Last Years Quo Vadis Retreat Talks

Quo Vadis Retreat January 6-8, 2012 Spiritual Life Center Wichita, Kansas: 

Quo Vadis Retreat January 6-8, 2012 Spiritual Life Center Wichita, Kansas

Retreat Format: 

Retreat Format Three conferences Man of Discernment Man of Prayer Man of Sacrifice Fraternity Prayer Meditation

The Central Question of Discernment: 

The Central Question of Discernment What most people get wrong in discernment Not a question of what but who What is the one question in life that we cannot afford to get wrong It is the question that is at the foundation of the human person. Love is our origin, love is our constant calling, love is our perfection in heaven So the central question of discernment is . . .

Two Choices: 

Two Choices What am I going to do with my life? Who loves me the most and who do I love the most?

What did Jesus Christ ask us to discern?: 

What did Jesus Christ ask us to discern? Jn 21:15 -19 dialogue between Jesus and Peter Ends with command but starts with a question Mt 22:34 what commandment is the greatest? Love is all that is commanded Jn 13:31-35 – a new commandment

Jesus’ Commandment is to Discern Love: 

Jesus’ Commandment is to Discern Love Central question(s) of discernment must be Who loves me the most? Who do I love the most? We discern not ourselves but God Christian claim that God is love means that when we discern love we discern God Full meaning of love – willing the good of another person as other Discerning love means discerning other persons

Conclusion: 

Conclusion Your life is not about you! What should I do with my life is the last question we should ask. Discernment starts elsewhere Somebody knows me better than I know myself Unless someone loved me I would not be a person only a being I do not have to exist I am not the center of the universe Discernment is escape from narcissism

3 answers to the central question of discernment: 

3 answers to the central question of discernment God loves me the most and I love him the most No one loves me the most or I love myself the most (same answer) Somebody else loves me the most or I love somebody else the most Can also be combinations of these answers

The question of love: 

The question of love Eros agape

Uniqueness of Christ’s love: 

Uniqueness of Christ’s love He alone is savior Without him we cannot hope for our own salvation Without him we have no one to love us from the inside out His love alone is redemptive and creative He alone loves us precisely where we cannot and will not love ourselves

Falling in love with Jesus Christ: 

Falling in love with Jesus Christ

The Eucharist as the Place of Intimacy and Discernment: 

The Eucharist as the Place of Intimacy and Discernment

God’s will for your life: 

God’s will for your life Corresponds to your deepest desire when you are in full communion with Christ Is best heard in the context of the Holy Eucharist – the perfect exchange of love Requires Humility Silence Patience Obedience – listening well to what is said

Best relationships in life are also the deepest: 

Best relationships in life are also the deepest We get bored with people who are superficial Which means we should be fascinated with Jesus Christ When we are not fascinated with him it means we are boring and superficial, not him Our relationships with him will not be easy We walk by faith, not by sight Jesus hides himself so that we might go deeper Even with intimacy he will never become any less mysterious

Questions for Discernment : 

Questions for Discernment Do I have any trouble answering the question of who loves me the most and who I love the most? What keeps me from loving the Lord with all my heart and mind and strength? Do my life decision flow out of my Eucharistic relationship with the Lord? How can I become a better man of discernment?

Quo Vadis Retreat : 

Quo Vadis Retreat Man of Prayer January 6-8, 2012 Spiritual Life Center Wichita, Kansas

The Magnificat: 

The Magnificat Mary teaching us how to pray

The Rosary : 

The Rosary Mary takes us to the central mysteries of the faith She is perfect in announcing what God has done for her and what He is currently doing She keeps us from making ourselves the center of our prayer Prayer is not essentially about self-improvement but self-forgetfulness It is paying close attention to what God is doing

Coming to Jesus with Fr. Harry Hagan, OSB: 

Coming to Jesus with Fr. Harry Hagan, OSB The turning point in my discernment of priesthood

Prayer Changes me, not God: 

Prayer Changes me, not God He already knows and wills what is best for us, and needs nothing from us There is no need to change him He is not playing a game hiding our vocation from us There are sufficient signs pointing us toward our vocation Prayer purifies us of our own will and aligns our will with his If we were perfect like Mary we would receive an angel without running away scared

PACTS : 

