Goal of this Retreat
Using the idea of athletic training as an underlying theme, this retreat will help teens understand the importance of prayer while giving them the opportu- nity to “exercise” different forms of prayer. The goal of this retreat is to help the teens develop a lifelong habit of prayer (CCC 2688).
Basis of the Retreat
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
- 1 Timothy 4:8
- Isaiah 40:29-31
- Psalm 105:4
- Colossians 3:23-24
- CCC 2558-2567
- CCC 2700-2719
- CCC 2725-2745
Retreat Overview
Crossfit, P90X, Biggest Loser, Insanity – everywhere you look there is another program to help you shape up and slim down. We all know that physical exercise is important and there are plenty of “experts” to show us how to train our bodies, but what about our souls? The Catechism states: “Prayer and the Christian life are inseparable” (CCC 2745). Then why do so many of us struggle to develop and maintain a healthy prayer life? Because prayer “always presupposes effort” (CCC 2725), the habit of prayer, like the habit of exercise, is built up over time with discipline and repetition. This retreat will help teens get their spiritual lives “in shape” through prayer.
This retreat is formatted differently than a typical weekend retreat. It begins with a Friday night session that introduces the retreat theme and reminds teens that God always makes the first move towards us; prayer is simply our response to Him. Throughout Saturday, the teens will have the opportunity to choose sessions, each
on a different form of prayer. This retreat outline will present six options; the teens will be able to choose three sessions to attend. Each of these sessions will explain the form of prayer and give the teens the opportunity to try it out. The Saturday evening session will bring the entire group together for the highest form of prayer: the Holy Mass. On Sunday, the retreat ends with a session on the “battle of prayer” and how to make the experiences of the weekend into a habit of prayer.