This past Saturday, we had a retreat kicking off the year for our youth in the confirmation program. I felt really strongly that it would be good to start the school year and end the school year with days of retreat and prayer for these youth. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, we were able to start the day of retreat with mass with Bishop Kopacz. And we able to end the day with adoration. What a wonderful day of retreat we had with the youth. Prayer and discernment are the foundation of our Catholic faith. We should not make a big decision in our lives without prayer and discernment. And it is always helpful to have someone trained in spiritual direction and discernment to help us in the discernment process. In fact, most of you know that we Catholic priests have to attend an annual spiritual retreat each year as dictated by Canon law. What is interesting is that I asked some Protestant minister friends about retreat obligations for them, none of them had that same requirement. I bring this up because even Jesus prayed and discerned before he chose his apostles from the many disciples that gathered around him through his ministry. All of us, whether we are lay or ordained, would greatly benefit from an annual retreat or spiritual exercise that will help us discern God’s will on our journey of faith. As in many aspects of our faith, Jesus is a model for us in his words and his actions. May God always be close to our thoughts and our hearts.
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