a journey to emmaus

8/14/2019 A Journey to Emmaus

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A Journey to Emmaus - A 15 Minute a Day Retreat

A Journey to Emmaus - A 15 Minute a Day Retreat - Michael J. Spoula

A JOURNEY TO EMMAUS – A 15

MINUTE A DAY RETREAT





Dedication:

These pages are dedicated to my wife Mary who alwaysinspires me with her courage and fortitude. I thank her for her great love and her kindness towards me.

I also dedicate this work to all those who Ask for the Word of God tells us that they shall receive To those who seek, for the Word of God tells us that they will find, and to those whoknock for God will answer their call.

© 2008 Michael J. Spoula





Day Zero - A Day of Preparation (Read this the night before retreat begins)

A friend asked me what qualified me to write this retreat. I told him that I am qualified

because I have a soul. I told him I was qualified because I am a busy person and do not

pray as much as I should. I am qualified because I am just like you, hungry for

spirituality but caught up in the work of the world. I dedicate this work to my wife Mary,

a spiritual person in her own right.

We live in a busy world. Our lives are filled with schedules, things left undone and the

guilt that accompanies it. We rush here and there and do this and that and while we may

take excellent care of our body, our souls languish for want of care. What follows is a

thirty-day retreat, but don’t panic, it takes but fifteen minutes per day and everything you

need is in this book. You need no Bible; the passages to reflect upon are written here.

You need no prayer book, besides the prayers you carry in your heart; the suggested

prayers are in this book. All you need to do is to take fifteen minutes a day for the next

thirty days and you will become closer to Jesus. Take the fifteen minutes a day suggested

here and you will start to become the man or woman of peace you want to be. Invest this

fifteen minutes a day and you will begin to acquire a fresh spiritual way of thinking.

Things you have to do before the retreat starts:

1. Reserve the last fifteen or twenty minutes before bed to do this retreat.

2. Fifteen minutes before going to bed tonight, turn off the television, radio and

stereo. Put the newspaper down and just relax. Breathe in deeply, hold your

breath for a count of three and let it out slowly. As you do this, think or better yet

say the name “JESUS” softly as you exhale. Do this several times until the





tensions of the day begin to leave you. When ready, talk to Jesus in your own

words and tell him what you want to get out of this retreat. Talking to Jesus in your own

words has a technical name, it is called praying. When you are done talking to

your friend, do the breathing exercise again except this time say “THANK YOU

JESUS” Now, go to bed and let your last conscious thought be of Jesus. Good

Night.





Day 1 - I am a miracle, I am loved.

Biblical Passage: John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He sent His only beloved Son…”

These few simple words capture the whole of the Spirit of God. God’s response to us is

always love. Un-love is the only thing God chooses to be incapable of, because it is

completely foreign to his nature. His love for us is independent of any response on our

part. It is not like the love between spouses. The love between spouses, no matter how

long it lasts on this earth, had a beginning, a point in time where we can point to and say;

“This is when I fell in love with her (him).” God’s love on the other hand can never end

because it never had a point in time where we can make the statement; “This is where

God’s love began.” God’s love, was, is, and will be forever. Think back now to the day

in your life when sin was your master, the day you were farthest away from God. Think

back to that day when you sinned and did not care that you sinned. Think back to the day

when you made your will superior to God’s. On that day, your soul was as far away from

God as it ever could get. Yet, God’s love for you had not changed one iota! God loves

you the same on the day of darkness as he does on the days when you do his will. He

loved you even when you did not love Him. His response to us does not depend on our

actions towards him. God is love. Then what is the point of doing what is right if God’s

love for us never changes? Is it so we can enter heaven? No, heaven is a free gift,

purchased for us by the obedience of God’s Son. No, we should do what is right because

it is right and we know that it will please God. We are called to respond to others as God





responds to us. Our response must be love. Our loving response will also help us to

become whole people. A person in sin is a divided person. A person that is following the

will of God is a whole person. This is where we get the word holy. A holy person is one

whose loyalties are not divided between heaven and earth. We are all called to holiness

because we are called to be whole, to be undivided as God is. Tonight, fifteen minutes

before you go to bed dwell on the following questions. Read all of them first. Spend time

on the one or ones that captures your attention the most. You need not worry if your

fifteen minutes are up before you “do” all of the questions. There are no grades and your

answers will be written in your heart only. It is more important to dwell on the question or

questions that speak to your heart. Talk to God about what you feel in your heart. :

True or False: God and I are very close friends.

What good qualities does God see in me right now, tonight?

In what ways have I positively responded to God’s love in my life?

How have I failed to respond to God’s love in my live?

How will my reflections tonight change my life tomorrow and in the future?

I want to thank God for……

Lord this is what I really need…

Good Night.





Day 2 - What are we waiting for?

Biblical Passage: John 11: 43

“Lazarus Come Out!”

The story of the raising of Lazarus is a familiar one to all Christians. Remember that

Lazarus was in the grave for four days. A four-day-old corpse was dead indeed. Jesus had

heard of his friend’s plight well before the tragedy of death struck Lazarus down. Yet,

Jesus did nothing, he allowed his friend to die. He then went to the sisters and they

professed faith that God would do anything Jesus asked him to. It was a touching

demonstration of faith and yet when Jesus ordered the rock to be removed from the tomb

Martha showed how little faith she really had when she said, “He has been dead four

days, surely there will be a stench.” Then, when the rock was rolled away, Jesus

commanded Lazarus to “Come Out.” And out he came, all wrapped up in his burial

ensemble. His friends untied him and he went home. How do you think Lazarus felt?

Had he been to heaven? Was he happy to be back on earth? The Gospel is silent on this

but if it was me and I was called back from the bliss of heaven, I would be ticked off to

say the least! But today let us compare the raising of Lazarus to our own Baptism. Before

we were baptized, we were enemies of God. When we were drowned in the Baptismal

font we died to our original nature and became an adopted child of God. But is that

enough, just to be a child of God? We were brought to life like Lazarus by our baptism.

This was an action of God, and like Lazarus we are called to “Come Out” and take up our





duties as the son or daughter of the Great King. Those duties are simple and at the same

time profound, they are to “Love one another as I have loved you.” Like Lazarus we

have to depend on our friends to remove the bindings that hold us back from being a full

partner in the redemptive work of God. That is why Christians get together. We get

together to worship God, of course, but we also get together to help one another. Will we

truly open our hearts to let Jesus in or like Martha will we say, “Surely there will be a

stench!” Today’s questions follow. Once again, fifteen minutes before bed reflect on

each of the questions. If one of the questions really speaks to your heart, stay with that

question as long as necessary. Don’t worry if you don’t “finish” all of the questions.

Speak to God as if he were your best friend. Then try a very painful experiment. Silence

your prayer and listen for God.

My Baptism made me a Christian. Can others tell that I am baptized?

How did I fulfill my duty to love others today?



Lord this is what I really need….

Good Night.





Day Three - Preparing for the End

Biblical Passage: Luke 21: 5-8

Some were speaking of how the temple was adorned with precious stones and votive

offerings. He said, “These things you are contemplating - the day will come when not one

stone will be left on another, but it will all be torn down.” They asked him, “When will

this be, Teacher? And what will be sign that it is going to happen?” He said, “Take care

not to be misled. Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he’ and ‘The time is at hand.’

Do not follow them.”

What would happen if at 7:00 AM you opened up the following email message:

“From: God

To: My Dear Child

Please make all preparations for tonight at 11:04PM you will die in your sleep. Do not be

afraid, it will be very peaceful, but you must get your affairs in order today.

