Retreats, Revivals, Into the Wilderness

The first retreats in the Old Testament were those of Moses & Elijah. You know, the ones where Moses sees God in the burning bush, brings back the Ten Commandments and Elijah hides in the cave waiting for the “still, small voice . . . . ”

Protestants have revivals. Catholics, being the more “I prefer experiencing the Spirit kneeling in silence under the stars, thanks” type, have retreats. And oh, do we like them.

Ignatian exercises, high school senior retreats, Confirmation class retreats, engagement encounter, marriage encounter, Quo Vadis?, Cursillo, TEC, etc. . . . . Frankly, the creative Catholic with some cash could spend his whole life on retreat.

The first retreat we read about in the New Testament was that of John the Baptist. Needing to get away from it all to hear fully God’s voice, he headed off into the desert, living on locusts and wild honey. This diet didn’t appeal to the majority of stressed-out Israelites at the time, so the full retreat series didn’t really catch on.

His most prominent retreatant, Jesus of Nazareth, went for forty days of testing by Satan in the wilderness. While being tempted by the devil doesn’t really “sell the experience” on a tri-fold brochure (although that was one heck of an impressive mountain view Satan used to encourage Jesus to toss himself off of), the wilderness retreat and discernment style has caught on in certain circles.

The desert fathers and mothers three centuries later did battle with their passions in the desert in a life-long retreat from society, but people were beginning to find the very cheek of their vocation so very attractive, they were seeking these holy men and women out and bugging them for “a word.” Despite responses so obscure that any retreat leader today would be asked for a refund, they kept returning, and returning, and returning to beg insight from these poor hermits. Hence Benedict of Nursia’s appeal for every monastery to have a place of hospitality for strangers. No Holiday Inns out in the wilderness.

For the record, there is no history of drum-making as a spiritual act in Christian retreats. Or, in the case of many personally attended Confirmation Retreats -- there is also no history of playing Steal the Flag, doing funny skits, or having organized contests of how many cookies you can cram into your mouth.

We still have retreats, in the equivalent of a desert in our modern society: that is, any place with green space and no TV. Most retreatants today are more tempted by turning on the cell phone than the Evil One in the desert, but perhaps that is our own burden of which we try to let go in a retreat: our comfort, our control, our arsenal of distractions at the ready. Catholics like retreats because as Christians, we know we need a spiritual discipline to turn off the noise to hear the still, small whisper in the wind that is God’s voice. And while we see and know God in relationship with each other, there is nothing like turning into that gentle blowing, listening to God call you by name.


Big H/T: This is a post by Ironic Catholic I found it @ Stuff Catholics Like
Please note, I have taken huge paraphrase and text addition privileges here.