Barb Spies, OFS, Director of Mission Services and Pastoral Care

A friend and I were talking about how much, even after years of experience, we are surprised when a person we know from church is unpleasant outside of church. Whether we see them yelling at someone in traffic and making rude gestures, engaging in gossip, or ranting about politics, we still get surprised that a person who seems so kind at church has an about face upon leaving those doors. I guess we shouldn’t be shocked. No one is perfect, except Jesus! But, I can’t help but pray that at some point this person will take that calm and joy from the church building out into their world.

Quiet time away from the day to day world can make a difference in our ability to guide our faith into a lived faith. A retreat might be just what we need to be able to push the pause button on all that frustrates us. We might think we have too much going on to be able to go on retreat. But, the stationery of a retreat center said, “If you’re too busy to make a retreat, you’re too busy!” The Felician Sisters are some of the busiest people I know. But, they always take time for retreats in their year. They come back inspired and refreshed.

We might remember taking a retreat in school, perhaps before Confirmation. Some people take a retreat before marriage. I have another friend who took a retreat before she professed as a Secular Franciscan. Franciscan Friars take a retreat before they make their solemn vows. If the important decisions and actions in our lives call for taking time away with God, why wouldn’t the smaller, day-to-day interactions of our lives also call for that?

St. Francis was known to take time away in the wilderness to pray. He would return to preach and to serve God’s people. He wanted all his Brothers to preach by their deeds. We can also take advantage of that time away in the wilderness to pray and ready ourselves to preach by our deeds. Blessed Angela wrote reflections on her time spent in prayer, and she served where she was needed, as do her Sisters today. There are retreat centers offering week-long retreats, weekend retreats, and even half-day retreats. We might not be able to go for a whole week, but a weekend could work. A half-day is a great option to remind us of how refreshing time away with God can be. Even taking a break to spend a few minutes in the chapel can offer us that new and improved outlook that silent time with God brings.

Blessed Angela: “Do not neglect prayer, particularly meditation.”