Come Away and Rest a While

Spiritual retreats are a gift in the life of the faithful, providing an opportunity to leave behind our everyday routines for a few days to focus on our relationship with God. Priests have a canonical requirement to participate in a yearly retreat to “come away…and rest a while” (Mk 6:31), to pray, and replenish their spiritual life.  This is often done communally with their fellow priests, encouraging fraternal bonds and allowing them to rest in one another’s company. 

For the laity it can be more challenging to etch out time from family and work commitments to go away for a few days on a retreat. Day retreats offer the option of a few precious hours of time for God and for resting in the company of others. That’s exactly what 110 people from all corners of the State did last weekend at St Peter’s in Daylesford. They arrived spiritually weary but with great anticipation and left beaming with contentment and hearts full of joy after having rested with the Lord in prayer, reflection, and community. 

The resounding message of the day was that our faith is relational, not only with God but with each other. We are made to share it and to walk alongside others in it, and that was evident in how people interacted throughout the day.

While confronting on paper, the retreat’s theme of redemptive suffering broke the chains of fear of sitting with pain and encouraged us to surrender to God’s divine plan. It pointed us to seek solace in Our Lady who compassionately accompanies us in our sufferings. The sword that pierced her heart brought a profound understanding of human grief, which has allowed her to step tenderly into our personal trials and walk faithfully alongside us in our darkest moments.

At the foot of the Cross, Mary didn’t avoid the occasion of suffering or look for ways to alleviate her grief. She could have averted her eyes or turned and fled from the trauma at any time. But she didn’t. For the sake of her son, Jesus, she kept her eyes and heart fixed on him, and she saw that suffering through to the end. By following her example, we too can face suffering by keeping our eyes and hearts fixed firmly on Jesus, and by clinging to him as we weather the storm of our sufferings. 

The felicity of the retreatants upon departure was striking. Spending time away with the Lord had brought about a clear sense of joy and a renewed certainty that our faith is built on hope and charity. May they continue to find encouragement in knowing that our faith is deeply relational. We are at our best when we allow others to share in our burdens and when we support our neighbours in theirs.  

This piece was originally published in the St Patrick’s Cathedral, Ballarat newsletter on the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 20 September 2026.