With All My Love

God”

In our Bible passage, the apostles are asking when the end will come. Jesus cleverly

answers by not telling them. In other places in scripture we are told that the day and hour

are known only to the Father. So be it! When someone tries to talk to me about the end

of the world, I get a case of terminal boredom. This is not because I don’t care, it is just

because I trust in God to do what he must do in his own time. All of the hand wringing

and preaching about raptures, being “left behind” and antichrists is a waste of time. The





concept of “an antichrist” is not a difficult one for me to accept. . I know that one exists

and he is alive and that he is well and he is living amongst us today. That antichrist is

me, every time I attempt to place my will above the will of God in a process that has been

named “sinning.” I am the antichrist when I ignore the cries of my brothers and sisters

and go my merry way. Call me the antichrist when I do not take up my cross and follow

Jesus. Every generation from first century until now has thought they would be the

generation that would see the return of the King of Kings arriving on clouds of glory. We

are still waiting for Jesus to return on these clouds of glory, just as he left us after

ushering in this New Advent time. The angels at his Ascension said it all in Acts 1:10-11

“They were still gazing up into the heavens when two men dressed in white stood beside

them. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up at the skies? This Jesus who

has been taken from you will return, just as you saw him go up into the heavens.” In

other words, they were being told to get on with it. Instead of gazing heavenward, have

we let Jesus infuse our hearts with his love? Have we tasked ourselves with the work that

will further his kingdom? Have we rooted out the antichrist attitudes that reign in our

own soul? First let us welcome Jesus into our hearts and work for the kingdom in the

here and now before we start gazing heavenward looking for his physical return. We

know not when he will physically return. The date and time of his physical return does

not matter, because right now he is as close as our heart if we let Him in. As Christians

we can be assured that God will win the ultimate victory and as a matter of fact it is

already won!. It is in this victory I can place my trust in for it is before us. Jesus will

return and that is uncontestable truth.. If I am open to the movement of God and his grace





in my life I will be able to be faithful and not be misled by the many false prophets going

about for the ruin of souls today. I believe that it is more important to live our life as if

we were going to be called home tonight then it is to worry about the end times. For each

of us, at a time and place of God’s choosing ,we will be called home. This day will be our

personal rapture and our personal end of the world. In this respect, therefore, we live in

the end times, but then again so did the apostle Paul ,Christopher Columbus, John F.

Kennedy and the large class of dead people that populate our cemeteries. What is most

important is that we should not put off doing good until some other time. Nor should we

worry about the time of the return of Jesus. Certainly it is good to long for his return and

to pray for it. But we must remember that Jesus will come and we as Christians, those of

us that are still alive and those of us that have already gone home to heaven, will be there

to see it, no matter if this return is tomorrow or ten thousand years from tomorrow.

Today’s questions follow. As usual, fifteen minutes before bed, reflect on them. If one

question really speaks to your heart, dwell on it and do not be concerned if you don’t

finish them all. The questions are not important, what God is telling you in your

reflection is. Try not to do all of the talking, listen for the voice of God.

If I received an email from God this morning telling me I was going to die that

night, what would I do today? Who would I reconcile with? What would I say to

my spouse or children? Why haven’t I done these things already?








Good Night.

Day 4 - The Fate of the Traitor

Biblical Passage: Luke 22: 31-34 “Simon, Simon! Remember that Satan has asked

for you, to sift you all like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may

never fail. You in turn must strengthen your brothers. “Lord,” he said to him “at

your side I am prepared to face imprisonment and death itself.” Jesus replied “I

tell you Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have three times denied that

you know me.”

John 21: 15-17

“When they had eaten their meal, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,

do love me more then these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

At which Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he put this question,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord, Peter said, “You know I love

you.” Jesus replied, “Tend my sheep.” A third time Jesus asked him, “Simon, son

of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because he had asked a third time,

“Do you love me?” So he said to him: “Lord you know everything. You know well

that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

You cannot be a traitor to someone or something that you have never pledged allegiance

to. Peter told Jesus that no matter what, he would be loyal to death. When Jesus was





taken away, Peter followed. The big fisherman, I believe, had the intention of being loyal.

He was admitted to the yard where guards were warming themselves by the fire. Here, his

heart began to flutter. Those were real spears the guards had, he could be in real trouble

here! Then he was given a chance to show his loyalty, and Simon was supremely loyal as

we can read in the Bible, except he was supremely loyal to Simon! He denied Jesus.

When the going got tough he got going - he bravely turned tail and denied Jesus! But

let’s contrast his actions with those of another traitor, Judas. Peter left and wept bitterly.

Judas left and killed himself. Peter went on to be called Saint Peter, one of the greatest

saints in heaven. Judas never rose above his intrinsic nature, he remained Judas. Peter

accepted the gift of the forgiveness of Jesus. And Jesus forgave Peter three times. Judas

simply despaired and went his own way. The point here is this: No matter what we have

done. Jesus is ready to forgive us. He is never farther away then arms length, for that is as

far away as we can push him. His love for us keeps him riveted in that spot. His eyes are

upon us, waiting for us to invite him back, and he will come at the first hint of our first

call. Can we do less to those around us? Can we nurse a grudge? Can we remain

unforgiving and expect forgiveness?

Today’s questions:

How many times have I been the betrayer of Jesus? Am I more like Peter or Judas?

Who do I need to forgive? Why haven’t I done this? Whom do I need to ask for

forgiveness? Am I too proud to do this?


I want to thank God for…… Lord this is what I really need….Good Night.





Day 5 Mary - a model for us

Biblical Passages: John 2:5

His mother instructed those waiting on table, “Do whatever he tells you.”

John 19: 25-27

ear the cross of Jesus there stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife

of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Seeing his mother there with the disciple whom he

loved, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, there is your son.” In turn he said to the

disciple, “There is your mother.” From that hour onward the disciple took her into his

care.

Here is where I just might loose some of the readers that are of the Protestant tradition. I

hope that the mere mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus, does not frighten anyone off

because she does have a lot to teach us. She speaks infrequently in the New Testament

but the words that come out of her mouth are more powerful then one thousand sermons;

“Do whatever he tells you.” These are her words to the waiters working at the wedding

feast at Cana and they echo down through the ages to us as well. As a matter of fact in all

of the stories that circulate about Mary it is significant that she never points to herself, she

always directs us to her Son, Jesus. She was single hearted in his service. We should

heed her advice and do whatever he tells us. We also know that Jesus loved his mother

dearly. From the cross, knowing that she would be all alone in the world, Jesus provided





for her by entrusting her into the care of the “disciple he loved.” Early Christians had a

reverence for Mary and we Catholics continue this devotion to Mary as the Mother of

God. (There go some more protestants…) There are many reasons for this. Even before

Jesus was born, she showed her love and trust of God. She agreed to become the Mother

of God. This put her in a most dangerous position. In that day a pregnant unmarried

woman would be taken out and stoned as an adulteress. She was betrothed to Joseph and

while that legally conveyed all rights of marriage on to the couple, the custom of the time

was to wait until the marriage to exercise those rights and if Joseph had testified that he

had no knowledge of her, she would have been executed. Yet, she trusted in God and

uttered the “yes” that echoes through the corridors of time and which nullifies the “no”

uttered by Eve in the Garden of Eden. Mary carried Jesus in her womb and of course

was there when Jesus was born. She chastised him when he seemingly went astray in the

temple. She propelled him into starting his ministry at the wedding feast at Cana when he

probably wasn’t ready to start yet. Finally she held his lifeless body in her arms and she

cried her mother’s tears as she helped bury her son in a borrowed tomb. Through the

whole saga Jesus remained the center of her life. My argument is not necessarily that we

should pray to Mary, although I regularly do so and I encourage it. What I say is that we

must become more like her. We must be willing to say “Yes Lord” when we are called

to do something for God. Mary’s faith in God was absolute. Mary’s faith in God gave

her the ability to trust in God to bring things to a good conclusion in his own time. So let

us be more like Mary, even if the doctrine we follow seems to preclude us praying to her.

Let us imitate Mary and be loyal to Jesus, doing whatever he tells us to do. Let us be





more trusting in the promises of God even when the evidence of our own senses seems to

say that it is time to surrender to despair. . Here are today’s reflection questions for you

to ponder fifteen minutes before you sleep. Which one speaks to your heart? If one speaks

louder, spend more time on it.

