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From Josh Ariens - Gladstone
The retreat gave me a wonderful opportunity to connect with other blokes – all good men – to address some needs that perhaps I don’t allow to surface too often. It was just good to share personally and to do so in the context of my Catholic faith.
The sense of camaderie on the weekend was truly uplifting. It held joy and hope because we became more aware of our common mission as Christian men: as husbands and fathers yes but as men “on fire with the love of Jesus” as the song went.
To be able to have some quiet time in prayer, alone and guided as a group, was really calming. It reinvigorated my relationship with God. It gave me fresh hope.
Listening to those blokes who shared something of their lives and faith with the group was just inspirational. We are all witnesses. When we hear the stories of other men it does something to our soul, our psyche, and that is good news for the Church.
From David Leech - Warwick
I sought my soul, my soul I could not find.
I sought out God but God eluded me.
I sought out my brother and found all three,
My soul, my God and all humanity.
I don't quite know how I ended up at Menalive last weekend.
I'm not catholic (whatever that means), I'm not a chuch-goer (join the club), and I didn't have the time (too busy).
But a couple of mates were going and I partly went for them.
"just turn up", I told myself. I told my wife I was going on a retreat - a break for her!
Des' return email was welcoming and genuine - I left with an open mind.
The location was magnificent and the accommodation comfortable. I settled in for a comfortable weekend.
As they say, the rest is history:
It wasn't comfortable. I got more than I bargained for.
I didn't know it at the time, but I had been driving myself like a machine, I had never bothered to get myself serviced and I was running on empty - very empty.
The penny finally dropped, with a heavy thud. I had to be honest with myself, I wasn't travelling too safely.
Quite frankly, it came as a shock because I thought I was in control. I wasn't.
I was surprised: "I should have known better,why didn't I see it coming, the signs, I mean".
Looking back in hindsight, the signs were there but I didn't want to see them.
Sometimes we need shocks to wake up, to dislodge the blocks and the denial.
I just didn't expect that I needed it.
I want to thank you for respecting my vulnerabilty and my dignity.
"Trust the process," you said, "give your heart to it and see what happens."
You helped me see that vulnerabilty was a gift and part of the healing: it was the heart speaking out,over the head.
"I wasn't finished yet", you said.
You told us "even good men have bad runs; so many good men have risen from the dead". Thank you for that, I needed to hear that.
You said: "we couldn't change everything overnight but we could change direction" - that was reassuring for someone like me.
Someone said: "God only uses broken men because there aren't any others" - that stayed with me.
The weekend went on, as layer after layer peeled off. I knew by now that I was here for a reason.
You meant it when you asked us: "when you go home (that's tomorrow, Monday) what will be different"?
I was different; I couldn't go back to who I was. But I knew it required more than this.
I wanted and needed to honour what you men stood for: courage, honesty, care, respect, understanding.
I went to work Monday and advised my Manager I was going part time (I had thought of resigning but that door didn't open for me).
I've walked through the door.I've started the long walk home.
I have promised myself, when I am in better shape, that I will repay in some way, the debt of gratitude I owe you.
Remember me in your prayers or meditation, that I may come to walk and live in the fullness of God's love, in such a way that it is a healing for all.
Trusting ourselves, we feel alive.
Feeling alive, we can reach out and trust others.
Trusting others, we can cherish what they have to give.
Taking what they have to give, we feel more alive.
Thank you for validating me, the real me.
For me, Menalive was not therapy or theology, pious preaching or evangelical enthusiasm, all of which would probably have turned me off.
It was simply the power of brotherhood, ordinary blokes getting together in a spirit of solidarity, comradeship and care.We were sharing our common humanity as men, sharing our common responsibilites, interests and values: respect, honesty, concern and care. Barriers broke down when we came together and we became more alive.
And this is what Menalive told us:
"when we band together as brothers, it stops us becoming angry and bitter...that's why there were 12 Disciples, they needed one another...the lone sheep gets taken every time..there are good men out there".
I didn't find criticism, fault or smugness at Menalive; I found myself, my brothers, and a new direction for the future.
It mattered to me that Menalive was non sectarian, non political, non judgmental and non profit. It was simply about men transforming men through the power of brotherhood and Grace.
