What is it like to be
on retreat? Essentially, it as an opportunity to take time out of the regular
run of things and use the space for prayer and reflection, exploring what God
might be saying.
Retreats, of course,
take many forms – and can be of many different lengths. I have developed the
practice of making time for occasional Ignatian retreats. These are silent
retreats, which seems scary to many, but which I have found to be spiritually
enriching.
I go away for six,
seven or eight days. The pattern is one of provided meals and a brief meeting
with a retreat director at a set time each day. In that meeting we will talk
about how things are going and the director will offer some Biblical passages,
usually two or three, for prayerful reflection over the ensuing 24 hours.
I may find it helpful
to walk the prayer labyrinth. I will certainly go out for (some relatively
gentle) walks. I will give myself three or four (or more) times for particular
prayer during the day, though one of the great things is that prayer permeates
everything in a far more conscious way than tends to be so in ordinary life –
though I believe that to be so then also.
For most of the
prayer times I sit with one of the passages, often using Ignatian methods of
approaching prayer, such as lectio divina or imaginative contemplation (or
both) – and I find it helps to offer a slight structure by setting the time I
will give on each occasion, somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes, and setting my
phone timer to mark the period, not that such has to be used rigidly. The other
bit of ‘structure’ is to make a few notes after each prayer time.
Each day also
includes a Eucharist and the opportunity (which I take) to join in a half hour
period of corporate silent prayer in the chapel.
No comments:
Post a Comment