Mary said “Do whatever he tells you…” What is Jesus telling me to do in my

life?

Mary cried at the foot of the cross when Jesus was taken down. How do I feel

about the sacrifice Jesus made for me?




Good Night.





Day Six - Pharisees and Samaritans

Biblical: Luke 7:36 - 38

(Jesus said) “Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you

will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Pardon, and you

shall be pardoned. Give and it shall be given to you. Good measure pressed down,

shaken together, running over, will they pour into the fold of your garment. For the

measure you measure with will be measured back to you.”

The Pharisees get a bad rap in the Gospels. The Pharisee represented the educated gentry

of the Jesus generation. They were the ones that tried to observe the law and in doing so,

they tried to please God. But when you mention “Pharisee” to the average Christian, he

or she will most often think of an evil person that was always trying to trip up the Lord.

Now let me play devils advocate here. The Jews of the first century were under the

thumb of the Romans and they longed for the Messiah to come and deliver them out of

bondage. Every week saw so called messiahs arriving to the acclaim of the great

multitude and the Pharisees were very cautious because the Romans didn’t like would be

deliverers coming to save the Jews from the beneficent care of Caesar and they decorated

many crosses with the false would be messiahs. But even allowing for this natural and

very human skepticism we see that the Pharisees went out of their way to try and trip

Jesus up. Yet unlike the false messiahs, Jesus would not be tripped up. In spite of all the

evidence, the Pharisees would not believe. They had faith that the messiah would come

but they were not ready to receive him into their midst. So here we have the educated and





powerful men of the age rejecting the Savior that they longed for from the bottom of their

souls. To have had him so near and to have rejected him is to be in the worst kind of

poverty, a deep seated poverty of soul. Then in startling contrast we have the strange case

of the Samaritan woman at the well. She was an “anti-Pharisee” if there ever was one.

She was a Samaritan and worse then that she was a woman. This dual status relegated

her to the lowest social position in the Jewish world, probably just above leper. Yet in

spite of this, she came to believe that she was speaking to the Son of God. The Pharisee

was concerned with strict obedience to the Law and with right thinking and correct

doctrine. It has been my experience that those of us that get so very passionate over

doctrine can lose our compassion for people. When we loose our ability to love, our

doctrine might as well be woven into a shroud for our faith is truly dead. How can we

feast on roast beast and argue the fine points of the law while outside our doors children

are starving? How is our sparkling pure doctrine helping them? I want to be more like

the Samaritan woman at the well and less like the hair splitting mandarins the Pharisees

became. What does it matter to my salvation how God chose to create the world? It is

enough for me that I know he did it. Why should I care how or when Jesus will return? It

is enough for me that he will. I want a personal relationship with Jesus, not with a lawyer

or theologian because in the end it is our love for Jesus that will count more then our

observance of the Law or holding to a particular doctrine. Doctrine is important. Without

it Christianity would splinter into meaningless groups of devotees to whatever belief the

world held to be true at the moment. To follow Jesus I must love. If I love and do the

things that love requires my obedience to the Law of Jesus will follow de facto. To love I





must do the things that Jesus lays out in our Bible passage. I must be compassionate to

others as the Father is compassionate to me. This is a tall order, but no one said being a

follower of Christ was easy. After all, the teachings of Jesus brought him death on a

cross. As his followers we should expect no better. Here are today’s reflection questions.

As always, if one question demands more of your attention then another, stick with that

question. It is not important that you finish all of the questions. Listen for the voice of

God as you reflect.

In my pursuit of pure doctrine have I lost compassion for souls that need Jesus?

Am I more like a Pharisee or the Woman at the Well?

Jesus went all the way, to the cross. How far am I willing to go?




Good Night.





Day 7 - Meet the Owners of the Kingdom

Biblical Passage: Matt 20: 13-15

At one point, children were brought to him so that he could place his hands on them in

prayer. The disciples began to scold them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.

Do not hinder them. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” And he laid his

hands on their heads before he left that place.

So, now you know who owns the Kingdom of Heaven. It belongs to children. Does that

mean adults have no place there? Well, sort of. Do you remember when you were very

young? Life was much more simple when you were younger. When you were a child you

trusted the adults in your life. You took things as they came and you were thankful for

things. Small pleasures meant a lot and only a child can see the beauty of a frog sitting on

a lily pad in the middle of a muddy pond. For a child, a sunrise brings a new day and the

new day brings a new adventure. There is no light so bright in this world as a child’s

smile and no creature that has the ability to trust more. There is no crime so shocking and

depraved as one perpetrated against a child.

One of my fondest memories is of a time when I was out west visiting my sister. My

nephew was about seven or eight and I shared his room. The first morning we awoke

together and the smile he gave me lit up his whole face. There was no way to disguise the

pleasure he felt just because I was there. Heaven belongs to those of us that can accept

heaven as a child accepts his or her world. We need to be childlike in our trust of God.





The problem with adults is that we trust too little and reason too much. Only man could

argue so much about God and yet understand so very little about him. We argue about

how to worship him and in doing so we forget to worship him. We argue about how best

to win the kingdom of heaven and on paper our theories look good, but we spend so much

time arguing that the stuff of earth robs from us the stuff of heaven. We condemn the

other and smugly point to our way as being the only way and in doing so we lose the way

to the kingdom. Let us strive to be more childlike, not childish, but childlike and learn to

trust the promises of Jesus…”This day you shall be with me in Paradise.” A child is an

open book with blank pages. Our hearts and souls must be like that of a child, open, blank

and ready to receive the ink and pen that our savior will use to convert us. Our heaven

begins now if we allow the God -child within us to see it. Today’s questions to follow.

Reflect on them fifteen minutes before you retire for the night. Keep it simple tonight and

remember to be childlike in your trust of God. Listen for his voice as you reflect tonight.

How has my spiritual life changed since I became an adult?

In what ways have I reasoned God out from parts of my life?




Good Night.





Day Eight - Forgiveness is an obligation to the Children of the King

Biblical: Matthew 6:14

(Jesus said) “If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you

yours. If you do not forgive others neither will your Father forgive you yours.”

Heaven will be a place of great beauty and great peace for us. We can never really

imagine what our heaven is going to be like because our minds are finite and heaven is

infinite. We equate our pleasures and happiness based on what we feel and experience

here on earth. I imagine my mansion in heaven to be a house with four tower rooms, one

in each corner. I love tower rooms! I know deep in my soul that heaven will not really be

like this, that it will be more beautiful then I can imagine, but I have to reduce it to the

level I am at right now so my finite mind can make sense of it. The place that is heaven

will have no discord. All will be full of love for one another. It will be a great place

because there will be no hate, no war, no difference between peoples of many races and

colors. Heaven is a Christian’s ultimate goal. Jesus opened the way to it by opening his

arms on the cross and it is a free gift from our heavenly Father to us. The very nature of

heaven presents a challenge to us here on earth. Heaven will be a place of perfect bliss

and no one there will be able to spoil it with unloving attitudes. Therefore for us to enter

heaven we need to learn the law of love that Jesus presented to us throughout his life. To

accomplish this we need to forgive others as Jesus forgives us. When our sins are

forgiven they are cast as far as East is from West. God no longer remembers them. It is





this type of forgiveness we as Children of the Great King are called to dispense in our

own lives. This obligation is one of the most serious ones we have. It is also the

obligation that will bring you the greatest amount of freedom as a Christian. My mother

died as the result of bad doctoring. She worked at a doctors office as a secretary, office

assistant. She discovered a lump on her shoulder and since it was in the terms of her

employment that she receive free medical care, she showed it to her employer. The doctor

she worked for could care less and gave her some ointment to treat it. Several months

went by and the condition only got worse. Instead of looking further into the problem this

doctor kept up treating with the ointment. My mother was concerned and visited another

doctor friend. He looked at her and immediately diagnosed cancer. She went into the

hospital and the growth was removed. They thought they got it all but several months

later an x-ray showed the cancer had spread to her lung. To make a long story short, she

died about a month later. My heart filled with pain and hate for the doctor who did not

care enough about another human being to treat them as they would want to be treated.

