LIFE IS GOOD (AND SO IS GOD)

As I write this, I’m in Assisi as part of my winter retreat. I have been blessed with many moments of grace, and I want to share some of them with you to let you know what my time away means and does for me.

The walk from Assisi to the Porziuncola is about 2 miles, and I have done it a couple of times, with my Dad’s Rosary in hand. It’s such a peaceful, prayerful walk (PTL, it’s downhill). It has also given me the chance to concelebrate Mass there at Santa Maria degli Angeli.

I’ve had the blessing of concelebrating also in the Cathedral of San Rufino and the Basilica of Santa Chiara, and I’ve had the joy of doing Morning Prayers and devotions in the chapel where the San Damiano Crucifix is preserved.

I’ve been to San Damiano to enjoy Evening Prayer and Adoration, and I’ll be back again there tomorrow (Thursday).

I’ve had special encounters with priests and “ordinary (!)” folks in the course of my time here; they’ve been moments of grace I could never have planned.

What does this teach me (or, what should it teach me if only I’d learn)? St Ignatius Loyola insisted that the end (= purpose) of the Spiritual Exercises is to find God in all things. But this means one must be prepared to be surprised. Why did I meet a person this past evening on the streets of Assisi (“by accident”?) with whom I made a genuine encounter? Was I open to seeing this grace? This time, I was—probably because of being “on retreat.” Otherwise? Sometimes yes, sometimes no…

Other signs of love have been all around me, including this evening’s incredible sunset (pictures on Facebook soon). Photos can never do justice to the reality of the beauty of creation!

You may have seen some of the spectacular images of the end of Christmas season here in Assisi that I’ve posted on Facebook. They are signs of joy and of hope. Can we embrace those values?

This is a short message because I have “miles to go before I sleep”— many other prayerful experiences before I return to Alabama. I will do what I can to be open to these encounters, and so I will have experienced this retreat to the fullest, even if some of the graces are ones I don’t recognize except in retrospect.
-Fr. David