Catholic community gathers for diocesan Lenten retreats

Friday, Mar. 11, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — The 2016 Diocese of Salt Lake City Lenten retreats brought more than 300 people together March 5 for sessions in English and Spanish at Saint Vincent de Paul Parish. 

Cecilia von Bertrab from the Oblate School of Theology gave the Spanish retreat, at which more than 200 Catholics met to “experience God’s mercy in order to be able to be merciful toward the people of God,” said von Bertrab.

Her talks were based on the mercy, reconciliation and compassion that surround the Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis; she offered many exercises that complemented her talks.

In a similar way, Father Ray John Marek, OMI, gave many reflection questions to the 125 people at the retreat in English. His topic was mercy, which is a gift from God, he said, and “by that gift we have been given we are called to be that example of life and of God’s holy presence to our world.” 

Opening his talk, Fr. Ray John stressed that it was a day of retreat, not a class. 

“This day is not about filling your head with a lot of knowledge, that you have to take a lot of notes. This is about the Word of God proclaimed to you for you to hear, to digest, to take it in; and as our ancient fathers and mothers learned long ago, you chew on that Word and let it become nourishment for you, for your life, wherever your life may take you,” he said.

Once people are aware that they have received mercy, they then must give it to others, he said, pointing out that Pope Francis often preaches this message.

“We will best mirror God’s image and likeness when we bend down and when we serve – as dirty as we might get, as humiliating as it might be for us – when we reach into that chaos and we bring back life. When we do this from compassionate service and tender care, we participate in what God is doing in our world: restoring that web of relationships that we are in,” he added. 

Fr. Ray John focused most of his presentation on three well-known Biblical stories: that of the Samaritan woman at the well, the raising of Lazarus, and Jesus’ death on the cross. Each of these is not only something out of Scripture but also is the story of Jesus and every person, he said; when Christians live in the image and likeness of Jesus, then “people will find men and women who are pulsing with life, who have deep compassion, who have passion for so much. They will find Christians who can reach out and love others because we will really know what it means to be loved by God.”

One message in the story of the raising of Lazarus is “that we realize that [Jesus] is still present to us, even when he is absent,” Fr. Ray John said. “This presence in spirit can sustain the believer through the sufferings of this life and even through death itself.” 

Jesus’ death on the cross was not a tragedy, he said, because “it is at the foot of the cross where we encounter, in a way like no other, … the power of God’s love. … Calvary is a reminder of God’s love that redeems and transforms suffering into triumph.” 

The reflection questions that Fr. Ray John gave and the chance to consider personal stories and hear those of others were highlights of the retreat. said Holy Family parishioner Mike Troyer, adding that the retreat “was probably two days’ worth of material condensed into five hours. There was so much to absorb.”