On the Saturday morning of the Magis retreat, Debbie (MI staff) softly spoke the words of Isaiah 40:31.

'Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired. They will walk and not get weary'. She also said 'God is closer to you then you are to yourself.

Recently I have felt somewhat weary, tired and frightened. How that Isaiah quote appealed to me- spoke to my very core. And God knowing me - understanding me, getting all my oddities, my pains, my joys, my hopes, my doubts, my leaps of faith, my anger, my desolation and my fears? How comforting! And the simple message that all I have to do is wait for God to gain this new strength.

Out of seemingly nowhere over the weekend I remembered a haunting, fragile song I heard a long time ago: 'Jesus love never failed me yet'. I sang this to myself several times over the weekend and just checked it up on YouTube on my return, to find that the song is actually 'Jesus blood never failed me yet'. I think the meaning is more or less the same but I find it bizarre to realise that I swapped 'blood' to 'love' as I am alive today having had successful treatment for leukaemia – a disorder of the blood - 8 years ago – a time I welcomed God, Jesus, Mary, Matt Talbot, Oliver Plunkett and Little Flower back into my life. I welcomed prayer, hymns and religious symbols back into my life and opened up to meditation, Buddha and mantras as well!

I've just spent a short weekend, in directed silence retreat, with the presence of other young adults – a small community - also in silence, interspersed with the gentle spoken prayers and songs led by Debbie and Noelle. Through silence and deliberate speech and song, I stopped to recognise the Divine, the Numinous, God and the o so very human within myself and within others.

Did I answer all my searching questions? Definitely not.

Am I glad I went? Yes. Did I find some peace? Yes. Did I feel humanity, love and gentleness? Yes. Was there a Presence? Yes. Can God mean different things to different people at different times over the course of our lives; and can God be accessed in a million thousand different ways? I believe so. It seems that the believers that I shared this retreat space with really believe God is always there, ready and waiting to receive and hear us - A simple message that can carry me if I let it.

If your thinking of maybe doing a retreat with Magis Ireland, whic I understand is taking place May 25-27th 2012, I say go for it!

Elaine

Easter Collaborative Retreat -April 5th - 8th 2012

Cynthia Boutgeault, PhD, says “What if you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time..... Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness”.

We are inviting young adults to prepare and be involved in an Easter Retreat that looks at the age-old Christian message with fresh eyes. These 3 days will respect people and where they are at, and work with them to reflect on the questions of life and love? It is a creative exploration space with a group of ordinary young adults seeking the relevance of the Christian message for today. 

 So why not come together to put your own retreat linked to the Holy week liturgies in the Jesuit parish of Gardiner St., Dublin!

We are gathering in Magis Ireland’s office 22nd March at 7.30pm.

It is what you make it, literally…

If this sounds interesting or you want more information contact: Debbie on 01 – 8943165 or email: debbie.moore@magisireland.com

Directed Silent Retreat (DSR)

 At times our life can be full of clutter and chaos as we race through our day, sometimes we are unaware of our ‘drooping spirit, tired minds and bodies.  It is important to feed and care for your spirit the same way as you would exercise and care for your body, therefore  Life, Work, Balances is what you require, that is why you  need to take responsibility for Life, Work Balances  and MAKE time!

The Indian Jesuit Anthony de Mello said 'we keep silent not to stop talking but to open our ears'! To be silent these days is not the easiest thing - there's always an ipod, iphone, laptop, radio, billboard and a million thoughts and preoccupations to distract us!

The 3 day Directed Silent Retreat which takes place on  weekends ( see dates below ) seek to lull you into a silent space, where you can meet yourself and your God 'be still and know.....you will have the option to meet with a trained spiritual guide daily so you can chat then!! 

Go on, take the plunge and trust the God of surprises! 

