In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to a life of radical trust and generosity, urging us to sell what we have, give to the poor, and follow Him. These words are a challenge to live a life detached from the things of this world and to make room for the things of heaven. The rich young man was drawn to Jesus but couldn’t let go of his possessions. How often do we find ourselves clinging to what we think we need, rather than trusting in the abundance God promises?

 

This call is not simply about giving away our material wealth—it’s about letting go of anything that hinders us from entering into the fullness of life that God offers. Take some time to think about it. What seeds are we planting and nurturing in the garden of our life? Are they seeds that will bear fruit for God’s kingdom, or are we investing in things that wither and fade?

 

At our upcoming second annual retreat, “Seeds of Contemplation”, we will explore this idea more deeply. Just as we cannot expect a bountiful harvest from a garden we haven’t planted, we cannot expect the fruits of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord—if we don’t tend the garden of our spiritual life. God’s grace is always at work, but we must cooperate with it, planting seeds of prayer, contemplation, and love.

 

Over the last two years I have planted some tomatoes and herbs with varied success. Some of these I planted in the planter boxes and others I planted directly in the earth. I tilled the soil, fertilized it and irrigated it all. The challenge with the planter boxes was the only nutrients the plants got were whatever I put into the planter box. If I did not put any fertilizer in there, sadly the herbs died, however, I found when I added the appropriate fertilizer the herbs thrived! The tomatoes that were not in the planter box fared much better without the extra fertilizer because the roots could go down deep into the rich soil of the earth.

 

The environment of our family life and our work lives often follow the limitation of the planter box—we need to add lots of fertilizer for the growth to happen. We need to tend to the limited environment in our lives to reap some fruit, we need to dig deeper into the soil of life to reach the nutrients to bear fruit. We can do this through a quality prayer life, however sometimes we settle ourselves with our roots only growing on the surface. Our challenge is to grow our roots deeper to nourish ourselves in a deeper way and those around us.

 

I invite you to join us for this special weekend retreat on Friday, October 25th & Saturday, October 26th, where we will learn how to cultivate the seeds of contemplation in our hearts and lives taking the time to:

  • Slow down and be still: disconnect from the world and focus on your spiritual life
  • Contemplate goodness: explore the beauty and richness of life’s simple moments and creation
  • Find new ways to pray: discover the power of reflection and meditation in your daily life.

 

Please join us for this weekend of spiritual growth and renewal. Our entire parish campus will be transformed into a retreat center, with adoration, beautiful prayer spaces, meditation walk, labyrinth, art activity, small group sharing and delicious meals. This is a unique opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and enter a space where you can learn to pray more deeply and intentionally.

 

We will guide you how to pray more deeply and to put down deeper roots into the soil of our lives. We will also outline the steps to cultivate the planter box of our family environments to help all to grow spiritual fruits. Together, we will reflect on how we can make room for God’s grace and sow the seeds that will bear much fruit in our relationship with Him.

 

Like last year we will serve dinner on Friday night, and breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday. I am delighted to announce that we will be joined by nationally recognized Catholic musician and composer Trevor Thomson who has written many of the songs we sing each week. A link to some of his songs here. Our Meredith Augustin will also join us for that weekend and guide us through some beautiful prayerful liturgies that will enrich our souls.

 

Invite a friend and come together. Let’s grow in faith, planting seeds that will blossom into a life rooted in God’s love. We look forward to seeing you there! More information here and registration link here.

 

God bless,

 

Fr. Brendan