RETREAT FOR PRIESTS
September 19-23, 2016
At the outset of the Retreat, conducted in Nav Sadhana Regional Pastoral Centre, Varanasi from Sept. 19 to 23, 2016, Rev. Fr. Oscar Nazareth, Animator of the Retreat, emphasized that the Retreat is the time to relax, reflect and renew one’s life; it is not to know the Lord, but to know more oneself through the Lord who has called all; therefore, allow oneself to be lead, guided, trained and possessed by the Holy Spirit. He initiated the retreat with the passage of Jesus withdrawing to pray on the mountain after the multiplication of the bread.
On the first day he spoke on Rosary. He stated that Rosary is Christological meditation praying with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Each mystery that we recite should be meditated on the salvific role of Jesus Christ. It is not praying to Our Lady or Marian devotion, but it is praying with Mother Mary to Risen Christ. On the second day he pointed out that apathy is the most dangerous thing that commonly prevailing among the modern clergy, which is to be overcome to reflect the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in the priestly life. Speaking on human suffering he adumbrated that it is inevitable experience of every human being; Pain causes abnormality to the body and the suffering causes abnormality to the soul/spirit/mind. It is to be offered to the Lord for a noble cause rather than cursing and withdrawing from the Risen Jesus. On the third day, he enlightened that the life of Jesus was life of contradiction and conflict. Similarly, a genuine priestly life becomes a life of contradiction and conflict and every Christian is at warfare with the world. On the fourth day he reflected along with the retreatants the sense of sin: sins of commission and omission, need of reconciliation and rapprochement; the root cause of sin is pride and selfishness. On the fifth day he stressed on the need of compassion as the Lord Jesus and St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata practiced. Compassion is the ultimate flowering of love. Love is the flower; compassion is the fragrance of the flower, which reaches all without any restrictions. On the final day the retreat got over with the Eucharist; all are to bear witness to the Lord Jesus and His message strengthened by the Eucharist. The participants were happy with clean, green and serene place of Nav Sadhana as well as the experience of cordiality and hospitality.
