Sunday Micro Retreat – September 18, 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 humble hearts.
Now read the Sunday's Gospel:
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
“No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Luke 16:10-13)
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. " Whoever is faithful."
Everyday life brings a lot of different opportunities in which our faithfulness is being tested. Pick a day from last week, any day, and analyze everything that happened on that day. Were you faithful to God and to others in your actions? In your words? In your thoughts? Were you faithful at work? In your friendships? In your vocation? As you analyze this day, think about everything that creates in you strong feelings. What are the feelings telling you? Are they positive or negative? Why do you think they bend one way or the other? Feelings on their own are neutral; however, they tell us a lot about our “spiritual” health. Try to name them and be as honest as possible in your statements.
2. “wealth, riches”
Here we come to another interesting point of this reading. The words “wealth and riches” are often used to describe physical items. However, those terms are much broader. They can also refer to the spiritual realm in which we are blessed by so many gifts of grace.
Now, try to recall all of the graces that you have received from God recently. How did you respond to them? Were you thankful? Or did you treat them as money in a bank account? Did you use them for the good of others? Or did you keep them for your own satisfaction or desire?
You may end this retreat by deciding to “donate” one of your gifts/talents towards a project in your community. Go online, and do some research. Is there an organization that could use your talent in a project that can benefit others? Are you willing to share your gift with others? Free of charge?
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.
|
|
|
