My 9th grade retreat to St. Stanislaus, a Brothers of the Sacred Heart School located in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, was my third retreat as a Brother Martin student. I entered Brother Martin as a seventh grader, and I was a part of the last seventh grade class. For my first retreat, our class went to St. Joseph Abbey, where we talked about discovering one’s vocation and God’s plan for us in the future. The following year in 8th grade, our class stayed on campus for our retreat, and we discussed the tradition, culture, and heritage of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. Now, as 9th graders, our retreat focused on prayer and our relationship with God.
Prayer is talking to God, and it strengthens our relationship with Him. Hearing some of the teachers’ personal stories about their own witness to the power of prayer moved us all. Although the stories were all different and occurred at different times in the speakers’ lives, one central theme remained the same: always trust in God. We often want God to answer our prayers right away or on our own terms, but God works in mysterious ways and knows what is best for all of us.
We were also able to discover the voice of God in silence when we went out on the pier. We watched the pelicans fly and heard the peaceful rhythm of the ocean. Everyone enjoyed this quiet time as a way to focus ourselves for the rest of the retreat. Through silent prayer, we are able to appreciate nature and God’s love for all of us.
During the retreat, I was also able to reflect on my past experiences at Brother Martin and the lessons I’ve learned from them. Going to the cemetery where all the Brothers are buried allowed me to realize the dedication that they had in their spiritual life. All of these Brothers dedicated their whole lives to God and were able to perfect their prayer life. I learned that, just like everything else we do, praying takes practice, and we should try our best to make our relationship with God stronger and to make our faith more connected to our daily life.
My prayer life is also an important aspect of my family as both my parents were also born and raised in a Catholic household. During our many road trips, we would pray the Rosary to ask Mary for protection and safe travels. My parents guide me to become more faithful and connected to God. On my retreat, I was able to thank God for having a loving family, for having a roof over my head, and for having food to eat, as not everyone is as fortunate to have these necessities for life.
Overall, I feel that this retreat was a great way to start off the second quarter. I was able to bond with my fellow classmates through a mutual understanding of the power of prayer in our lives.
Submitted by Emmanuel Levy ’20