U.S. Region and Retirement Community Retreat

By the numbers:

At the retreat: 77
At Evening Prayer yesterday: 7
At weekly rosary for vocations: 17
At the happy hour: 47

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"Its always good when Maryknollers get together." (Fr. Mike Duggan, U.S. Regional superior) in introducing our retreat director.

Father Jim Noonan (Philippines, former Super G, Mekong, Washington, D.C.) directs our U.S. Regional Retreat this year, from October 12~ 14.

The theme is: we are on a marvelous journey that never ends. Every day we have the opportunity to deepen and experience our relationship with our selves, with others' with God and with all creation.

The meaning of life: loving relationships.

The more loving relationships we have, the more fully alive we become.

"Humanity has just entered perhaps the greatest transformation it has ever known..."
"We are mere fractions of our full potential."
"What we shall be has not yet been revealed."
"We are only at the threshold of our life as adults."

Relationship with ourself: become aware how lovable, unique and mysterious we are. We can go through life wearing masks, trying to be someone others think we should be or who we think we should be. We need to know. Our strengths and our weaknesses.

What we think of ourselves determines how we relate to others. Judging others destroys relationships and imposes a burden on us and leads on down a path that leads nowhere. The shortcomings in others that annoy us most usually remind us of our own shortcomings.

A retreat gives us time for silence and solitude to allow the Spirit of the living God to enter more deeply into us. The biggest distraction to growth in self-awareness and awareness of others, of God, and of creation is busy-ness.

Annual retreat

Happy Hour in the Third Floor Rec Room kicked off our annual combined regional/retirement retreat. Amidst pigs-in-blankets and Swedish meatballs, the community met De La Salle Br. Jim Zullo who will accompany us on our Emmaus Walk.

I attended a retreat by Br. Jim two years ago and he is one of the best. While he has a basic format, he takes great pains to tailor the presentation to the specific composition and situation of the retreatants. This morning's talk reintroduced us to the familiar Emmaus story in Luke's gospel, but it was done in a slow, reflective manner, projected on the screen with accompanying works of art. Then he presented the schema for the rest of the week.

The disciples story gets transformed by the stranger's invitation to go deeper into their situation. They encounter scripture and this intersects their story to reveal THE story (Jesus passion & resurrection). Hospitality leads to a shared meal leads to the breaking of bread. Their eyes are opened as they experience a spiritual awakening, seeing things through new eyes.

This overwhelming experience impels them to rise, despite the

late hour and darkness, and return to Jerusalem, from whence they had fled in fear and disappointment.

Then Jim helped us reflect on where we as Maryknollers are today and how we represent the three very different aspects of Church and theology depending on when we were trained and entered religious

life.

Weekend tidbits

Here are a few odds-and-ends:

• Seasonal flu shots will be offered to MKers at the Center beginning this week. This will not include the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine because, according to Nurse Mary Ellen Jablon, that vaccine is targeted toward younger people who are more adversely effected by the disease. H1N1 vaccinations will be available for us oldsters a little later. So until then remember—sneeze into your sleeve and sanitize with Purelle. (Suppressing the Handshake of Peace at Mass is usually the first sign flu season is upon us.)

• The Centenary Committee has postponed its gathering yet again and will not meet until December, ostensibly because members must fly in from around the Maryknoll world. Yikes. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. (Why do I fear we will end up just having a huge cake with 100 candles?)

• Our combined U.S. Region/Retirement retreat begins Monday evening (because all MK events begin with Happy Hour). Br. Jim Zullo will direct our reflections on the Emmaus experience. (Usually "our hearts burning within us" has more to do with eating kimchi.)

• Thanks to Fr. Dennis Moorman's Facebook page (which guys at Maryknoll cannot access unless they have an iPhone) the Young'Uns in Hong Kong had a wonderful visit to Macau, including the St. Francis Xavier church, and the Holy Spirit Seminary in Hong Kong. Sunday off and then two more days to wrap up their meeting.