The Importance of Retreats

It is essential to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in order to be a good disciple of Jesus. Saint Seraphim of Sarov says: “The Christian life does not consist in fasting, sacrifices, and so on, but in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.” We receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism, at Confirmation, through the other sacraments, in prayer, and so forth. But in these latter days, one of the ways in which the Holy Spirit is also powerfully communicated to us is the Outpouring of the Spirit in charismatic groups, in retreats, and in other movements such as the Movement of the Incarnation. Retreats are therefore of the utmost importance for anyone who wants the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in his life.

The necessity of retreats in the life of a man or a woman.

Once my wife and I had to face a dilemma. We were truly short of money and were in danger of going hungry. It was at that very moment that we were invited to a two-week retreat. To us the answer seemed obvious: we could not go. And our work? And the house? If we went on this retreat, what would we live on afterward? In short, reason told us not to go. So we prayed together, and the Word the Lord gave us (that is, the one that fit our situation well) was: “Seek first the kingdom, and everything else will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33). So we decided to go. We have never regretted it. Since then we have each made more than a hundred retreats.

What is a retreat?

A retreat is like a time of healing. It can also be compared to merchants who sometimes stop their business to take stock of their shop: “Thus says the Lord. Stand at the crossroads and take stock. Ask about the ancient paths. Where is the road to happiness? Then follow it, and you will find rest for yourselves” (Jeremiah 6:16).

The Church and retreats

Holy men and women of the spirit have understood the necessity of retreats. Moses spends a long time in retreat on the mountain, where he receives the Ten Commandments. Jesus spends forty days of retreat in the desert. In the Upper Room, the disciples live a time of retreat and prayer. They shut themselves in for fifty days and experience Pentecost. Even when we do not feel spiritually ill, we must go to listen to God. The Church herself strongly encourages retreats. The bishops and the Pope have their retreats. All have understood that man needs to withdraw from everyday life in order to re-examine his soul and his relationship with God, so as to give new momentum to his life. Once again, it is a time we set aside, a certain number of days, to be with God and to listen to Him.

Resistance to taking part in retreats

When retreats are mentioned, some people feel challenged, but many more are scandalized: why so many retreats? A great five-day retreat? What are we going to do for five days? Who will look after the house? My work? And more expenses on top of it. All these reasons are valid, but they are just as valid as those given by the guests in Luke 14:15–24. Each one had a good reason to say ‘no’ to the invitation. But the master was angered by his guests’ excuses. So the master gives these excuses hardly any weight, and Jesus even says, in the continuation of that same parable in Luke 14:25–27: “Whoever prefers his father, his mother, his wife, his husband, his fields (his affairs) to me is not worthy of me.” The time to be devoted to retreats is really quite small, a mere fraction of your time; for if you had a bereavement or a wedding in your family, what would you not do to be able to attend it? And yet we are not always ready to make the effort and the sacrifice for God, even though everything we have comes from Him. Some years ago, during a retreat, my wife, who was expecting a child, was at risk of going into labor. But that was not her concern, and the Lord gave her extraordinary strength. After the retreat, other women told her they could not get over how strong she had been. It was the strength of the Holy Spirit, because just before the retreat she could barely get up.

Encouragement to attend the retreat.

So whatever difficulty we encounter regarding retreats, we must make an effort to take part in them. First of all, the sincere desire to take part in retreats must be in your heart, and then you will be able to make arrangements: bring in someone to look after the children, begin asking your employer for leave from work, and discuss it in advance with your spouse.

The fruits of retreats

After a retreat lived well, one can no longer be the same man, the same woman. Saint Ignatius of Loyola says: “After a retreat, after the Spiritual Exercises, the person is completely changed.” You will look at the world with different eyes. It is like a healing you receive: from a state of death to a state of life. You discover the true meaning of your life. And this will be felt in your family, in your group, and even in the Church. You truly discover the joy of living. The retreat heals the soul and binds up wounds. There are many graces you receive during prayer. I can no longer count the wonders I have witnessed or experienced at retreats. You also receive many spiritual graces. For my part, I never stop listing the spiritual graces received at retreats. You may spend five years in the group, but if you do not attend retreats, your spiritual life will struggle to grow. You will always be like a child who lacks certain nourishment, like a baby who is still fed only on milk. But he cannot grow normally, because there comes a time when the body demands more solid food for its development.

Helping others to experience a retreat.

The joy of a retreat must be shared. Let us bring with us those we love, those who are dear to our hearts. If, among those around us, we meet God all alone, our joy will not be complete. All the more so because the world suffers greatly. And if our loved ones are not warned, they will die spiritually. The best gift you can offer those close to you is to lead them to a deep experience of God, and retreats are an ideal moment for this.

In the Word of God group, we want to renew the inner self (Rom 12:1–2) so that renewed people may live and communicate the Word of God. Pope Paul VI says that there can be no new world without men renewed by a true interior conversion. One of the important instruments we use for this renewal of our being is the retreat.

Henri Bayemi