The Long Retreat has ended. Mass was at 11:15 this morning and the silence broke with the final hymn. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam - to the greater glory of God. The experience was extraordinary. The prayers, thoughts and letters that accompanied me on this journey were deeply appreciated.I saw only one dawn - having spent much of this retreat keeping the night watches. I took this photo on one of our two days of repose, when we had Mass early in the morning and I dragged myself out of bed after a scant hour and a half of sleep to walk to the beach. It was 3oF out.
Returned firmly near the end of the retreat to more regular hours by my director - I rose obediently the first morning to find a grey sky. I greeted my director by noting the irony of my finally being awake for the dawn, and there being none to be seen. To which he replied, "Maybe one dawn was enough."
This dawn might indeed have been enough.
For another view of a single dawn at Eastern Point from a 30-day retreatant - see here.
Welcome out of the silence! Do you have a few acclimation days before you leave?
ReplyDeleteI put myself on the waitlist for Eastern Point in August, having discovered that Wernersville has no weeks that fit into my schedule. Maybe there's a reason?
Welcome back Michelle! I hope we will be hearing more about your experience.
ReplyDeleteI have been re-immersing myself in Ignatian spirituality recently because I was asked to give a morning retreat at the parish during Lent.
Welcome back, Michelle...do hope you geet some decompression time before you have to re-engage.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to hearing more about your experience. Welcome back and thank you for leaving us posts to read while you were gone!
ReplyDeletewelcome back to the noise. May your trip home be peaceful.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back!
ReplyDeleteGG - I will leave some prayers behind in the chapel that you get off the waitlist (and so that there will be some waiting here when you come!)
ReplyDeleteYes, Sophia, you're likely to hear more, though it's quite hard at the moment to wrap my mind around it. May the Lenten retreat prep go well!
I do get a few days to breathe before I must dive in again, and the spring looks to be restful altogether.
Thank you, most truly, for all the prayers that arose!