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Like that student, many people today have the mistaken idea that praying the rosary cannot be reconciled with a modern outlook. Yet the fact is that peole everywhere are depressed and in despair, their lives seemingly out of focus. Having lost a sense of the meaning of life, they have not found true happiness and satisfaction in all the material blessings available to them. Why?
The answer may lie in the well-known prayer of St. Augustine: "Our hearts were made for Thee; and they will be forever restless 'till they find their rest in Thee." It is in opening our hearts to the Lord who created us that we discover true peace and happiness. And that is why prayer is often compared to rest. Who can continue working and living from day to day without rest? Likewise, it is prayer that gives us new strength to continue to face life from day to day with the fullness of determination and courage.
There are many kinds of prayer. Sunday mass, for example, is communal prayer, a kind of prayer with which most of us are familiar. Another kind is individual prayer. It can be spontaneous, where we simiply talk to the Lord as we would speak to any friend. It can also take the form of what is called "meditation". The rosary is an example of meditation, and one reason why many people do not appreciate it is because they do not know how to meditate. Meditation means focusing one's thoughts on one particular subject. The rosary focuses our thoughts on what are called "mysteries," that is, fifteen events in the life of Jesus and his mother Mary.
The glorious mysteries are:
October is the month of the year that is dedicated in a special way to praying the rosary. It constitutes an oppportunity for those of us who have forgotten this form of prayer during the course of the year to renew our practice of it and reincorporate it into our daily lives.
The famous scientist, Louis Pasteur, would use his spare time on the train to pray the rosary. Surely we too can find a few minutes each day to do the same. By keeping our thoughts focused on our faith and our hearts in touch with God, and by asking the prayers of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will find abundant peace and happiness in the midst of the difficulties of this world, as we look forward to the joys of the world to come.
Jesus continued teaching in the temple throughout Holy Week. Due to that teaching, He was arrested, tried, and put to death. His message about the fig tree not bearing fruit could not have been more accurate.
In Holy Week, 1999, Jesus will again be searching for fruit. He will be looking for disciples who will celebrate His kingship on Palm Sunday. He will want to share the meal of unity with them on Holy Thursday (8 p.m.). He will expect their solidarity with His suffering on Good Friday (3 p.m.). He will await their joyous celebration of his victory over death on Holy Saturday (8:30 p.m.) and Easter Sunday. He will be looking, not only for their presence at worship, but also for the fruit of faith, love and obedience to his will.
The season of Lent is our opportunity to prepare for Holy Week and Easter by bearing fruit pleasing to the Lord. Let us take advantage of this opportunity to show Him how much we appreciate all that He has done for us.
God could not be everywhere,
so he made mothers
- Jewish proverb
As always, I look forward to closing up all the "drawers" of my mind and refocussing my heart and attention on my Saviour.
Lectures, readings, counselling and silence contribute to create a very unique atmosphere for spirit and body to feel re-united and to seek deeper meanings in life.
At the same time, the retreat gives me the opportunity to look at my own life at some distance, dwelling more closely on darker zones, alone or with pastoral help. The well designed timetable with its long periods of "free-time activity" allows such a search. Experiencing healing through the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist remains the most exhilarating feeling of the weekend.
This year I didn't know exactly what to expect and how the theme: "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again" would be developed. Fr Rick took us for a long journey through the Bible, helping us to discover and understand Jesus's death in God's plan for humanity and its own meaning for us in our present life. I suddenly fully realized the link between the sacrificed lamb, its blood, the blood of the covenant Moses threw upon the people and Jesus, Lamb of God, at the last meal inviting his disciples to eat his body and drink his blood to renew his Father's promises.
The 1999 retreat will remain a landmark in my own rediscovery of the Scriptures.
Simone Payne
The retreat last March was a unique one. We were allotted time to read some passages from the Holy Bible and meditate on them, which led me to think that the scripture writers have different versions when writing the life of Jesus, but end up with the same thoughts.
This is my opportunity to thank Fr. Rick for sharing with us his time and expertise about the bible.
Sabina Künzi
I must admit that I was a bit reluctant to attend this year's retreat,
but my mother did not give up trying to convince me.
It was the second time I spent my weekend at Pensier, the first time
being the retreat 1997 which I actually found
wholesome.
The stuff a retreat is made of -- prayer, meditation and mass -- which
could have been a bore to an average teenager worked differently on me,
thanks to the free time the participants had at their disposal. Mealtime
provided opportunity for
sharing and getting to know one another.
The theme of the retreat, "Chirst has died, Christ is risen, Christ
will come again", was presented by Fr Rick by the use
of the Bible which gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with
its books. The passages we read and discussed were
not very easy to gasp on my part, but Fr Rick's approach was such that
it saved me some difficulty.
The retreat helped open my mind to the truth of God's great love for
His children and has since given me this challenge:
"How can I repay His kindness?"
Anna Marie Ilustre
It was 750 years ago the the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ was instituted by the bishop of Liège, France, inspired by two deeply religious nuns. A few years later, in 1264, Pope Urban IV introduced the feast to the entire church.
Like with any other religious tradition, practice or ceremony, it is up to each one of us to fill the celebration with our faith and bring it to life.
When we talk about the crisis of the church, we may talk about celibacy, the position of women in the church, the diminishing attendance at mass, or the forgotten sacrament of confession. But much deeper down is a crisis of us all: our faith has become shallow. Other activities like sport, travelling , and vacations have replaced once religious habits of our society.
How real is our faith, how much does it penetrate our thoughts, actions and decisions? Our Swiss forefathers started the constitution with "In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit." Today, in a reform of the constitution, many wish to take this passage out. Others have fought over a crucifix in the classroom.
But those who stay away from church show that, for them, it is no longer important to pray, to attend mass or to receive a sacrament.
So the procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the towns and streets and squares becomes a public profession of our faith. Private and public people attend, the various professions showing their presence by their uniforms. They relate their private as well as their working life to God's presence among men.
The death of seven Trappist monks in Algeria shook the world for a moment. Do we understand, they could have all brought themselves to safety in good time. They paid with their lives, and gave the church seven new martyrs.
We may admire the courage of these Trappists, but let us imitate their devotion to Christ. Let us try to deepen our faith in Christ, his presence in the word as well as in the bread of heaven, his presence in our hearts and our daily life.