We buried mom and I sunk into depression. It was my habit to make the sign of the cross

when I passed a church because I knew brick walls could not separate me from God. One

day on my way to work, I passed a church and as I made that sign of the cross God

opened my eyes and showed me that I had to forgive that horrible, uncaring, incompetent

excuse for a doctor. The rage I was holding inside was changed to forgiveness and I

realized that the depression I had been laboring under had left me. I forgave that doctor

and freed myself from the burden that she was on my soul. I forgave much, make no

mistake about that. But what this did for me was to make it just about impossible for me





to harbor hate against another human being. I forgave what I saw as the murder of my

mother. What more could you do to me? If I could forgive such a large hurt, I could

forgive all of those smaller hurts of life. This makes me a free creature and closer to what

I should be. So in the long run, to forgive is an action that makes you free. Also, since

heaven is a place where love reigns we must forgive now to live in heaven later. Hard?

Yes, forgiving hurts and wrongs done to us is among the hardest things we are called to

do as a Child of God. Today there is only one main question to ponder. Fifteen minutes

before bed meditate on this:

Who do I need to forgive and whom do I need to ask for forgiveness from?




Good Night.





Day 9 - Dealing With The Disappointments of Life

Biblical: Matthew 26: 36-40

Jesus went with them to a place call Gethsseani. He said to his disciples, “Stay here

while I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, and began

to experience sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, “My heart is nearly broken with

sorrow, remain here and stay awake with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in

prayer. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Still, let it be as you would

have it, not as I.” When he returned to his disciples, he found them asleep. He said to

Peter, “So you could not stay awake with me even for a hour?”

Jesus was fully human. This is a point to remember. He came to earth and experienced

life as a first century man. I believe that among all of the emotions flooding the all too

human body of Jesus was one of disappointment. He brought with him three favored

friends and looked to them for comfort and assistance in his time of need. What did he

receive? He came back and found his helpers asleep. He must have felt some

disappointment. Peter had just moments before said that he would die by the side of

Jesus if need be. What did Jesus ask for? He did not ask for his friend to die, just to pray

with him. Peter for his part went to sleep. Two more times Jesus asked for them to pray,

but sleep invaded the very bones of his beloved ones and he faced the agony in the garden

alone.

In our lives we too will have disappointments and we will be disappointing to others as





well. We must handle these times as Peter did. Peter accepted the forgiveness of Jesus

and went on spreading the Word, eventually being martyred in Rome. The person we

need to forgive first is ourselves because we hold ourselves to higher standards then most

others hold us to. So, weep and mourn over our failings. Ask for and receive the

forgiveness of the Holy One and then move on.

Also, life will present us with occasions that disappoint. The job that you lost, the

investment that has gone bad, the hurt inflicted on you by an unfaithful friend will all fill

the heart with disappointment. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on.

Remember the fate of Jesus. He died on a cross. Can you expect a better fate? Actually

you can, because the cross you cannot carry will be carried for you by Christ if you let

him. Be open to Him and you will be able to reconcile all of your disappointments in the

blood he shed for you. Today’s question for the fifteen minutes before bed follow.

If you had been in the Garden with Jesus, would you have slept or kept watch?

What would you have said to your friend in His agony?

What disappointments are you willing to place into the hands of Jesus tonight?




Good Night.





Day 10 - The Humility of Jesus Calls Us to Be Humble

Biblical: Philippians 2: 6-11

Though he was in the form of God, He did not deem equality wit God

Something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave,

Being born in the likeness of men.

He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that he humbled himself,

Obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!

Because of this God highly exalted him,

And bestowed on hum the name above every other name,

So that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth and under the

earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father:

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Paul is addressing the Philippians and reminding them of the humility of Jesus. Earlier in

chapter two he tells us to “never act out of rivalry or conceit; let all parties think humbly

of others as superior to themselves.” As I stated before, Jesus was fully human. He was

also fully God. He did things that others of his time would never think of doing. Jesus sat

and ate with sinners, tax collectors, lepers. A teacher with a good reputation would never

eat with sinners or publicans. At that last supper before he died, he did something that is

so out of character that it must have meaning. Jesus washed the feet of his friends. It was

out of character because this was a job reserved for the most junior of menial house

servants. Yet Jesus ministered with basin and towel to his disciples and tenderly washed

their feet which were dirty from the long walk to the feast. He was the leader, teacher and





Rabbi and yet he donned apron and he served those at table. He gave us the example of

what we are to do for one another, we are to wash each others feet. We are to serve one

another in love and out of respect for the dignity that is infused in each of us by our

mutual Father. What are some practical things we can do to make ourselves more humble.

First thing we can do is to really look at ourselves. Do we realize that the sum total of

what we are is no more or less then what we are in God’s eyes? Can we reconcile who

we think we are with what God thinks of us? Do we realize that God loves our enemy just

as much as he loves us? Are we ready to serve as Jesus did? I fear we are all very willing

to proclaim Jesus as Lord and quote scripture proving this point. But how many of us will

get out the basin, towel and apron and stoop so low as to wash the feet of our brothers.

Will we serve in the soup kitchen? Will we volunteer in the homeless shelter? Will we

even bother to donate excess clothing from our closets? Will we forgive the careless

driver that cuts us off in traffic? Will we give a dollar or two extra for a good cause and

NOT take a receipt for income tax purposes? When was the last time I did something

nice for someone, a real act of random kindness, without the expectation of thanks or

recognition? When was the last time I prayed for someone who does not like me?

Today’s question:

How do I believe God sees me? How do I see myself?




Good Night.





Day 11 Secret Ambition

Biblical: Mark 10: 35-45

Zebedee’s sons, James and John approached hum. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you

to grant our request.” “What is it?” he asked. They replied, “See to it that we sit, one at

your right and one at your left when you come into your glory.” “You do not know what

you are asking. Can you drink the cup I shall drink or be baptized in the same bath of

pain as I?” “We can,” they told him. Jesus said in response, “From the cup I drink of

you shall drink; the bath I am immersed in you shall share. But as for sitting at my right

or my left, that is not mine to give; it is for those to whom it has been reserved.” The

other ten, on hearing this became indignant at James and John. Jesus called them

together and said to them: “You know how among the Gentiles those who seem to

exercise authority lord it over them; their great ones make their importance felt. It cannot

be like that with you. Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the rest;

whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. The Son of Man has

not come to be served but to serve - to give his life in ransom for the many.”

The way of life Jesus wants us to live is counter culture. Today’s reading is longer then

most of the readings you will find in this retreat and it can stand on its own without too

much comment from me. But it is interesting what Jesus is telling us to do here. If we are

to lead, we must be ready to serve. As followers of the Christ we must be ready to follow

the way of our Blessed Lord. Our acts of selfless service will not garner us favor in the

world. As a matter of fact, we must be ready to suffer the fate of Jesus who gave up





everything for us. The bath he was immersed in is ready for us. The cup he drank from is

waiting for us to take it to our lips and to drink fully and deeply. Looking back at this

incident you have to admire James and John for the boldness of their request. Yet, Jesus

tells them that before reward must come sorrow. Christians will suffer in this world as

they honestly attempt to do God’s will. We will be laughed at and demeaned and thus

share in the passion of Christ. We can expect nothing else. To be a servant is to be every

Christians secret ambition. I fear in our churches (both Catholic and Protestant) we see

examples of people who have ambition, but not the right one. Such was the case in the

time of Jesus as well. The difference is now we know what our true calling must be. We

are called to be servants. We are not to lord it over our fellow travelers in this life but

rather we are to walk along side and serve. Our service must come from our heart and

our heart must be filled with the awe and wonder that the Cross of Christ should inspire

in us. Today’s questions:

Do I lord it over people in my life? Am I a true servant of the Christ?

