Welcome to our first Online Retreat!<\/strong><\/p>\n Each day of the retreat (from now until sundown, August 16) will be found on its own page, and this notice will remain at the top of the \u201cblog proper\u201d until the retreat ends. In the interest of promoting interior silence, comments will be turned off.<\/em><\/p>\n \nRETREAT START<\/strong>, beginning at Sundown, August 10, may be found here<\/a>. \nMONDAY AUGUST 11 \u2013 \u201cBe opened\/Surrender and Expectation\u201d<\/em><\/strong> TUESDAY, AUGUST 12 \u2013 \u201cSun\/Heat\/Cooling\u201d<\/em><\/strong> WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13 \u2013 \u201cChoosing Life: Hard, Messy, Challenging, Fragile Life!<\/em> \nFRIDAY, AUGUST 15 \u2013 Assumptions & Wild Honey<\/em> SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 \u2013 Depths & Surfaces<\/em> As I noted in the post below<\/a>, <\/strong>the purpose of this retreat is pretty much the same purpose as any other retreat \u2013 it is the mindful and voluntary creation of time and space, into which one steps, as through a portal. Like a portal, it is meant to take you somewhere outside of the ordinary, day-to-day worries, concerns, duties, obsessions, have-to\u2019s and compulsions. It is a reclamation of the \u201cself\u201d we tend to expend in too-great measure every day. In \u201cgiving up\u201d as much of \u201cthe world\u201d as one can reasonably do, for a limited time, we may re-order our priorities, re-discover what is really important in our real lives. Often our daily routine tends to corrupt our view, so that we begin to believe we need some things to survive \u2013 that we need<\/em> to check in on the news 5 times a day, we need<\/em> to answer some snarky remark in an internet forum. During this retreat time, I would urge you to resist the urge to follow your ordinary blog-reading\/news-reading patterns, to step away from the computer as much as possible and consider that the time you would normally spend online might be better spent snoozing in the hammock, taking a walk, visiting a neighbor or picking up an old, discarded hobby.<\/p>\n If you can, though, do try to check back<\/strong> in here at least a few times a day \u2013 at least for morning and evening, or before you head to bed \u2013 so that you can maintain the sense of \u201cretreat\u201d and of \u201cregrouping.\u201d<\/p>\n Try, also, to pop in here<\/a>, and allow yourself to bask in the mysterious interior silence it brings about.<\/p>\n Also, if possible, jot down your thoughts,<\/strong> keep a sort of \u201cretreat journal\u201d of anything that \u201cspeaks\u201d to you, with an idea that perhaps whatever struck you, and inspired you to mark it in your \u201cjournal\u201d, is something that is just for you,<\/em> something that is meant for you to dwell on and explore a little bit.<\/p>\n Retreats combine periods of silence, withdrawal and rest with periods of mental and\/or spiritual activity. This retreat, presented by a Catholic, will sometimes veer unavoidably into the Christian, but will bring other \u2013 hopefully surprising \u2013 points of view from other religions and even from the musings of avowed secularists, everyday. There will be invitations to meditate on scripture, poetry, fine art, \u201chigh\u201d culture, books and prayer. There is a plan to include audio recordings of your hostess chanting vespers or compline (prayer before sleep) \u2013 and hopefully that will work out \u2013 but if it does not, that will be okay. Let\u2019s all be content to be led.<\/p>\n Since only a superior sort of being could put together such an undertaking alone (and I am no superior being), look for some familiar names to show up over the course of the next few days as some bloggers have graciously consented to my using their photos, past musings, book excerpts, private journeys and (in a few cases) new posts they have specially and specifically prepared for you<\/em>, in hopes that it helps to deepen and enrich your retreat experience. Thanks in advance to Ann Althouse<\/a>, Deacon Greg Kandra<\/a>, Patrick O\u2019 Hannigan<\/a>, Happy Catholic<\/a>, Vanderleun<\/a>, Spiritual Things Matter<\/a>, Dick Meyer<\/a>, Ed Morrissey<\/a>, Siggy<\/a>, and readers Nora and Dick. A few others will be showing up later in the week!<\/p>\n As their feast days fall within the week<\/strong>, I am putting this online retreat under the patronage of St. Clare of Assisi<\/a> (who is also the patroness of television\/screen communications) and St. Maximilian Kolbe<\/a>, and also Our Lady of the Cenacle<\/a> (the Upper Room in which Mary and the Apostles gathered and prayed awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit), St. Michael the Archangel<\/a>, St. Benedict<\/a> (hopefully he\u2019ll help my chants!), St. Therese of Lisieux<\/a>, (she understood the power of little things\u2026hopefully she\u2019ll pray for the success of this little retreat, for all of us) and St. Gerard Majella<\/a>, my blog-patron for this year.<\/p>\n All you holy men and women, you angels, pray for us and for our intentions as we begin, and throughout this week.<\/p>\n :NOTE::::Check this post (below photo) for links to latest retreat posts::::END: Welcome to our first Online Retreat! Each day of the retreat (from now until sundown, August 16) will be found on its own page, and this notice will remain at the top of the \u201cblog proper\u201d until the retreat ends. In the interest of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,41,44,48,62,96,163,165,194,203,209,225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookchat","category-buster","category-catholicism","category-chesterton","category-culture-of-lifedeath","category-faith","category-liturgy-of-the-hours","category-mary","category-online-retreat-08","category-philosophy","category-prayer","category-saints"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.patheos.com\/community\/sites\/7\/2011\/01\/Hammockretreat3-1-2.jpg\")
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\n \u2014 First meditation<\/em><\/strong> (Sunday Night) is here<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n \u2014 Morning<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 Noon Meditation<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 3 PM \u2013 The Wonder Hour<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 6 PM \u2013 Ephphatha, Be Opened!<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 9 PM \u2013 Peaceful Mind\/Compline<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n \u2014 Morning<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 Noontime in the Light<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 3 PM \u2013 the Wonder Hour; Lightening!<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 6 PM \u2013 The Cooling Shade<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 9 PM \u2013 Be-ing. And Centered.<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n \u2014 <\/strong>Morning<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 Noon: Chances to Choose<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 3 PM Wonder Hour; Go With the Throw!
\n \u2014 6 PM; Cutting Up an Ox<\/a><\/strong><\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 9 PM; Stones in the River\/Compline<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nTHURSDAY, AUGUST 14 \u2013 \u201cVirtues and Reflections\u201d<\/em>
\n \u2014 <\/strong>Morning; Sacrifice<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 Noon; Greatness in Littleness<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 3 PM Wonder Hour; \u201cPoof!\u201d<\/a><\/strong>
\n \u2014 9 PM; In the Stillness<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n \u2014 Morning<\/a>
\n \u2014 Noon; Hope is a Thing\u2026<\/a>
\n \u2014 3 PM \u2013 Wonder Hour; On the Radio<\/a>
\n \u2014 6 PM-; Vespers of the Assumption<\/a>
\n \u2014 9 PM \u2013 Meditation Before Sleep<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n \u2014 Coming to the Surface<\/a>
\n \u2014 Noon; Planning Brings Change<\/a>
\n \u2014 3 PM; Books & Chat<\/a>
\n \u2014 Sundown; Close of Retreat\/Vespers & Compline<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n