For more information contact Debbie Tel 00353 1 8943165 e-mail: debbie.moore@magisireland.com

Download application form here

Dates for you diary: 

May: Fri 25th  - Sun 27th 2012

Venue: Manresa House, Dollymount, Dublin 3

Click here to read an account of the DSR

Driving for Mayo on the Thursday morning, I’d been thinking, “what have I let myself in for?”. It had been wet and cold and I had been feeling like not going. But I stayed with what I was feeling and did some prayer and eventually we got there. As I entered the Abbey, I got a great sense of peace. My mind was at ease and I was happy to be there.

Such a great a group of people to share this experience with! I enjoyed very much the simplicity of our prayer, the humble way of living and the simple way that the retreat was led.
We walked for 12 miles on the Friday, which was very enjoyable. I mostly enjoyed listening to others and talking to them. We talked about our lives and fears and how we can find God in day-to-day life. No matter how hard life may seem, when we open our eyes and look, we find that God is always with us. It was great to see the faith in God and the church that we, as young people, have considering the current circumstances.

We had a beautiful day for the walk to Croagh Patrick on the Saturday and we had covered 12 miles before approaching the mountain. The parts I enjoyed most were the silence and prayer with God. It was great to reflect on what Jesus had done for us and how he suffered to give us what we had. He has taught me how to listen and serve others.
I was very thankful to have gone on the retreat and what I brought with me from it was the realisation that sometimes in our own suffering can bring us closer to God.

By Marie

It’s hard to say exactly what attracted me to this Retreat, except, It had been a couple of years since I had done one and I felt the need to step back, and step into something different for a couple of days. The first thing I noticed and valued when I arrived at the retreat centre, was the warm buzz of activity and laughter as people gathered in the reception area and tea room, direct from work or college or some other place. Already there was a sense of togetherness in that fun if slightly anxious energy. I was really looking forward to getting into it,  taking stock of things as they are for me, a bit of reflection and meditation, making new friends and having a bit of fun.

Friday evening is not normally one I’d associate with sitting quietly and considering how you are physically, emotionally and spiritually in your life. That however was our first exercise, and I really valued it, it revealed something new to me.

We followed this by a kind of ‘heartstorming’ exercise of what Advent means to us, each of us in small groups throwing out words that helped describe the essence of it. We then threading those words together into a creative piece – song, jingle or poem. In a fun way, that deepened our understanding and appreciation of this time of waiting, preparation, quiet hope and anticipation. 

This series of fun and challenging exercises mingled with quiet reflection and meditation time defined the weekend. It helped me look more closely at what areas of my life might need a bit of ‘reinvention’.
One that really stood out for me was on relationships, and specifically, the relationships in our lives that need healing. I gained a lot from this exercise, and I think others did as well. There was a real sense of us all ‘being in this together’, ‘we’ve all been hurt and we’ve all hurt’. The exercise helped us to see how the faith can teach us, and guide us in moving forward, letting go, doing better.  We let the three coloured candles associated with Advent represent ‘healing’, ‘letting go’ and ‘starting anew’ respectively. Each was placed in a different quiet room, and we spent quiet time in prayer with each, progressing from room to room as we felt ready.

Confessions were heard on Saturday afternoon. I was scared to go. It had been so long. Yet, I felt drawn to it, and was so glad I did. I really felt much better afterwards. There’s something in hearing yourself admit the things that have lead to hurt and pain for others, that unburdens. It also helps you to forgive yourself.

Later on, a few people talked really honestly about how they experienced God’s presence in their lives. The stunning openness of that sharing prompted the rest of us into deeper thought of how God may be present in the day to day realities of our lives – through other people, through simple things we do and experience.

Mass in the small chapel was nice. It was so intimate, and I experienced something new in it. We had a bit of a party on Saturday night, and another mixture of the quiet and active on Sunday morning. By the time Sunday afternoon came, and we all went our separate ways, I had begun to experience a real sense of loss, and wished the retreat could continue.

Overall this was a really good time out for me, where I met new people and felt really supported in this journey of faith.  We are all on a path to be the best we can be. To travel a bit of that path together and be inspired and affirmed by others experiences and struggles was brilliant. I came away feeling good and positive, with a clear sense of a couple of things I want to change in my life, and with a sense in faith that I can succeed.