What does the Cross of Christ say to me?




Good Night.





Day 12 - Faith

Biblical: Luke 23: 39 - 43

One of the criminals hanging in crucifixion blasphemed him: “Aren’t you the Messiah?

Then save yourself and us.” But the other one rebuked him: “Have you no fear of God,

seeing you are under the same sentence? We deserve it, after all. We are only paying the

price for what we’ve done, but this man has done nothing wrong.” He then said, “Jesus,

remember me when you enter upon your reign.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you: this

day you will be with me in paradise.”

Judge Roy Bean once fined a corpse the amount of money found in his pocket for “laying

around.” But what the good judge did is not as strange as the conversation we just

witnessed above. Imagine, three men, each nailed to a tree, fighting to hold themselves

upright so that they could breathe. Imagine the pain and how difficult it was for each of

them to hold themselves up. Crucifixion was a slow agonizing death, a death by inches.

You held yourself up so you could breathe, but your arms tired and you would sink down

and be unable to breathe and you would struggle to raise yourself again. This would go on

until you finally could raise yourself no more. Luke places the incident with the “good

thief” near the end of the ordeal. I think it had to happen early on when the three men

were still fresh and their arms could hold them up long enough for them to speak to one

another. Let us look at what happened here. The unrepentant thief was being all too

human and spit venom at Jesus, a fellow sufferer. The other thief had come to grips with

what was happening. In this last few brief moments of life he saw his life is stark relief





and he measured it against the life of Jesus. He realized that he was suffering because he

deserved it. He knew he was to die that day and he wanted to be reconciled. He came to

the stunning realization that Jesus was who he claimed to be and he did what he knew to

be needed. He confessed that he was a sinner and he begged Jesus to remember him.

Jesus accepted this repentance at face value and forgave the thief and promised him

heaven. The Gospel is silent about this, but what do you think the priests from the temple

thought about this conversation? I think when they heard it that they heaped rebuke and

scorn on both Jesus and the thief. They probably found the conversation silly and further

evidence of the dangerous nature of Jesus because he continued his “crime” even from

the cross. The winner in this case of course was the good thief. He led a life worthy of

hellfire and at the last moment his repentance and his faith in Jesus got him into heaven.

The question comes to mind is why be good if we can claim heaven at the last minute?

The answer is simple and yet profound. We do what is right because it is right and

because we know it will please our heavenly father. As children of the Great King

heaven is our home already. We need not steal it. When Jesus opened his arms on the

cross, he gave each of us the key to enter the kingdom. I think what our biblical passage

teaches is not so much how to steal heaven, but to encourage us to remember that while

we live we can always call upon Jesus, even at the last moment of our life. Today’s

questions:

What am I waiting for? Which thief am I most like? How will my reflections tonight

change my life tomorrow and in the future? I want to thank God for…… Lord this is

what I really need…. Good Night.





Day 13 - The Poverty of Wealth

Biblical: Luke 12: 16-21

He told them a parable in these words: “There was a rich man who had a good harvest.

‘What shall I do?’ he asked himself. ‘I have no place to store my harvest. I know! I will

pull down my grain bins and build larger ones. All my grain and my goods will go there.

Then I will say to myself: You have blessings in reserve for years to come, Relax! Eat

heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself.’ But God said to him ‘You fool! This very night your

life shall be required of you. To whom will all this piled-up wealth of your go?’ That is

the way it works with the man who grows rich for himself instead of growing rich in the

site of God.”

In our Biblical reading tonight we hear of a man who seems to have it all. He has every

right to feel proud of himself. After all he has worked hard and has much to show for it.

Or does he? What he has are things that will sooner or later decay and rot. What he has

are the makings of a success story, but he stops short. He decides that he is going to save

all of these things for himself. He is going to take it easy. But alas, the Almighty has

different plans for him. So the man is very poor in his plenty. How does he stop short?

He fails to look around him and see the world for what it is. A place where there are

needy people, ones that he could have helped with his excess. He falls short because

instead of being selfless he is selfish. There is none so poor then the person who keeps

everything for themselves. There is no one so rich as one who opens their hand in

generosity. As Christians we are called to be generous with the gifts we have received

from the Lord. We are called to remember that everything we have comes from Him and





is placed into our care. Does that mean we have to impoverish ourselves? It means we

must make ourselves free of the entanglements that the temporary riches of this world

bring us. We are called to recognize that often we reap what others sow. We are called to

remember the beggar might just be Jesus in disguise. “But, charity begins at home,” I

hear you say. Really? Then perhaps we need to define just what our home is. We live on

a small blue planet. This planet contains everything that is human. It is here that the Son

of God lived among us and thus made our home, this little blue planet, a holy place. It is

this home where our brothers and sisters live. They are our brothers and sisters because

they share the same father. So when we give to them, we honor our Father. When we

extend help, we truly become sons and daughters of the Great King. By giving, I mean

not only money, certainly we should share that. The most valuable thing we should give

is ourselves. Any fool can write a check. But only you can make the unique contribution

that comes from simply being you. That is what our Father calls us to do, to share

ourselves out as our Brother Jesus did. Our Lord and Brother gave his all. He sacrificed

his very life for us. Rather then storing up our stuff in barns, we should share what we

can.

How poor am I when I consider all the riches I have stored up?

What can I do to help another that I am not doing now?




Good Night.





Day 15 - The Half Way Mark

Biblical: Psalm 91

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

Say to the LORD, "My refuge and fortress,

my God in whom I trust."

God will rescue you from the fowler's snare,

from the destroying plague,

Will shelter you with pinions,

spread wings that you may take refuge;

God's faithfulness is a protecting shield.

You shall not fear the terror of the night

nor the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that roams in darkness,

nor the plague that ravages at noon.

Though a thousand fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

near you it shall not come.

You need simply watch;

the punishment of the wicked you will see.

You have the LORD for your refuge;

you have made the Most High your stronghold.

o evil shall befall you,

no affliction come near your tent. For God commands the angels

to guard you in all your ways.

With their hands they shall support you,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the asp and the viper,

trample the lion and the dragon.

II Whoever clings to me I will deliver;

whoever knows my name I will set on high.

All who call upon me I will answer;

I will be with them in distress; I will deliver them and give them honor.

With length of days I will satisfy them

and show them my saving power .





Today we have reached the halfway point of our thirty day journey. There will be no

comment on the reading, which is Psalm 91. I chose it for no other reason then I like it.

Here is tonight’s special assignment. You need not write anything down unless you want

to, but please spend the entire fifteen minutes thinking about the following:

How am I different today as compared to when I began this retreat?

Do I love Jesus more or less since I began? How have I shown this?

What failings have I discovered as the result of my meditations?

What good things have I discovered about myself because of my meditations?




Good Night.





Day 16 - Sacrifice

Mark 12 41-44

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed howthe crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in

large sums.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins

worth a few cents.

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,

"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the

other contributors to the treasury.

For they have all contributed from their surplus

wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,

her whole livelihood."

Before the break we spoke of a rich man and how he gave so little. Now we read about a

poor woman and how she gave so much. We build on our previous reading and see more

clearly that attitude is everything with God. When I was in class the good sisters taught

me the difference between a venial (not too serious) and mortal (deadly) sin. They told

me that stealing a dime from a millionaire was a venial sin. While stealing a dime from a

poor man could be a mortal sin. Our attitude must be one of generosity to those around

us. We must give all we have in imitation of our Master. Our attitude must be one of

gratitude. I believe that the widow knew her contribution was meager. She knew that in

the grand scheme of things it was worth very little but she gave all she had. She put

herself out, perhaps she even condemned herself to a hunger filled day because she gave

the temple all of her money. But she did so happily and she asked no reward or

acknowledgement. We all have things we can contribute. Can you make a sandwich?

Then the bereavement ministry at church can use you. Can you sew or do hand crafts?

