By Yohan Wickramasekara
In the retreat, you're doing nothing but doing something to yourself by doing nothing—it is the silent encounter.
The word "retreat" comes from the Latin verb retrahere, which means "to draw back" or "to pull back." Upon this definition, the Corpus Christi College 2024 retreat can be called a total encapsulation of the past year for all the brothers as seminarians. It also became the first retreat for all the first-year brothers. The silent retreat commenced on 25th September 2024 with Night Prayer consecrating the whole retreat to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, led by Fr Terry Kennedy CSsR.
The first recollection focused on a total unconditional “yes” to the Lord as the apostles did on the day of Pentecost. Valuing the availability of discipleship, Fr. Terry highlighted the missionary zeal to the priestly vocation in the post-Vatican II church, which was called the new Pentecost by John Paul II. Fr. Terry stressed the tripod of one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, highlighting the importance of the Letter to the Romans and how we must understand the calling in the social and worldly spiral of violence and evil.
On the second day, Father Terry emphasised the nascent church, highlighting the parallelisms of the call of God both in the New Testament and the Old Testament and how our calling to the priesthood needs us to resuscitate the entrusted flock who are drawn into the spiral of evil.
Marking the mid-session of the retreat, Fr. Terry preached on the gravity of the prayer of handing over of the pattern and chalice during ordination: “Receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God. Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s Cross.” This prayer prompted a personal reflection on the gravity of becoming a total imitation of Christ and his unblemished sacrifice.
On the 4th and 5th days, the task of a priest in helping the penitent and spreading peace in the world was highlighted. Lastly, we were exhorted to become simple priests with holiness, prayer, and availability to God and the people of God as Christ was, and were reminded that Christ is the hodos of this future consecration of all of us in the order of the priesthood.
