Dear Parishioners,

I have a free day today, so I wanted to send you a letter to update you on how the retreat is going. Many of you have mentioned how hard it must be to be silent for thirty days. I think the name "silent retreat" is a bad name. The silence is for listening and talking to God, and I don't think I have ever done so much listening or talking in my life. Not out loud of course, but within my heart to God. On this retreat I also meet with my spiritual director, Fr. Cheo, who is from Costa Rica, and meet with him for about an hour each day to talk about the experiences of prayer. He gives me insight and clarity, especially in understanding the movements of the Holy Spirit and Satan in my soul. The soul responds differently to both. During times of peace, consolation, warmth, comfort, these are generally the ways the soul responds to the Holy Spirit. However, when you feel anxious, afraid, frozen, feel like hiding, these are signs that Satan is moving around in the soul. This happens each day to everyone, but most of us don't know how to talk about it or put it into words. These insights have been very helpful.

I dedicate four separate hours each day to prayer, and generally this is by praying with Bible passages. The retreat follows the life of Christ and begins with the fall of humans, my own sinfulness, and then how Jesus enters the world to save us from our sins. This past week I was praying about His life and this week I will be praying about the Last Supper and the suffering and death of Jesus. The last week I will be pray about the resurrection.
The spirituality center I am staying at is besides the house where St. Ignatius of Loyola lived as a youth and where he had his conversion. You can look up Loyola, Spain and find it online. St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuits, which is a religious order committed largely to education and social works. St. Robert Bellarmine was one of the first Jesuits, and Pope Francis is a Jesuit!

The weather is nice here with highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s or upper 50s. It's very green, hopefully like El Campo will be with some more rain, and rural. There are vegetable gardens everywhere with sheep and cattle grazing in small fields. In all a very peaceful, bucolic setting.

Well, I just wanted to send you a letter on my free day and to let you know that your prayers and support have been felt on this retreat. It has been a beautiful time of reflection and renewal. Please keep up your prayers for me, right now I'm only half way through, and know I am praying for you, especially with all that has happened at the parish.

I love you very much, and can't wait to be back in the parish, especially for our King and Queen dance and fun festival. (I'm currently enjoying having my beard while I still have it.) May God bless you and your families and may you continue to grow in the love Jesus has for you.

Love,
Fr. Philip