Welcome to the Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center’s blog! This blog will extend our retreat ministry by bringing prayers and reflections into your home ‘retreat’. Many of our presenters and staff share their homilies, favorite prayers and reflections through this medium. We encourage you to comment, pass it along to friends or simply take a moment to pray with us. We hope that this will serve as a moment during your day when you can ‘retreat with us’.
Happy New Year! Thank you for allowing me to take a few minutes of your time to reflect and share my appreciation. As I write this, there are so many on the front lines that are continuing to battle and brave the risks to take care of those in need. We certainly appreciate the daily, recurring commitment of so many unheralded heroes. Many others are lending an ear, or extending a hand to those in need, which may not be…
First Coming Madeleine L’Engle He did not wait till the world was ready, till men and nations were at peace. He came when the Heavens were unsteady, and prisoners cried out for release. He did not wait for the perfect time. He came when the need was deep and great. He dined with sinners in all their grime, turned water into wine. He did not wait till hearts were pure. In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin…
We Greet Your Coming People in Nativity Scene Costumes We greet your coming, God, with wonder: You come to be with us; yet you remain far greater than we can imagine. You are near; yet your wisdom sets you apart from us. You appear among us; yet we cannot describe your glory. We greet your coming, God, with repentance: We are more or less satisfied with ourselves; but your presence exposes our sin and failure. We are self-confident; but you…
Fr. Michael Schleupner offers another blog today with a powerful visual analogy about a familiar Advent reading from Scripture. Does this image resonate with you, inspiring you with hope, humility, truthfulness and patience? Sideling Mountain A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough…
On this last Sunday of Advent, we offer another important lesson from Fr. Michael Schleupner's 'Getting Ready' series. Although this was presented for the 3rd week of Advent, it can lead us right into today's focus on love as well. Let us know your thoughts as you reflect on the hope, peace, joy and love of the season. The week has arrived! Jesus is coming soon! Getting Ready - 3 Dear Friends, Last week I recommended that we get in…
Advent Oratorio Paul Spicer & N.T. Wright Come, Lord, and cleanse us from our sin; Your new, glad work in us begin. Remove our idols from our sight; Let us in you alone delight. Prepare us for your coming reign By washing us from every stain; Make known to us your holy Name; Let us no more turn back to shame. Call us to you from every land, And guide us with your powerful hand; Show us the path that…
Today, we pause from our Advent reflections to remember the communities in the Midwest who were ravaged by tornadoes. The images of destruction that we've all seen on the news are heartbreaking. Let's take a few quiet moments to remember this area of the US...the victims, their families, the first responders, the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, the business owners and those who will be counseling the traumatized people of this region for years to come. Lord, we pray... In…
Today's post features the next in an Advent series from Fr. Michael Schleupner. Can you take a few quiet moments today to sit with this lesson, a homily that Fr. Mike shared last week? Getting Ready - 2 Dear Friends, The purple vestments of Advent call us to welcome Jesus more fully into our lives. We are to receive him into every dimension of our being. This will be our spiritual way to prepare for Christmas. To respond to this…
Is this season of waiting difficult for you to grasp and appreciate? Today's post by retreat presenter and gifted writer, Mary DeTurris Poust, may resonate with you. An Unlikely Advent Journey For the longest time, I considered myself more of a Lent person than an Advent person. The journey through the desert felt familiar, the three-prong practice of fasting, prayer and charity was concrete and easy to grasp. As I age, I find myself learning to love this season of…
This reflection is from Loyola Press and meditates on the artwork Mattia Preti’s St. John the Baptist Preaching. Take a few quiet moments to listen and watch the powerful message behind this painting and pray with us. *Learn more on the Ignatian Spirituality website here. Advent Prayer Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your…
