Dear friends,

As I write this, I am getting ready to leave for my annual Advent Retreat, although you won’t read it until I have already returned.  As I have shared in the past, at this point in my spiritual life, I like to be alone with the Lord, praying in His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament and reading His word in Scripture.  Having gone on many retreats listening to others speak in His Name, I find it more productive now to try to listen to Him, speaking directly to me.  So, I’ll be off to Bethlehem Hermitage (an appropriate name at this time of year, don’t you think) for the quiet and solitude I don’t get too much of around here.

But any retreat experience basically offers the same thing, no matter which “type” of retreat one chooses.  First and foremost, it’s a time to be away from the routine, the routine of calendars and schedules and things to get done, and people – and a time to give to the One Who promises His Presence when we give Him the chance, Jesus.  We all need that once in a while, priests, professionals, moms, dads, confirmation candidates.  No matter what the format, it gives us a chance to refocus and by refocusing, to find where Jesus is in our daily lives and to hear what He might want to be telling us. 

At the Thanksgiving Mass last week, Fr. Sean shared the stories of two men who are presently unemployed but who, he said, were glad.  It gave them a chance to rediscover their families in their lives and to refocus on their family life as the most important part of their lives.  Truthfully, that’s kind of an extreme way to have to do that.  One would hope that others could regularly rediscover and refocus without having to go to that extreme.

But there are at least two ways in our parish.  One is the annual Men’s Retreat in the spring.  The other is the Men’s Cornerstone Retreat at the end of January.  The Cornerstone Retreat offers all of you men of the parish the chance to put aside that routine so that you can re-connect with the Lord.  It offers you the chance to hear how other men, who live with the same challenges, the same stresses, the same obstacles to inner peace, how they come to grips with all our world throws at them, but still find ways to meet Jesus on this journey and allow Him to walk with them and, when needed, to carry them through to a better time.  Now, I have to ask you – could you use a little bit of that experience right now?

And the best part is that you don’t have to go away for three days.  You don’t have to get in a car and be a half hour or an hour away, like I will be this week.  You can do it right here, five or ten minutes from home, and only for 26 hours.  The Cornerstone Retreat was developed precisely because men today live such hectic and busy lives.  It was actually developed with YOU in mind. 

You know that I don’t go around hugging everybody and putting my arm around everybody (and I’m not going to start now).  But I want every man in the parish to know that I’m inviting you personally to make a reservation for our next Cornerstone, looking you directly in the eye and asking you to come, those who are unemployed, with all those stresses, those who are employed, with all those stresses, those who need to find an answer, or just some peace, and that’s everybody.  If any of this applies to you, come and join us. 

I know that when I return from my retreat this week, I will be spiritually refreshed and recharged.  I know, for the men who come to our next Cornerstone, so will you be.

God Bless,
Fr. Ron