As I travelled back to the archdiocese from vacation, a number of people spoke with me at the various airports that were part of my journey.

Many of them expressed the same thought: “Vacation is over, back to the demands of day-to-day life.” Some had children who were preparing to return to school, others were going back to school themselves.

Some were retired and were returning home. Most, including myself, were going back to the fulltime dimensions of their vocations/careers, to the family responsibilities that are part of and give meaning to their lives and to the roles through which they contribute to society.

My conversations led me to think about the process of bringing a new energy to the “another beginning” dimension of September. I recalled the teaching I received during the early years of my spiritual formation, namely, that a helpful way to “begin again” is to place the new beginning in a spiritual context because spirituality touches everything we are and everything we do.

The tradition in which I was formed recommended that a day of self-directed retreat – as opposed to the longer annual private, preached or directed retreat – helps people to connect spirituality and life. It also clarifies motivation and helps to renew commitment.

When I refer to a “retreat”, I do not necessarily mean leaving home or school or work. I mean using the setting of home, school or work to read, think and pray about how we are living our lives and how we are touching the lives of others. Allow me to share my thoughts on four key points:

Attitude

Attitude is everything. It affects motivation, energy levels, commitments and our relationships with others. Most people who analyse their attitudes tend to do so with an emphasis on psychological criteria. While that approach has value, it is also incomplete.

I believe that attitude is primarily determined by spirituality or the lack thereof. Spirituality helps form a person's self-understanding and agenda. By that I mean spirituality opens us to the major issues of life: God, truth, values, relationships and peace.

Through spirituality people are able to understand life and to see beyond life in this world. Through spirituality, people are able to confront the challenges they face and not only cope with them, but grow because of them with the help of others. Through spirituality people are able to develop and maintain a positive attitude as they pass through the various phases of life.

During the self-directed retreat day the question on attitude that should be considered is: What attitude characterises and influences my life?

Holiness

The universal call to holiness was taught with great clarity by the Second Vatican Council. Last month, Pope Benedict XVI surprised the young people at World Youth Day in Cologne by challenging the youth of the world to accept and live the call to holiness.

Using the terminology of revolution, the Holy Father said that the saints – believers who pursued holiness – were the true revolutionaries of the world. The saints changed the direction of history and they used holiness to do it. Holiness, the Holy Father said, is the means through which disciples assume responsibility for changing the world.

Every baptised person is called to holiness i.e. living the values of God who is the guarantor of truth, freedom and goodness. God, who is love, is the norm we chose to follow in Baptism. There are no exceptions. The call applies to everyone.

During the self-directed retreat day, the question on holiness that should be considered is: What priority do I give in my life to the call to holiness?

Prayer

Daily prayer and persevering prayer is the mark of a believer. It is the language of relationship with God. It is the response of faith to the free promise of salvation. It is the response of love to the thirst of the Son of God to meet and be in relationship with every human being. As God reveals himself to man and also reveals man to himself, prayer enables the insight of revelation to touch the heart.

As there are different types of people, so there are different types of prayer. Some people prefer vocal prayer, others mental prayer. Some people prefer private prayer, others liturgical prayer. However, one point is common to all forms of prayer: conversion of heart.

Without conversion of heart, prayer can become a series of empty formulas. No matter what our vocation may be, prayer must be a regular part of our lives. Prayer must continually breathe new life and new depth into our self-understanding and everything we do.

During our self-directed retreat day the question on prayer that should be considered is: What prayer forms are part of my daily life?

Growth

Catholic spirituality teaches us that we are called to continual conversion. The proper mind set for a Catholic Christian is to be interested in all phases of life as we journey toward salvation and wholeness. This is an important point.

Too many good people find that they are bored with life. Catholic spirituality calls us to be interested in and even excited about communicating the truth of faith in an increasingly secularized yet intensely searching world.

We cannot be discouraged either by opposition or the enormity of the challenge. However, to respond to the challenge we must consciously open ourselves to growth in knowledge, in collaborative dialogue/planning, in the acquisition of skills and in a willingness to share our time.

During the self-directed retreat day the question on growth that should be considered is: Have I made a priority commitment to ongoing growth in my life?

Conclusion