Lenten retreat focuses on stories from John's Gospel

Intermountain Catholic/Marie Mischel

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Dominican Father Wayne Cavalier presented the annual Diocese of Salt Lake City Lenten Retreat with the topic ?Not as People See does God See' on April 2 at the social hall of Saint Thomas More Catholic Church.

SANDY — Lent is about helping us see as God sees, and recognizing that we are constantly on a journey toward God’s kingdom. This was the message from Dominican Father Wayne Cavalier to those attending the annual diocesan Lenten retreat on April 2 at Saint Thomas More Catholic Church.

Fr. Cavalier‘s theme, ‘Not as People See Does God See,’ comes from the First Book of Samuel, in which God tells the prophet Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons will be the next king of Israel. Samuel assumes one of the eldest sons will be chosen, not David, the youngest.

God then tells Samuel that "people see the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart." Another interpretation would be "not as I see does God see,’" said Fr. Cavalier, director of the Texas-based Congar Institute for Ministry Development, which promotes faith formation in lay people.

Because people often misinterpret what they see, and sometimes literally don’t see something they don’t understand, they have limits that God doesn’t have, Fr. Cavalier said, so "If I am to be a disciple of Jesus Christ … then inevitably, because I can’t see as God sees, the way that I see will be challenged. The Christian journey is all about breaking God out of the boxes we put him in."

During the retreat, participants discussed three characters from John’s Gospel – Lazarus, the woman at the well and the man born blind. John’s Gospel is known as the Book of Signs because in it Jesus reveals himself as the Son of God.

John’s Gospel often is used in teaching the Rite of Christian Initiation to help the elect "see better what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ," Fr. Cavalier said. Because the local assembly joins the elect during this period of purification and enlightenment, "we enter into a new journey every Lent. We learn again what it means to be a disciple," he said.

All of the characters in the three stories discussed at the retreat "have a choice to either see what is before them or to not see what is before them, and it is that decision – how they respond to what they see – that judges them," Fr. Cavalier said.

For example, in the story about the man born blind, the Pharisees refuse to become disciples of Jesus because he healed the blind man on the Sabbath and therefore must be a sinner, according to their laws, but Jesus tells them that they remain blind.

Among those who attended the retreat was Juan Ortiz from Saint Peter Parish in American Fork, who wanted to use his Lenten journey "to help me to get closer to God," he said.

Although he grew up Catholic, he never delved into the reasons for Lent, Ortiz said; the retreat "has given me a new perspective on what it is I should be doing, what should I be concentrating on, instead of superficial things, like what I gave up for Lent."

Like Christ at the well, who spoke to the woman even though Jews traditionally had nothing to do with Samaritans, Fr. Cavalier’s presentation showed him that he needs to see beyond a person’s appearance and into what the person actually is, Ortiz said.

"This has been just fabulous," said Saint Catherine of Siena parishioner BessAnn Swanson, "to be reminded that we need to be a little apart from our lives, and we need to see differently. I’m just really inspired to wake up."

Fr. Cavalier, who has been to Salt Lake City several times during the past five years as an instructor for the lay ecclesial ministry formation program, said the retreat gave him an opportunity to get to know a broader group of Utah’s Catholics. "It’s great to see the faith alive in Salt Lake City and the people committed to growing in their faith. I’m happy to be a part of that," he said.