These resources can be used as a short retreat over several days or spread out over several weeks. You can arrange to talk with a retreat guide digitally during the retreat if you wish. If you would like to do that please contact Sr Judith.
Getting Started
The retreats divided into sections. You can take one section each day of your retreat or you can spread each section over several days or a week. In this section you will find some useful retreat tools. It includes ideas for creating a scared space at home and some suggestions for praying with scripture:
People of the Kingdom,
a Beatitudes retreat.
The Beatitudes lay out Jesus’ vision of the kingdom and and call us to join him in making it a reality. It’s a call to become people of the kingdom in the midst of the challenges and messiness of daily life. This 8 session retreat provides the opportunity to reflect on how to make the values of the Beatitudes the basis of our daily interactions. You take one session per day or spread each section over several days or a week. The resources above, “Creating Sacred Space” and “Praying with Scripture” may be helpful to you. If you would like to speak to a retreat guide digitally during your retreat please contact Sr Judith
Begin your retreat by reading whichever version of the Beatitudes you prefer.
Session 1: Poor in Spirit
No one likes to admit to poverty. It’s not something we would see as a blessing or as cause for congratulations. The opposite is true, we do everything we can to hide our poverty, whether material or spiritual, from ourselves and from others. Yet here is Jesus telling us that the kingdom belongs to those who are poor in spirit, suggesting that it is something to be accepted, embraced and rejoiced in.
Opening prayer:
Loving God, grant me the courage to admit my neediness, the faith to trust your promise and to live in hope. In Jesus name. Amen
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this first beatitude:
Where you aware of your poverty of spirit?
What enables you to admit your reliance on God?
What helps you to glimpse the kingdom in your life?
You may find it helpful to use Psalm 130 as part of your prayer.
Thanksgiving prayer
Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this prayer time.
Session 2: Gentle
Gentleness is not a fashionable attribute. In times like ours that value assertiveness and individualism it can be dismissed as weakness. The gentleness Jesus invites us to is very far from being weakness. It’s a gentleness born entirely of love, and it has a strength and the power that only love can give.
Opening prayer
Lord God, allow me to admit my need for your gentleness in my life. Fill my heart with your love so that I may reach out to others with gentleness and compassion. In Jesus name. Amen
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this second Beatitude.
Where are you aware of your need for gentleness?
How do you respond when gentleness is offered to you?
What does it mean to you to inherit the earth?
You might find it helpful to pray Matthew 11:28 – 29 alongside this Beatitude.
Thanksgiving prayer
Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this prayer time.
Session 3: Mourning
This time of pandemic has put mourning at the forefront of our lives as we lived through the suffering and pain it brought. In our times of mourning we know how desperately we need the comfort and consolation this beatitude offers us. It doesn’t take our pain away. It doesn’t brush it aside or pretend it isn’t real. Instead the comfort Jesus offers us in this beatitude is to sit with us in our pain, holding, acknowledging and consoling us as we go through it.
Opening prayer
God of love, enable me to place my grief and sorrow in your hands. In my times of mourning touch my heart with the consolation of your loving presence. In Jesus name. Amen.
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this third Beatitude.
What mourning are you carrying today?
What comforts you in your times of mourning?
What would enable you to unlock the grace this beatitude offers?
You might find it helpful to pray Isaiah 61:1 – 11 or Psalm 125 alongside this beatitude.
Thanksgiving prayer Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this prayer time.
Session 4: Hungering for righteousness
It seems to me that the heart of this beatitude is desire and passion. At its heart is the passion of love that fuels our desire for communion with God. That love does not exist in a vacuum, our loving relationship with God soon spills over into a concern for the well-being of others. Our knowledge of God leads us to care passionately for all God’s creatures. It leads us to want to build communities based on fairness, justice, respect and equality for all God’s children.
Opening prayer
Heavenly Father, fill my heart with passion for your ways. Make your love fill me and overflow in care and compassion for all those in need. In Jesus name. Amen
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this fourth Beatitude. What causes you to hunger and thirst?
How are you being called to live an upright life?
What might fill the empty spaces within you?
You might want to pray Isaiah 55:1 – 11 alongside this beatitude.
Thanksgiving prayer Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this prayer time.
Session 5: Mercy
The need to both give and receive mercy unites us all. However well intentioned our actions we all fall short, make mistakes, fail, cause hurt to others. We also all have the experience of being hurt and wounded by others. So whatever else we experience we can be sure that we all stand together in our need to forgive and to be forgiven. As well as taking us to the heart of our faith this beatitude touches the very core of what it is to be human.
Opening prayer
Loving Father, I come before you aware of my need of your forgiving love. Let me feel the healing touch of your mercy in my life. Give me a forgiving and merciful heart. In Jesus name. Amen
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this fifth Beatitude.
Where are you aware of your need for mercy?
What enables you to accept the mercy Christ offers you?
How are you being called to imitate Christ’s mercy in your life?
You might want to pray Matthew 18: 21 – 22 or Matthew 5: 9 – 13 alongside this beatitude.
Thanksgiving prayer
Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this prayer time.
Session 6: Pure in Heart
This beatitude is a call to look inwards, to examine the motivations that prompt our actions and behaviour. It reminds us that important as our actions are, they are not enough by themselves. So often we can find ourselves doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. The way to learn purity of heart is to spend time in God’s presence, learning to love as God loves, learning desire what is better for other people rather than what is better for ourselves.
Opening prayer
Lord God, as I seek your presence in my life purify my heart, give me the courage to acknowledge my motivations and to bring them into the light of your loving presence. In Jesus name. Amen.
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this sixth Beatitude.
Where are you being called to give reflect on your motivations?
How are you being called to give your whole attention to seeking God?
What helps you to live wholeheartedly?