Then you can use your talent to beautify God’s house. Can you hold a paint brush or





operate a broom? Ask your pastor, there are always things that need to be done and never

enough money to get paid help to do them. If you can’t do any of these things due to

circumstances such as ill health, can you pray? If you can pray you can contribute. If you

cannot pray because the pain is too great, can you offer the pain to God? There is a movie

I saw once where the main character says: “In a situation where little can be done, one

should at least do that very little.”

What can I do to improve the world even if I have to start small?




Good Night.





Day 17 Is He Kidding or What?


"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on

(your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with

you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service

for one mile, go with him for two miles.

Okay, I admit it. I find the above passage hard to take. I am a twenty-first century

American and I have not been taught to turn the other cheek. On the contrary in our

country if a person does the least bit of harm to you, take him to court and sue! If a

person hits you, hit him back, twice as hard! This is exactly how the world works today.

Look at all of the things that have happened. Cowardly terrorists destroy buildings,

airplanes, trains and lives, all in the name of revenge for real or imagined slights. This

eye for eye philosophy may be okay for the world, but, young warrior, it is not for you. To

be a Christian means to be one who is able to forgive. Our history is rich with examples

of what a Christian is expected to do. Jesus himself from the cross said: “Father forgive

them for they know not what they do.” 1 Stephan, the first martyr forgave his tormentors

and many of the martyrs that followed him in the persecutions of the bloody first and

second centuries followed Stephan’s example and forgave those bent on destroying their

body. The blood of the martyrs converted many souls in those first troubled years of the

church. They taught by example, and all without a seminary education! If they who had

given up their very lives for the faith were able and willing to forgive their executioners,

1 Luke 23:34





how can we hold grudges and hatreds? It is against human nature to turn the other cheek.

We are called to rise above human nature and take on a higher nature. Once again,

generosity is required of us. (Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with

him for two miles.) A non-believer may hear a hundred sermons and see dozens of movies

about Jesus. But, if a non-believer does not see clear evidence that being a Christian

makes a difference in how one lives life, then he will not be attracted to Jesus. On the

other hand, if he sees that you are living out your Christian life and sees the principles of

Jesus put into action, then he may consider Christianity a viable way of life. All to often

we leave Jesus in the pew after Sunday worship is over. We come together to worship

and recharge our spiritual batteries so we can go out on Monday and bring Jesus to a

world that desperately needs Him. So Jesus is not kidding when he asks us to turn the

other cheek. He turned the other cheek. He went the extra mile and he calls us to do the

same. To do this we may need to ask for his help and his mighty strength.

Today’s questions follow.

Am I ready to turn the other cheek, to forgo my revenge, to be a good example?

What is the difference between turning the other cheek and standing up for myself?




Good Night.





Day 18 - Praying 101


"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you

will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who

seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

I believe that many relationships end today because people do not talk to one another.

Take for example a couple that has been married for many years. Many words have

passed between them over the decades and some things are just taken for granted. Sadly,

the words “I love you.” often are heard less and less over the course of time and that is

unfortunate. As human beings we need verbal reinforcement in our relationships. In our

relationship with God, we need to verbalize as well. It is true indeed that God knows our

needs and will provide for us. His response to us is always one of love. So, if God will

give without being asked, why should we ask? My opinion is that we have to ask God for

the things we need because that reminds us how utterly dependant we are on Him. It

pleases God to give us what we need. He is truly a beneficent Father and he will withhold

no grace that we need to get to heaven. The promise of Jesus is that if we ask, we will

receive. If we seek the Father, we will find Him. If we knock on the door of the kingdom,

it will be opened for us. It is a humbling thought that at any moment, day or night, we

have direct access to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Millions of people the world over

call God their Father and He for His part hears each of his children and he answers every

prayer. I have a Palm Pilot and one of the free programs I downloaded was a prayer

journal. It has a check box you can mark after you enter the details of what you are





praying for that says “answered.” I have to mark each prayer as answered because I am

confident that God has heard my prayer and has answered it. His answer may not be the

one I want, but I have to believe that it is the best one for the ultimate salvation of my

soul. There are three possible answers God sends to prayers. They are YES, NO and

WAIT. Yes is the answer we long for. No is the answer that causes us to adjust our sights

and goals. The hardest answer for me is WAIT. I don’t have patience and what I want I

want now so WAIT is a hard thing for me to do. What I have to remember is that no

matter what my particular prayer is, I am asking God, “Do you love me.?” and no matter

what answer he sends it can be translated as “Yes, I Love you.” Today’s questions:

In my walk with the Lord, what were some times that I experienced a YES, a NO and a

WAIT. On each occasion how did I feel? Am I still waiting for something I prayed for?




Good Night.





Day 19 A ew Hymn

Biblical: Revelation 5: 9-13

They sang a new hymn:"Worthy are you to receive the scroll

and to break open its seals,

for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God

those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.

You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,

and they will reign on earth."

I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who

surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders.

They were countless in number,

and they cried out in a loud voice:

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slainto receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,

honor and glory and blessing."

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and

under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry

out: "To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor, glory and might,

forever and ever."

The four living creatures answered, "Amen," and the

elders fell down and worshiped.

The Book of Revelation is one book that has everything going for it. It was written a long

time ago, addressed to a people long since gone, in a language form that is quite foreign

to the modern American. This is not the forum to debate the prophesies the book is said

to contain. I include this quotation because I want to speak about persecution. The Book

of Revelation was written during a time when the Church was being persecuted and blood

was being spilled for the sake of the work of the Kingdom. Jesus is praised over and over

in this book and in our quote we read “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth

and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: "To the one who

sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might…” I think the

important phrase here is “every creature.” This is a prophesy that Jesus will be the final





victor. We need to remember this in this day and age. We live in an age where the

Church is under siege from all sides. The Catholic Church is feeling the blows especially

keenly of late due the actions of a small minority of renegade priests and the work of the

anti Christian press. Someone once told me that the Church is clear evidence of the

existence of the Holy Spirit because there is no way any human institution could survive

two-thousand years with all of the bad management that has afflicted it. (Protestants,

please don’t smirk or nod knowingly - scandal has touched your churches too!) But, we

are treating here of things beyond our ken. When Nero threw Christians to the lions or

set them ablaze he was engaging in persecution on a monumental scale. We Christians

engage in persecution on a much smaller scale and usually in modern times anyway, we

leave the body alone and only persecute the spirit. It can be no less deadly. The Catholics

condemn the Baptists. The Baptists condemn the Presbyterians. All sects and

denominations find fault with Islam. On and on it goes. Now hang on because you are in

for ride here. If at the end of time every creature is praising Jesus in heaven, doesn’t that

make all people regardless of doctrine members of the same family? If we are all going

to praise the Lamb together in heaven why don’t we honor each other here on earth? If

we truly believe that Jesus died for “those from every tribe and tongue, people and

nation” then lets start treating them as our brothers and sisters and stop persecuting them.

Today’s questions: In what ways do I persecute other believers? How can I change?



Lord this is what I really need…. Good Night.





Day 20 A Promise of Future Glory

Biblical: John 14: 1-3

“ Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my

Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you

that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will

come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”

In the whole Bible I do not think that there is a more beautiful passage. I cannot know

what heaven is like because I see with the eyes of a mortal. My most extravagant

imaginings of what it will be like fall infinitely short of what it will be. Years ago I used

to have to drive through a very rich Chicago suburb to get to work. I would pass these

magnificent mansions with beautifully landscaped grounds and as I went by, I liked to

think that my mansion in heaven would be ten thousand times more beautiful then the

best of the homes I passed. What a wonderful promise Jesus gives us here! First he

promises us a home, a dwelling place with God. He also promises to come back and take

us with him to the Father. What joy fills my heart as I read this passage. If we know

Christ then we can be where He is and He Himself will come to take us. This is a short

reflection tonight because it is rich enough for a person to meditate on for a lifetime.

