Retreat Review: The ONE% Challenge Retreat

• Retreat Review: The ONE% Challenge Retreat (First of Three)
• Facilitator: Peter Andrastek, Senior Parish Consultant of Evangelical Catholic Inc. Peter leads the parish mission of the Evangelical Catholic. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Pastoral Theology from Ave Maria University. He has worked in adult formation in the Church since 2003. His experience includes preaching retreats, teaching theology and adult catechesis courses, and giving presentations and trainings for numerous parishes, dioceses, movements, and institutions in the Church. He currently advises over 30 EC Parish and Diocesan Alliances and Associates nationwide. He lives in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin with his wife and seven children.[1]
• Where: St. John the Baptist Church, Dry Ridge Road, Cincinnati, Ohio
• When: 7-9 p.m., Sunday, March 11, 2018
• Other Details: The first of three evening retreats on life, prayer, and faith.  Designed to kick-start a greater movement of the Holy Spirit in your life and community.

The evening started with an introduction by Amanda Weickert, our Pastoral Associate for Faith Formation.  She mentioned that this would be a deepening of our relationship with God.  She introduced Peter as a husband and father of seven children.  Peter stood up and addressed the group.  He looked to be in his early thirties, had a shaved or bald head, and was very energetic.  He had the habit of moving around.  I was actually concerned that at one point he might back up into the podium and fall over.  But my fears were all for naught, as he seemed to have a good grasp of his surroundings.  I sat close to the front and heard him quite well.  But afterwards I was told by those that sat in the back that the beginnings and ends of his sentences were cut off.  That is truly unfortunate, because I enjoyed him as a speaker.

Peter began by connecting with us personally.  He did this by talking about his wife, about how she was home sick with his seven children and they were praying for us.  We then started with a prayer.  I like starting events with a prayer.  When I was president of the Mt. Healthy Business Association we started every meeting with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.  I think it sets the right tone.

Peter read John 1:35-39.  Then he asked all of us rhetorically, “What are you looking for? Direction… Time… Meaning… Peace… Love… Joy… Understanding… Money… Comfort…” I thought to myself, I am looking for Truth and a relationship with God.  Peter said we want happiness, and Jesus said he has come so that we have life and have it more abundantly, John 10:10.  Peter says that it is impossible for us not to desire happiness. He then proceeded to quote what he called his favorite passage from the Catholic Catechism, number 521:

“Christ enables us to live in him all that he himself lived, and he lives it in us. “By his Incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each man.” We are called only to become one with him, for he enables us as the members of his Body to share in what he lived for us in his flesh as our model.”

We are called to be in a mystical union with God.  Our Catholic identity is that through Jesus Christ we are to become a member of his Body.  Peter dispelled some of the misconceptions of what it means to be a mystic.  One does not need to be exhibit the signs of the stigmata to be a mystic. Heaven is attainable now.  That through an ordinary life lived with extraordinary love we can attain that happiness.  Saints are ordinary people, whereas those that become great scholars and athletes, must possess some extraordinary mental or physical capabilities.  We are required to believe, celebrate, and live our love for Christ in everyday life in order to build a vital relationship with God.  How do we do this?  Through prayer.

What is prayer?  It is talking and listening to God.  St. Therese of Lisieux tells us “For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”  Peter tells us that even the secular world has recognized the benefits of prayer and meditation.  Look how many programs are dedicated to spending some quiet time meditating.  He talks about three objections that someone may have about praying.  A little admission before I continue with Peter’s objection.  I was thinking to myself, God, I know how to pray.  I talk to you and pray to you.  What can I learn from this?  Then my guardian angel asked me, “Oh, you are so good at praying that you need no further help, is this really true?”  And I bowed my head in humble shame and realized my ignorance and pride.  Even above, I said “thinking to myself,” not praying to God.  I have so much to learn.

