โ๐๐๐ฎ ๐
๐๐๐ , ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ง๐ค๐ค๐ข ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ก๐๐๐?โ โ ๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ก๐ก
Two weekends ago, my brother Matt and I stepped away from the noise of everyday life and attended a 42-hour Silent Retreat at Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown, NJ. Matt and I have both attended Loyola retreats in the past โ but this was the first time our schedules aligned for us to experience one together โ a real blessing.
For nearly two days and nights there were no interruptions, no rushing from one obligation to another โ just silence. Time for prayer, scripture, and the opportunity to reflect on the meaningful talks given by the Jesuit priests that always stretch and deepen your understanding of where God may be calling you at this moment of your life.
My interest in retreats began more than ten years ago when my dear friend Bill of our Menโs Cornerstone Ministry at St. Rose Church in Belmar, NJ asked me a simple, but life-changing question:ย โHey Jack, are you leaving enough room for God in your life?โ
That question echoes a central theme of Francis Thompsonโs beautiful poem โThe Hound of Heavenโย โ that relentless, tender pursuit of a God who never stops chasing us, even when we have stopped looking for Him.
In a world that rewards busyness, we often mistake constant motion for meaning, leaving precious little room for the still, small voice calling us to something deeper in our careers, in our relationships, and in our sense of purpose.
The Jesuit retreat tradition invites us to slow down and sit in the silence. To ask not only whatย weย are trying to do โ but whatย Godย may be inviting us into.
This retreat came at a defining moment for me as I just completed theย 19th Annotationย โ the full Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius โ a year-long journey of prayer and discernment which opened up a new question of where God is calling me in this next chapter?
What the silence revealed for me was simple and clear: God is drawing me more deeply into helping people heal from loss, to sit with them in their grief, and accompany them toward a more hopeful future.
So, I ask you the same question Bill had asked me โย “Are you leaving enough room for God in your life?“
โขย For the most important people in your life?
โขย For your colleagues, friends, and those you serve with in ministry?
โขย And to ask God to help guide your decisions in tending to your own self-care?
If something is beginning to stir inside of you, consider attending a Loyola Jesuit retreat. It just might be the best investment you ever make in yourself, your family, your faith, and your future.
Wishing you Godโs abundant blessings, Dr. K ๐ โค๏ธ ๐
#LoyolaJesuitCenter #FindingGodInAllThings #19thAnnotation #SpiritualExercises #FourthQuarter #CareerTransitions
