Parishioners learn to 'Encounter Jesus Christ in Times of Difficulty' during St. George retreat

Intermountain Catholic

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Eucharistic adoration was included in the Lenten retreat at St. George Parish. IC photo/Laura Vallejo

SAINT GEORGE — On March 9, Saint George parishioners gathered to celebrate a Lenten retreat with the theme "Encountering Jesus Christ in Times of Difficulty."

The retreat was presented by Dominican Father Jorge Rátiva, from the Southern Dominican Province of Saint Martin de Porres. He is the Student Center chaplain for Saint Elizabeth University Parish at Texas Tech University.

On March 8, Fr. Rátiva gave a retreat with the same theme to the Spanish-speaking community.

The retreat in English started with a Eucharistic celebration.

"The Church invites us to come closer and pray," said Fr. Rátiva, inviting all the parishioners to reflect more often during the Lenten season. "It’s hard … but what is interesting is that in this season of Lent we are being invited to stop and review our lives and reflect," he said.

After the Mass, the parishioners went to the church’s social hall to continue the retreat.

"Things happen in our lives that makes us think and stop and reflect," said Father Rátiva, referring to the fact that people encounter Jesus Christ in difficult times.

Fr. Rátiva narrated a personal story of how he had to stop and reflect during the first Lenten season that he experienced as an ordained priest.

"Four years ago when I became a priest, I was so excited to spend the first season of Lent as a priest; but that week on Ash Wednesday my mother had an accident back in Colombia and I had to go back and take care of her. … This time helped me to rediscover another mystery of Lent," said Fr. Rátiva, who asked the retreat attendees to think about moments in their lives when they had to change their plans and respond to situations that made them reflect.

"I think that the beauty of this season is when we have those moments of difficulty we also have the chance to encounter more closely Jesus Christ," said Fr. Rátiva.

The 40 days of Lent "invite us to see those moments of difficulty and have encounters in those moments. … What has happened this season reminds us of the historical moments of our lives, but also the historical moments of the people of Israel and of the life of the Church," he said.

The retreat continued with a talk about sin and how all people, despite being sinners, are loved and forgiven by God.

"It is always important to remember that we are good people, not just because it sounds good; it is true we have been created as images of God, so when we start recognizing the good that is in us we will be able to confront the sin," said Fr. Rátiva, who also emphasized that each person needs to recognize their own limitations and their own mistakes "but despite that we have to say, ‘I am a good person; I have to work on some things, and that’s what brings us to recognize that we are sinners."

The priest wanted people to reflect that the Lent season is a difficult time "but it is also a very essential moment in our lives."

"I will invite you all to really let Christ be with us and to guide us for whatever we are going through. I invite you to be open, to have a moment of prayer to encounter Jesus, a moment to bring the spirit to our minds and to our hearts," said Fr. Rátiva. "Listen to God’s words."

For Jill Luttrell, Saint George Parish’s director of religious education in English, the retreat was a wonderful opportunity to remember that she needs to go out more and finish the work that Jesus started, she said.

"For me sometimes it is just hard. … This retreat gives you that extra push, and helps you to realize you are not alone and it’s a worldwide thing that we go through," said Luttrell.