Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.
The entrance antiphon from today’s Mass reminds us of the joy that awaits us in a few short weeks. Lent will be over and we’ll be celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord! I can honestly say that, due to this retreat, this has already been my best Lent ever and it’s only half over! I’ve heard from many of you, but if any of you are struggling or even if you’ve decided to give up the retreat…
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GET BACK ON TRACK!
Last night, I was reading a book by St. Francis de Sales and I was struck by something he said:
“The enemy often tries to make us attempt and start many projects so that we will be overwhelmed with too many tasks, and therefore achieve nothing and leave everything unfinished…He does not care how many plans and beginnings we make, provided nothing is finished.”
When we started this retreat, I warned you that Satan would try to get you to quit. He doesn’t want you to finish it because it will bring you closer to the Lord. He’ll tell you that you’re not making enough progress, he’ll tell you that you don’t have enough time, he’ll tell you that you’re not getting anything out of it, he’ll tell you that you should quit now and do it again sometime in the future, he’ll tell you that if you miss a day or two that it’s impossible to make it up, etc.
DON’T BELIEVE HIM…HE’S LYING!!!
If you started this retreat…I don’t care how many days you missed, I don’t care how unworthy you feel, I don’t care how little you think you’re getting out of it, you will benefit greatly if you continue with the Spiritual Exercises. I have been modifying the nightly meditations to make them easier to understand. I’m also summarizing each day’s meditation on my blog (https://followingthetruth.com/blog). I am also willing to work with you one on one (via email) to help you get caught up and back on track. If all you can do is spend 30 minutes listening to my radio show, that’s enough to benefit from this retreat.
As a reminder, the purpose of the Spirtual Exercises is to remove our sinful addictions and determine God’s will for our lives. None of us know if we’ll ever have another Lent to do this. Don’t pass up the chance to make it happen while there is still time. I am praying for each of you. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help make your journey easier.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
God Bless,
Gary
