel.org

12 Catholic retreats held in the most beautiful settings

1. The Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, Massachusetts

2. New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California

3. The Shrine of Saint Therese of Lisieux in Juneau, Alaska

4. The Monastery of Bethlehem in Sullivan County, New York

5. St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts

6. Cormaria in Sag Harbor, New York

7. Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, California

8. Serra Retreat in Malibu, California

9. Loyola on the Potomac in Faulkner, Maryland

10. Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House in Grand Coteau, Louisiana

11. Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana

12. Longlea Conference Center in Boston, Virginia

Catholic Spiritual retreats

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