We will have three conferences, each meditating on the great gifts we have in the Lukan

canticles, present in Liturgy of the Hours.

A retreat seeks to find what God wants, and we explore the disposition of our souls. Every
retreat, many masters say, must ask two questions: what do I fear? What do I want?

We are here to seek Him, to give him permission to touch us. As we hear his word and engage
in meditation and reflection, we seek to know what he wants to say. What resonates as we
meditate? Where is the Lord seeking to make himself present in my heart? Is there something
uncomfortable about the place he seeks? What do I sense he is asking me to surrender to his
love?

As we proceed, we take the image from The Living Flame of Love, as our foundation: In his work
The Living Flame of Love, St. John offers a vivid metaphor to describe the human person’s
desire for God. Our hearts, he says, can be described as deep caverns of desire. No matter how
hard we try, nothing less than God will satisfy our hearts: As St. John of the Cross puts it, “They
are as deep as the boundless goods of which they are capable since anything less than the
infinite fails to fill them.”

Zechariah’s Canticle

To begin our retreat, the starting point is to quiet ourselves. To enter into a state of prayerful
contemplation, we accept our Lord’s invitation, who says “when you pray”…, we recollect
ourselves. We open ourselves to the Lord’s presence, and we welcome him, we thank him for
his faithfulness to us. We draw in breath, calm down, set aside distractions…

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We listen to the Word of God:

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has
raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his
prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands
of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his
holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from
the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in
his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most
High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge
of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the
dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and
the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Introductory Prayer: I believe in your loving presence with me, Lord, and I tremble
as I consider the immense love you have for me. I do not deserve your grace, and yet

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 I cannot live without it. You have called me to rise above my sin and misery and to
live in your love as one of your children. I genuinely want to show you my love.
Petition: Lord, help me seek and find you through silence.
1. Silence for Reflection: Zechariah had been in silence (a silence imposed by
God) for over nine months. Perhaps at the beginning, he had felt frustrated at not
being able to communicate normally with others. As time goes on, that frustration
turns into resignation and reluctant acceptance. Through perseverance and prayer,
suddenly he begins to love the trial God had imposed on him, embracing it
wholeheartedly and willingly. When we see someone who is suffering, be it in a
hospital, a nursing home or even on the street or at work, we need to bring them this
message of hope. Suffering has a meaning, a redemptive value, if we unite our
sufferings to those of Christ.
2. Silence for Union with Our Lord: We see that Zechariah’s 9-month “retreat”
has provided him the opportunity for closer contact with God. Through prayer, he has
been brought to a deeper and experiential knowledge of God, which has converted
him into an apostle in his desire to share this experience with others. As his wife’s
period of waiting results in her giving birth to a prophet, so Zechariah’s “incubation”
period also turns him into a prophet: He foretells that salvation for his people is near
at hand. We will have words of wisdom and encouragement for others when we have
discovered how to be alone with God in the secret depths of our hearts. Silence is a
vehicle for achieving this intimacy.
3. Silence for Praise: At some moment during his tribulation, Zechariah would
recall the angel’s words, “you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day
these things take place” (Luke 1:20). Hope would invade his heart. The day is coming
when he would be able to speak again! He has nine months to prepare his speech.
The first words he utters as his tongue is loosened are not a curse against God for
having made him suffer, but a hymn of praise for his mercy on sinful humanity. He
has experienced this mercy in his flesh. We are meant to communicate truth through
speech; the greatest truth is what God has done for us and wishes to do for every
single person. When our speech results from what we have first meditated on
profoundly, our words will bear fruit. Does my speech normally edify others? Do my
words ordinarily come from the good I have experienced in God’s company? Am I
aware of how much we can build up others through good conversations?

Words from Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross

God’s first language is silence.

There is a secret place. A radiant sanctuary. As real as your own kitchen. More real than that.
Constructed of the purest elements. Overflowing with the ten thousand beautiful things.
Worlds within worlds. Forests, rivers. Velvet coverlets thrown over featherbeds, fountains
bubbling beneath a canopy of stars. Bountiful forests, universal libraries. A wine cellar offering
an intoxication so sweet you will never be sober again. A clarity so complete you will never
again forget. This magnificent refuge is inside you. Enter. Shatter the darkness that shrouds
the doorway. Believe the incredible truth that the Beloved has chosen for his dwelling place the
core of your own being because that is the single most beautiful place in all of creation.

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Prayer: Lord you invite us to find you within. You ask us to look closely and ask, “what do I fear”
and “what do I want.”