Today’s questions:

Am I truly looking for the day when Christ returns for me? Am I afraid?

What will heaven be like?

I want to thank God for…… Lord this is what I really need….

Good Night.





Day 21 Peter

Biblical: Mark 8 27-33

ow Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the wayhe asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the

Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do

you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Messiah." Then he warned

them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must

suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be

killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and

began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked

Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human

beings do."

I simply love Peter. He is so much like me. When I get to heaven I am going to make a

special effort to meet him and get to know him. One minute he confesses that he believes

that Jesus is God come to earth and in the next he vacillates and rebukes the Messiah

when Jesus’ plans go in a direction that Peter does not agree with. So it is with us. When

the plan of God follows exactly the plan we have in mind for ourselves we walk the path

joyfully. Yet, if the plan deviates from what we believe it should be, our walk slows. We

drag our feet, we beat our breasts and despair. Do you think it is a matter of trust? If

Jesus truly is Lord, then shouldn’t we trust that we are where we should be precisely at

the right time? I could never understand how Peter could confess that Jesus was the

Messiah and in the next second take Him aside and rebuke the Messiah. Yet I do it all

the time when I lose my trust in the plan God has for me. Today’s reflection: Where is

my life going? Am I dragging my feet or joyfully following the Lord’s path?



Good Night.





Day 22 - Walking on Water


Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while hedismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles

offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the

fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples

saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried

out in fear. At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."

He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.

But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to

sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught

him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into theboat, the wind died down.

Okay, calm down, I am not going to belabor the lack of faith issue here. The fact is Peter

did show a lot of faith when he left the boat. He showed more faith then I would have

been able to display.

I have read this reading a dozen times and normally I see clearly that we need to have

faith in Jesus. This time I observed more. What I saw is the fact that Jesus enabled Peter

to walk on the water. Jesus ennobled Peter and gave him the ability to do something

special. Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water because Jesus enabled him to

do it. When Peter faltered Jesus was there and held the struggling Peter up. My friend,

search for the mission Jesus has for you in this life. Embrace the mission and work at it.

He will give you the power to do what needs to be done. You need not be concerned

about the results. His power and might will sustain you and He will be there if you falter

and grow weak and tired. He will reach out his arm and support you. His Word will give

you comfort and even if you cannot see results with your eyes, you can be sure that His





will, will be done. All too often in this world we are timid in approaching the work of the

Lord. We need to be bold and daring when doing the Lord’s work. We may feel that our

strength is not enough to carry us through, and it may not be. That is okay because our

weakness is our greatest strength for it is in our weakness that God manifests Himself.

What we cannot do he will do through us. Bold positive action with complete trust in

God is what we need to do his work in this world. Oh, by the way, these bold, positive

actions do not have to be for earth shaking things. It can be as simple as bringing a crust

of bread to a hungry man or a glass of cold water to moisten the lips of one who thirsts.

Sometimes it can be a word spoken in kindness to one that hasn’t heard a kind word in a

while. It could be something as simple as being extra kind to a spouse, friend or child.

Maybe the bold positive action could be going just a bit out of your way to accommodate

another at a time when your body is crying for rest. Sometimes it can be forgiving as God

forgives us. All in all these actions can be more effective in spreading the Kingdom then

any other spiritual weapon we might have. Today’s questions:

It’s time for me to get out of the boat, what is it that Jesus wants me to do?

What is preventing me from fulfilling my destiny as a Child of God?



Good Night.





Day23 - A Most Important Reminder


“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am

sorry,' you should forgive him."

Forgiveness is a commodity more rare in our society then gold. If a “brother” sins against

us, instead of forgiving we are more likely to teach him a lesson by grabbing a lawyer and

hauling him into court. If we want to live in the world and be a closet Christian, then this

is most appropriate behavior. On the other hand, if we want to be truly Christian, then we

must learn to forgive. Is it hard to do? Yes it is. In some cases it will seem to be

impossible for us to do alone. There are many hurts that can accumulate in our souls over

a lifetime. Many, if not all of them can only be healed by prayer. To forgive is to act as

God acts towards you. His Son came to earth and died for us. From the Cross he forgave

those who crucified Him. If he can do this as an innocent man being executed, how can

we not forgive those around us? Some of the hurts in our life have been great ones. The

actions of some may seem to be almost unforgivable. When this is the case, remember

that Jesus forgave the unforgivable. Today’s questions follow.

Write a mental list of the hurts that you have buried deep within you that have

accumulated over your lifetime. Give each of them to the Lord and pray that they be lifted

from you. Who do you need to forgive? Forgive them at least mentally tonight and pray

for strength to know and do the next step according to God’s will.


Good Night.





Day 24 Judging


Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.

There is nothing so pitiful as a self righteous person. He (or she) is pitiful because they

spend their time judging others, setting themselves up as a person to be emulated. We

are what we are in God’s sight and nothing more or less. I wear glasses because I am

nearsighted. If I take my glasses off everything in sight becomes a soft blur. If I never

wore glasses and no one told me that my eyes were defective I would think that my view

of the world was the view of the world that everyone had. If then after a very long time I

was given a pair of glasses to wear my sight would then be one hundred percent and the

things I could not see before would jump out in stark relief. Those things that were fuzzy

would be sharp. What Jesus is reminding us about here is very simple. Human beings do

not have spiritually perfect eyes. We see dimly at best. We see what is on the outside.

God sees clearly what a person holds in their heart. So, avoid judging others. If you do

judge others be sure that you are on solid ground for the standards you set for others will

be the ones that you will be held to. Of course if you see a wrong, attempt to right it in

charity but avoid making rash judgments about the perpetrator. Today you judge another.

Tomorrow another will be judging you. At the end of time you will be judged by the one

who is inerrant in His judgments. In the face of your judge you will find mercy if you

have extended mercy during your life. Reflect on the following:

How do the standards I have applied to others stand up to the way I live my life?

I want to thank God for……Lord this is what I really need….Good Night.





Day 25 Great Love


The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Phariseesand scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So to them he addressed this parable. "What man among you having a hundred sheep

and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost

one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy

and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,

'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way

there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine

righteous people who have no need of repentance.

If Jesus has a great love for sinners, then he loves me a awful lot. The fact is God loves

us so very much that he will give us every chance to come to him. More then that he will

go and look for us when we get lost. When we were lost and could not find the way back

to the Father, Jesus showed us the way. Understand that we cannot measure the amount of

love God has for us. Each one of us is precious in his sight. A lamb is a small thing when

one considers the vastness of the universe. Yet when we find our way back to Jesus there

is more celebration in heaven then for ninety-nine of us who never got lost in the first

place. We need only to turn around to see the Gentle Shepherd waiting to carry us back

to the Father. His touch will bring us mercy and healing.

I know that I am but a lost lamb, but how lost am I?


Good Night.





Day 26 - Who is my neighbor?

Biblical: Luke 10: 25 - 37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you

read it?"

He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your

being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but

when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place,

and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who

came upon him was moved

with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his

wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn

and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the

instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall

repay you on my way back.'

Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" Heanswered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, “Go and do

likewise.”

Let’s look at this story carefully. On first examination we can read it and shake our heads

at the behavior or the priest and Levite. We ask ourselves why they didn’t stop to assist

this poor man that had been beaten and left for dead by robbers. Well, the Priest did not

know if the man was alive or dead. If the man was dead and he touched the body he

would be unclean for eight days and unable to lead his congregation in prayer. He passed

by, honoring the law over the needs of a fellow traveler. Remember they were on the

same road. The Levite on the other hand was a smart man. He had heard the stories





about people feigning being in trouble only to jump up and rob the person stopping to

help. No, the Levite would take no chances. He would pass by, maybe next time. Both of

these people had legitimate reasons for doing what they did. The road from Jericho to

Jerusalem was known to be very dangerous and only those who had no other choice

walked this road alone. The Samaritan was a man on whom the two that passed by would

look down on. Samaritans worshiped differently then the people in Jerusalem. But in

spite of being a second class citizen he was a first class human being. He stopped and

helped where he could. He took the risk. Is it my contention that we should stop on the

highway and help everyone we see that is in trouble? In this day and age that would not

be prudent. But we could watch for opportunities to help other when they come to us. I

also believe that there is a deeper meaning to this story if we look carefully. I believe that

Jesus has given us a portrait of the Father here. We as humans travel down dangerous

roads. Sometimes we are hurt and left on the side of the road by the circumstances of life.

