Recollection

"I put up with this church in the hope that one day it will become better, just as it is constrained to put up with me in the hope that one day I will become better."

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus

Once a semester we embrace silence on the hilltop. Cell phones are forbidden, homework is excused, the internet is discouraged, and the invitation is open to pursue the Lord's love at work in our lives. It's called a Day of Recollection. I like that. Re-collecting of our thoughts. Re-invigoration of our relationship with Christ. Re-engagement with our deeper selves. Re-alignment of our priorities. Recollection. It fits.

I wrote about silence last year on this blog, so I won't rehash previous thoughts, but these Days of Recollection usually take one of two directions for me (and I would guess for others as well): Either I consciously set aside the activities at hand to offer the day to the Lord, or I go about halfway and sneak a couple peeks of Facebook, read a textbook for class (but a spiritual one, of course), and maybe watch an episode of TV before going to bed (with my headphones on so as not to disturb the silence for anyone else). I bet you can guess which approach has been more fruitful.

Why is it that we have such a hard time slowing down and letting things go from time to time? While I'm at school, I have a number of activities and responsibilities. I coach and play for the soccer team and play for the basketball team; I am the Athletic Chair for Pre-Theology and Theology; I have a full course load of philosophy and other classes; I take piano lessons; I teach second grade religious education for my pastoral ministry on Wednesday evenings; I pray in community with my brothers twice a day; I attend daily Mass; I am expected at a conference each Monday evening; I tutor in the Writing Center. I'm busy. Most people are too. We tend to have full to-do lists and stretch our ability to time manage. In truth, that's why these periods of concentrated, planned rest can be powerful and even vital to our wellbeing. Taking care of ourselves helps us take care of others. This is true for seminarians and priests as much as lay persons.

As part of the Day of Recollection, Archbishop Emeritus John Vlazny of Portland presented three conferences (talks) as points of reflection to stimulate our prayer, journaling, and introspection. In the morning, he spoke about how to be a healthy, holy, and happy priest. In the afternoon, he shared about the importance of loving the Church. When he did, he told us the quotation above. I am a fan of pithy quotes, and this one caught me. Yes. This is why the Catholic Church is important to me. This is why I can love the Church despite its obvious failings and human limitations. This is why the Church can survive despite being in the charge of sinners--because those sinners (like me) have been redeemed and called. The Church challenges me to have experiences like the Day of Recollection so I can grow in holiness and in relationship with the Lord. The Church teaches me a fullness of faith I cannot find elsewhere. The Church is my home. The Church does not lose hope in me, nor do I lose hope in the Church. We encounter this journey together.

Archbishop Vlazny shared another quotation with us, this one from Venerable Fulton Sheen, who said, "Our Lord's first word to his disciples was 'come.' His last word was 'go.'" If I spend my entire life coming to the Church, being fed by the Word and Eucharist, that is precisely what enables me to go and be Christ to the world. From this Day of Recollection, I recall how privileged I am to share in a profound communion that continually calls me to become the best version of myself. Wounds, warts, mistakes, and all, will you join me in the great adventure to which the Church calls us?