Retreats: Bringing Out the Child in All of Us

We had two retreats earlier today: first, the freshman Challenge Retreat for St. Mary Central High School in Neenah, WI and second, a Faith on Fire at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manawa, WI. The Faith on Fire was particularly interesting, because there were students from grades 4-11 all at the same event.

First of all, it can be a bit challenging to present a message that is accessible to such a wide age range. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do whatever is necessary, if we only stay open to His inspirations! I can confidently say that the students at Sacred Heart have learned a great deal about their faith, particularly about the Communion of Saints.

Second, working with a range of grade levels all at once gives us a great perspective on a topic that appears frequently in the Gospel: childlike faith. I was privileged to stay with the younger grades this evening while the older students broke up into small groups with some of my SPIRITUS teammates. The openness of the younger children is absolutely incredible! They may have learned more than even the older students, simply because they were willing to accept us as teachers without being "too cool" to be there.

Finally, I think it was good for the older students to see the openness that the young ones have. During praise and worship, we really get a chance to see whether or not students are open to the Holy Spirit based on whether or not they are able to step out of their comfort zones to sing songs for Jesus and even do some silly hand motions. The younger kids don't have any problem doing this, but the older ones tend to struggle a little. However, being around younger students really helps them to rediscover a bit of that childlike openness that they've lost over the years. I think it really made a difference tonight!

I pray that God will help all of us to trust in Him with childlike faith, not worrying about what others will think, but doing whatever He asks of us with enthusiasm, joy, and complete trust.