RETREAT

 

Retreat! What a foreign-sounding word. No, we do not retreat, we attack and never, ever surrender. Granted, famous last words, but the fighting spirit prevails. That in mind, there comes a time when you've got to rest and regroup so you can take the war to the enemy with renewed spirit. And that's exactly what this year's clergy retreat was all about, a spiritual reset on the shores of Lake Dallas at Montserrat retreat house.

Typical Compound Scene

No, there weren't any lesbian priestesses, dancing nuns or wymxn bishop figures. There was Morning and Evening Prayer, Compline, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, daily Mass, and a series of outstanding talks given by Fr. Hans Boersma. His theme? Participation in the life of God and recovery of a sacramental worldview from nominalism and what he described as "flat earthers," from two dimensional late modernity.

Just some road in Texas

Outstanding. Boersma is a Christian Platonist and, I think, more than a little mystic. He's also not a Lib and he's Dutch, both of which conjoined are cool. So that was all good. Good too to be with the priests of our diocese, what a great crew and fun to live with, even if only for a few short days.

God bless,

LSP

Retreat!

Retreat? Yes, but not in a bad way. There aren't any dancing wimmyn priests, guitar playing nuns or trans naming rituals at the Diocese of Fort Worth's annual clergy retreat. No, we're not here to worship Pink Moloch and the rainbow driven horde.

Typical Clergypersons

Instead we've had an excellent series of addresses on the gifts of the Spirit and their relation to the virtues. Good work, Fr. Robin Ward, sound as you like and uplifting to boot. More on that later.

In the meanwhile, it's good to get away and refocus on the interior life. And in case you missed it, today's the Feast of King Charles the Martyr, who rode into battle at Edgehill at the start of the English civil war in a suit of golden armor. I always feel as though that marks the end of Medieval England.

God bless,

LSP