PACTS Should be balance in our prayer praise Adoration Contrition Thanksgiving Supplication Many are very self-centered in their prayer – contrition and supplication dominate Mary’s Order Praise Thanksgiving Adoration Supplication (for others) Contrition (no need for her)

When in a rut focus on Jesus’ prayer to the Father in the Spirit: 

When in a rut focus on Jesus’ prayer to the Father in the Spirit The question is not whether I want to pray or whether I need to pray This is a self-centered question The question is whether Jesus is praying to the Father in the Spirit at this moment The question is whether He wants to pray to the Father in me, with me and through me Mass and the liturgy of the hours as privileged places to be taken up into Jesus ‘ prayer to the Father Remember that our lives are not about us – we should pray for others more than ourselves

The Second Question of Discernment : 

The Second Question of Discernment Again not yet a question of what, but who Remember the first question is a question about love The second – who am I? Mt 16:13-20 Jesus asks over and over – who do you say that I am? Jn 1:19-34 John the Baptist’s identity The question reverses just like the question about love reverses – knowing who loves you the most is a clue to who you can love the most

Who am I? The Second Question of Discernment : 

Who am I? The Second Question of Discernment Dignity of our Baptism Adoption Anointing Priest Prophet King Eternal not tragic destiny Temple of the Holy Spirit

Finding an Identity Statement Through Prayer: 

Finding an Identity Statement Through Prayer Can you answer the question who am I? Can you answer not at the level of what you do but on the basis of relationship? It’s important to know why we are persons not human beings. When did you become a person – important part of an identity statement

We care enough to send the very best: 

We care enough to send the very best

Stabs at identity statement: 

Stabs at identity statement A Son loved by christ where I cannot love myself Totus Tuus Mariae

Christ reveals man fully to himself: 

Christ reveals man fully to himself Always keep prayer God focused Your unique identity statement will be found by meditating on Him, not by meditating on yourself GS 22 - The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. For Adam, the first man, was a figure of Him Who was to come, namely Christ the Lord. Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. It is not surprising, then, that in Him all the aforementioned truths find their root and attain their crown.

Additional Questions: 

Additional Questions What are the biggest changes I need to make in my prayer life, not just in adding prayers, but changes in focus? If I had to take a stab at an identity statement for myself, what would it be?

Quo Vadis Retreat: 

Quo Vadis Retreat Man of Sacrifice January 6-8, 2012 Spiritual Life Center Wichita, Kansas

Picking up where we left off: 

Picking up where we left off Christ fully reveals man to himself True in finding an identity statement for yourself in prayer True in becoming a man of sacrifice The cross as central image of becoming a man of sacrifice

The misunderstood and underutilized sacrament : 

The misunderstood and underutilized sacrament Confirmation How are you living your life differently because you are confirmed What does it mean for you to possess the fullness of the Spirit Do you know that you have the power to make the love of Jesus Christ really and truly present in the world through the Spirit at work within you?

The what never becomes more important then the who: 

The what never becomes more important then the who

What you choose to do is less important than who you choose to be with: 

What you choose to do is less important than who you choose to be with The Doxology of Mass Through him, and with him, and in him, O God Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit

Mary’s last words to us (Jn 2:5): 

Mary’s last words to us ( Jn 2:5)

Matthew 19:16-30: 

Matthew 19:16-30

Jesus speaks the truth: 

Jesus speaks the truth Tells us plainly that obedience is freedom Does not let us put relative value on absolute and eternal things Teaches us that license is slavery Obedience is the sure way to knowing the good and choosing the good for which we are made All holy relationships are born of obedience – listening well to what is being communicated

Why become a man of sacrifice? : 

Why become a man of sacrifice? Making a bride holy by the way you love her Ephesians 5:25-32 If we remain mired only in eros and do not mature to agape, we lose the opportunity to save souls The only thing a real man needs to be happy is to find a bride that He is called to give his life to

Choosing our bride: 

Choosing our bride

Letting God choose our bride: 

Letting God choose our bride

Final Thoughts on Becoming a Man of Sacrifice: 

Final Thoughts on Becoming a Man of Sacrifice Moral certainty is real certainty Seeing to the end of your life helps you to do the harder thing

Final Questions: 

Final Questions Do I think much about using the graces of my confirmation in the circumstances in which God has placed me? Do I think of priesthood as the hardest thing or the greatest sacrifice –why or why not? How can I be more obedient to the Lord’s will?