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As gas prices fluctuate during the week, I often think it’s a game to choose the best time to stop and refuel – sometimes choosing wisely and other times not. When it comes to spiritually refueling though, anytime is a good time. Whether it’s our gas tank or our spiritual tank, when the needle hovers near empty we’re challenged to take action.
Refuel at St. Alphonsus Liguori
Here are some great opportunities
for refueling at St. Alphonsus!
Parish Mission
Sunday - Tuesday, February 17-19
During Lent we will welcome Father Leo
(seen on Iron Chef) to lead our mission.
His work with "Grace Before Meals" gets
to the heart of family life and adds a side
order of humor as well. Come in the
evenings to hear his special talks.
Christ Renews His Parish Retreats
Men's - April 13 to 14
Women's - April 20 to 21
Retreat weekends for men and
women looking for more in their faith
and wanting to share a weekend of
fraternity with spiritual and physical
renewal. ZionsvilleCatholic.com/crhp
This last summer, my spiritual tank was hovering just above “E” and I was blessed with an opportunity for renewal. It began with a two-day drive to Belfast, Maine with the radio blaring and the sound of my voice chiming right along. Had it not been raining, the top on the convertible would have been down as well … my kind of drive! I enjoyed chatting with the eclectic group of people I encountered along the way and it broke up the hours spent alone in the car.
Exploring different sites in Maine was exciting for me! I got to check seeing lighthouses and eating lobster in Maine off my bucket list! Couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at the first “Moose Xing” sign I saw … I wasn’t in deer country anymore! The trip was amazing, but I have to admit, participating at Mass in the quaint parish located nearby the hotel made me miss all the folks at St. Alphonsus that I’m used to seeing in the pews week after week. Call me nostalgic.
After a few days of eating fresh seafood, exploring, relaxing, and letting go of all the “baggage” in my brain, I was ready for the drive to the retreat house in a suburb of Boston. A few tears fell as I pulled up. I had eight days ahead of me with silence: no cell phone, no Wi-Fi, no friends or family. Only Jesus and a spiritual director would be my companions for the next eight days. What was I thinking? Luckily, my desire to get out of the car outweighed my desire to drive away.
It turned out that those eight days were a true gift words cannot adequately describe. The silence became like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night. My spiritual director was annoying as he kept asking the same question over and over each day, “Did you ask God about that?” Of course not! Why would I ask God? Oh, yeah, maybe because He knows better than me. Fine. Like the defiant teen I once was, I stomped off to another corner of the retreat house and pouted … eventually opening my mind and heart to our Lord.
He spoke in the silence. He made Himself known. He took me where I was and drew me closer. Now that I was silent, he took full advantage of the situation and filled what had been emptied to the point of overflowing. In a nut shell, He loved me … and I let Him.
At the end of my retreat, more tears fell as I didn’t want to return to the noise of daily life. How could I keep this wonderful feeling, this close connection to God once all the “normal” distractions came back?
Going to Mass each Sunday is a great way to “top off” the spiritual tank …and the sacraments are perfect for the “tune ups” we need along the way. But, if you’re like me, there are times you need just a little more. Not everyone can get away for a spiritual refueling, but that’s where parish life can help!
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