Catholicism, holiness and spirituality

Accepting the Invitation

In the 10th week of the Online Retreat, the focus is on Jesus' invitation to us to follow him, to help him complete his mission. For the first disciples and folks like Levi the tax collector, this meant physically leaving their place in life and moving on. I suppose for some of us today, it could mean the same thing - leaving one place to go serve Christ in another.

Even if we are not called to go across the world to serve in some other place, we can still follow Jesus right where we are. Right here, right now. The needs - physical and spiritual - are everywhere, and every 'yes' to Jesus is a way of following him, helping complete his mission. Many times, saying 'yes' to Jesus means we say 'no' to our selfishness, preconceptions, biases, prejudices, comfort, and habits. So in a way, it's still a journey - an internal journey. And that internal journey can be just as difficult as a physical one.

Fear and Sin

The topic of the online retreat the past few weeks has been sin. Personal sin, patterns of sin, sin in the world in general, sin, sin and more sin. I think next week we turn the corner from sin to more of a focus on mercy, but still - while the focus on sin is not all that much fun, it sure has been illuminating.

As I reflected on my own sinfulness - which I won't get into much detail because this isn't a confessional, after all - I kept coming back to a common root of fear. For me, the pattern of sin seems to start with fear. Fear of doing the wrong thing, which leads to inaction. Fear of what will happen if I do the right thing. Fear of consequences, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of not being accepted, and so on - that fear seems to be the trigger, the catalyst for sin in my life.

My mind comes back to reflect on three words of Jesus: Be not afraid. Instead, be courageous, compassionate, selfless, merciful, and loving. Fear has little chance to take root if my heart is focused on these things.

Like a house

We're into week 7 now in the online retreat, and this week we're reflecting on our patterns of personal sin. It's not all that much fun reflecting on sin, talking about it, bringing it out into the open. But anyway, I just wanted to highlight a bit of Fr Larry Gillick's reflection for this week. Each week he provides some thoughts like these - and they are very insightful and inspiring.

A final image might help throughout this week, as we look at the photo of ourself, deep in prayer.  We can imagine our lives like a house. 

Our lives, like a house, often have nice front yards.  We might even invest lots of money in presenting an impressive drive-by image. 

Just inside our house, there is an entryway and living room, where we greet and entertain most of the people who get into our lives.  People who are more intimately involved in our lives get invited farther in as dinner guests, next door neighbors or life long friends. 

And, of course, there are the intimate places in our house - the bathrooms and bedroom - where only the most intimate parts of our life happen. 

But, in every house - in every life - there is a basement (or attic or garage) where the less than presentable stuff is kept. 

This week, we can imagine going down in that basement.  Even if there has been a lock on that door and I haven't visited it in a long time. 

I need not be afraid, because I'm going to go down there, accompanied by Jesus, who will show me all the stuff that is there. 

There's old stuff there I wouldn't want to show anybody else.  There's embarrassing stuff there, in hiding. 

As I walk around it all, I can imagine Jesus telling me he loves me here, in this place.  I can hear him tell me he loves all of me - the whole me.

Coming together

There are just under 30 people signed up for the online retreat that started this week. Wow... I'm pleasantly surprised! I got quite a few messages from folks who had been wanting to, or had tried to take this retreat but felt they needed some group support to make it work. They were just waiting for the opportunity. It's just great how these things come together.

Exercising Our Spirituality

A while ago I mentioned the idea of getting a group together for Creighton University's Online Retreat in Everyday Life. I was amazed to get messages just over 20 people who wanted to take the retreat!

So here's the deal: The retreat formally starts September 18, and is designed to fit into our busy lives. It's a series of 34 weekly reflections based on the Spiritual Exercises. I've put up a web page for it at http://www.bogners.com/retreat, including a discussion forum where retreat participants can share their experiences. If you want to join us, leave a comment here or email me.

I'm very glad to have some great artistic contributions at the site from Owen (at onionboy.ca) and Nicole719. Thanks guys!

Exercise your Spirituality, Online

For a few months now I have been looking forward to starting the online retreat offered by Creighton University's Collaborative Ministry office. Essentially, this is a series of 34 weekly reflections based on the Spiritual Exercises, starting Sep 18. The progression of the Spiritual Exercises is a powerful way to work on one's relationship with Jesus, and has been used by folks for a good 450 years now.

Instead of doing this retreat on my own, I want to open it up and invite everyone else to join me. I'll provide the online space for everyone to write & share experiences, via this blog or another one. You don't have to be a Catholic Christian to sign-up for this online retreat; there's nothing really exclusively Catholic about it. So please don't let that be a barrier. Actually, there's no sign-up at all; no cost; no penalties to join late or leave early.

The retreat materials are available online via your web browser, and can also be downloaded via PDF for offline viewing for each week too. It's also available via Avantgo, so you can sync it with your Palm / PocketPC device and take it on the go.

If you'd like to participate, or have some questions, just leave a comment here or send me an email (steve@bogners.com).