Abraham said: "what if only 10 good men are found?" God said: "I will not destroy the city if only 10 are found." (Genesis 18,32)
From Gary Stone – The Gap
Homily - This is my son, the beloved - listen to him. Mark 9
Has anyone here had a mountaintop experience lately. Has anyone here had a mountain top experience at all. Maybe some people are wondering, what I am talking about. Let's try to get in touch with that concept a bit. What do we experience when we go to a mountaintop….. Yes, we see far out into the distance. We experience quiet. Hopefully, we experience peace.
I'm sure some of us here have taken visitors up to the summit of Mount Cootha to the take in the view and relax. It's a great refreshing experience. The mountain top experience I want to explore is the experience of rising above the ordinary and having a special experience – seeing things more clearly – seeing the bigger picture.
I had a wonderful mountaintop experience two weekends ago when I participated in a Men alive weekend. It was held on a mountaintop overlooking Somerset dam. The view was spectacular and the tranquility of the bushland was very restful. But the best part of this experience was gathering with over a hundred Catholic men to reflect upon our faith and our relationships. Can any women here just imagine that – 100 Catholic men gathered on retreat – Yes it seems like a miracle !!! But it was fantastic – God is on the move through that movement. I didn’t spot Moses or Elijah there , but I did see Fr Ray Chapman there – he’s helping the Men alive team this year. I was really inspired by the talks given by team members. Wonderful stories of men, ordinary Catholic men and come back to his strong faith in God and a great love and appreciation for their families, through participating in one of these retreat programs. Clearly, for many, the experience of taking time out to be with God, to listen to him, and to share with others had been transformational. A number of men shared how they had cutback time in their working life to spend more time with their families and provide voluntary time for Christian ministry. The Spirit of Jesus was very much evidence during this weekend. I commend Men Alive to any men here, and I thank Robert Falzon and his team for making the effort to bring this ministry to the church.
Today's Gospel tells us of another mountaintop experience, where Jesus takes Peter, James and John, his close friends, up on a mountain, where they could be alone by themselves. Some say this mountain was Mount Tabor near Nazareth, others say it was Mount Herman, north of the Sea of Galilee. Either way I have stood on both of them and pondered what this scene in the Gospel was all about. Standing on either mountain you have this breathtaking clear view of Galilee. You can see the many villages, and ponder the lives of the people of this area who Jesus loved and had grown up with. There is a quietness and a stillness that is so relaxing after being amongst the noise and activity of village life. Clearly God wanted to give these 3 key followers of Jesus an extraordinary experience that would inspire them and sustain them through the difficult time they would have to face when Jesus was to be crucified on Calvary. They see Jesus dazzling white –glowing in glory. And God's message to them, and to us today, could not have been more simple. This is my son, my beloved, listen to him. Listen to Him . Peter, James and John accepted the message and went on to lead the church through the subsequent decades, despite the many challenges they faced.
The lectionary of the Church gives us this Transfiguration story every year in Lent , to invite us to take time out, to experience Jesus - to spend a little time with him. It's not that easy to listen to Jesus, when we are surrounded by the noise of television and radio, phone calls, and e-mails., let alone the many demands upon us by other people . Jesus himself, with the greatest love of all, and concerned to meet the needs of others, still knew that he had to take this time out, to renew, refresh, recharge, and get in touch with his Father. If Jesus needed that, does anyone agree that we might need that too. Yes we need time out, to be with God.
Of course, we can't spend our lives, living on the mountaintop. Like Jesus in this story we need to come back down the mountain, and re-immerse ourselves in the matters of life. If you go to the Gospel of Mark and continue reading after the transfiguration experience, you'll see that Jesus, on coming down the mountain, almost immediately was confronted by a large crowd and an argument being played out between his disciples and some scribes. The argument related to the inability of the disciples to drive out a demon from a young boy. Jesus drove the demon out. Of course, and when the disciples asked him why they weren't able to do it. He reminds them of their need for prayer. More prayer is required if you are going to make a difference in the world.
