Lent 2019

30 Days to a Vibrant Spirituality Online Retreat Day 30 - April 17 Ready, Set, Go!    We were created to “know, love, and serve God.” And all the baptized are called to do this perfectly: to grow to that fullness of life that is the perfection of love. That is our goal—to know and love God “in Christ” as deeply and passionately as God knows and loves us. God calls us to do great things, and God empowers us to do them as the body of Jesus acting on earth today with us, in us, and through us!    Persevering in this hope, laboring to bring about the reign of God on earth though we feel at times nothing but helplessness and hopelessness, is a mystical experience. But God is always calling us, and strengthening us, to renew our determination to shoulder our responsibility as “stewards of the kingship of Christ” and to exercise leadership in bringing about changes on earth.    These simple nuts and bolts are an easy, practical, and profitable way...

30 Days to a Vibrant Spirituality Online Retreat Day 29 - April 16 Summing Up    So…what are the nuts and bolts of a healthy, daily spirituality that is not only life -changing but life-giving?    The first step is to cultivate ongoing awareness of the new identity you received at baptism, when you “became Christ.” For this you use the WIT prayer.    The second step is to commit to being a disciple of the mind and heart of God. As a sign and start of this, you put a Bible on your pillow.    Your third step is to dedicate yourself to the mission of proclaiming the Good News as a prophet. For this you promise to ask the question before everything you do: “How does this bear witness to Christ?”    Your fourth step is to surrender to your ministry as priest by letting Jesus express himself through all your words and actions.    And finally, your fifth step is to notice, with the eyes of God, what needs to be cha...

30 Days to a Vibrant Spirituality Online Retreat Day 28 - April 15 Called to Christian Leadership    When our responsibility leads us to notice, and our noticing leads us to perceive what needs to be done and how to do it, we are called to leadership.    Leadership is just stewardship in action. Very few people have the authority that empowers them to get things done by others. But leadership is not the same as authority and does not require it, any more than authority automatically makes one a leader. People obey authorities out of commitment; but they follow leaders voluntarily, whenever they believe that someone knows the way to go. So anyone who happens to see what needs to be done in a particular situation is by that very fact called to exercise leadership and is consecrated by baptism to do so as a steward of the kingship of Christ.    If we rise to the challenge and do it, there is hope we will grow into exercising leadership everywh...

30 Days to a Vibrant Spirituality Online Retreat Week 5 - April 8-12 Reflection and Discussion Think about… …what was the most important, interesting or valuable thing(s) you've learned this week? …how has it -- or could it -- change how you pray, think and act? …how do you think what you've learned might contribute to a "more vibrant" spiritual life for you? Share your thoughts… …click on "Comments" below to share your thoughts and insights with other retreat participants.