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I want to have a proper place prepared for you.
Please help me to make my soul quiet, to seek your aid, as I surrender, you are able
to make up for what is lacking in my poor efforts to please you. O Majesty, may my
every thought, word, and deed of this day be a fitting homage you.

Mary’s Canticle

Our second conference shifts our focus to Mary. We learn that any spiritual progress we make
depends on God. We discover that Mary is our teacher. She is one who receives with total trust,
total abandonment, total charity. Many themes arise, and we see the central fact of the
spiritual journey: the doorway to prayer is humility.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your supreme goodness and love. I entrust
my entire self to you with all of my hopes, fears, and joys. Thank you for giving us the
gift of yourself in the Eucharist. Thank you, too, for giving us your mother to be our
mother during our exile on this earth and journey home to you in heaven. Here I am,
like her, to do your will.

The Word of God

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she
entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's
greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed
is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my
Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my
ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what
was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." And Mary said: "My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon
his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The
Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from
age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the
arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but
lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent
away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to
his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Mary
remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
1. Prompt and Joyful Charity: What has impelled Mary to undertake her perilous
journey not only alone but also in haste? An irresistible force was acting within Mary:
the presence of the Holy Spirit overshadowed and filled her since the moment of the
Annunciation. This same Holy Spirit has filled the heart of Elizabeth at Mary’s
greeting and moved the infant within her womb. What is the first fruit of the fullness
of the Holy Spirit? Joy. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI comments on the relationship of

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 joy to the truth who is Christ himself: “Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of truth,
attracts to himself the heart of every man, dilates it, and fills it with joy. Only the
truth is capable of invading the mind and making it fully joyful. This joy expands the
dimensions of the human spirit, raising it from the anxieties of egoism, making it
capable of authentic love” (Discourse to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, February 10, 2005).
2. Elizabeth – The Unworthy Host: Elizabeth’s moving question reflects the one
virtue necessary for a person to be invaded by the Holy Spirit: humility. Elizabeth is
profoundly aware of her lowliness in the face of a visit from the mother of her Lord.
Mary herself echoes these sentiments of deep humility throughout her Magnificat.
What is the reason her Creator has done great things for her, so much so that all
generations will call her blessed? It is not due to any talent or quality she might
possess of herself. There is no magnificent grandeur by which she has captivated the
Almighty. God has simply “looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness.” Do I rejoice in my
littleness, knowing that it enables the Holy Spirit to make his dwelling within me and
do great things for Christ with my life?
3. The Hymn of God’s Praise: Mary is so filled with the Holy Spirit that her whole
being bursts forth in a hymn of joy and praise to the Almighty. Pope Emeritus
Benedict reflects on Mary’s joy at the infant Lord’s presence within her womb: “This
is the joy the heart feels when we kneel to adore Jesus in faith” (Discourse to the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, February 10, 2005). The joy of Christ, the
joy of the Holy Spirit, gratitude to God for the great things he has done in us, impels
us to bring Our Lord to others, just as Mary brought him to Elizabeth even before his
birth. As she sings her Magnificat, Mary does not remain closed within herself but
reflects on what God has done for her in light of his saving plan for all his people. May
the joy of the Holy Spirit bring about a new Pentecost that radiates from our lives.
Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord! The great gift of your Holy Spirit fills
our lives with the unspeakable joy of your presence within us. Help me to respond
with haste -- as Mary did -- to the impulses of charity from the Holy Spirit.
Resolution: I will look for occasions to speak about Christ with others and do acts of
charity for them with joy and haste, just as Mary did in the Gospel.

Words from St. John of the Cross

St. John’s Instructions for Climbing to the Summit of the Mount

To reach satisfaction in all, desire its possession in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the
possession of nothing. To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing. To come to the knowledge of
all, desire the knowledge of nothing. To come to the pleasure you have not, you must go by a
way in which you enjoy not. To come to the knowledge you have not, you must go by a way in
which you know not. To come to the possession you have not, you must go by a way in which
you possess not. To come to be what you are not, you must go by a way in which you are not.
For to go from all to the All, you must deny yourself of all in all. And when you come to the
possession of the all, you must possess it without wanting anything. Because if you desire to
have something in all, your treasure in God is not purely your all. In this nakedness the spirit
finds its quietude and rest. For in coveting nothing, nothing raises it up, and nothing weighs it
down, because it is in the center of its humility. When it covets something, in this very desire it
is wearied. (AMC, I, 13[11])
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What is my greatest desire?
How can I open up this desire to God and allow Him to place it in his loving hands?
Where is joy dampened in me?

