Retreats Reconsidered

We here at man with black hat have received quite a reaction to our piece entitled “Every Matter Under Heaven” from last Tuesday. We drew attention to plans underway by Michael Voris of ChurchMilitant.TV to organize a retreat, not only on a pleasure cruise line, but during Lent, and with the able assistance of Father John Zuhlsdorf, author of the weblog "What Does The Prayer Really Say?," and affectionately known as "Father Z."

We have also noticed the reaction from elsewhere, not only to this recently announced endeavor, but our reporting of it, including Catholic in Brooklyn, Abbey Roads. Even none other than The Crescat herself, Katrina "I'm not a Catholic celebrity just because I was on a short list of bloggers invited to an historic meeting at the Vatican" Fernandez, has weighed in.

But the reaction we will be reviewing more closely in this sequel to last Tuesday was found just a combox away, courtesy of one Christine Niles, hostess of the Fidelis Radio talk show "Forward Boldly" and author of the weblog Laudem Gloriae, devoted to the explanation and defense of Catholic tradition.

Sorry, but it all sounds like a whole lot of griping to me. I stand by my remarks that your complaints were "an ugly display of envy and sour grapes."

Actually, my dear, you have at least four reasons to be sorry. Since you chose to make this admonition public, my response will be in kind. I will examine your legitimate causes for regret forthwith.

You have an unnecessarily narrow definition of retreats, which come in all shapes & sizes. Some are made in absolute silence & enclosure, while others are characterized by complete freedom, conversation, and plenty of food. All a retreat means is to get away; the particulars of the retreat itself are up to the organizers.

"All a retreat means is to get away." You had best be quite sure of that, because ...

Words. Have. Meaning.

If there is one thing for which the errors of modernity have served as a cautionary tale, it is that there is an objective and precise meaning to the words we use, and that altering those words to suit our own purpose can be an insidious form of deception, one to which most faithful Catholics reading this (including you, as I would gather from reading your work) will attest. An explanation of Objective Truth requires that we mean what we say, and that such meaning is unassailable. Attempts by amateur liturgists in our parishes to alter the words of Sacred Scripture to facilitate a theological or ideological agenda, can in turn alter the meaning of the text, even to the point of heresy. Are women "excluded" when God is not redefined to suit them? Do we not, rather, "exclude" God when we address Him as "Mother," when His Son taught us otherwise? Attempts in parishes to justify a laic (as opposed to a cleric) preaching a homily by saying, "No, it's not a homily, it's a reflection," is a way of manipulating others into believing something is acceptable, when in fact it is not.

The word "retreat," in our case, is from the Latin word "retrahere" which means "to draw back." In our present usage, it is much more ...

verb:
1. a. The act or process of withdrawing, especially from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant.
b. The process of going backward or receding from a position or condition gained.

noun:
2. A place affording peace, quiet, privacy, or security.
3. a. A period of seclusion, retirement, or solitude.
b. A period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, or study: a religious retreat.

Nothing in this definition suggests anything other than the sort of meaning we have put forth, that it is more than simply "to get away," but is in fact doing so with a particular result in mind. Even "to draw back" is more precise than merely "to get away," as the movement implies deliberation, a purpose. The format of a retreat may vary, from a weekend in silence, to a thirty-day Ignatian exercise under spiritual direction without sequestering, but it is most certainly a deliberate break in routine for a pre-specified purpose.

Ergo, the meaning put forth here is not "unnecessarily narrow," but necessarily specific.

What you're actually doing with all this holier-than-thou griping is impugning the integrity & character of the retreat organizers, including the priest giving the talks.

No, what I'm actually doing is impugning the nature of the actions, having already drawn a clear distinction between the good character of the organizers themselves, and that which was problematic in their endeavor. Any preference toward a more severe (dare I say, "narrow") definition of a retreat, is what it is, PRECISELY because we are NOT "holier-than-thou." When we require a desert experience (as opposed to an oasis), we are obliged to follow the example of Christ, not of Mammon. I do not know Mr Voris' motives, nor those of the good Father. Indeed, I cannot possibly imagine what could possess two men of whom I have sufficient opinion that they would know better. I only know, and only submit, that their plans are terribly misguided, and I give specific reasons.

If you don't want to go, then don't. But this attempt to make attendees feel guilty is just silly.

I won't be needing your assistance to make that choice. I wouldn't go if they offered it for free. True, I would certainly want a Catholic priest along whose bonafides are in order (something which we mentioned is increasingly problematic on cruise lines), but why would I go during a penitential season, and why in the hell would I go alone? You see, my companion and best friend Sal would want to come too, and I would very much want to bring her. She studied ballroom dance for several years, and makes me look like a much better dancer than I really am. But I can barely afford one room, let alone two.

