Christ is risen! Allelulia! I hope that each of you can bring into this new season some hope, some prayer, and some creativity—our world needs all three. Our individual lives need all three. Lent provided forty days to reassess our needs and desires, to quiet our souls and clear some space for hope, prayer, creativity, and for ever-new experiences of God’s love.
Our Easter exercise was focused on 1 Corinthians 13, commonly known as the love chapter of the Bible. We are reminded that love “is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
Whenever I read that description of love, I am reminded of how often I do not love well. Of course I run out of patience, and sometimes I do brood over what someone has said about me or done to me. Of course love in my life will always be forming and growing. I have to acknowledge, also, that the years of friendship with God have developed my love—that is, I love better now than I used to. All the time I’m learning better what it means to be kind, to see jealousy for what it is and to reject it. I don’t enjoy some movies the way I would have years ago, because they follow the blockbuster formulas for revenge on one’s enemies, and revenge—even against horrible characters—just isn’t so attractive anymore. As a Christian I know I am called to a different way of thinking and proceeding.
As I have read each and every one of your posts during this online retreat, I have watched the steady unfolding of hope, prayer, creativity, and love. You have been courageously honest in your responses and questions. You have been tenacious in your belief that God’s love and grace will somehow pull together your various fragments and accomplish wholeness in your life. You have encouraged and comforted one another—and you have encouraged and comforted me. You have loved truly. Yes, you have. Not only is love patient, but love knows how to empathize with another’s pain—and you have done that. Not only does love bear all things, but love keeps talking to God while bearing what seems impossible. Love keeps the conversation going, even when there is disappointment, discouragement, and sometimes anger. You have kept the conversation going—within our online group and also in your individual situations.
Thank you for your sacred stories about children, husbands, friends, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers. Thank you for taking on such huge words as “passion” and claiming them as your own. Thank you for daring to interpret your ordinary and often difficult lives through the phrases and images of faith.
Thank you for naming your fears and pains, for taking the time to journal, for entering the “room” with God and allowing God’s eyes to meet yours. Thank you for speaking your dreams out loud and for saying “yes” to Divine love and purpose.
You need to know this: You are a different person now from who you were weeks ago. Your soul has opened a bit more; you have gained some important spiritual vocabulary; you have had serious conversations with yourself and with God. You have prayed from the bottom of yourself, and you have made choices in response to faith, hope, and love.
It’s humbling to have been allowed into this Lenten conversation with you; I am aware now more than ever that the Holy Spirit is at work and that I have witnessed some of that from reading your posts. And I have experienced an important truth in the spiritual life: Living in friendship with God means that I live in friendship with God’s many friends. Thank you for your friendship—for offering me God’s friendship through your life!
Our conversation is not over. Many of you responded to a survey we sent out last week, and based upon those survey results, we will continue providing material on this website. We will e-mail you when something new is posted—but by all means check www.loyolapress.com periodically to see not only the online opportunities but the many other resources as well—various articles and products to nourish your friendship with God. You will hear more from me, too, before very long.
May the peace of Christ surround you now and always,
Vinita
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Wonderful! I am so glad that this is continuing. We need more of this sort of open, honest, and yet safe dialogue. We need to be challenged and have our minds and hearts opened — more fissures allow for more light and may we be, for one another, a source of that light.
Thank you Vinita. You did a wonderufl job. I really enjoyed and looked forward to the weekly retreat and reflection exercises. I will miss it and look forward to more in the future. Your closing letter was perfect.
Thank you, Jen. Do check back with us–we’ll have more online opportunities before long. Peace–Vinita
Dear Vinita,
Thank you for this beautiful retreat. I was struck by the warmth, passion, and compassion voiced by you and the retreatants. My husband died two years ago after 40 wonderful years of marriage. Listening was truly a gift with which he was blessed and that gift was a blessing to me. I continue to be blessed with a great family and some dear friends with whom I share my walk with Christ. But during these last two years I have come to understand more and more how Christ calls us to a deeper and more personal relationship. My response to Him has brought me great comfort and joy. Now as I remember with gratitude God’s gifts He shared with me through John, I am so much more open to listening to what Christ is saying to me. As I sat with God in the room and shared the conversations your reflections inspired, I was able to open my heart to Him
and enter into places I had been avoiding.
I was so inspired by the responses. What joy came from realizing we are all seeking to deepen our friendship with God. What joy in knowing that God has invited us to do just that. Thank you.
