WHITE HOUSE JESUIT RETREAT

St. Louis, MO 63129

1-800-643-1003

Jesuit retreat center high on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, MO.  Since 1922, thousands of people from around the world make annual three-day silent, guided retreats here to relax, reconnect with God and strengthen their spirituality.  A true gem in the Midwest!  Call 314-416-6400 or 1-800-643-1003.  Email reservations@whretreat.org  7400 Christopher Rd.  St. Louis, MO 63129

Both men's and women's retreats are offered as well as recovery retreats.

Take Spirituality to the Next Level!

Weekend Reflections for 2/15/19

February 12, 2019  /  Joe Parisi

In contrast to the longer beatitudes of the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew Ch. 5, in Sunday’s gospel St Luke (6:20-26) presents a “Sermon on the Plain” with a shorter list of blessings and corresponding woes addressing contrasting real life economic, social, and cultural situations, which can serve as an Ignatian “composition of place” about so many in the world of Jesus and in our own world today:

  • the rich and the poor

  • the satisfied and the hungry

  • the laughing and the grieving

  • the privileged and the outcast

Perhaps Luke’s version, contrasting blessings and woes, can help us grow in learning the path of discernment through the Spiritual Exercises we undertake at White House.

Luke reminds us that our “beatitude” flows from using our many blessings to address the woes of the world, converting ourselves in favor of those most in need. As we identify our blessings and our woes through Ignatius’ consciousness examen prayer (White House prayer book pp 41 and following), Jesus invites us “blessed” people to live the self-emptying life of Christ ourselves, making Christ-like decisions directing our blessings to the service of those who are poor, hungry, grieving, excluded and oppressed. In this way our advantages can also become blessings for freely sharing all the gifts we have received, making our own “Suscipe” prayer of “take and receive.”

-Fr. Ted Arroyo, S.J.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE ON RETREAT THIS WEEK AS WELL AS OUR DECEASED RETREATANTS.

PLEASE PRAY FOR PEACE IN OUR COMMUNITY