The Furrow

Retreat! That’s right, escape from the cares of the world, and head for the hills for some quiet, reflective time. Monday evening through Thursday afternoon found me retreating to beautiful Thomas Aquinas College, in the quiet hills above the town of Santa Paula, in Ventura County. Most of the students of the college were already gone for the summer, and the campus was pretty empty except for perhaps a couple dozen workers and students who cared for the plants and facilities, and prepared the meals. I wasn’t roughing-it by any stretch of the imagination. Everything was gorgeous, the rooms were comfortable, and the meals were tasty. The size of our group was unusually small this time (due largely to the fact that this particular retreat was held in the middle of the week). In addition to a priest, and a lay person who helped see to the events of each day, only four of us were in attendance during the majority of the stay.

The retreat was put on by Opus Dei, a Catholic organization whose primary work is the education and spiritual direction of lay people (there are no monks in the real Opus Dei, unlike in the Opus Dei that is a fabrication of Dan Brown). Anyone who wants to learn about Opus Dei ought to check out their website http://www.opusdei.org/

I’ve never been let down at a retreat, or any other function put on by Opus Dei. They’ve always served to strengthen, enlighten, and convict me. At this retreat, we had times of prayer and adoration, several wonderful talks, times of silence for quiet reflection or spiritual reading, Stations of the Cross, and, of course, Mass. More than usual, I was moved by the beauty of Stations of the Cross this week. For those who haven’t heard of them, The Stations of the Cross are a series of 14 pictures depicting the Passion of Christ (The time of His sentencing through his execution and burial). Normally, a reflection is read at each station, and a short series of prayers is made. This spiritual tool has long proven useful for any Christian who wants to reflect on this core event in the life of Christ.

For anyone who hasn’t been on a retreat in a while, I highly recommend going. I went on one last year, and have made it a point to get to one yearly. Each of us needs, I think, time to be refreshed—to forget the cares of the world and to immerse ourselves in God. Melissa will also be making a retreat, sometime around November.