Early Christian Retreat

In order to not get distracted, the community must practice prayer to stay in contact with God. As mentioned above, once they stop thinking about God, they get distracted by other things such as material possessions. That is why it is important for them to stay in constant contact with God, via prayer and serving the poor. By staying in constant contact with God, this community can focus on their task of serving the poor. Overall, the lifestyle of a strict prayer regime is done by de Paul’s community to ensure they stay focused on their ultimate goal of serving the

With reference to Peta Goldburg’s (2012) Transforming religious education: Implications from the Second Vatican Council, the following discussion will review and critique the important religious education approaches that has had an impact on the Catholic schooling system for the past fifty years, and also help shape the contemporary classroom we teach in today.

Henri J. M. Nouwen’s book, Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, examines three aspects of spiritual movement in which he unveils how humanity relates to self, others, and God to achieve true spirituality. The first movement revealed is the movement from loneliness to solitude, second is the movement from hostility to hospitality, and finally, is the movement from illusion to prayer.

Bonhoeffer makes a good point when he talks about the importance of being alone, and being immersed within community. He summarizes the idealistic situations in which people are interacted with certain groups- whether that be living in a small home within a larger family, and also finding time of quiet to regroup and provide clarity to freshen your ways. Although being in solitude can be beneficial, Bonhoeffer also reveals that it is not healthy to always be alone. In this chapter Bonhoeffer mentions three important purposes for which the Christian needs a definite time when he can be alone throughout the day: Prayer, Scripture meditation, and intercession. Together, these practices all have their place throughout the day of meditation.

For the followers of the Holiness Church in the Appalachian Mountain region, serpent handling is a central activity at their religious meetings. Following a passage in the Gospel of Mark, followers are instructed to “take up serpents” and trust in God enough to put their lives at risk. This rather unique religious ritual can be analyzed and understood by looking towards the MacMillan definition of religion. The MacMillan Encyclopedia of Religion states “[…] almost every known culture [has] a depth dimension in cultural experiences […] toward some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life. When more or less distinct patterns of behavior are built around this depth dimension in a culture, this

Every single person in the world, regardless of their race, religion or gender, is different. Therefore, there is more than one way to reach God, enlightenment, or whatever each respected person chooses to believe in. In Christianity, there are two main paths taken to reach the divine; the communal path embracing obedience and the individual route which focuses on asceticism. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and The Rule of St. Benedict in English reveal what each road to the divine entails while explaining how the ascetic hermits and monks live for the mutual goal of reaching unity with God.

In (Matthew 6:6 NIV), Jesus explains the merits of praying to the lord God and the reward of inner peace, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret: and your father who sees in secret will reward you.” It is through this conversation with God that Christians pursue peace in their lives. Prayer can either be private or communal, spontaneous prayer is one way that charismatic communities can come closer to God. The act of prayer allows believers to have a personal conversation with God; it alleviates stress attributed to the monotony of everyday life. Besides prayer, meditation is another way of attaining inner peace, it is an ancient practice within the Christian tradition, which has undertaken a recent revival, a global group that reaffirms the concept of praying and meditating for inner peace is Taizé. Not as popular as prayer and meditation, Lectio Divina, generally known as bible studies is a way for Christians to feel connected to God and to finally attain inner peace. The studying of the sacred scriptures on a day to day basis and reflecting on prayers also maintain a continual connection with God. It is vital to maintain equilibrium between prayer and service, whereby an individual fathoms the notion ‘ora et labora’, in order to equally partake in both prayer, and the concept of action whereby ora develops inner peace, which is mirrored through the

The idea of serene solitude within the intensity of society was crucial for many Transcendentalists as it helped to find themselves which makes the idea especially valuable. In today’s world, it is safe to say that people are always busy, moving from task to task, going to work and back home, only to wake up the next day and do it all again. The idea of total solitude within a frenetic, yet monotonous lifestyle fully exists, but for many, solitude cannot be a luxury for them to acquire. Along with still existing in modern society, solitude is a value and a virtue that is taken for granted by many. Seclusion from the ills and pains of modern society may or may not be an advantage for the individual, but it is up to them to make that discovery.

