The Spirit Of The Liturgy

In Advent 2015, I was asked to give a retreat to parishioners at St. George Parish, Seattle WA. This was my first time giving a retreat. It was a day long retreat with three sessions, and breaks in between. Each sessions was an hour long.

I was reluctant until a parishioner named Dorothy conveyed the utmost confidence in me. She asked me for a theme the bulletin announcement and insert.

At the time, I was reading a book called Spirit of the Liturgy by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He is now known as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI because of his recent retirement, making way for Pope Francis.

Why was I reading the book? There were a few reasons. First, liturgy is a huge part of the Catholic Church.

The Mass is the source, center and summit of the Catholic Church. Every Sunday, and on weekdays, the faithful gather with their priest for the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist.

He shared so many wonderful insights such as looking to the cross as a way of looking towards the East, and saints as living altars of Christ.

There are so many more.

To make a long story short, I told Dorothy that I wanted to talk about the book Spirit of the Liturgy, and share some of the insights I learned from it.

The Spirit of the Liturgy became the theme for the retreat. It was the theme based on the book.

However, as I prepared for the retreat, my attention was drawn to the Holy Spirit. I was relying upon the Holy Spirit to point me to the right direction. You will notice that the most of the chapter titles begin with the Spirit.

Hope you enjoy this retreat as you prepare for Christmas! Wishing you and your family all the best in the joyful Christmas season and many blessings to you in the new calendar year.