Last week you were given 5 reasons not to attend a retreat but today we are presenting to you 6 good reasons to attend a retreat with us at St Luke’s Retreat Centre in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth
1. You are feeling tired and weary and overwhelmed
Constant pressure, stress and anxiety are part of our daily world. This makes it difficult to switch off and let our nervous system rest, especially when we need it the most. Unexplained illnesses are often the result of this. We are embodied souls and our bodies and souls cannot be thought of as independent from each other. The Theology of the Body teaches us that it matters what we do with our bodies and our bodies and souls affect each other. We therefore need to take time to care for both. Let’s not wait until we are sick but let’s rather take time to care for us now by dedicating a weekend to the Lord.
2. You can’t hear God’s voice
Our world is noisy. Our days are divided between work, family, commitments, and many distractions that call for our attention. We deal with constant interruptions from our phones, people walking into our offices, traffic jams, social media, and bad news from around the world. It is no wonder we can’t hear God’s voice in all this chaos. Even Elijah had to go into the mountains and even there he was not sheltered from winds, earthquakes, and fires. But he found God’s voice in the gentle whisper. How do we hear a gentle whisper in this noisy world of ours? By making time in silence to connect with God. Let our Retreat Centre be your mountain where you find God’s voice as a gentle whisper.
3. You feel your religion is just a set of rules instead of a relationship with God
Pope Benedict XVI said it so beautifully in his encyclical letter “Deus caritas est”: “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” How do we have an encounter with anyone? By purposefully spending time with them! Take a weekend to come on retreat and encounter the risen Christ and how much he loves you. Even to the point of laying down his life for you.
4. You find only fleeting moments of peace
Our minds are racing with thoughts. All the time. How can we find peace in that? By stillness. By letting someone guide us. By adoring the Lord. Finding peace in silence is learnt by practice. Even religious people get distracted in prayer. How often do we feel inadequate because we think we should just know how to do something. Practice makes perfect. We need to invest the time to practice and dedicated ourselves. The first step to this is to dedicate ourselves. Make a decision and then act.
5. You haven’t been to church in a while
It can be scary to return to Mass when you haven’t been going in a while. Why not attend a retreat and let the Holy Spirit guide you slowly while you are spending the weekend with the Lord. Spend some time with a small community of retreat guests and open your heart again towards the Lord. You might be surprised what you find.
6. You haven’t seen St Luke’s Retreat Centre since it was renovated
St Luke’s Retreat Centre has been completely renovated in 2022 and modernized. We have removed all the old carpets and refurbished the original wooden floors and upgraded the communal bathrooms to allow for privacy in the showers. Our guest rooms are each named after a Saint and a picture of the Saint is displayed in the rooms. The Main Conference Hall has been fitted with a 75 inch Smart TV which serves as a projector and online conferencing system as well as speakers and microphone. Come spend time with the Lord in these beautiful surroundings and attend a retreat with us.