THE 20's/30's
Have BRUNCH with the 20s/30s
June 2008 update: For the next two months, our 20s/30s brunch will move to the 2nd Sunday. Find us after church at social hour and we’ll walk over together, or feel free to just meet us there! Next up:
Sunday, June 8th,
12:45pm
The Press Box
932 Second Avenue (
49th & 50th)
Young adults gather the first Sunday of every month for brunch. Meet at the coffee hour after the 11 o'clock service. Hope to see you!
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Retreat Reflections: May 2008
On May 9th seven intrepid members of the St. Bart's 20s/30s group set out for a weekend of mindful contemplation and silence at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY. St. Bart's has a long standing relationship with Holy Cross; a few of us had been to the Monastery before and were looking forward to returning while others thought a quiet weekend of fellowship on the Hudson studying and praying with Monks sounded like just what the doctor ordered.
Our weekend, as do all weekends at Holy Cross, included the Daily Offices (services) in the Chapel, delicious monastery cooked meals in the dining hall which overlooks the grounds and the Hudson (they have an excellent chef - so it's not exactly the height of asceticism for guests), as well as time for individual contemplation, reading and prayer inside or outside the Monastery. As part of our group's program, we met several times with Br. Bernard and Br. Bede, who shared thoughts, experiences and teachings based on the theme "Living in the Present Moment." They encouraged us to share some of our own experiences as well after doing individual exercises with what Buddhists sometimes call “mindfulness”. Most of us found the time we spent practicing outside to be particularly powerful.
As everyone reading this has noticed, New York City can be nuts, to say the least. Most of the group members said in one way or another that they felt challenged by New York living. Peace and quiet were obviously a draw for us all, but even away from car horns and cell phones, the duties and details of a busy life can pull the mind away from the present moment.
My last trip to Holy Cross was over a cold, blustery fall weekend. I stayed indoors a lot and even had a bad cold and I still loved it. This weekend we couldn't have had more gorgeous spring weather, balmy and sunny. For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to visit Holy Cross yet, it is situated on 26 acres on the west side of the Hudson river, overlooking sloping grounds which lead down to a tree line and a little rock beach. The delightful weather was a big help to our group of seekers of the present moment. We spent time alone or together in silence, wandering the grounds, down by the water, in lawn chairs reading or quietly conversing. All the while, we gazed at spring flowers, the bright green of new leaves on tall trees, falling apple blossoms and blue sky over the wide, wide Hudson. Everyone mentioned feeling grateful for the weather and the spring beauty.
I for one had a bit of depression and withdrawal coming back to NY; I had felt deep peace and contentment while spending time looking at the water, chanting with others during the Daily Offices in the chapel or in silent prayer of my own; now I was back to distractions galore and various kinds of stress. But peace and joy are only half of life, Brs. Bede and Bernard reminded us: the answer isn’t to hide from our feelings or thoughts the rest of the time. So, I keep pulling my wandering mind back, and I have noticed that something in me has softened more to the idea of the present moment being enough.
While I intend to plan future retreats to Holy Cross Monastery for the 20s/30s group, I know I don't have to wait until I'm there again to find God again and again in the only way I can – by attending to the present moment. After this retreat, I have a different take on a question posed by Psalm 42. I know it best from the text of a Herbert Howells motet I love, so that's what I'll share:
“Like as the hart desireth the water brooks, so longeth my soul after thee, O God. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God.
When shall I come to appear before the presence of God?” (Psalm 42: 1-2)
My new thought after our retreat is: right now.
Siobhan Kolker
May 26th, 2008
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