You might want to pray Psalm 23 alongside this beatitude.
Thanksgiving prayer
Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this prayer time.
Session 7: Peacemakers
Peace is something we all desire. Deep in our hearts we recognise its value and know how necessary it is for human flourishing. Yet in practice it can seem almost impossible to achieve. A quick glance at the news shows a world torn by conflict, each one having devastating effects on the lives of ordinary people. Our world urgently needs people who will cultivate and nurture peace in every circumstance.
Opening prayer
God of love lead me to seek your peace in my life and in my relationships. Help me to bring peace to the people I meet and the situations I encounter. In Jesus name. Amen
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this seventh Beatitude.
Where do you desire peace in your life?
Where are you being called to actively seek and create peace?
What sustains you when you need to seek peaceful solutions?
You made want to pray with Isaiah 52: 7 – 9 or Isaiah 9 :5 – 6 alongside this beatitude
Thanksgiving prayer
Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this prayer time.
Session 8: Persecuted for uprightness
This beatitude reminds us that truly to live by the values of the kingdom is risky. At best living that way risks causing painful misunderstandings and at worst it can liaise open to persecution. Our care and concern for others will not always be well received or understood. However we are misjudged, misunderstood or persecuted, even when our motivations are mixed, we’re called to keep trusting God’s grace and to persevere in building the kingdom however challenging the circumstances we face.
Opening prayer
Heavenly Father, fill me with your grace, give me all I need to seek and live by the values of the Kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen
Start the session by reading all of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-11), then take some time to pray with this seventh Beatitude.
Where are you called to risk persecution for the sake of the kingdom?
What enables you to examine your motivations honestly?
Where are you being called to persevere in building the kingdom today?
You might want to pray Mark 10: 28 – 31 alongside this beatitude.
To end your retreat watch the video below.
What word, phrase or image will you take away to help you live by the values of the Kingdom?
Thanksgiving prayer
Take some time to thank God for the insights and blessings of this time of retreat.
With Open Heart
Begin your retreat by reflecting on your hopes and desires and to share them with Christ.
Grounded in the Love of God
Every journey needs a starting point, a beginning, a place from which we set out. As we start our pilgrimage it’s worth spending time reflecting on our starting point. A pilgrimage is a journey into the heart of a loving God. Our starting point is always from the solid and holy ground of being loved and cherished children God. On this first stage of our journey we discover ourselves as held in the loving gaze of God.
Prayer
Loving God, who searches the depths of the heart, knowing every thought and hope and fear, open my heart to the wonder of your love and lead me by your light in the way of eternal life.
Read Psalm 138/9
How do you respond to the God who searches and knows you?
Where do you discover the wonder of your being?
Where do you hope God will lead you?
End your prayer by taking time to give thanks to God for this time of prayer and the insights you have gained from it.
On Holy Ground
The God who holds us in love calls us into relationship. Like Moses at the burning bush we are called to allow our curiosity to be aroused and to take time to turn aside from whatever occupies us, taking time to discover and respond to the presence of God in our lives. Trust your instincts, allow your curiosity to lead you towards God, let yourself be surprised by God in unexpected places.
Prayer
God of love, as you called Moses to recognise you in the strange sight of the burning bush, make us aware of your call to enter into the depths of a life-changing encounter with you in the midst of our daily lives. Amen
Read Exodus 3: 1-7
What heightens your awareness of God in your wilderness times?
Where do you recognise holy ground in your life?
How do you want to respond to the God who calls you in the midst of your daily life?
End your prayer by taking time to give thanks to God for this time of prayer and the insights you have gained from it.
Encounter
Although the Samaritan woman is nameless in the gospel in some traditions she is known as St Photina, “the luminous one”. It highlights the light that shines through her encounter which Christ. Her path to revelation and faith is lit by her thirst and her questioning. Allow yourself to time to be aware of what you thirst for and allow your questions to lead you to encounter Christ in your life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, who offered the Samaritan woman living water, open our hearts accept the living water that brings us new life.
Read John 4: 1- 42
The Samaritan woman encountered Jesus on the outskirts of the town. Where are you aware of Jesus waiting to encounter you at the edges of your life?
Jesus told the Samaritan woman everything she ever did. How do you respond to the Christ who knows you inside out?
The Samaritan woman put down her water jar to run back to the town and proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah. What do you need to put down to be able to respond to Christ’s call in your life?
End your prayer by taking time to give thanks to God for this time of prayer and the insights you have gained from it.
Building the kingdom
The sermon on the mount begins with the Beatitudes, which are sometimes called the blueprint for the Kingdom. They lay out a vision that turns all our values on their heads and reminds us that the Kingdom Jesus is bringing is something very different from anything we know or might expect. The Beatitudes aren’t just a list of high minded ideals, they are practical pointers for shaping daily life and making the kingdom a reality in the world today. As you pray with them allow yourself to reflect on what might help you to make the values of the kingdom a life changing reality in your life.
Prayer
Loving God, open my heart to receive the blessing of your loving presence. Show me the ways that I can help make your kingdom a reality in the lives of the people I meet.
Read Matthew 5: 1-12
Pray with whichever beatitude speaks most to you. You might want to consider these questions as you pray:
What attracts or challenges you about this beatitude?
What thoughts and emotions does it raise?
How does it shape (or how you would like it to) your life?
End your prayer by taking time to give thanks to God for this time of prayer and the insights you have gained from it.
Thanksgiving
As you prepare to end your retreat and return to your usual routine take time to pause and rest in God’s presence. Take some time to reflect on the blessings of this time of retreat, on what you have discovered and on what you will take with you, and to thank God for these blessings.
Response
Thank you for using this retreat material. We would appreciate it if you felt able to share something of how you used it to will help us with future planning. If you would like to do that please email Sr Judith