Parish Lenten Retreat

The presentations may be viewed on the parish website by Clicking the Links Below or on "Masses and Livestreaming online",  and then "Archived Masses and Events"
 

Links to Lenten Retreat Videos

Monday morning presentation at St. Mary's Click Here
Monday evening presentation at St. Martha's Click Here
Tuesday morning presentation at St. Mary's Click Here
Tuesday evening presentation at St. Martha's Click Here

If you participated in any part of the retreat and were unable to complete one of the hard-copy retreat evaluations, please feel free to  provide feedback about your retreat experience with Deacon Matt here: 
https://forms.wix.com/f/7173744309278081400

Eucharistic Discipleship: 
Encountering and Sharing the Transforming Love of Christ

During this multi-day retreat, Deacon Matt Halbach led retreatants on wonderful reflections on the power, beauty, love, and presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and discussions on how we can receive this Most Blessed Sacrament more fruitfully in our own lives. 

Sunday, March 3 - Eucharistic Faith Begins at Home

During our intergenerational gathering on Sunday, Deacon Matt explained why Eucharistic faith begins at home.  We all need to share our faith with others, but this is especially important in families.  The Good News is good, so there should be joy around it. That joy should be in our words, actions and demeanor. We need to look for signs from God in our everyday life, and teach our children to watch for them as well.

Modeling our faith is important, as is modeling our enthusiasm for Mass and the centrality of the Eucharist in our lives. We must carry the Eucharistic themes we encounter through the Eucharist out into our homes and communities.  These themes are:
 
Humility: Breathe/ listen
Service: Help out
Thanksgiving: “Rose and Thorn”
Sacrifice: Press “pause”
Prayer/Praise: Family Examen
Mercy: Making room for others

Our love for the Eucharist grows when we see its connection to daily life by practicing and reflecting on the Eucharistic themes, and connecting them with Sunday Mass.

Before Sunday Mass:
  -Read the readings before Mass
  -Note which Eucharistic themes appear and how they are used
  -Pick one new thing to learn about the Mass/Eucharist/Church teaching
  -Identify one thing that your family can pray for/or about at Mass.
  -Pray for the patience to listen to God’s word and to the homily
  -Pray for the grace to see how God’s word speaks to your life
  -Pray as that as you receive the Eucharist you might become more Eucharistic

After Sunday Mass reflect as a family on:
  -What was your ”Rose and Thorn” regarding the Mass?
  -Did you see any Eucharistic themes reflected in the Mass? When? How?
  -Did you experience God in a new way at Mass? Did God speak to you? Did         you see or hear or feel something special?

Put a plan together!!!

Schedule time for the following each week:
   -Read the readings for the Sunday Mass.
   -Reflect on whether or not you see the following Eucharistic themes present in      the reading: Humility, Sacrifice, Service, Thanksgiving, Prayer/Praise?
   -Discuss how you (or your family) can practice one of these themes that week:

•       Who needs to listen? Who needs to say something?
•       Who needs to “press pause”? Who needs help?
•       What are we thankful for? What are we struggling with? What        are we going to do about it?

•   Mercy is the way of holiness/perfection (cf. Mt 5.48 and Lk 6.36)
•   God’s forgiveness is inexhaustible. Mt 18:21-22 “70x7”
•   We must forgive in order to be forgiven. “Wicked servant” parable + Our Father
•    Forgiveness is always for ourselves and those who have offended/harmed us.
•   Authentic mercy makes room for others: room for new life, new opportunity, and blessing (“Prodigal Son” parable)

Monday Afternoon (March 4) - Preparing Our Hearts to be Merciful

 As mentioned on day one of the retreat, Biblical mercy can be summarized as making room for others—for new life, new opportunity, and blessing. This starts by making room in our hearts.

Mercy makes room in our heart for new insights and viewpoints. It dispels our judgmentalism and bias. Mercy provides a reorientation from self to other.

Deacon Matt shared how Jesus saw with eyes of mercy. He used the story from Luke 7:36-50 to illustrate how Simon the pharisee saw the woman who washed Jesus' feet, and how Jesus saw her.  

The pharisee said to himself:  “If this man [Jesus] were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 
Jesus said: “Simon, do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Mercy challenges us to forgive the unforgiveable and love the unloveable. 

The Church teaches us many ways we may show mercy:

Tuesday Morning (March 5) - The Eucharist & the Art
of Accompaniment

God is with us and is the expert on accompaniment. Through the incarnation, God literally became one of us and "walked in our shoes."  God is always with us, even though there are times when it may not appear as if He is.  These times of growth take on special meaning later when we look back and realize that God was with us all the time.  We learn to surrender to God's will, knowing He will provide for us. 

One must have experienced the love of Jesus for the Eucharist to have meaning.

How God accompanies us . . . 
God forgives us. His mercy accompanies us by making room for new life, new opportunities, and new blessing.

Deacon Matt explained that mercy isn't enablement, and isn't always pleasant. Sometimes mercy requires getting through hardness first.

God also accompanies us in our doubtfulness. God offers us His blessing of peace. God also empathizes with our doubtfulness and our weaknesses. 

As in the story of Doubting Thomas, to know God is to recognize what God has done for us: "My Lord and my God." (John 20:24-29)

We experience the fruitfulness of our faith when we are in situations that we don't comprehend where God is.  Doubt sows the seeds of faith. 

The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) shows us how we can accompany oithers . . . through service, sacrifice, and advocacy. When have we been like the victim in the parable - vulnerable and in need of assistance? When have we been like the Samaritan and intervened on someone's behalf? Have we ever been like the Levite or Priest and ignored another's desperation?  The Good Samaritan went to the wounded man and illustrated the foundational action of accompaniment - approaching another to assess their needs.

How can we accompany others?  Through humility and patience.

Tuesday Evening (March 5) - Accompanying Others to Jesus & the Eucharist

Deacon Matt explained that accompaniment is another way to speak about facilitating encounters with Christ in our families and communities.  Pope Francis wrote:

“The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity – into this ‘art of accompaniment’ which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life.” 
 (Joy of the Gospel, no. 169)

To accompany others we must be willing to share in the messiness of someone else's faith journey. Evangelism/accompaniment requires relationships built on trust, respect and love.  Authentic relationships matter.

Pope Francis has identified some actions of accompaniment:

Actions

The Gospel is full of stories of how Jesus relates to others, providing us with insight and examples of how we should approach the art of accompaniment. 

Attitudes of accompaniment include tenderness, joy, open-mindedness, empathy (charitable), humility, patience, compassion, and vulnerability.  

Deacon Matt emphasizes that accompaniment begins at home! Families can make Eucharistic connections in the home. Some of his suggestions include: