The Parish retreat began Friday evening with the celebration of Mass. Picking up the theme of the Gospel (Luke 9:18:22) Fr David emphasised the need for each of us to answer the question Jesus put to his disciples "Who do you say I am?" The purpose of the retreat was to help us go some way to answering this question.
On Saturday morning Fr David reflected on our call to holiness. The call to holiness is for everyone. It is a gift from the Holy Spirit and nothing to do with our own abilities. Our job is to simply cooperate and surrender to the Holy Spirit. It is only by the work of the Holy Spirit that our belief, faith and the sacraments come truly alive. Fr David recommended that we often pray this or a similar prayer:
Come Holy Spirit and enkindle in me the fire of your love.
Fr David's second session of the morning drew our attention to the importance of healing in Jesus' ministry. Using the incident in the Gospel of the man being lowered from the roof of the house by his friends, Fr David explained the link between healing and forgiveness of sins. The sacrament of reconcilliation allows us to experience the forgiveness of God. It is also an opportunity to heal the hurts we have suffered through life and so enable us to be released from the things that bind us to sin. As a good examination of conscience Fr David recommended reading 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and instead of 'love is' say 'I am' and reflect upon what I hear.
After a shared picnic lunch in the warm autumn sunshine Fr David gave us the opportunity to put into practice what we had heard in the morning. In an atmosphere of quiet reflection, everybody had the opportunity to go to Fr David to experience the forgivenss and healing of God offered through the sacrament of reconcilliation. We were encouraged to pray for one another.
Fr David spoke at all of the weekend Masses. Using the apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, he returned to the theme of how we are all called to holiness.
The weekend was completed with a shared Sunday lunch.
After a shared picnic lunch in the warm autumn sunshine Fr David gave us the opportunity to put into practice what we had heard in the morning. In an atmosphere of quiet reflection, everybody had the opportunity to go to Fr David to experience the forgivenss and healing of God offered through the sacrament of reconcilliation. We were encouraged to pray for one another. 
