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Monday, June 16, 2014

Summer Retreats



For me, our annual retreat is the most important time of the year. I always look forward to mine, pray for others I know are in retreat, and urge everyone to plan their retreats first and the rest of the summer around the retreat. My retreat will be from August 4-13 and I am again going to the retreat house on the ocean of the Sisters of the Holy Names in Santa Cruz. I love being on the ocean and love the sound of the surf. It is a sacred place for me and I think the deep peace I find there lasts all year.

Now, another quote from The Joy of the Gospel:

 When we live out a spirituality of drawing nearer to others and seeking their welfare, our hearts are opened wide to the Lord’s greatest and most beautiful gifts. Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God. Whenever our eyes are opened to acknowledge the other, we grow in the light of faith and knowledge of God. If we want to advance in the spiritual life, then, we must constantly be missionaries. The work of evangelization enriches the mind and the heart; it opens up spiritual horizons; it makes us more and more sensitive to the workings of the Holy Spirit, and it takes us beyond our limited spiritual constructs. A committed missionary knows the joy of being a spring which spills over and refreshes others. Only the person who feels happiness in seeking the good of others, in desiring their happiness, can be a missionary. This openness of the heart is a source of joy, since "it is more blessed to give than to receive"

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