Before you begin your retreat, pause for a few moments and pay attention to your breathing.Take a few long, deep breaths and remember the love of God which surrounds you.
1 Corinthians 11:26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
In this passage, Paul reminds the church in Corinth why they gather and celebrate. He refers to Jesus' great sacrifice as the center of the gathering and outlines how the Eucharist is to be celebrated. Even now, we continue this remembrance in the celebration of the Mass. There we gather as God's family to listen, pray, receive the fullness of Jesus in the Eucharist, and be sent out in mission. At the table of the Lord we are all God's children.
If Paul were to write to you about how to celebrate the Mass, what might he say to you?
Who am I having trouble seeing as a child of God and as an equal in God's eyes?
(Speak to Jesus using the following prayer or one of your own.)
Lord Jesus, you are the Bread of Life. Help me live in a way that shows your love for all people, despite our differences, because we are all part of God's family.
Amen.