Thoughts on my Deacon Retreat

 Early evening at Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas

My wife and I just returned from the annual Diocese of Shreveport Deacon retreat. This year we were again at the Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. It is a beautifully place with space to walk; from a valley floor to a wonderful overlook.  The retreat allowed us time to take advantage of the grounds at the abbey, experience spiritual growth and visit with fellow deacons and their wives. Like most people we always tell ourselves that we will make more time for each other and like most people it never seems to happen. The benefit of being away from home is that we cannot attend to our normal daily duties nor address the feeling of immediacy that seems to emanate from the emails, phone calls and texts we receive.  This freed up time for my wife and I to reminisce, make future plans, examine our present lives and laugh at some of our crazy adventures.

Our retreat director was excellent. He gave us a wonderful message that I will be able to use and recall for a long time. We were reminded that all people are walking in a wilderness and to find our way through that wilderness we must trust our guide. His example was the Israelite’s journey to the Promise Land. The Israelites had to learn through Moses to trust in God. One thing I did notice was that our retreat director never spoke of avoiding the wilderness or shortcuts through it. The wilderness is the journey we take on this earth and it cannot be avoided. This retreat has been a good reminder for me to never stop prayerfully discerning where God is guiding me.

Another benefit derived from our retreat has been the chance for all of the deacons and their wives to gather together again.  It was in the relaxed atmosphere of the abbey that we shared our thoughts, our joys and our struggles. I quickly discovered that we have a very talented group of husbands and wives. There are those who can sing and others who play musical instruments. There are deacons and wives who are wonderful speakers while others have a great knowledge of Church teachings. The sharing of talents by the deacons and their wives made our retreat so much better.

The one common denominator between all the deacons and all the wives was their love for God.  It does not matter what talent God has given you, there is a common bond that unites all people.  Is this bond due to our love of God or is it the shared wilderness journey we take? Whatever the reason that unites us, I feel blessed to have shared a few days of my journey with my fellow deacons and their wives.  May each of you be blessed with others to share your wilderness journey.