Mon 30 March - Sun 05 April 2015 (week)
Holy Week Easter Retreat 
with God


Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. 
[James 4:8]
God of openness, of life and of resurrection, 
Come into this Easter season and bless me.
Look around the tight dead spaces of my heart
That still refuse to give you an entrance.
          Bring your gentle but firm love.
          Begin to lift the layers of resistance
          that hang on tightly deep inside of me.
Open, one by one, those places in my life
Where I refuse to be overcome by surprise.
Open, one by one, those parts of my heart
Where I fight the entrance of real growth.
          Open, one by one, those aspects of my spirit 
          Where my security struggles with the truth.
          Keep me open to the different and the strange
          Help me to accept the unusual and the ordinary.
God of the Resurrection, God of the living, 
Untomb and uncover all that needs to live in me.
Take me to people, events and situations
and stretch me into greater openness. 
          Open me, open me, open me.
          For it is only then that I will grow and change.
          For it is only then that I will be transformed.
          For it is only then that I will know how it is
          To be in the moment of rising from the dead.
          [Joyce Rupp]
During this most holy week in the liturgical calendar, set aside sacred time to meditate, pray, reflect, deepen your understanding, and draw nearer to God ... There will be input from different spiritual teachers, prayers and Mass, readings for reflection from Thomas Keating: "The Mystery of Christ: the Easter Ascension Mystery", Centering Prayer sessions, and space for sharing and learning from each other. We will examine the invitation and challenges presented in the above poem and look at some of the obstacles that hinder us on our spiritual journey and how to remove them. 

This retreat will take place during Holy Week. The daily schedule will vary so as to incorporate the Easter liturgy. Silence will be observed over Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Retreatants may stay for the entire week or for portions of it. Preference will be given to those who wish to come for the whole week. There is no charge for this retreat, other than normal accommodation charges in our self-catering cottages. Please see:
Draw near to me, for I have drawn near to you
Pull on the strings of my heart, for I long to respond to you.
All my love is for you - all my love is yours.
I made a place for you here, so come on, come on ...
All things are possible here, so come on, come on ...
[Bethal Music]