The Widow’s Might: A Retreat Guide for Lent

Fr. John Bartunek, LC

02/17/2015

Giving is better than getting, according to the Lord; generosity leads to greater happiness (“blessedness”) than cupidity. And yet, popular culture in our post-modern world bombards us every day with the exact opposite message, constantly trying to convince us that true happiness is to be found in possessing things: The right car, the right house, the right bank account, the right smartphone, the right clothes, the right friends, the right career, the right achievements… These, we are told over and over again, are the key ingredients to a truly meaningful life.

In the first meditation, we will hear Jesus teach about true generosity.
In the second meditation, we will contemplate one of his parables about the limited value of material things.
And in the conference, we will review the deep yet very practical theological concept of stewardship.

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How to Use A Retreat Guide

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How to Use A Retreat Guide in a Small Group

Gather together, start with prayer, and then watch the Intro and First Meditation together. At the end of the First Meditation, spend 5 – 10 minutes in silent meditation/prayer with the reflection questions. Then watch the Second Meditation and have 5 – 10 minutes of silent time. Lastly, watch the Conference and use the meditation questions as the springboard for personal prayer or group discussion.

You can use this format to gather in person or virtually. If virtual, someone could run the videos (sharing their screen, e.g., using Zoom or any other video conference platform), pausing for silent reflection.

The Conferences (the last video of each Retreat Guide) are designed as stand-alone videos offering practical applications for living out the Retreat Guide theme. They always work well with the Meditations, but you could use the Conference separately for a shorter gathering to kick off a topic for discussion.

Seasonally, you may want to use a Retreat Guide at home or with a closer group of friends. For Advent or Lent, you could select one Retreat Guide a week, watch one video each night, and discuss it as a family.

These are just some suggestions. Feel free to experiment with a format that works best for your group. With almost 60 Retreat Guides, you have a great library of retreats to pick from.