Retreat helps men to live like God’s beloved Son

The second annual Men’s Retreat organised by the Servants of Yahweh Covenant Community was held on September 22 at the Church of St Thomas More. The theme Live Like A Beloved Son was taken from the Bible verse Mark 11:1, “This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

This one-day retreat centred on being the kind of man that each of us was created to be. In the Old Testament, the last words of advice of a loving father, King David to his son, Solomon were, “Take courage and be a man” (1 Kings 2:2). King David knew that if his son was going to be a great leader, he would first have to be a great man. To do this does not require perfection, for David was certainly not perfect but he was a man who knew who he was – a beloved Son — and strived with all his being to be a better man. This enriching day event was attended by 42 men from various parishes and included both married and young single adult men.

Session 1, Be A Man Who Lives As A Beloved Son, was a breakout session between the married and the young bachelors. Anthony Felix spoke to all the married men. He led us to see that we are precious in God’s eyes and He loves and honours us (Isaiah 43:4). He reminded us that most of the time, our perception of God the Father is influenced by our relationship with our earthly father. That is why it is important to let go of the past and forgive all who have hurt us over the years. He concluded by asking the men to always step up, speak out, stand strong, stay humble and serve the King of kings, Jesus, all the days of their life.

Jahaziel D’Cruz, in speaking to all the single men, spoke of three biblical characters that represent an alpha male: John, David and Jesus Christ. He shared on John the Apostle, who reclined on the bosom of Jesus. That is how we should imitate John because God wants to have a personal relationship with His beloved children. Next was King David, who was a man after God’s own heart. David recognised that he was God’s beloved and in doing so was able to defeat the mighty Goliath. Jahaziel encouraged us men to also believe in the truth that we are God’s beloved and because God is for us, nothing can come against us. Presented last was the person of Jesus. Jesus is the image of God’s Salvation. Through Jesus, we come to know that we have a loving Father and so we must never be afraid to come to God just as we are.

In Session 2, Abbot D’Cruz shared with the married participants on how to Be A Man Who Is Holy. He said that holiness was not an option (Hebrews 12:14) and that St Paul teaches us that all men are called to be the spiritual leaders of their households (Ephesians 6:4, Joshua 24:15). He reminded them that there is no holiness without the Blessed Mother. As a young child, Jesus needed Mary to change him, to feed him, and to form him. He encouraged all the brothers to say the rosary regularly. He concluded by encouraging all the brothers to accomplish three tasks in their lives: Better be men who strive to be saints, who practise Catholic devotion, and who always pray and love.

John Paul, in his sharing to the young adult men, compared a bad man, a good man and a holy man. The definition of good is satisfactory in quality, quantity or degree but God has called us not to be bad or good but, rather, to be holy men of God. Holy men are those who are set apart and dedicated to God’s call in their lives. His key Bible verse was taken from Hebrews 12:14, “Strive for peace with all men, and for holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” He went on to share four key points of what holiness entails to be fighters, to be chaste, to die to self and to lead and serve. He concluded by encouraging the brothers to rise up and be saints in this world, to be set apart in our thoughts, words and deeds.

Session 3 was a combined session for both the married and the young single adults led by Christopher
Felix who spoke on how to Be A Man Who Lives In The Holy Spirit. He shared the prophetic message of the current times, where men have lost the sense of sin when they commit any wrong doing. He shared that the solution to this problem is to be led by the Holy Spirit. Only by the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives can we overcome the spirit of sin and death. He encouraged all of them to daily fan into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit which is within every baptised Catholic. This is accomplished by a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. He concluded by facilitating the prayer ministry using the six prayer postures; all the brothers prayed over each other in their respective small groups.

Wilfred Netto, John Joseph and Jude Pinto, together with Justin D’souza and Royston Peter, shared their personal testimonies, which inspired all the brothers in their respective breakout sessions. At the end of the retreat, some of the participants gave short testimonies on how the retreat has affected their lives.

We praise and thank God that all the brothers felt uplifted and encouraged from this one day retreat.

With the knowledge that we are to live like beloved sons of God, let us allow the Holy Spirit to transform us to be men after God’s own heart.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online