I can just hear her now:

“Ano ang ibig mong sabihin? Dahil lamang na iyong binayaran para sa aking biyahe? Tanga! Ngayon kuha mo ako ng mojito!” (“What do you mean? Just because you paid for my trip? Fool! Now get me a mojito!”)

True, I could sleep on the couch, but that assumes we don't get caught, and simply planning on that good fortune in this setting would be bad, wouldn't it? Besides, I can sleep on the couch at home, which usually happens when I watch late night movies ... but that's another story. Back to explaining yours.

Happy Advent.

Well, thank you, Christine, but I'd rather my Advent be "blessed" than "happy." While you certainly mean well, we have yet another case where the meaning of words is diluted. In the Beatitudes, certain candy-@$$ translations would say "Happy are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs." Elsewhere, the Book of Psalms would mistakenly open with: "Happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked ..." No, what Christ meant was "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) Further, the psalmist wrote: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers ..." (Psalm 1:1)

I can feel happy without ever knowing or caring whether I am blessed. I can be blessed without ever feeling happy. In fact, this is not about feelings at all, and this supposed "attempt to make attendees feel guilty," as one would learn the hard way in an introductory logic class, has nothing to do with how anyone would "feel."

What it has to do with, is our regard for what it is how we identify ourselves as Catholic, which, as is stated in our raison d'etre "... can involve more than avoiding sin and exercising virtue." We live our faith, not in a vacuum, but according to the seasons of the year. We read of this in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

For everything there is a season,
    and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant,
    and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones,
    and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace,
    and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. (3:1-8)

So it is with the seasons of the liturgical year, moving in harmony with those of the world around us. We know the time for planting and for the harvest. We know the time of fasting, and the time for the feast. Likewise, there is a reason that weddings were never done during penitential seasons (and still should be, in my estimation), and why funerals were never conducted on a Sunday (and, inasmuch as some things are still sacred, still are not). There is also a reason that an attempt to conduct a religious retreat on a luxury cruise line, never mind during the Great Fast, is a really, REALLY bad idea. And in making the distinction between the parties in question, and the act itself, one would hope that this has been an attempt to speak the truth in charity, whether successful or not.

We could go on at some length, Christine, about your impugning MY "integrity & character." We could also seek the counsel of those with experience in arranging luxury cruises, who could explain just how difficult it would be to isolate a "retreat" from the occasions for decadent behavior thereupon. We could go so far as to elaborate on your impressive academic credentials, and easily surmise that you should have done an infinitely better job of making your case against a yutz like me, but you get the idea. So does anyone else reading this, don't you think?

Or don't you?

(Our thanks to the unidentified "Catholic in Brooklyn" for the images of the austere conditions of the Princess Cruise Lines, ostensibly conducive to spiritual reflection, and to Christine Niles for her invaluable contribution to this discussion. May the blessings of the season be upon both of them and their loved ones. Meanwhile, there's this song that's been going through my head for the last three days. Go figure.)
 

Every Matter Under Heaven

For everything
there is a season,
and a time
for every matter
under heaven.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Recently, Michael Voris, of the internet-based video apostolate known as ChurchMilitant.TV (formerly RealCatholicTV), announced his apostolate's first-ever “‘Year of Faith’ Retreat at Sea” cruise for seven days from Fort Lauderdale to various stops in the Caribbean and back. This retreat will be a time of prayer, reflection, fellowship, not to mention Mass and regular confession, given the services of the one and only Father John “The World’s Most Powerful Catholic Blogger” Zuhlsdorf.

The opportunity to socialize and share common ground with Catholics of like mind is good in and of itself. Bringing a good Catholic priest along for the ride is even better in and of itself, given the increasing difficulty of finding cruise lines with a Catholic chaplaincy, never mind a priest whose bonafides are in order. (Some cruise lines have used priests of independent Catholic sects, or "rent-a-priests" who left their calling to marry, but still set up shop for weddings, spiritual counseling, and ... well, opportunities like this.) All this in itself has not been a recent bone of contention. It was the idea of all this under the auspices of a spiritual retreat.

Now, you're sitting there thinking: “But, but ... Oh Black-Hatted One, what harm can there be in joining others of the faithful remnant in prayer and reflection, or do we suspect that your indignation is prompted by (yet another) stick having ventured far into the nether regions of your well-formed posterior?”