The conclusion of the book mentions the importance of spiritual guidance, and the importance of prayer. Prayer is not only to be done is solitude, but

This religion consists of the belief in one God and one God only as well as purity of the soul of its members. Although some may believe the Catholic Church does not have a unique culture, the religion has shown a very active role in society as it is easily the largest religion internationally and is often associated with education. During the residential school era, the Catholic Church was as active in youth education as it ever had been and believed this association with education could strengthen the faith. The system of education used was “strict and efficient” (Hanson) and similar to the native ways, practiced worship, prayer, charity, and tradition. Overall the mentality and history of this religion may be different to that of native ways, however, when analyzed well enough it is difficult to not see the many hidden

The order was different in that the priests did not wear a habit, they did not pray the Office (daily prayers said by priests and monks), there was no hierarchical structure, and they did the work that the pope ordered them to do (Cunningham 205). The order believed that the problems of the Church were more of a people’s problem than a doctrine problem (Lindberg 335). They thought that if a believer masters his will and follows God freely, then there would be no need for reform (Lindberg 335). According to the Jesuits, “Catholics had fallen away from pure faith by not participating in pure obedience to the hierarchical Church,” (Holder 197). The priests went all over the world, spreading the word of God in places like India, South America, and China (Holder 198). The order also established many colleges as well to teach their ways (Holder 199). They practised an untraditional type of prayer called “interior prayer” (Holder 197). It was a “form of silent prayer that sought out God in the inner recesses of the believer’s soul” (Holder 197). Loyola wrote a book called the Spiritual Exercises which “was to be used as a handbook designed to help somebody guide another through a program of reflections and meditations that would lead to a deeper sense of purpose in life and to a deeper commitment to the ideal of Jesus” (qtd. in Holder 199). The idea of this order is similar to another order in Spain, who saw that self-reform, and not conflict, was the

In the late medieval period, there was a ugre for the direct experience with God, whether through private, interior ecstasy or mystical illumination. Christ and the apostles presented an image of radical simplicity, and using the life of

The journey through life is certainly not an easy one. As Madonna brilliantly sang, “Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone;” I believe we all must experience on our own. Although our family and loved ones may of tried to shelter some of us as children, facing our own obstacles was inevitable. I believe silence provides us with the tranquility we need to adhere to our beliefs; the world is filled with distractions, by eliminating the diversions in our lives, we are able to concentrate more on our spirituality. I feel people's surroundings play a big role on their perception of life, being around people is healthy, we are designed to socialize. Although, being one with nature allows us to divide ourselves from mingling with others, and appreciate the blessings God has offered us, such as the sense of sight and all of its wonders. I believe imagination and faith go hand in hand; Since God can not be physically viewed, we must imagine the Lord's presence. Through the combination of solitude, silence, imagination and nature, we are able to develop a sense of respect for our spirituality, and truly find the sacred within ourselves.

I will explore a few of unique approaches as outlined in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola. I will describe my experience of integrating some of the concepts of spiritual direction into my practice.

The catholic four common core questions, what is our relationship to God, How does one live a life of meaning and purpose, what is our relationship with the natural world and how can we form a more just society for the common good can be answered differently. However, the great books in the Catholic Intellectual tradition answered these questions in a broad distinctive way. This essay will examine the question, what is our relationship with God, from the view point of three writers, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton and Pope Paul. What is our relationship with God was a better one answered by these writers. Most Christians refer a relationship with God to praying and communicating with him. As an explanation, many well-meaning Christians will explain that you can develop a personal relationship with God by “seeing Jesus. However, the great books in the Catholic Intellectual tradition such as Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness, Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain, etc. have a broader explanation of our relationship with God. They say a relationship with God is being fully human, living a meaningful life and having a relationship with the triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.