Last evening God presented a beautiful sunset for us and we thought we’d share it with you. Experiencing the calm and quiet of our retreat center, we are blessed to be able to see the beauty that God creates. If time allows, take a few minutes to meditate on this image. Have a very blessed day!!
This is the message that is at the heart of Christian identity. In the 15th chapter of St. Paul’s first letter to the Church in Corinth, he proclaims the truth of the resurrection.
If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is void of content and your faith is empty too…Because if the dead are not raised, then Christ was not raised; and if Christ was not raised then your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins, and those who have fallen asleep in Christ are the deadest of the dead. If our hopes in Christ are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable of men and women.
The belief we have in the victory of the resurrection is something that we often take for granted. I would urge you to imagine what it would be like if you did not believe this great truth. I often do that very thing. I try to imagine what it would be like if I stood at the grave of my father and mother without the belief that for them life is changed and not end. I try to imagine what it would be like to face the death of dear friends without the promise of life eternal. I try to imagine what it would be like to face the pain and suffering of this life without the confidence of faith that allowed the mystic Julian of Norwich to proclaim, “all shall be well, and all shall be well”.
Because we are believers in the resurrection, we are not afraid to confront the difficulties of life. Because we are believers in the resurrection, we are not afraid to lay down our lives for others. Because we are believers in the resurrection, we overcome our fears. Our hope can be seen in the lyrics of the song by Bette Midler “the Rose”
“When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long, and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong. Just remember, in the winter, far beneath the bitter snows, lies the seed that with the sun’s love, in the spring, becomes the rose.”
Alleluia! He is risen. He is truly risen!! Fr. Richard M. Sudlik, OMI, Director
The offices of Christ the King Retreat Center will be closing at 4 pm on Thursday, April 6, 2023, in observance of the Easter Triduum. The offices will reopen on Monday, April 10, at 8 am.
Due to the pending weather for Tues-Fri of this week, we are cancelling the Women’s Silent Midweek retreat scheduled for Feb 21-23, 2023.
We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but we’d rather err on the side of caution and safety, not wanting to put anyone in harms way having to travel in bad weather.
If are scheduled for this retreat and want to reschedule to another date, please call the retreat center or email me with the retreat that you would like to reschedule to. Blessings and Peace.
Advent is a journey…We are waiting… moving toward…something better, we hope, that we will find on Christmas morning. On Christmas morning, we find the love of Christ in an infant. We find ourselves devoted to this little child who like all babes needs our care and support for the first several (18 or more) years of their life. As this child grows, we grow in our relationship with Jesus. This child becomes the Good Shepherd. There is something about the image of the shepherd that we find compelling, as most of us have never seen a shepherd. This image speaks of peace and tranquility and hope in the face of danger. We find ourselves praying Psalm 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd – in times of grief and sorrow, to give us comfort that the Shepherd is with us, guiding us. This year at Christ the King Retreat Center, the image of the Good Shepherd will be the focus of our spiritual journey (retreat theme). We pray that you will find the image of the infant at Christmas and the image of the Shepherd a place of peace and tranquility, leaving the dark valley behind.
We at Christ the King Retreat Center wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day weekend. Our offices and the retreat center will be closed on Monday in observance of the Labor Day Holiday. The office will be open on Tuesday at 8:00 am. Peace and Blessings to you.
It was 70 years ago, September 1952, that the Mission Oblates of Mary Immaculate purchased the land and property of the Lethert family on Buffalo Lake in Buffalo, MN, and hosted the first Silent Retreat at King’s House. Through the many years of ministry, there have been thousands of retreatants experiencing peace, renewal, and joy through the multitude of priests and religious who have served here. In celebration of this milestone, there will be a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, August 21, 2022, at 2:00 pm with reception following. All are welcome to attend, please RSVP using the form below.
A gift has been given to Christ the King Retreat Center in memory of Fr. Jim Deegan, a beautiful replica of the Pieta found at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
At Mass on Ash Wednesday this year, Fr. Lon gave us this verse from Isaiah – Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine. Is 43:1.
His message was that during Lent, there is an underlying sense of Joy as we have already been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb.
In these final days of Holy Week, leading up to the Triduum, our sorrow at seeing the Lord’s suffering and death becomes our focus. We have prepared our hearts, souls and minds to place ourselves in the midst of His Passion and grow in our love for the Lord, knowing that His sacrifice has given us our life.
We anticipate, with confidence, the Resurrection waiting for us. And we celebrate, again, the everlasting Joy of the Risen Christ. For 40 days, we have been about Penance and Pray. After the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, it will be time to Sing Alleluia again. From death comes life.
Many blessings to you this Easter Season.
We regret to inform our loyal retreatants that due to Fr. Lachowitzer’s commitments, he is no longer able to give the August 2023 retreat at Christ the King Retreat Center. We look forward to rescheduling this retreat for August of 2024. More details will be published later this year.