Ah, dear minions, a good question. A little over the top, maybe, but never mind that. Let us first consider the essential differences between a spiritual retreat and a pleasure cruise, under the premise that there might actually be at least one.

On one hand, a retreat is held mostly in silence, with a carefully planned sequence of spiritual talks, with balanced if simple meals, and with no allowance for cellphones, electronic devices such as laptop computers or iPods, or musical instruments. All such creature comforts are left at the front desk for the duration of the event. You go to bed early, you get up early, and if you never have a moment's fun, it's beside the point ... isn't it?

On the other hand, a cruise has outside activities, social events with no limit to schmoozing, extravagant meals, swimming pools, shuffleboard, nightclub entertainment, ballroom or other forms of dancing, and social directors which the likes of yours truly would spend most of the time ignoring.

Even when Christ Himself evaded the crowds for solitude, he fled to the desert, not an oasis.

The above having been said, the organizers of this sojourn have no doubt discovered that 1) other Catholic publishers and apostolates have put on the party-dog hat for doing this, 2) the organizers get to go for free (as is standard fare for travel agent/planners among the infidels), and 3) the priest gets to go for free, "for the laborer deserves his food." (Matthew 10:10). On one hand, I don't remember seeing a Caribbean cruise on Father Z's wish list. On the other hand, this is taking place during the latter part of Lent, which is the worst time for a parish priest to break away, and the good Father does not have a parish assignment.

Now, I don't know about the rest of you kids, but when I go on a retreat, I go on a retreat. When I go on a cruise, I go on a cruise. (I haven't yet, but that's not important.) Retreats might be of varying depth and severity, this is true, but in the Catholic tradition, they all have certain things in common, such as the denial of varying degrees of creature comforts, and a certain severity in routine. Unless an entire cruise line is prepared to cooperate, this is an implausible scenario, and it is so during the season of the Great Fast, known in the Western church as Lent. Dressing it up with a certain routine, bringing a priest along, and calling it a retreat doesn't change any of that.

Meanwhile, to the person who accused yours truly in a particular social media venue of engaging in "an ugly display of envy and sour grapes," it is to laugh! Such a response assumes three things: 1) that those who challenge the idea as presented by CMTV are invariably jealous that they cannot or would not attend, 2) that concern over confusing a luxury cruise with a religious retreat is without merit, and 3) that the basis for 1 and 2 are that the parties in question are considered undeserving.

To the first, I can assure this individual that I have ample opportunity to a) go on retreats, b) go on a cruise (eventually), and c) have served Holy Mass for Father Zuhlsdorf, whom I have met and with whom I have broken bread on more than one occasion. He is a fine man, and a devout and (though you might not know it by his internet presence) an unassuming and humble priest.

To the second, my case stands on its own merits, and is motivated solely by them, and so I stand by them. I do so with no resentment towards Mr Voris, CMTV, (both of whom I have defended publicly in this setting), or (certainly!) Father Zuhlsdorf, for their fortunes. That they have suffered the slings and arrows of opposition for their convictions is not to be disputed here.

To the third, it would depend on what you mean by "deserving." Do they deserve a cruise for their apostolic work? Maybe, maybe not. It is hardly a free ride, as both are engaged in the responsibility of managing the event for others. Besides, if enough people decide to attend, Mister V and Father Z will get a cruise whether they deserve it or not, won't they?

But none of that makes it a retreat.

No one in the United States, even in a diocese that is on the verge of schism (and there are those within the walls of the Vatican who have long contended this), has to go offshore as they would with their monetary wealth, to find a haven of spiritual wealth. They can travel to other parts of the country and attend retreats, spiritual talks, and (lest we forget to mention) Gregorian chant symposia, all on dry land, for less money, and without a passport. As for myself, I am presently situated in the ecclesiastical Garden of Eden that is the Diocese of Arlington. I don't need to go on a cruise to hear the Truth with eloquence, having ample opportunity every Sunday to have such legends as those who serve the Church of Saint John the Beloved in McLean, Virginia. (Click on that link there and you can hear them as well.)

Those who choose to attend this soirée, I wish them well, with smooth waters, the wind at their back, and staying clear of the Bermuda Triangle. What I don't wish, is that they would kid themselves into thinking they are attending a spiritual retreat hosted by Princess Cruises, let alone during the season of Lent.

As I have not gained the notoriety for my blogospheric work to nearly the extent of the others mentioned here, this commentary would hardly stir the wind among the willows, don't you think?

Or don't you?

(Less than a week later, a sequel is published, and so the plot thickens!)