Christian Contemplative Retreat: Light Sitting in Light
With Fr. Martin Laird
December 8 - 10, 2017
“Just as air is in the light of the sun, and the light of the sun is in the air—so too is God constantly in the being of the soul.”
These words from the 14th century Flemish mystic, Jan van Ruusbroec, serve to guide this retreat. Ruusbroec’s description of our relationship with God is not something any of us needs to acquire. It only needs to be realized. Through self-forgetful release into the practice of contemplation, the illusion of separation from God is dispelled. We become so silent before God that any distance from God drops away.
Through silent prayer, conferences and discussion, we shall consider such things as:
- The subtle difficulties we meet in something so simple as stillness
- What interior skills develop as our practice deepens
- The relationship between mindfulness and contemplative prayer
- The profound role played by the contemplative with depression and anxiety
These and other concerns will be the focus of this graced time to be in silence together.
This retreat is co-sponsored with Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center.
About the Leader
Fr. Martin Laird
Fr. Martin Laird, O.S.A. is Professor of Early Christian Studies at Villanova University. His published works include “Into the Silent Land,” “A Sunlit Absence” and the forthcoming, “An Ocean of Light” (all from Oxford University Press).
Learn more about Fr. Martin LairdCategories : All Levels, Main Campus, West Hartford, Mindfulness, Overnight Retreat