Religious Education retreat offers a day of silence

Intermountain Catholic

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Sandy Foley (back left), and Mary Gesicki lead a group of religious education directors, teachers, and others in a Lenten day of silence and reflection.IC photo by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — "The purpose of Lent is not only expiation, to satisfy the divine justice, but above all is a preparation to rejoice in God’s love," wrote Thomas Merton in "Seasons of Celebration."

Religious education directors, religious education teachers, and others spent the day at a Lenten retreat with periods of silence. Lay Ecclesial Ministry candidates Sandy Foley and Mary Gesicki, from Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish, Park City, led the retreat March 21, at the residence of the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

Foley and Gesicki referenced "Bridges to Contemplative Living," a book by Thomas Merton, edited by Jonathan Montaldo and Robert G. Toth of the Merton Institute for Contemplative Living. The institute’s mission is to awaken interest in contemplative living through the works of Thomas Merton.

Gesicki spent three days at the Merton Institute for Contemplative Living in July to learn how to facilitate this retreat.

"Thomas Merton was born in Prades, France, in 1915," said Gesicki. "His mother was from the United States, and his father was from New Zealand. He was educated in France, England, and the United States. He received a master’s degree in English from Columbia University. He converted to Catholicism in 1938. He taught at St. Bonaventure University for a year and then in 1941, entered the Cistercian Order as a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky.

"Directed by his Abbot, Dom Frederic Dunne, Merton wrote his autobiography "The Seven Storey Mountain," which was published in 1948," said Gesicki.

"Merton was very much involved in the non-violent civil rights movement during the 1960s," said Gesicki. "He wrote more than 60 books, many articles, and poetry. Toth said if he had two books to choose, he would choose "No Man is an Island," and "Missions of Contemplation." Toth said those two Merton books would satisfy him completely."

Gesicki said during the 1960s, Merton became interested in Zen Budism, and had many visits with the Dali Lama. But on Dec. 10, 1968, at an East/West Monastic Dialogue Conference in Asia, Merton was the victim of an accidental electrocution. Dec. 10, was also the date he entered the abbey in 1941. That was 30 years after he became Catholic."

Gesicki said "Bridges to Contemplative Living" is a series for spiritual development. It leads you on a journey toward spiritual transformation in a more contemplative, peace-filled life. So Gesicki and Foley had the group focus on listening and silence.

"What we learn today can be used as a model for what you can take home and do with groups in your own parishes," said Gesicki. "The idea is to become perfect listeners for each other and God. We want you to open your ears and open your hearts."

The group spent two sessions of 30 minutes of total silence reading pages from Merton’s perspective on contemplative living. They also discussed quietly within their small groups what came up for them during their quiet time.

"Contemplative dialogue is meant to be non-threatening, a safe-place for open sharing and discussion," said Gesicki. "It is not outcome oriented. It is not even about fully understanding or comprehending what one reads or hears from other participants. The focus is on listening rather than formulating a response to what another is saying. Simply hearing and accepting another’s point of view and reflecting on it can inform and enlighten our own perspective in a way that debating or analyzing it cannot."

The principles for contemplative dialogue include focusing on your lived experience, and refraining from remarks that are abstract, philosophical, or theoretical. Participants express their own thoughts knowing others will listen and reflect on what they say. As a participant you must remember to listen first and refrain from thinking about how you might respond to another’s comments. Reflect before speaking and be concise. Participants should expect periods of silence, avoid cross-talking, and most of all, trust the group.

The group meditated on reflections by various authors. Joseph Gelineau wrote, "Through Christ’s revelation to us, we understand God’s will to be that we realize we are one body, one humankind enfleshed together on our precarious journey through life. The principle of life in Christ is the full realization of our baptismal vows to adhere to God through all of life’s ten thousand things.

"Each family of us is a little church," writes Gelineau. "The tasks of service in front of our noses are God’s will for us; they are our part in building up the family of humankind."

Merton wrote, "We must in all things seek God. But we do not seek Him the way we seek a lost object, a thing. He is present to us in our heart, our personal subjectivity, and to seek Him is to recognize this fact. He does not reveal Himself simply in our heart, but through another. He reveals himself to us in the Church, in the community of believers, and in those who trust Him and love Him.

"We seek God by surrendering ourselves to His will," wrote Merton. "But his will is not just a matter of blind decrees and laws external to ourselves. It is the law of love which is implanted in nature, and the revelation of spiritual love in personal freedom. The fruit of this love is the restoration of all things in Christ, the union of all beings with God, through man, by the exercise of man’s freedom."

Alexander Schmemann wrote, "The first vow is to keep a certain well-defined spiritual discipline of life, and this means a rule of prayer; an effort to maintain a level of personal contact with God. Whatever the degree of our theoretical knowledge about spirituality, it must begin with a simple humble decision, an effort, and what is most difficult, regularity."

Schmemann emphasized obedience as the second vow of spiritual progress.

"What I mean is very practical," wrote Schmemann. "Obedience in small things, humble chores, the unromantic routine of work. Stop feeling, and do.

"The third vow is acceptance, wrote Schmemann. "So many want to do anything except what God wants them to do. When God gives us a talent, he wants us to invest it. He wants us to serve. There is no other way of following Christ."

Throughout the day, the group learned to share at a deep level with people they hardly knew.

During a discussion, some of the comments included, "We all love each other for the differences we have."

"The Holy Spirit is supporting us as we share."

"We get comfortable in our bubble, yet God is calling us to share our love with others as we leave our Catholic communities and share with our neighbors and the home bound in our communities."