“Settings became ‘silent characters.'” — Ruth D. Nelson

“Man’s being reaches out beyond what is seen, towards the unseen: he comes from God and makes his way towards God, at all times supported by His almighty power and protected by His love.” — J.B. Lotz SJ

My retreat this year was wedged between a flurry of year-end travel (work and personal). It was also a year of extraordinary travel, so my annual weekend retreat was a welcome respite from hotels and terminals.

My random retreat house library selections seemed to complement the theme / conference of the weekend. I type that tongue-in-cheek because contemplation will extend well-beyond the retreat.

The two books from the retreat house library were Pilgrimage to the Museum by Stephen F. Auth (with Evelyn Auth and Fr. Shawn Aaron, LC) and The Problem of Loneliness by J.B. Lotz, SJ. The latter is a real gem and still relevant despite being published in the 60s.

The other book in my rucksack was Our Lady of the World’s Fair: Bringing Michelangelo’s Pietà to the Queens in 1964 by Ruth D. Nelson. I don’t know if it was serendipity or divine intervention, but the book by J.B. Lotz, SJ squared with the Saturday/Sunday conferences, my extraordinary travel, and the book by Ruth D. Nelson.

A quote from Douglas Steere:

Prayer reminded me for good measure that it is not what I give that makes me suffer but what I hold back! It has comforted and quieted me when I was torn and hurt, and it has dug up the garden of my soul when I thought the present produce was all I could manage. In prayer I have physically slept, and again I have been terribly awake. In prayer my mind has wandered like a hummingbird on holiday, and yet in it I have felt moments of intensity and of concentration and awareness that have shown me what life could be like.

Related
2023 Advent Retreat at St. Joseph’s Abbey
Ridin’ around in the breeze…
Father Lotz on TRAVEL
Ruth D. Nelson on Joseph ‘Jo’ Mielziner
Silence as the Guardian of Thought and Speech