Greetings

Greetings from the Retreat Master

Welcome to the 2020 St. Benedict’s Abbey Advent Retreat! And what a year it has been! Have you found yourself drifting away from God during this crazy year? Have you found your peace shattered? Fr. Jacques Philippe reminds us in his book Searching for and Maintaining Peace that “…all the reasons that cause us to lose our sense of peace are bad reasons” (p.13). And if we are losing our sense of peace, then we are losing our hope.

From where does our hope come? This critical question challenges us to make sure that the foundations of our faith are secure and stable. Advent is a time to do this all-important work of recognizing our foundation and living in hope.

Without realizing it, we started by embarking on a night journey. We entered into the ship of the Church and trusting our Savior, we set out for distant shores. But then a storm arose, and we became frightened. Compared to the light of faith that we had at our initial stages of the voyage, the storms of life in this year have shaken us. If we looked carefully, perhaps we saw Christ asleep on the boat. Instead many of us were distracted by our fears and by the current events clamoring for our attention. So we let Him sleep.

But the promise of Advent is that of the coming of the Savior who is present among us today. As we travel eastwards, “the dawn from on high shall

break upon us.” The night, far spent, is waning. The darkness is turning into a dark bluish purple. The sun is not far off. Can you see it, barely rising up from the horizon? Can you hear the voice of St. John the Baptist heralding the dawn? “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!” Can you see the image of our blessed Mother Mary, rejoicing in God her Savior? That promised dawn from on high is coming … “to shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the way of peace” (the Benedictus).

Who is this peacemaker? Who is this Savior? Is this God of ours big enough to weather the storms with us, even when we think He is asleep? This may be an opportunity to reconsider who this is that calls us to follow Him. Maybe we were following our own idea of Him and not the real Savior. Advent is a time to encounter the presence of the true God again, to wait upon Him whose presence among us today is the reason hope grows in our hearts.

May this Advent season and retreat be a healing and restful time for you, as we embrace the Lord present each of these days. Know of the prayers of our monastic community for you!

Blessings and Prayers,

Fr. Jay Kythe, OSB Retreat Master