Spiritual Retreats

 

St Anthony's Monastery

'Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.' Mark 1:35

We visited the ancient Monastery of St Anthony on 2 Dec 2010. It is sequestrated in the parched Egyptian desert at the foot of mountains, by the eastern bank of the Red Sea. Here, about 112 Coptic monks live and work, dedicated to a secluded life seeking after a special communion with God and a community of like-minded brethren.

This monastery was founded in 356 AD and is reputed to be the oldest monastery in the world. St Anthony, whom many claim to have founded the monastic movement, lived as a hermit in a cave on the slope of the mountain behind the monastery. What drove him and many others down through the ages to forsake the world and live in solitude and seclusion?

Even today, there are such men living in caves in the desert. Many gave up their worldly possessions to live in this manner. St Anthony surrendered his family properties to live an ascetic life for nearly ninety years. He received his calling when he overheard the scriptures read from Matthew 19:21, 

'If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me'.

Some may consider such men to be eccentric, deranged and paranoid, battling personal demons that infest their souls.

In their desire to be completely pure and holy in God's presence, men like St Anthony speak of having to deal with such demons both within and without that would tempt them away from the holiness they seek. These struggles were probably very dramatic, even frightening. Some even describe near-death experiences. Eventually, many succeed to subdue these 'spirits' and establish an inspirational spirituality that few can ever hope to achieve.

Some may think that such desert fathers are just simply obsessed with evil, sin and guilt. In actual fact, they focused on imitating Christ by following a life of self sacrifice that will embody their dependence on God for their ultimate personal worth and salvation (Ref 1). Accordingly, the desert provides the opportunity to shake off all kinds of earthly encumbrances and limitations in order to stand unfettered in the very presence of God.

Realising this need for focus explains the sanity of their sacrifice. The experience of the physical desert makes giving up material things easier.

In contrast, in the material world of Singapore, following Jesus' advice to give all and follow Him, can be extremely difficult if not impossible. Hence, many of us will suffer missed opportunities just like the Bible's rich young ruler.

We are all the poorer for this; we clutch at our possessions, unable to release their stranglehold on us. As a result, we may never taste the pure and holy spiritual moments with God. Who, then, is more insane?

Nevertheless, trapped as we are, we should still define the spiritual space of our own desert and cultivate an attitude of detachment from material things. We should find time and space for much contemplation and worship; in our personal spiritual retreat. 

On the 21 Oct 2022 at a meditation group, Fabrice Desmarescaux, author of the book, 'The Art of Retreats: A Leader's Journey Toward Clarity, Balance and Purpose' gave 4 tips which he said are the essence of retreats.

• Solitude - Find time to be with yourself and to connect with yourself

• Silence - Find quietness and peace. Time opens up when we are not speaking; nothing and no noise to distract us
    
• Space - Find a space and surrounding that will inspire.

• Spirit - Find ourselves. We have been doing things all our lives now we can learn to just be ourselves, present and connect with our spirit. Henri Nouwen call this human being and not human doing. 

Then, more importantly, at these times of retreat, we will discover to whom we belong; we belong to God. Bishop Solomon wrote in 'Spiritual Discipline for Urban Christians' (Ref 2), "We need to find ourselves alone in God's redeeming and healing presence and find and receive our God-place. When we realise that each of us has a unique place given to us by God, we can truly rest instead of searching endlessly and fighting for a place of our own."

There is a hymn that tells us to retreat into a garden to find Jesus, 'In the Garden.' 

I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses

And He walks with me

And He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing

And He walks with me

And He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

I stayed in the garden with Him

Though the night all around me is falling

But He bids me go, through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling

And He walks with me

And He talks with me

And He tells me I am His own

And the joy we share as we tarry there

None other has ever known

None other has ever known

Lionel

Updated 1st Published 2 Dec 2010

Ref 1 The relevance of the 'Life of Anthony' today written by a solitary monk living on St Anthony's Mountain, Mt Colzim, Egypt. In St Anthony, His Life and Sayings, Monastery of St Anthony, 2010 pp 173.

Ref 2 Bishop Robert Solomon, Spiritual Disciplines for Urban Christians, Genesis Book 2021