August 7, 2024 // Perspective

Going Forward by Making a Retreat

Ken Hallenius

My wife and I are preparing for our summer vacation, a weeklong road trip to Colorado to attend her uncle’s 90th birthday party. We’re taking our two golden retrievers along with us for the 2,496-mile ride, and my mother will join us in Denver for the return trip, which means all the pieces are in place for our own remake of the classic comedy “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”

Vacations are a chance to break out of your daily routine, to temporarily leave your work and home responsibilities, to pursue some out of the ordinary adventure, and ideally to get some rest and relaxation. Getting away from your regular life allows you to realize who and what you really miss while you’re away, and this helps you refocus on who and what are really important to you. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” as the popular proverb says. Plus, on vacation, you always find new things to do and enjoy, from foods and drinks to even toothpaste.

In our faith life, the analogue to vacations are spiritual retreats. We read in the Gospels that Jesus himself took periods of retreat. The 40 days in the desert after his baptism (cf. Mark 1:12) are the most familiar, but at various other times, He also withdrew to quiet places to pray. For example, after He healed Peter’s mother in Capernaum, Mark tells us that Jesus went out early the next morning on His own while everyone in the town was seeking Him (cf. Mark 1:35). Later, after learning that John the Baptist had been beheaded, “He withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by Himself” (Matthew 14:13). He sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee after feeding the 5,000, staying behind by Himself to pray in solitude, and then walking on the water to join the Twelve in the boat (cf. Mark 6:45-52).

Jesus also exhorted His disciples to spend time in recollection and prayer. After sending them out two-by-two to heal the sick and preach the Gospel, as they returned, He invited them to “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). It’s notable that our seminarians, priests, and deacons are required by canon law to make a spiritual retreat before their ordination, and priests thereafter annually, in accordance with Jesus’ instruction to His disciples to rest a while.

But spiritual retreats are for every Christian, not just clergy. I’ve taken several private retreats through the years, usually going away to a secluded place such as a monastery or dedicated retreat center, spending time in private prayer and quiet contemplation, going to confession, and joining in daily Mass and common meals with other retreatants. I usually manage to also make sure I get some extra nap time, which always contributes to the restful experience. On retreat one year with the Trappists, I volunteered to help the monks bake fruitcakes, which they sell to support their common life. I think I gained five pounds that week.

Many retreat centers offer group retreats based on a particular theme, such as learning how Scripture, prayer, a particular saint’s wisdom, or art can enhance one’s spirituality. These retreats usually include presentations from an expert with special experience on the topic, sometimes a priest or monk, in addition to the usual time for personal reflection and prayer. For many years, Benedictine Father Noël Mueller, my college literature professor at Saint Meinrad in Southern Indiana, led retreats at the archabbey that presented spiritual lessons found in the writings of Catholic novelists, including Muriel Spark, Graham Greene, and Evelyn Waugh.

There are also “busy people’s retreats” for people who can’t take dedicated time away. For example, the very popular Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola are usually experienced in the context of an intense 30-day retreat featuring seclusion, solitude, and silence, but there are versions that offer the same content delivered in more accessible formats for anyone who can’t get away from responsibilities such as family life or work. One version of the Spiritual Exercises is offered as an eight-week online retreat featuring directed readings and video reflections from an experienced Jesuit spiritual director, which has the added bonus of also being more affordable than traveling to a secluded retreat center.

One final word of warning: Spending time face-to-face with God can be a daunting proposition. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has ready for those who love Him,” according to the familiar song. As you spend time with God in prayer and contemplation He will pour graces into your heart and perhaps even reveal His plans for your future. And the storyline that God has prepared for you is an adventure that even the screenwriters at National Lampoon could never imagine.