Summer
Snippets: “Spiritual Presence for Men In
Stressful Times”
It’s time to talk about
contemplative presence to the guys out there and if you’re a gal, I’d like to
talk to the man in your life. The frenetic world men find themselves in today
can wear you down. Responsibilities to the family, job, aging parents, volunteer
commitments can all come together to get you wrapped around the axel. Not only
is there no time left for yourself, but there’s no time to be alone, to be in
the presence of God who continues trying to break through into our world.
Last year I was asked by the Retreat and Conference
Center at Bon Secours, in Marriottsville, MD, to design a weekend
workshop/retreat for men only. It would be an opportunity for men to walk an
inner path that can transform the stresses, strains, and challenges at home and
at work into productive encounters with the holy, the grace-filled, the center
of who we really are. This I have done and I will be offering the workshop/retreat
on the 3rd weekend of September, the 21st, 22nd,
and 23rd. The weekend runs from
Friday 5:00pm to Sunday 1:00pm.
Participants will explore specific ways for
expanding our awareness of God’s ever-abiding living Presence. That Presence,
which is always with us, is a source of steady
wisdom, gentle guidance, and quiet strength. What emerges from that union is a
partnership for compassionate healing and decisive action in the many arenas of
our lives. So what can you expect from this time together with other guys all
seeking a little space to pull your life together and set it in a new direction
that includes God’s transforming presence? You
can expect time to decompress and realign yourself with God’s transforming
grace. You can expect great meals and lots of rest. You can expect new insights in how male
spirituality differs from female spirituality. You can key into how men of
other cultures contact their inner selves and how it gets expressed.
Friday evening begins with a consideration of the unique
stresses in men’s lives today. Saturday has us considering male spiritual energy
and delving into the types of male roles through which that energy gets
expressed today. The day concludes with a presentation on God’s presence as an
energy that can empower your life. Sunday morning has a final session on how to
keep the energy flowing in your life and the workshop/retreat ends with Mass
followed by lunch. So you come after work on Friday and can be home
mid-afternoon on Sunday renewed and refreshed.
The format of the weekend is not a
series of lectures, but experiential learning so it’s a bit of instruction,
experience, reflection and sharing if you care to do so. What we hope to
deliver by Sunday noon is a better understanding of male energy and how we can
use it to decrease stress through an experience of God’s Presence. It is a
Presence that can make a difference in our life as a man.
Is there is something in you causing
you to pause to consider joining us? If there is take it as an answer to the
desire you have for God in your life! If you would like more information on the
workshop/retreat you can email me at fathernicholasamato@gmail.com. If you would like to
register, go to http://rccbonsecours.com. I hope you will consider
joining us.
Blessings,
Father Nicholas
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