“ADVENTure”… Advent Retreat for Young Adults
A group of us gathered for a Catholic retreat led by Father Ramon SDB. The mornings held a sense of anticipation as we checked in, unaware that the coming days would unfold into a meaningful ADVENTure camp, revealing the depth of life’s purpose.
Father Ramon shared insights on life as a grand adventure, a preparation for the second coming of Christ. His words resonated with each of us, emphasizing that Advent is more than just counting down to Christmas; it’s a personal journey preparing us for the ultimate encounter with Christ.
One of us, facing challenges at work, found comfort in the retreat, a gentle reminder that our identity extends beyond the struggles we face and that we can still be happy now without waiting for life to be free of problems, if it ever will be.
Throughout the retreat, Father Ramon shared five unchanging truths – pain, imperfect people, unpredictable circumstances, life’s unfairness, and the inevitability of change and endings. These truths served as signposts, guiding us to embrace challenges and find meaning through God’s grace.
A pivotal moment came with the lesson on ‘FACE’ versus God’s ‘FACE,’ urging us to let go of unhealthy Fears, Attachments, Control, and Entitlements. Father Ramon guided us through each point, encouraging transformative growth.
He advised us to let go of unhealthy fears and to embrace Faith. With God, challenges become stepping stones, and fear fades away. Attachments, both material and emotional, are obstacles to personal growth, but with Affirmation under God’s guidance, we can instead learn to love others.
The excessive desire and suffocation for control, whether seeking dominance or losing it entirely, is much better replaced with Care, where we love others truly. Finally, Empowerment driven by God’s boundless love liberates us from life’s many disappointments and from our selfish entitlements, so that we can actually recognize the great adventure God truly desires for each one of us.
We left the farm with hearts filled with newfound faith, love, and a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. The retreat is a testament to the transformative power of encountering God, a recognition that life is a wonderful journey of self-discovery with Jesus Christ, and how blessed we are for Christ to gift us with his Church and the wonderful Catholic community it has birthed.
That life is an ADVENTure? Oh yes… I’m so on to it because I am never alone in it. I have my brothers and sisters in faith AND I always have Christ with me along life’s paths.