Silence Is Golden

(A picture I took at Kennebunkport Beach)

Everybody needs a little silence now and then.  In today’s society where our attention is constantly fought for by a number of varied distractions such as cell phones, news stations and other social media outlets, silence has become a rare commodity. Thus, after a very busy first semester at Saint John’s Seminary, it was good to spend a week in silence before beginning the next phase of my discernment journey. The need for occasional periods of silence is something which Saint John’s Seminary readily recognizes, and for this reason all seminarians are annually required to attend a silent week-long retreat before the start of the spring semester. While seminarians are expected to remain silent during the retreat, mere outward silence is not the end goal. The outward silence, i.e. not talking, is meant to foster an environment in which one can create the inner silence necessary for deep prayer with the Lord. 

This year’s retreat was held at the Franciscan Conference Center in Kennebunkport, Maine. The center consists of a sizeable plot of land with a number of guest houses, a chapel, a cafeteria, and a main meeting space. The center was founded in 1947 by the Lithuanian Fathers of St. Casmir who had fled their homeland to escape the Soviet Invasion.  The main chapel and guest house, originally called Saint Andrews, became a religious center for friars, the Lithuanian diaspora, and many others. In later years, they expanded into what they are today. The center contains many examples of Lithuanian art, which is strikingly different yet undeniably beautiful. The center is within walking distance of Kennebunkport Beach, which was always stunning (I would generally spend about an hour here each day). The waves were usually quite large and with nothing but water in sight for as far as the eye could see, one felt as if they were at the end of the world. It was definitely a good spot to grow closer to God through prayer.

                                                                                                                           

(Some of the Lithuanian art around the center)

The retreat, while consisting of community prayer, mass, meals, and periods of free time, also included a number of conference talks throughout the day, which were given by our retreat leader Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, the Archbishop of the United States Military Services. As the Archbishop of the Military Services, Bishop Broglio oversees Catholic priests serving as chaplains for all five branches of the military throughout the world. One can imagine that Bishop Broglio’s schedule is rather busy, so we as a seminary community we were very thankful that he took the time to be with us. His series of talks were all based on dissecting and examining the deep meaning of Chapter Six of John’s Gospel. In John 6, we hear Jesus refer to himself as “the Bread of Life”. His audience informs him that Moses gave them manna to eat during their time in the desert. Jesus reminds that that this bread came from God and that although the Israelites ate the manna, they died. Jesus states that he is the “true Bread sent down from heaven” and that all who eat of this bread shall “not perish, but have eternal life.” 

John 6 points to the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Christian and especially in the life of the priest. Pope John Paul II refers to the Eucharist as the “source and summit of the Catholic faith”. Indeed, all of the sacraments flow and confer their graces through the Eucharist. The Eucharist is mutually inclusive with the priesthood, for without priests there would be no Eucharist, but also without the Eucharist there would be no priesthood. This is because the celebration of this most holy sacrament is above all the main function of the priest. The Eucharist is the source of the priest’s divine life and the lens through which he must view the world. In addition to John’s Gospel, Bishop Broglio’s talks were also loosely based on the book Born of the Eucharist: A Spirituality for Priests by Monsignor Stephen Rossetti. I had providentially received a copy of this book about a week before from Father Wyndham and I used it as my main text for the retreat. Filled with musings from different priests about the importance of the Eucharist in their lives, it really helped me to establish a new found appreciation for the Sacrament.

Overall, the retreat was a good opportunity to reorient myself toward Christ and to recommit myself to the process of discernment. I hope I can carry what I learned and apply it during this new semester. 

Matthew Laird