During Lent, Father Nabil Chehade SJ led a silent retreat for leaders of MIDADE, diocesan youth and the scouts, with Ignatian meditation, sharing circles and teaching on discerning God's will.
For the blessed season of Lent, and under the patronage of His Excellency Bishop Elie Bechara Haddad, Archbishop of the diocese, Metanoia Listening Center, in cooperation with the Family Committee, organized a silent retreat titled "Into your hands I commend my spirit" on Sunday 16 March.
Leaders and companions from MIDADE, the diocesan youth "For the Church," and the Maronite Scouts (Darb El Sim troop) took part.
The retreat was led by Father Dr. Nabil Chehade SJ.
The day included spiritual talks, sharing groups and personal meditation, and ended with the Divine Liturgy.
The day opened with morning prayer. Father Chehade then gave the first talk, explaining personal meditation in a practical and spiritual way:
1. Switching off the mobile phone to take personal time.
2. Thirst and longing for God.
3. Keeping to the time, guarding against distraction, the right posture and preparing for meditation.
He also explained prayer and its forms and the stages to follow, as well as the struggle between two wills, starting from the text of "Jesus' agony in the Garden of Olives." He then gave points for meditation on the text that had been sent to participants two days earlier.
The participants then spread out, each taking their own place inside and outside the center, and meditated for forty-five minutes.
After a break, the participants divided into four circles for an hour and a quarter, sharing their experiences and the points they had meditated on and drawn out, guided by three questions:
1. Thoughts: positive and negative.
2. Feelings: positive and negative.
3. Will: what was stirred in them during meditation.
After lunch, Father Nabil Chehade gave the second talk. He first listened to some summaries from the sharing circles, then explained how to discover God's will in our lives – a daily need: making decisions and walking with Jesus in the freedom of God's children, rather than reacting to whatever situation we are going through; the importance of discernment in accompanying our decisions; and paying attention to external and even internal influences that may affect our choices. Father Nabil stressed the spirit of joy and its importance in discernment.
The retreat ended with the Divine Liturgy.
