Sunday Micro Retreat – August 7, 2022
As you begin your time of reflection, try to realize that you are standing on holy ground and in the presence of God who wants to talk to you and listen to you.
Make the Sign of the Cross. The Holy Spirit is opening your heart and mind so the Word of God that you are about to read can flourish in you for God's glory. Pray that you continue to work with his grace. Let the words or your prayer flow from your mind through your heart. Try to "feel" what you are saying.
Is there anything you would like to ask God now? What graces does your heart desire? Talk to God about it.
Today, we ask for the grace of readiness for service.
Now read the Sunday's Gospel:
Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. (Luke 12:35-40)
The Word of God touches everyone differently. If there is anything that really stood out for you in this reading, meditate on it. Go to the depths of your heart and listen to what God is trying to say to you.
Next, let's spend some time with a couple of points that you may consider during this Sunday's Retreat:
1. " Be dressed for action"
Literally, the original text of this line is Stand, your waist having been belted. Surprisingly, this image of a person who has tucked his long robe under his belt is an image that is found in the Bible in other passages too. It refers to a person who is dressed this way in order to run. It also signifies that this person is fully ready to run when the signal is given. Therefore, we are not dealing with someone waiting until the last moment to start this action.
Therefore, review your readiness to be sent out where God wants to send you.
When you hear about God’s plans for you, will you be in a position to “run” or will you think about what is the best “outfit” for where you have to go?
How do you think you can stay prepared at all times?
What do you think is your “run”? your calling?
2. “He will come and serve them”
Think about how powerful the image of the Lord serving his servants is. Think about how blessed are those whom Jesus will serve.
Can you imagine yourself among those who Jesus will serve? If yes, why? If not, why not?
Now, let’s flip the coin, and imagine yourself serving those who are the cause of pain and suffering in your life. How do you feel now? Are you able to serve them the way Jesus served you? Can those people say that they are blessed because you came to serve them in spite of all the hurt that you may have experienced from them?
You may end this retreat by listening to The Servant Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdmgpMfnjdU
It is good to keep a personal journal in which reflections that stood out for you are recorded. The outcome of those Sunday Micro Retreats is good material that you can talk about in your spiritual direction.
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