If time allows, do session 4, page 9, Teresa on genuine vs. false humility…

Simeon’s Canticle

Our 3rd conference is the canticle for Night Prayer, a fitting song for the last steps of retreat. In
the name of the F, S, and HS.

Opening Prayer: Lord, I present myself to you now as your devoted child. I love you, Lord,
and humbly ask for whatever graces you have set aside for me today. I ask you to
strengthen my desire to be exceptional in serving you more justly.

The Word of God

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they
took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the
Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the
sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the
law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was
righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It
had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen
the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents
brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him
into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace,
according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight
of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” The
child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed
them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many
in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted—and you yourself a sword will pierce—so
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven
years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming
forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were
awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law
of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and
became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Encountering Christ:
1. Simeon—Righteous and Devout: Well before this moment in the Gospel,
Simeon had persevered through a long journey. Like anything worth fighting for, this
moment of encounter required effort on Simeon’s part. We are told in Luke 13:24,
“Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.” Righteousness comes by way of humility and

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 sacrifice, and by placing God first in our life. How willing are we to sacrifice comfort
sometimes to make more room for the Holy Spirit in our life?
2. Offering God More Than He Asks of Us: In a homily from 2013, Pope Benedict
XVI explained that it was not mandatory for parents to bring their firstborn to the
temple, or make an offering. Mary and Joseph honored God by taking Jesus to the
Temple, as well as making the sacrifice of “two young pigeons” (the offering of those
with humble means). The Holy Spirit obviously knew that Joseph and Mary were the
kind of parents to go the extra mile to honor God, leading to the fulfillment of the
prophecy. When we offer God more than he asks from us, he blesses us
superabundantly, and we fulfill his intention for us—we become holy.
3. A Sign That Contradicted: On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the
church celebrates those who are living the vocation of consecrated life. In a culture
that embraces norms of sexual promiscuity and material luxury, someone living a life
of joy without these things is surely a sign of contradiction. Living a joy-filled life–set
apart in service to God and others–speaks loudly to many restless hearts trying to fill
the emptiness of a life without Christ. May the Lord bless consecrated souls and help
us all to live a joyful life that honors Christ.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will add at least fifteen extra minutes of
praise and thanksgiving to my normal prayer routine. I will also pray for strength and
protection for those who have given their lives to God by consecrating themselves to
his service.

From St. Therese of Lisieux

Our Lord’s love is revealed as perfectly in the most simple soul that resists his grace in nothing
as in the most excellent soul; in fact, since the nature of love is to humble oneself, if all souls
resembled those of the holy Doctors who illumined the Church with the clarity of their teachings,
it seems God would not descend so low when coming to their heart. But he created the child who
knows only how to make his feeble cries heard. It is to their hearts that God deigns to lower
himself. When coming down in this way, God manifests his infinite grandeur (Story of a Soul, p.
14).

And,

The teaching of Thérèse is not some heady, abstract, speculative ideology. Rather, Thérèse lived
everything that she taught. As she wrote in her autobiography: “I expect each day to discover
new imperfections in myself… I am simply resigned to see myself always imperfect – and in this
I find my joy…. My own folly is this: to trust that your love will accept me. I am only a child,
powerless and weak, and yet it is my weakness that gives me the boldness of offering myself as a
victim of your love, O Jesus!” (Story of a Soul, pp. 224, 158, 200, 195).

What has resonated in me from imagining Simeon? In what way is the Lord asking me to fulfill
his intentions, to go beyond what I think that I can do?

Conclusion: Teaching from Saint John, regarding persecution.

Do not let what is happening to me, daughter, cause you any grief, for it does not cause me
any… Men do not do these things, but God, who knows what is suitable and arranges things for
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our own good. Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love,
and you will draw out love. —Letter to Mother Mary of the Incarnation DISCALCED
CARMELITE IN SEGOVIA, JULY 1591

We began in conference 1 with lessons on silence, as we considered the story and the song of
Zechariah. Then in conference 2 we saw in Mary’s canticle the themes of humility, charity, and
the need of our docility—to be open to the impulses of the Holy Spirit. Finally, our third
conference raised the idea of contradiction. May we go forth from our retreat and redouble our
efforts to live the way of Carmel.

As I conclude, I reflect and ask:

1. What is on my heart now?