Quenched: Spring Retreat Recap
Last weekend, Edge went up to Prescott for a great weekend of adventure, community building, and growing in relationship with the Lord. Missed the retreat? That’s ok! Here’s a recap of what we talked about.
Quenched
Our retreat theme was Quenched. What do you think of when you hear that word? Thirst, right? Think about a time when you were really really thirsty, maybe after a hike or athletic event.
Our bodies get thirsty when we need to be hydrated. But, our souls also get thirsty. Psalm 42:2 says, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.” The way that our body feels when we are really thirsty is the same way our soul feels towards God. Whether we are aware of it or not, all of us are longing for God. We want to be happy, to have friends, and to be liked. These desires are meant to point us back to God who alone knows what will make us truly happy: “I have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The cool part is that we all woke up the next morning and saw herds of deer running through the camp we were at! #Godisonpoint.
Take a Drink
When you are dehydrated, your thirst moves you to an action. You go find something that you think will satisfy your thirst. Water, Coke, Gatorade, whatever.
We do the same thing spiritually. At some point we realize that the cup of our heart is empty and we go searching for something that will make us fully happy. This often leads us into sin. We start hanging out with the wrong group of friends, start dressing differently just to fit in or be noticed, get into an unhealthy relationship, or start gossiping about others to make ourselves feel better. After a while, we are completely filled up with all of these things, but we’re still not satisfied. We need God to come into our hearts.
This is where the beauty of Confession comes in. Jesus knew that we would turn away from him over and over again, and that we would need forgiveness for our sins. So, he gave us a Sacrament where we can confess our sins and receive his mercy. Mercy is when God sees all of our brokenness and sin, and still loves us anyways. This is what the prodigal son in Luke 15 experiences. He leaves his father’s house, spends all of his money on a life of sin, realizes how foolish his choices were, and decides to come home, where his father is happy to welcome him. Just like this man, we have the opportunity to come back to our Father’s house in the Sacrament of Confession. God is waiting for us with open arms whenever we are ready to come home.
I Thirst
Ok, so we have a thirst for God, but does God have a thirst for us? Think about the cross. Jesus went through a lot on the cross; he was betrayed by one of his friends and abandoned by all of them, was put in prison, beaten, spat on, humiliated, condemned to death, forced to carry his own cross, and then brutally nailed to a cross where he hung for three hours until he died. That’s a lot of suffering. Why would Jesus do that? I think this video explains a lot.
“A child’s future is worth every sacrifice.” If you want to know if someone loves you, watch whether they are willing to sacrifice for you. You’ve probably seen your parents, siblings, and friends make sacrifices for you in your life. God was willing to do that for us. God the Father loves us so much that He sent His only Son to save us from sin and bring us back into relationship with Him, even at the cost of suffering and dying on a cross.
What are Jesus’ last words on the cross? “I Thirst” (John 19:28). What does Jesus thirst for? A relationship with each of us. What he desires more than anything is for you and I to know his love and return it. He already knows everything about us: the number of hairs on our head, our problems, our joys, and our sins. He loves us anyways and invites us to love him in return. He is the only one who can truly satisfy our thirst for happiness and fulfillment!
Some of the ways we respond to his love are through going to (at least) Sunday Mass, going to Confession, praying with Scripture, and going to Eucharistic Adoration. Will you let your thirst for God meet his thirst for you in prayer?
Give Drink to the Thirsty
Have you ever been given a really awesome gift for Christmas or your birthday? You probably wanted to show all of your family members and friends as soon as possible. The same thing applies to receiving God’s mercy. Once we receive such an incredible gift, the natural response is that we want to share it with others! How do we do this?
Some of the ways we can show mercy to others is through the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.
Spiritual Works of Mercy:
Counseling the Doubtful, Instructing the Ignorant, Admonishing the Sinner, Comforting the Sorrowful, Forgiving Injuries, Bearing Wrongs Patiently, Praying for the Dead and the Living.
Corporal Works of Mercy:
Feed the hungry, Give drink to the thirsty, Shelter the homeless, Visit the sick, visit prisoners, bury the dead, give alms to the poor
Jesus tells us to “Be merciful as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Which of these things can you do this Lent to show mercy to the people around you and help quench their thirst?
About the Author
Jake Stanley
I enjoy playing the guitar, the great outdoors, and any sport that involves a ball (except water polo). I firmly believe that Pluto will always be a planet. Jesus completely changed my life when I was in high school so I’m a big fan of His. I strive to be more like Him every day. Follow me on twitter@moderncatholic1.
