New Skete Annual Spring Retreat

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recap written by Br. Marc


New Skete’s annual spring retreat took place last Saturday, limited to forty participants. Matins (morning service) was at 8:00, followed by registration and a breakfast with bagels, fruit and coffee.

Brother Luke welcomed everyone gathered in the annex conference room and gave a general preview of the day. Sister Rebecca then made the first of the day’s 75-minute presentations, “From Darkness to Light in Scripture and in our Lives,”  Using a PowerPoint visual program, she explored the Biblical creation narratives in a nuanced way based on the original Hebrew texts and the tradition of Jewish commentaries. Some topics were: darkness and chaos in the beginning, God as darkness to our perception; faulty and harmful images of God; evil, and times of darkness and suffering; wrongful action. The second part explored primal light of creation as revealing God presence and action, our resonating with this through paradox, deeper meaning, awareness, and conscience; Jesus, grace, goodness, and beauty; and encountering deeper light and kinship with another person.

Br. Marc -
"Repentance and Forgiveness
in Lenten Liturgies"
Everyone then split up into four rooms to discuss a set of questions drawn from the talk. For example, what does an experience of awakening to the light of divine presence look like? How would I respond this and to the words of scripture in turning my life around to what I am meant to be? How can I begin anew in each moment, in living with an intimate inner connection with others, with God and creation?

With an atmosphere of peaceful silence in the refectory, Brother John served a lunch of vegetarian minestrone soup, local hearthstone-baked bread, salad and fruit. The nuns supplied their famous cheesecakes for dessert.

There was time before the afternoon presentations for short sessions of personal spiritual direction. Also, after lunch Brother Marc held a question and answer period on spiritual guidance and growth from a monastic perspective. He then led the simple chanting of the brief midday service in the “little” church or temple. It begins with a customary set of short prayers, and then three psalms are read according to the cycle of the entire Psalter, hymns to the saints commemorated that day, and a final, longer prayer.

Brother Marc then made a presentation on “Repentance and Forgiveness in the Lenten Liturgies.” He provided an overview of the Church’s context and aids for our life in Christ, liturgical cycles and events, books, hymns, prayer and sacraments; the felt experience of faith, blessings, healing, mercy and love; realization of wrong-doing, desire for repentance and personal change and new transformation, accepting forgiveness; he ended with a litany of fine quotes on forgiveness by famous personages and provided a wealth of hand-out information to take home.

Retreat attendees in Holy Wisdom Church
After the afternoon break for refreshments, Brother David guided the retreat group in a meditation in the larger church, “From Sin to Forgiveness and Gratitude.” He provided each person with a self-examination worksheet, described the challenge to change our ways, minds and hearts, and illustrated the journey from the experience of sin to recognition of the state I am in, seeking and finding forgiveness, unburdening, and the resulting joy and gratitude.

Brother David then summed up the day’s programs and collected evaluation-feedback sheets on the day’s retreat: the day was energizing to the end, left the participants looking ahead for future sessions, and provided considerable food for thought and helpful hand-outs. At 5:00 p.m. everyone gathered in the church along with the monks, nuns, and companions for the Saturday evening vigil. This concluded with a healing service of repentance, forgiveness and anointing.

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