A Men’s Retreat
Saturday, July 20, 2019
8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Our Lady of the Mountains Church
How is a man who believes in Jesus Christ supposed to live his life here in the United States in 2019? We can learn something about the answer to this question by starting with the words from the Book of Genesis: “God created man in His image.”
Join other men from our valley for a day-long retreat exploring what it actually means to be “created in God’s image”. We’ll spend time learning what the Bible tells us about this, what early Fathers of the Church said, and what teachers of the faith today have to say. And we’ll share each other’s ideas. While it will be both a prayerful & educational day, we’ll certainly have a great opportunity for fellowship; and everyone should leave with concrete ideas on how to apply what we’ve learned to our busy and complicated lives today…how to “live” what we were created to be!
This retreat will be led by Deacon Dr. Doug Vlchek, PhD, of Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church. Breakfast and lunch will be served!
For more information email: dvlchek@aol.com
What is a Retreat?
A retreat is a time for God; and a retreat is a time for each of us. It’s a time for assessing our relationship with God. A retreat nurtures our spiritual life in an environment away from the ordinary distractions of life.
In scriptures, we read that Jesus, Himself, would simply go off and pray.
Each and every one of us needs time to be alone, away from distractions. A retreat provides us with this opportunity. As men, we need this time. Time to pause and discern where we are, where we are going, where we want to be, and how we get there. A retreat provides this time.
It's a chance to pull away from the “rat race.” Most of us are speeding through complicated lives, faced with challenges and choices with no time to deal with experiences and feelings. Many of us could use a day to rest, regroup, reassess how things are going, and refocus. As someone said recently to me, there’s no space in my life, no “margins” to handle what comes up, much less process it.
So, what happens on spiritual retreats? Although retreat themes and topics vary, you can expect time for quiet reflection, as well as input from a speaker, spiritual reading, and Scripture. A guided retreat will offer exercises or questions for processing life experiences or relationships.
Being alone and being quiet can be unappealing or even scary for many in our fast-paced driven culture, yet despite our fear or discomfort with silence, our spirits NEED quiet. Many years ago, Alvin Toffler, in his book “Future Shock”, concluded that humans could not keep up with the rapid accelerating pace of change. We need time to ponder, to realize, to learn, to listen to our deeper, truer self. That’s what retreats offer us—time and space.
If something is stirring you to think about making a retreat, you can pretty much count on the fact that God is inviting you to come aside and receive the grace, guidance, refreshment that He wishes for you, that you NEED at this point in your life. It will be a time of insight and renewal, and if nothing else, rest. Retreat is a time to learn the sound of your own soul, to tap into the wisdom you have within, and to listen to the precious voice of the One who knows you.
