This past week Mount St. Francis offered its annual summer 8-day Directed Retreat. This reflection by a retreatant captures not only the experience of this particular retreat but of every silent retreat offered. Maybe you will consider attending one.

 – Lesley C. 

The Retreatant                    

The lines on your eyes when you smile,

they beam with joy.

The look on your face when we make

eye contact,

it shines with delight.

The winks your you’re you make in passing,

they speak of your childlike heart.

The gentle steps you take when you walk,

              they exemplify your gentle spirit.

The manner in which you eat your meals,

communicates your heartfelt gratitude.

The way you sit in contemplation,

it shows your attentiveness to the Lord.

The reverence you exhibit in chapel,

it reflects your humility.

Your presence radiates Christ’s grace and beauty.

You, the retreatant, your simple disposition testifies

to the glory of the Lord.

 

While having dinner on the fifth night of my 8-day directed retreat at Mount Saint Francis, I felt drawn to look around the dining room. I noticed how content all the retreatants looked, and they ate their meal with such gratitude. But it wasn’t just during this meal that I noticed their joyful disposition. A full disposition. It was everywhere. Everyone seemed to radiate such beauty and grace. That night I felt invited to write down my impression of them. It is this retreatant’s disposition that I’d like to embody and bring with me back to my day-to-day life.