Thank you, Julie, for being with us on this journey. It gives me real satisfaction to read how your personal journey has gone during this retreat. All peace to you–Vinita
Dear Vinita,
Thank you so immensely for these periods of reflection. In the Room, I have been able to vocalise and also confront my fears long suppressed – fears of rejection and always looking for validation from others. Yes, I have not only confronted it, I believe I have also conquered it. Having been released from this fear, I now know I can grow into the woman God created me to be. I look forward to a more intimate and deepening relation with my maker. Thank you for being the instrument God used to achieve this. Thank you. I will surely keep in touch. Remain Blessed. Nkiru
Thank you, Nkiru–we have been blessed by your presence and your words. I look forward to learning more about how God is working in your life. All peace–Vinita
Dear Vinita,
Thank you for providing an opportunity to explore my friendship with God. It affirmed that I am in the right path, and gave me hope to continue. Only through prayer was I given an open mind to accept things I could not change. My husband and I were contracting on a house in another town and it was a difficult transition. Moving away from friends, Church Ministry, and the familiarity of living in a wonderful place, was only possible through faith and trust that God would provide us a home that we needed. His love is Constant, mine weaved and stammered. When you mentioned that we responded to Faith, Hope and Love, it encouraged me so much. You also mentioned that we don’t always know how to love. It is in the faith to believe God is taking care of us, the hope that everything would turn out alright and the Love that would sustain us through the difficult times. I had moments when I couldn’t pray. My focus was on the house. When I let God be God and stopped worrying whether we would get it or not, things started to work out. I had to pray for God’s love and grace to transform my way of thinking, and accept His Will not mine. A tremendous weight was lifted and thanks to God He gifted us with a wonderful house. Learning about where our passion lies has provided me with a sense of direction. Thank you so much for your inspiration by allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you, to us.
I look forward to future on-line opportunities to grow in faith, hope and love.
Blessings, in Christ’s Love,
Corina A. Sanchez
Thanks for your post, Corina. You are always in God’s hands. All peace–Vinita
Thank you once again. And: there was no I-am-from-outside-the-US option at the end of the survey… ;-)
Will come back whenever there is something new.
God bless,
Júlia
(from Hungary)
Thanks, Júlia. We’ll e-mail you soon, with new opportunities. Peace–Vinita
Hi Vinita,
What a wonderful retreat. I read, I contemplated, I prayed more with the Scriptures, I spent time with God. I shared a little reflection (as a former writer not currently writing, this was an amazing little therapy all by itself!). I connected with other faithful and beautiful women from all around the continent and beyond and I reconnected with some of my own spiritual helpers here at home. I do like the challenges that the Spiritual Exercises present and you are so talented in the way that you present these ideas and help us to open our hearts. God bless and keep you, Vinita, and all of you. I am very grateful.
Thanks for participating, Cheryl. We look forward to more opportunities to learn and grow together. All peace–Vinita
Thank you Vinita for this wonderful Lenten Retreat. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it made the time spent listening/reading worthwhile. It was so convenient and allowed one time to reflect. You covered a lot of topics in this short session. Again thank you!
Thank you, Dolores, for participating with us. Each person’s presence contributed to what happened here. All peace–Vinita
Thank you, Vinita, and all the retreatants for the experience of moving deeper into friendship with God in your company. Vinita, you blended your familiarity with the Spiritual Exercises with your own real-life experience and search. And, from the beginning, I was inspired to be part of a group where all are seeking and growing. It has been a unique experience of the Spirit. Blessings of new life to each one!
Thank you, Mary Kaye. I hope you’ll join us for future spiritual opportunities. Peace–Vinita
Vinita-thank you so much for being so honest when you were doing these.
Not many of us would ever try to be that way so openly and with so many
others. We might with real close friends or a sister but that is probably not
true for some either. I will continue to seek out this type of guidance so that
I can truly deepen my friendship with the Lord. I pray that you will think about ways to continue this. In the meantime take care and
God’s peace always!!
Thank you, SusieQ, for your post. I think most people are honest when they feel that there’s some safety and understanding. And we can create that atmosphere for one another. I hope you’ll join us for future opportunities here on the site. Peace–Vinita
Hi, Vinita!
I used your Lenten retreat and downloaded all the chapter that accompanied each week’s reflections. I enjoyed it very much, especially the exercies; they were so creative and meaningful. They will provide much food for thought throughout the entire year as I try to pack some “hours” of retreat type reflection into every week. I wanted to buy two books, one for myself and one for a gift, but I no longer see the offer listed on your sight. I did sign up to receive your upcoming e-mails for further offerings. Is it still possible to get the $10.00 price for one book for having participated in the retreat? If so, please let me know how to do that and order another one also. Thank you for your spiritual insights and for sharing them. I’m anxious to read the entire book and to suggest it to a group of women who are starting a small faith-sharing group in the parish. Sister Julianne
Dear Sr Julianne, thanks for your comments. And thanks for suggesting Days of Deepening Friendship for a woman’s group–I think it will prove effective in a group setting. As for purchasing the book at a discount, that particular promotion may be over. You certainly can purchase the book through the Loyola Press website. I’ve forwarded your question on to someone who can give you a definitive answer. All peace–Vinita