Be still?

These folks played a big part in making this a great retreat!

Lennie, Del, and our retreat master Br. Charlie

Silent conversion or conversation?

One with God

Peaceful

Enjoying the cool breeze after signing our lives over to the Church
(we still have time to reconsider!)

Be still and know that I am God...

Come away and rest a while...

I have loved you with an everlasting love...

These are some of the verses playing through my mind for the past few days as I and my companions struggled through our diaconate ordination silent retreat.

I've been on silent retreat before, and so perhaps I was a little bit more prepared for the unstructured nature of focusing on my relationship with God.  Even so, I was frustrated by the lack of "space" as the hot weather all but forced me to stay mostly indoors.  I wanted to venture into nature, into that sacred space that God created.  Sad to say, though, I got a barren field of dirt and a few shady spot that wasn't exactly inspiring.  Oh, boy, God is going to have a tough time getting through, or so I thought.