Why Must One Make a Retreat?

Why Must One Make a Retreat? | Mark 6: 30-31

Why retreat? This is a question like, why prayer? Mark 6:31 answers this gentle invitation: “Come away to a lonely place by yourselves, that you may have some rest.” A retreat is more than a physical break; it is a sacred pause for the mind and soul. Jesus is the host, inviting us simply to be available to Him.

The apostles returned from their labours and shared all they had done and taught (Mark 6:30). In the same way, a retreat is a time to lay our stories before Jesus and listen to His gentle guidance. When we step away to a week of retreat, we essentially carry two books with us: the Bible—the story of God—and the book of our own lives.

Reading only our own story in isolation can be perilous. Left entirely to ourselves, we might drift into pride or sink into despair. We need to read our experiences alongside the divine narrative. Consider Judas, who processed his pain in isolation and met a tragic end, contrasted with Peter, who simply looked back at Jesus and found a path to redemption. Similarly, in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov suffers under the weight of his destructive choices until Sonia brings him back to life by reading the story of Lazarus. Cross-referencing our lives with the Gospels brings healing and true meaning.

Silence is the quiet companion that helps us read these two books without distraction. As the Psalmist writes, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In stillness, we not only come to know God more deeply, but we also finally see ourselves clearly.

Thomas Aquinas reminds us that to truly love someone, we must know them. Why do we seek to know Jesus more? So that we may love Him more profoundly. Why do we take the time to understand ourselves? So that we can genuinely learn to love ourselves again, no matter our present circumstances.

We often settle for the minimum in life—choosing comfort over courage. Yet life belongs to those who refuse to sit when they are called to stand. The Gospels never champion a mediocre life; they point us toward abundance, complete joy, and walking the extra mile:

“I have come that you may have life, life in all its fullness” (John 10:10).
“That my own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
“A good measure, pressed down, shaken up, and running over” (Luke 6:38).

The true reward of a retreat is the profound renewal promised in Ezekiel 36:25–27: a cleansing of our impurities, the removal of our hearts of stone, and the gift of a tender heart infused with His Spirit. Through stillness and surrender, we step back into the world renewed, restored, and truly alive.

From the retreat talk by Fr Joe OP.

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