A family had a large tree in their backyard. It was the heart of their home, a place where their children played, and where the family spent the summer evenings, sharing stories and laughter. It stood tall and strong, reminding everyone of the beauty and stability of family life. But one night a powerful storm struck the area. Wind and rain hammered the houses, and lightning struck that tree with a force that shook the ground. In the morning, the family walked outside to see only a blackened stump where their beloved tree once stood. The children cried, and the parents felt a deep sadness. They saw that something that had been so alive, so dependable, was suddenly gone.
The winter passed, the snow melted, and one spring morning, as the family walked past the stump that was still standing, they noticed something unexpected: A tiny green shoot pushing its way towards the sun. New life was emerging, the tree had not given up. It was growing again, quietly, humbly, and yet, powerfully.
Sometimes, we can feel that our life is lost, and it has nothing to offer us anymore. God has shown me that our life can blossom again, like the green shoot, pushing through, when we allow God back into our lives.
This is what I have experienced after the Ignatian Home Retreat.
Earlier, my soul kept crying silently for a retreat for a long time. But constraints of time and place made it impossible. An opportunity came on a silver platter when Fr. Balaraju, SJ, our Parish Priest, announced a 34-week Ignatian Home Retreat.
During those weeks I learnt that the Ignatian Way is practical; it did not ask me to escape from the world, rather, to meet God in my struggles, joys, limitations and relationships. Each moment was sacred because in that space, God sought and found me. I began to understand that freedom comes from learning to surrender, and allowing God to gently shape the movements of my heart.
The five seasons of the well-known TV series, Chosen, have given me a good understanding of Jesus’ and his ministry.
The Ignatian Spirituality taught me to reflect, to endure, and to respond, not to react. I learnt to slow down, to see and discern, whence hitherto, I would rush through life or drift away with my emotions. In the days that followed, awareness has become the doorway to purpose. I became aware of the free gift of God’s grace which helped me understand better Christ’s call to love and to serve Him – be faithful in reading the Bible, – to turn away from deliberate offences – to be a sincere disciple of Christ – and to grow in humility, contentment, goodness – praying for strength to carry out my mission.
I now understand that God is not limited to sacred spaces. God meets me just where I am, when I call out to Him. I am aware of an inner freedom, each time I pause and listen to what stirs my desires, fears, consolations and struggles. Through these inner movements, I am beginning to distinguish between the pull towards God or the pull away. God gives me the courage to face life with openness and trust.
In my daily morning prayer, I open my heart and ears to God. The morning stillness, serenity, cool breeze, chirping birds and sounds of small insects and the light traffic on the street – all of God’s marvelous creation beckons me to love and serve God and humans.
I now understand that God is not limited to sacred spaces. God meets me just where I am, when I call out to Him.
As a youth I never understood the Bible fully. I have a better understanding today because of the quality time I spent in this retreat reading the Bible prayerfully. The five seasons of the well-known TV series, Chosen have given me a good understanding of Jesus’ and his ministry. Once lost in my own grievances, judgements, idle gossip, least realizing that these are sins against God, I am hopeful now of overcoming these through constant prayer. The story of St. Paul and his conversion reminds me that God is never done with humans. God uses them to serve a purpose. Therefore, it’s not right for me to judge anyone. I am invited to remove the speck from my own eye so as to have a clearer, deeper vision about others, and know them as children of the same God.
These 34 weeks of reading God’s Word has mellowed me, leading me to repentance and to understand what it means to align with Christ on the Cross. On reading Mathew 7-21, 24-27, Jesus’ words about two individuals – one who built on sand and another who built on rock – I felt Jesus is asking me to check my own foundation. I had sufficient time to reflect on whether my life was built on strong and steady faith, or on convenience and comfort.