Actually, that reminds me of another brief mountaintop experience that a number of us shared on Friday. At St Peter Chanel Church, we hosted the annual International Women's Day of prayer. We followed a liturgy that had been developed by the people of Papua New Guinea. The mountaintop experience for us was the Joy, Grace and blessing that we experienced in our worship through being united with our brothers and sisters from the other churches in the Gap. Seriously, there was a real anointing of the Spirit as we sung and prayed and held hands together – you could physically feel it. God delights in us coming together to pray. God wants to bless us when we pray, and of course any prayer is good. But if we limit our prayer to just brief moments in the car, on the run, or just at Mass on Sundays, we will not be experiencing the fullness of the spiritual life that Jesus would want for us.
Prayer should be a two way dialogue, not just us sending in requests. If we really want to listen to Jesus, we need to hear what he says in the Scriptures. Sometimes I find I need to read a passage three times before it really sinks in, and I understand what Jesus is saying to me. Quite a few people in the parish at the moment are participating in the Lenten study program. That is really the best way to study the scriptures - to gather together to study. Not just through the written word, but through the words and reflections of each other as we ponder the texts. If you haven't been able to find time to participate in the Lenten program, I would really encourage you to spend some time each week reading the Scriptures for the coming Sunday. It will allow your subconscious mind to break open the message that Jesus has for you. And he truly has a message for each of us, every day – if we would listen to him.
The long tradition of the Church, is that each year we need special time out to be with Jesus, to listen to him, to reflect upon our lives, and discern where he would be leaving us to next. I would like to throw out a challenge to everyone here to consider doing a retreat program sometime each year. It could be a weekend program, like Men alive, or Cursillo, or it could be a midweek program. There are numerous opportunities advertised in the Catholic Leader. If you want to grow, you need to go to the mountaintop to take time out to be with Jesus and listen to him.
Lets just have a few moments of quiet now to listen to Jesus , and ask yourself what message is he giving you right now. In a few words ponder what is he saying to you.
From Bruce Lane - Warwick
A few years ago, Judy and I spent a week in Jerusalem living in a convent on the Vis Dolorosa called “Ecco Homo”(Behold the Man-John 19: 5). Under the convent, beside the cistern that is said to have provided water for ritual in the Temple was our equivalent of a board game. This was cut into a huge flat rock reported to be part of the remains of “The Pavement”(John 19: 13). The nuns said that the soldiers who were guarding Jesus cast lots in this popular soldier’s game while they waited outside Pilate’s house. The loser they said would somehow forfeit his life. Jesus would stand in for the loser and forfeit his life.
In the convent was a statue entitled “Behold the Man”. It was a beautiful but sad depiction of Jesus before His crucifixion.
Recently along with others from Warwick I took part in a men’s weekend under the banner of Men Alive. Their motto is “God is glorified when men are fully alive.”(St Ireneaus) The purpose of menALIVE is to bring men together, to renew their faith in God and to encourage them to become an active force in the renewal of the church. Men came from everywhere, as far away as Tasmania to experience what it is to be a man in the church.
Look about you in the church and see most of your fellow participants at mass are those good and faithful women who have a deep abiding faith in God.
Where are the men? Are many of us asleep while Jesus prays? Could we not watch with Him one hour?
Well done those who are here. Well done those who attend even when their wives do not.
No matter what the feminists say, we are different. Our sisters tend to respond to God much more readily than we do. We men need a little more encouragement to participate fully in church life. It often requires an “encounter” moment with the person of Jesus and the support of other men. The weekend provided such an “encounter” for many men.
How long has it been since you stood in the midst of 100 plus strong men all singing in praise of God. It is truly uplifting. When did you last see men praying out loud before other men, asking God to help them with this sin or that weakness? No one is forced to do this, but in the presence of others who face the same struggle, it doesn’t seem to matter to show your weakness and ask for help.
We could look about us and say, “Behold the man.” Jesus was present with us just as we were present to one another.
Men left the weekend ready to read the daily readings of the church and record their thoughts and prayers in a daily journal. They planned to come together in fellowship periodically. Some groups meet in coffee shops or church halls or people’s homes.
Our group meets in the Parish centre, Warwick and some who are widely separated email each other ach day to keep in touch and share on the daily scriptures.
My life has been turned around since I first went to a menalive weekend.
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