by Bishop Raymond A. Lucker
Diocese of New Ulm

During this month I am making a retreat at the Jesuit Center called Loyola House in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Guelph is east and a little north of Detroit, close to Toronto. Surprisingly it is farther south than New Ulm, at the same latitude perhaps as central Iowa. The weather is milder than Minnesota with temperatures in the twenties. It has been cloudy almost every day. We are between Lake Huron and Lake Erie and are supposed to have a lot of snow. So far that hasnt been true. I plan to go out cross-country skiing today, hoping for the best.

This is a thirty day retreat with a couple of extra days on each end for preparation and for assimilation of the experience. We follow the classic spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. After his conversion, he had a profound experience of God in a cave at Manresa. He developed amazing insights into the spiritual life. Others wanted him to teach them. He led them in a series of exercises which he later wrote down and which became a guide for the spiritual renewal of countless numbers of people throughout the four centuries since Ignatius day.

So, here I am in this place, open to the love of God, trying to be attentive to Gods life in mine. I am one of eight people making this long retreat. Others come and go for eight or three day retreats, for spiritual direction, and various conferences. There are always twenty-five or thirty of us here. The retreat center is situated on the grounds of Ignatius College and the headquarters of the Canadian Jesuits. There is a 600 acre farm here also where the Jesuits and others minister to a community of developmentally disadvantaged adults. There are paths through the pastures, a small river, wetlands, and woods.

The house is quite simple, with chapel, dining room, parlor, and offices where each of us meet daily with a spiritual director. My room is tiny, ten feet by ten feet, which barely gives enough space for a bed, a chair, a place for hanging clothes, and a combination sink, dresser, and table top.

Everything is in total silence except for the one hour a day we spend with our spiritual director and, of course, the praying and singing at daily Mass. Classical music is played during lunch and supper. When I mention it, people gasp at the long time in silence. But it really is no problem. We are occupied with five hour-long prayer periods with journaling after each, long walks, the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, meals, and spiritual direction.

I visited my ninety-nine year old mother just before I left. I had a long intimate talk with my mother in which, among other things, she shared about the love and care she and my father had for each other. As I was leaving she said, What if I die before you get finished with the retreat? I said, I will come right home. Then she said, Okay. But, I dont think Ill die. I dont feel like it.

I came here to pray for the Church, for the priests and people of the Diocese of New Ulm. I came here especially to prepare myself for the RENEW 2000 program which we will be beginning this spring with leadership training and which will be the way we as a diocese will celebrate the great Jubilee of 2000 years since the coming of Christ. That will be a very important part of my ministry during these next four years.

I say I came here to listen to God in prayer. Does God speak to me? Not so much in words like over a telephone, but God does communicate with me. I place myself in Gods presence. I am aware that God created me and that he loves me, and continues to create me. Is that communication? I think it is.

Yes, I believe and know from experience that God loves me. From the sacred scriptures I know that God loves me, has chosen me and has called me friend and beloved. As I meditate on a passage from the Bible I hear Jesus saying to me, Do you believe in me? I respond, Yes, Lord, you have the words of eternal life. I hear other passages that speak to me. Since the scriptures are the word of God, is that communication? I think it is.

During my prayer, thoughts come to me about this or that issue or decision in my life. What should I do? What would Jesus do? I come to some clarity about them. Is this God communicating with me? I believe so.

I believe that God loves us, that God created us, redeemed us and wants to be with us. God wants our love in return.

In my prayer I ask for knowledge, wisdom, and courage to follow my vocation, to praise, reverence and serve God and minister to the priests and the people of the diocese. I pray for you all.

February, 1998