In 2023, I attended my first oblate retreat. One day for lunch as I walked out of the serving line into the dining room, I noticed a young fellow sitting by himself and asked to join him. As I sat down, we introduced ourselves, and I was curious why he was at Saint Meinrad as I had not seen him in any of the conferences.
He told me that he sometimes takes personal retreats to the Archabbey but has never taken an organized retreat. He finds solace here, and it helps clear his mind. As we talked, he told me that he normally stays away from others, but today he really wanted someone to talk to and was glad to sit with me. We shared a lot of vignettes between us. He never fully disclosed what was on his heart other than he was about to begin a large project, and he was trying to hear God’s plan. I told him that my spiritual director had recently explained to me, when I revealed that I was feeling different about my plans, that God was peeling back the layers of the man I made to show me the man He made.
That struck a note with the young man, and by the end of our lunch we had opened our hearts to one another. We were both holding back tears of joy (a little unsuccessfully, I would add). In the time since then, we have not spoken, but we often text little reminders that we pray for one another. I want him to know how much that time together has blessed and touched me. As St. Paul said, you never know when you may spend time with an angel!
Walter Mace, Oblate, Hebron, KY