Just wanted to make a quick post about our retreat. My friend John and I spent 3 and a half days in relative quiet and prayer. The big excitement with this retreat was the huge snowstorm that slammed the East Coast. I guess we got about 2 feet of snow on Saturday and were pretty much house bound. The nice thing was that we ended up having meals with the 4 priests and one brother in residence. Usually, we eat out but because we were snowbound they were kind enough to ask us to join them for meals.
It was a rather difficult few days for me. I was not feeling good at all and I felt kind of guilty because I know that I was lacking in spirit and energy. My friend, John was very understanding and, at 80 years old and with severe arthritis, he wasn’t about to be doing a lot of moving around anyway. But I am usually in better spirits.
It was nice to continue the consecration preparation in a retreat environment (albeit an informal retreat environment). I did try very hard to center much of my prayer and reflection around Mary and the consecration.
As I write this, another foot and a half of snow is in the process of falling outside. Snow usually brings out my inner child but I am not able to muster much enthusiasm for this extraordinary weather event. We will likely be housebound tomorrow which will be the last day of preparation before my consecration. I hope that I can use the time productively and reflect on this significant commitment accordingly.
The image at the top of the post is a statue of Jesus and Mary just next to the cottage in which we stayed last weekend. It had finished snowing a couple of hours earlier. It seemed appropriate to capture this image in the stillness of a cold, snowy evening.
I’m so happy you were able to get there, Terry, and that neither the snow nor your feeling so unwell physically prevented you from going. The statue is beautiful in the night and snow. I was just thinking how meaningful that your informal retreat takes place with an order that is dedicated to the Sacred Hearts, and the statue is of Jesus and Mary together. It seems so fitting for the last days of your consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, because we go to Jesus through Mary, and the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart are Two Hearts United. Tomorrow when I’m at the office I am going to try my best to go to St. Pat’s on my lunch hour and go to confession, Mass and Holy Communion, then spend a few minutes at the Marian side altar where I made my own consecration and renewals, to thank her for bringing you through the consecration and to be united with you in prayer for your Consecration Day. God bless you, Terry.
Thank you so very much Gabrielle. I did think about the Sacred Hearts and the appropriate nature of the timing and of the prominent place the hearts of Jesus and Mary took at this point in the consecration prep.
I look forward to the consecration as an honor and all I can pray for is to be united with Mary in serving Our Lord and the one other thing I never stop praying for…peace in my mind and heart!