Retreats a place where our hearts can be stirred

When I went on the Awaken Retreat with Jen Settle March 24–26 at Maryvale near Valley City, my wedding was three weeks away. When I signed up for the retreat, I knew some quiet time away from home would do me good. I’m a planner, sometimes to an unhealthy extreme, so the details of the wedding and packing to move to a new home would be organized well enough by the end of March. And if they weren’t, spending some extended time with the Lord would be the best thing for me anyway.

During the retreat, people commented on how calm I was for a soon-to-be-bride. I find it quite easy to be calm during a retreat regardless of what is going on in my life since the sources of stress were back at home. I didn’t have any half-packed boxes to look at reminding me of the work I still had to do. Instead, I met several new people, all with new stories and experiences, who helped draw me out of myself. I encountered new ways of praying and new places to explore on Maryvale’s grounds.

Retreats are a place where our hearts can be stirred. With our cooperation, they’re a place where God can speak freely and clearly without the distractions of everyday life. They’re a place to bring renewed focus and new beginnings for our lives. They can be a place of great healing with many tears and much laughter. They’re also a great place to take a nap.

When I came home, all the work and worries were waiting for me, including a winter that just wouldn’t quit. So the calm and peace of the retreat did not remain in earnest when I returned. I still worried about all there was to worry about, but God’s grace was working. In the transition and unknowns, I experienced a greater reminder from God to seek refuge in his presence. I found myself more willing to set my fears aside and pray when anxiety crept forward. I found I was able to give of myself more and more despite the busyness of unfinished details.

When we look at the price tag and time commitment for retreats, it’s easy to find excuses to let them pass us by. But remember, the Lord will not be outdone in generosity. The more we pour ourselves out in surrender to him, the more room we create for him to work in our lives. The Church understands the benefits of retreats and requires priests to go on a yearly retreat. When we create our budgets, lay people ought to set a little money aside each month for our spiritual health as well.

Even if the fruits of a retreat aren’t immediately evident, which is often the case, it’s important to remember that God works for good in all things. Perhaps months or years later, God will reveal the benefits of a retreat. Perhaps he never will. Yet we know, in faith, that all we offer to God will be multiplied and returned to us.

You don’t need to be on the cusp of transition to go on retreat. In my case, God provided this time of rest I needed to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage. But in life, we never quite know when some adventures will start. God wants to bestow his grace to equip us for great and wondrous things.

The Awaken Retreat was the first retreat operated by the Diocese of Fargo at Maryvale. To see more opportunities for retreats at Maryvale, visit maryvalend.org.