Retret hari 1 : PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

"Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created. For this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all crated things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rahter than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most condusive for us to the end for which we are created" (Spriritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 23)

Text Kitab Suci: Gen 2,1-3; Heb 4,9-11; Mt 11, 28-30; Ps. 23

Ignatius starts with : "What is the meaning of my life". Yes, once we will be caried to the cementary and it will be too late to find it out.
We are unique, created by the will of God, and my existence has meaning only in God.

1. PRAISE
Praising God is recognizing God lives in us, realizing live in God's presence.
The real glory of God is our life. We praise God by living fully the life He gives us.

2. REVERENCE
Fear is an instinctive reactions againts actual danger/ thread. So we should not fear God, He is not a thread.
Reverence is a recognizing the ever presence of God in our life, realizing the power "beyond" with silence and adoration before God. In other word, reverence means prayerful and submission before the powerful God.

3. SERVE
Service is more than work/ activity, but fulfilling one's mission, fulfilment of God's will.
We have learned from Jesus how to serve.
I have to discern what's God's plan for me than I can do my service. We can't do service without prayer & reflection.
To serve God is to be available for the Kingdom of God.

SAVE ONE'S SOUL means one can fully life.

Points/questions for reflections:

1. Who is God for me?
2. Where do I find him?
3. How do I encounter God in my life?
4. Was I ever personally aware of his power, guidance and love?
5. Is my life a living praise of God?
6. What are the tools at my disposal to enrich and deepen my relationship with God?
7. How do I see the world? What is my mission?
8. On what basis do I make my decisions?
9. Do my surroundings help me to be closer to God; in what way do they hinder me?

Then we had time for reflection.