Going on retreat, prayer requests?

[beatitude]

It's today I go, not yesterday - I am so bad at personal organisation that it's a wonder I ever get anywhere. I set off in about half an hour and I won't have Internet after that, but I will be praying for all these intentions and for the needs of everyone on Phatmass. God bless.

Please also pray for me during my retreat. This is the first chance I've had for a period of silence and prayer in two years. It's been a difficult two years.

Edited August 15, 2015 by beatitude

[Gabriela]

It's today I go, not yesterday - I am so bad at personal organisation that it's a wonder I ever get anywhere. I set off in about half an hour and I won't have Internet after that, but I will be praying for all these intentions and for the needs of everyone on Phatmass. God bless.

Please also pray for me during my retreat. This is the first chance I've had for a period of silence and prayer in two years. It's been a difficult two years.

Will pray for you. And don't feel bad about personal organization. I once showed up at the Tel Aviv airport at 7 am on a Thursday morning. During check-in, security pulled me aside and started asking me the same questions over and over again, tag-teaming me with two different guys. After two hours of that, they finally told me that my plane ticket was for 7 am Friday morning.

Since when does scatter-brained = terrorist?

 

[beatitude]

I'm back! I was meant to stay until Sunday morning, but the place was so packed out (there were two or three thousand more people than the brothers had anticipated, and the number kept steadily rising) that it was difficult for me to manage with my disabilities. Everyone was extremely kind and helpful, but even though people were willing to let me jump to the front of the shower queue and to carry my food tray for me so I didn't have to stand in line for a long time, it was still quite tiring and on Thursday I decided to come home early. I still had a beautiful retreat, and a squashed crowded church is a better problem to have than a half-empty one. I will go again next year, when it should be easier - there was an unusually large gathering this year because it was the tenth anniversary of the death of the founder, Brother Roger.

The highlight of the retreat for me was confession. Every night after evening prayer the Catholic priests of Taize sit in an extension of the church to hear confessions, with a whiteboard propped up against their chairs to show which languages they speak. People go to Taize from all over the world (I shared a dormitory with girls from Japan, Germany, Spain, and South Sudan) and it's like the day of Pentecost in that church. The priests are very thorough with the confessions too - they really take to time talk to each person who comes, and to offer some spiritual advice.

Some of you may remember that a while ago I requested prayers to help me recover from abuse at the hands of a close friend. Although I have forgiven the person, I am sometimes overtaken by near-despair when I see how much it damaged me, and I feel bitter. I wanted to speak to the priest about this. He was wise and kind, especially in the penance he gave me - to identify the two or three things I'm most grateful for in life and to spend time thanking God for them. I've tried making gratitude lists before, but that can easily feel trite, and sometimes it only emphasises how bad things are in the present. Choosing two or three things that I'm most grateful for felt different, as it really forced me to think, and the result was that identified the three main sources of strength in my life. This has shown me where I need to put my attention, and it is a good cure for bitterness and resentment. The priest was very astute to suggest it. I don't even know his name but I will be praying for him every day. He also blessed my scapular, which is embroidered with the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts - he asked that it would be an instrument of healing for me and that every day I would grow more aware of the burning love of Christ's heart. I nearly broke into tears. As he finished the words of absolution and I got up to go, the church began to sing my favourite chant of Taize, which I'd been hoping we would sing ever since I arrived. I love the way that Christ's kindness shines through in these small things.

There was a Sister of St Andrew there who led some thought-provoking Bible reflections. I may share about those when I have time. Apart from this, I prayed for you all and I hope that everyone has had an equally lovely week.

Edited August 21, 2015 by beatitude