1. I don’t know how. This is the very condition of how we should approach prayer.  With a humble and contrite heart.  Do a mental prayer.  Picture yourself holding hands with God.  Let him gaze upon you with all his love and adoration.  Take some time to gaze on him with all your love and adoration.  Even a groan can be a prayer.  Tell him what we are angry about.  What we happy about.  Ask his advice.  And… listen.
2. I get so distracted. Concentration is very difficult. We have a modern lie that we are conditioned to multitask.  But, in reality, we are not.  Peter said that the average person has a nine second attention span.  There is actually a spiritual battle going on.  There are two kinds of distractions: External and internal.  The external distractions are our cell phones and other media.  Internal distractions are our imagination, memory, things that we are attached to.  To compensate for the former, we should prepare ourselves.  Turn off the phone or put it on silent when we are praying.  Specifically set time to pray and make it a priority by not multitasking but only praying.  For the latter, the internal, he suggests we write these distracting thoughts down as they come up.  Over time we will notice patterns in these lists and they will tell us what is really occupying us, what we are concerned about.  Then we can address them and seek help if needed from an advisor.
3. I don’t have time. Peter gives an anecdote of a farmer who has lost his beloved pocket watch in a hay stack in the barn.  He has searched all through it and cannot find it.  He calls the children to look for it and offers them a reward.  They look high and low all to no avail.  The farmer is now ready to give up.  However, one of the little boys asks for one more chance to find the watch.  He only asks that he be allowed to go in alone and look for it.  The farmer has a hard time understanding this and is not very hopeful it will be productive.  How could one child find that which they have all searched for and not found.  But he consents and lets the boy have a try.  The boy goes in and is gone for a little while.  The farmer does not hear anything from inside the barn.  Suddenly the door opens, and the boy exits with the watch in his hand.  The farmer is amazed and curious.   How were you able to find the watch when all of us could not?  The boy responded, that he just laid his head near the ground by the hay stack and listened.  He soon heard a ticking in the silence of the barn and followed it to the watch.  The story reminds us that sometimes we are just too busy.  We are too caught up in the world’s events and trying to find time to do everything.  We don’t take the time to do the things we really need to do.  If it is really important to us, we will make time for it.

At this point, prayer cards were distributed.  They explained the One% Challenge.  One percent of our day is fourteen minutes and 24 seconds.  If we were to just round that out to fifteen minutes and take that time and spend it in prayer, how much of a change would occur in our life?  The plan consists of five steps which I copied from the card.

1. Prepare

• Begin with the sign of the cross.
• Take a moment to be quiet and still.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in this prayer time.

2. Read

• Read a scripture selection slowly and attentively.
• Note any word, phrase, or image that catches your attention.
• Consider reading more than once, and/or out loud.

3. Reflect

• Think about the meaning of whatever caught your attention.
• Possibly imagine yourself in the scene.
• What is the Lord saying to you through this text?
• Are there any: promises to claim, commands to obey, examples to follow, errors to avoid, praises to sing…

4. Respond

• Talk to God about the passage or anything else on your heart.
• Thank him for blessings received; Ask him for what you and others need.
• Note any changes or actions you are drawn to live out.

5. Rest

• Spend a few minutes in restful silence with him.
• “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps 46:11)

The card then gives a 30-day kick start of suggested readings for each day.  Peter talked about the Benedictine practice of divine reading called Lexio Divino. This program is based on that method.  The idea is to place yourself in God’s presence.  One does not need to follow these steps of prayer in the respective order, or even do all of them every time, to have successful prayer.  However, this is a guide, something to help each one of us on our journey of faith.

At this point we had Adoration, or the Exposition of the Eucharist.  It solemnized the moment.  Father Timothy Kallaher brought out the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle and placed it in the monstrance.  The monstrance is a vessel used to exhibit the consecrated Eucharistic host.  It is in the shape of a cross and the host goes in the middle so that it is exposed for all to see.  The word monstrance come from the Latin word monstrare, which means “to show.”  I personally get very emotional and feel a closer mystical bonding when participating in the viewing of the Blessed Sacrament.  We spent fifteen minutes of silently sharing in the glow of God’s presence.  This time is very precious and personal for me.

After Adoration, Peter talked about Matthew 16:13-17 in which Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?”  He asked us all to reflect on this.  We then wrapped up the presentation by filling out pledge cards, stating our desire to pledge ourselves to fifteen minutes of prayer every day for the next thirty days.  If we already do something of the sort, then we are to add another fifteen minutes of prayer.   I filled out the card.  In addition to a pledge of fifteen minutes it also had check marks for if you wanted a prayer partner, information about retreats and other programs, or if you would like to meet with a spiritual advisor to discuss your own personal progress on your journey of faith.  We also all signed a big poster that will be displayed in the Gathering Space to hopefully engage other members of the parish in conversation.  “Oh, I saw your name on the poster, did you attend?  What was it like?”  The goal is that we engage others in dialogue that will help each of us grow in our relationship with God.

There were about one-hundred attendees.  I was impressed.  Many stuck around afterwards for fellowship and to talk about our shared experience.  Drinks and snacks were provided.  I went away with a renewed sense of understanding of prayer.  I don’t care how much we know about any subject, there is always something more we can learn.  This is part one of a three-part series.  I look forward to the next two; one on Sunday April 8^th, and the other on Sunday May 6^th.

[1] The Evangelical Catholic. “Meet the Team” Evangelicalcatholic.org. https://www.evangelicalcatholic.org/ecteam/ (accessed March 13, 2018).