‘To go into retreat you have to have a structure, otherwise it is chaos ...’
Most of us are social animals and will struggle with the lockdown enforced by coronavirus. Linda Stewart talks to three people who have learned lessons on coming to terms with being unable to mix with other people
Jesuit priest Father Brendan McManus (58) trains people in Ignatian spirituality, which is rooted in the experiences of Jesuit founder Ignatius Loyola (1491–1556), a Basque aristocrat whose conversion to a fervent Christian faith began while he was recovering from war wounds. Part of that training is a 30-day silent retreat focused on prayer and reflection on the life of Christ.
“This is a key part of our training, we would do this 30-day silent retreat which is almost like solitary confinement and we do a series of meditations on the life of Christ as part of that,” says Fr Mcmanus (right).
“It’s like a remake of the person — getting to know yourself is one of the big things and you see yourself in a new light with all your faults and frailties. There is no running away — you can’t get away from yourself.
“The first bit is quite difficult — you’re slowing down and you stop escaping or distracting yourself into entertainment or music. There is nowhere to run.”
The retreat is based on the experiences of Jesuit founder Ignatius Loyola who underwent a conversion experience when he was in isolation recovering from a war wound.
Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide practice the silent retreat which includes a series of prayers and reflections under the daily guidance of a spiritual director in a process that moves from purification to illumination and unification.
A day in the retreat begins with a silent breakfast, eating alone at a table in a room with others, followed by a daily routine including five hours of meditation split into five periods, each with an introductory prayer, contemplation of a piece of scripture and reflection on that scripture in the light of your own life and experience, identifying the aspects that are life-giving (consolation) and death-giving (desolation). The day will typically include a meeting with your spiritual director and some exercise, such as a walk. Later, there may be a mass and at the end of the day comes the Examen, a review of the day you have just experienced.
“It’s like a review where you’re going back over the day you’ve just lived and you replay it — it’s like watching the video of your day. You are looking for those moments of light, darkness, consolation and desolation, life and death,” Fr Mcmanus says.
But the key thing is the routine, he says. “In order to go into retreat you have to have a structure, otherwise it’s chaos, really tough. You have to put in a structure of how you’re going to do it,” he says.
Fr Mcmanus says that his personal experiences would have led him to become caught up in “crushing” thoughts about his upbringing and use of the silent retreat helped him to develop perspective, heal the wounds and move on.
“The advantages are enormous and self-knowledge is the big thing. You suddenly get a sense of this God that is close to me and has walked with me all along my life journey and has good things in store for me,” he says.
The process has enabled him to change the way he lives his life, reset his values and help him live his life in a more constructive and compassionate way while becoming reconciled with his story.
“It’s just trying to constructively use the time, realising there is a process going on here. It’s a U-shaped steep curve. Don’t be put off, tackle the awful unpleasant feelings — there is a breakthrough that happens and it brings peace of mind,” he says.
The silent retreat may have lessons for ordinary people who are now forced to self-isolate due to the coronavirus, bringing an opportunity to realise the humanness of your body and its limits and possibilities, he says.
“Use it as a chance to spring clean — to clear out the house. It’s difficult and it takes a lot of work but you get a new start, a new energy and a new direction,” he says.