A Day Away for Boys Only by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy Webster defines "retreat" in this way: 1. a withdrawal, as from danger 2. a safe, quiet place 3. a period of seclusion esp. for contemplation 4. the forced withdrawal of troops under attack. Funny how things come full circle. Back in the 70's, some churches stopped using the word "retreat" to describe time spent away. Apparently, some folks thought that it was a negative way of talking about time spent in silence and prayer. Such an event should be called, they argued, an "advance" because it's about moving forward on important but often neglected realities of life. Of course, "advance" never caught on; it was just too weird. But no doubt we all understand the concept. I've shared, in the context of a sermon, how some things in life are urgent and important (crisises of various kinds), some are not urgent and not important (telemarketers and their like), some things are urgent but not important (other people's emergencies) and some things are not urgent but really important (relationships, reflection, quiet, prayer and the like). The latter will never demand our attention and often get the short shrift until we find ourselves sucking sand from a depleted well; the living water gone; and it is then that some people find themselves at burn-out or nearly there. And so for this reason I think "retreat" is a perfectly fine title. To "retreat" is to surrender; to call it quits for a time; to run away from all the urgency and all the rest of the stuff that fills our lives beyond capacity. It is a time to replenish the living water − or at least, to become aware of the fact that the sacred well within has gone dry and to begin to create some empty spaces in our lives so that we might be renewed and recreated. The men of St. Augustine's are planning a day away. Not a full blown retreat; which we are working toward in the spring of 2009; but only a single day away − to rest, to pray and to laugh and play. The date is Saturday, May 17th all day at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in Paradise Cove (Malibu). St. Aidan's is blessed with a lovely setting on PCH with a view of the grand Pacific and a distance yet far enough away from Santa Monica that one feels that they have truly gotten away. Are you about ready to run away? There is a sign up on the patio and more information in the Sunday church bulletin. Copyright © 2008 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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