Many times our fellow creatures pass us by. When this happens we can ask and The

Father will come along, bind up our wounds and show us the way to go. He has already

done so much, it would not be beyond him to do just a little bit more.

Today’s questions: Who is my neighbor? How can I emulate the Good Samaritan in my

life in concrete practical ways? Which family member is hurting now? How can I bind up

their wounds?


Good Night.





Day 27 What Would Jesus Do?

Biblical: Philippians 2: 5-11

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

Who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted himand bestowed on him the name

that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father

This ranks as one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. I believe it tells us just what

Jesus did in every day of his life. It is stated pretty clearly that he emptied himself, he

humbled himself and was obedient unto a most horrible death on the cross. He did these

things for us in a sacrifice that never needs to be repeated. His obedience brought him the

name that will vanquish the enemies of the People of God forever. Our triumph is already

forecast and victory is already ours through Jesus. Every knee will bend to Him when he

returns in glory and even his strongest enemies will acknowledge his name. We too are

called to imitate our Master. We must be ready to empty ourselves, to humble ourselves

and even to accept death. This is what Jesus did and what we are called to do. Being a

real Christian is not always an easy job. We can discuss doctrine and determine with





mathematical precision how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. But what good

will that do us in the long run? At our judgment he will ask us not what we know but how

much did we love. He will not ask us how many infidels we put to the sword but how

many of them we loved back to life and brought back to the family of God. Yes, we must

do what Jesus did and that requires us to cultivate Christian Humility. Humility is simply

the recognition that we are what we are in God’s eyes, nothing more or less. Humility is

recognizing that we have brothers and sisters that are outside of the family and that we

must love them too, no matter how hard that is. If you don’t believe it is hard, think of

some of the people in the news. Aren’t there some people we would be hard pressed to

love? Loving a person does not mean we agree with their conduct. It means we recognize

them for who they are, estranged family members. In short we must learn to love the

unlovable and humbly acknowledge our common heritage with them in the God of Love

even when they do not acknowledge the Father. We must empty ourselves in God’s

service. What we lack He will provide and in doing that he will display his Glory for all

to see.

Can I trust God enough to do what Jesus did?

Can I turn the other cheek? Am I a humble person?


Good Night.





Day 28 Home

Biblical John 14: 1-3

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my

Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you

that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will

come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also”

A few years back I worked in a town that was some twenty miles distant from my home. I

traveled a road that took me through a very rich suburb. The estates, you could hardly call

them homes, were beautifully landscaped and the buildings were built without the tight

use of space found in more modest accommodations. As I went through there each day I

rejoiced in the fact that my mansion in heaven would make these wonderful houses look

like tar paper shacks. God is going to be very generous to us. We cannot imagine the joy

we will feel when he shows us what he has prepared for us. Heaven will be our home

forever. Forever we will praise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Forever we will walk

with the Saints that preceded us. Imagine walking up to Moses or Aaron or Samuel and

asking them questions about their life. Imagine walking with Jesus. Yes when we get to

heaven man will once again walk with God in the cool of the evening as we did in the

Garden in the beginning of time. All will be equal and free. All will be in love.

What will my mansion be like in heaven?

What do I need to do now to prepare myself to receive such a gift?

Who would I search out and what would I say to them?


Good Night.





Day 29 - Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

Biblical: John 15:13

(Jesus said) o one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

A friend, a person whom I have a lot of respect for event though he is not a believer, once

told me that he would have an easier time believing in the Wizard of Oz then believing in

what he called the “claptrap of the world’s religions.” He says that he can see no

evidence that religion makes any difference in a persons life. Our belief in Jesus simply

has to make a difference in our life. If it does not, then what is the point? Jesus laid down

his life, are we prepared to do the same? In the first century AD when the Church was

young it as very difficult to be a Christian. The authorities were hostile to the movement

and being convicted of being a Christian meant a horrible death sentence. The belief at

that time was that anyone who died for the Faith was immediately taken to heaven. The

bodies of the martyrs were reverently buried and their names were revered and they were

considered to be saints. Their faith testified clearly and loudly that they believed in Jesus

not only beyond a reasonable doubt, but beyond all doubt. Today we Christians are not in

danger of losing our lives for the practice of our faith, at least not in America and other

free countries. No, we may be in danger of losing much more. The world is hostile to us.

Babies die under the guise of ‘freedom of choice.” Prayer is banished from public view

under the guise of separation of church and state and the enemies of God erode our

freedoms a little bit at a time. It is time for Christians to say by word and deed that they

believe beyond a doubt that Jesus is the Son of God and our savior. It is time for us to say

that beyond a doubt we will live a life worthy of our calling which is to be the adopted





sons and daughters of the Great King. It is time for us to demonstrate by our actions of

love that God’s Kingdom is alive in our hearts and that we hold our beliefs beyond any

doubt. For me I believe beyond a doubt in God the Father Almighty and in Jesus Christ

His only Son. I believe that he was born of the Virgin Mary and suffered under Pontius

Pilate, was crucified died and was buried. I believe that on the third day he rose again. I

am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that His love for me was so great that even if

the whole world was sinless and I was the only sinner that he would have come to earth

and went through crucifixion just for me. I believe beyond a reasonable doubt and pray

that Jesus helps me in my unbelief.

Today the questions before us are: Will I surrender to the world or hold fast to my faith in

Christ? Does my belief in Jesus Christ make a difference in my life and how do I

transmit my belief to others?


Good Night.





Day 30 - End Game

Biblical: Matt 28 16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said

to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and

make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And

behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

This is a rather predictable place to end our thirty day retreat. This is one of the most

powerful paragraphs in the entire Bible. Once again Jesus is on a mountain. God speaks

from mountains. They disciples saw but they doubted. Unbelievable that they still had

doubts, but they were as we are, human. Jesus approached them, he did not wait for them

to come to Him. He told them that all power was His and charged them and us as his

followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them all that he

taught us. This job is a hard one for us to do, so he makes one final promise us and that is

that He will be with us until the end of the age. But how is he with us? Certainly for

Catholics he is present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. But he is present

in other ways too. He is present in those around us. He is present in those in need of our

help. He is present in our wife, our husband, our son and daughter. He is present in our

co-worker, in the beggar on the street, in the prisoner and in the guard, the millionaire and

in the pauper. We need look no further then our neighbor to see Jesus. He also reigns

from heaven and protects and loves His children on earth. So as we end this retreat of

thirty days, we arrive at Emmaus and we thank Jesus for his presence in our life. We then

put on our sandals, pick up our walking staff and bravely go forward be Jesus to Jesus.

For He is in us and in our brothers too. Can we help but love them because when we look




at them, we will gaze upon the face that saved us. Tonight, no questions. For fifteen

minutes simply think and pray about how you can be Jesus to those around you. There are

many ways to be Jesus to others. We must search to find them and we must ask in prayer

for help to see more clearly. Amen!

Good Bye!

We have come to the end of our journey. Thirty days ago we began with a single step, a

single Bible verse and the realization that we were living miracles, that we were loved.

On day thirty we were challenged to share that love with our brothers and sisters.

This retreat is over, but I pray that you continue to spend at least the last fifteen minutes

of the day with Jesus. If even one of my readers does this, the work will I put into writing

this will have accomplished its mission.

May the Good Lord bless you, Young Warrior,

Shout his name from the highest hill and proclaim his mighty deeds.

Walk with God and work with God and be safe in his strong right hand.

a journey to emmaus

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