For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Psalm 62:5-7

I returned to Maine on Sunday, July 26, from the month-long retreat in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The pictures above might give you an idea of the setting. The last full day of retreat, July 25, was the feast of St. James the Apostle. The Collect for that day in the Book of Common Prayer asks the Lord: "...grant that thou wilt pour out upon the leaders of thy Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among thy people."

The Spiritual Exercises by St. Ignatius of Loyola never go out of print, so anyone can read them; and I have a copy pretty worn from several readings over the course of almost 40 years. But reading them is not the same experience as being "given" them as an "Exercitant," under the guidance of a spiritual director. For those who have been through Marriage Encounter, there were parts that might be compared to Marriage Encounter, the renewal of the marriage of my soul to the Lord Jesus. Then again, it was a little like going from Advent to Easter in 4 weeks.

During the days of my retreat I experienced the joy of my heavenly Father's forgiveness. There were lots of days when the foggy, turbulent weather provided imagery for what was going on in my own soul. I think I succeeded in reading Scripture in an Ignatian fashion, "with the 5 senses": hearing it, smelling it, feeling it in my gut, rather than analyzing it with my head so much. On the morning of the last full day, in the privacy of my cell, I renewed my Baptismal and Ordination vows before the Lord.

My thanks to all of you who have prayed for me during this retreat. I had many opportunities to pray for those of you who have asked for my prayers.

I leave on Saturday, August 1, for Africa.