I've been planning for a one-day retreat all week, and every time I do this, I remember Jesus often "went off by himself to a quiet place to pray." The gospels frequently mention that Jesus slipped away to a mountaintop or a seashore to spend time talking with God.
For years I've thought it was because Jesus was holy that he was always going off alone to pray.
But sometimes I think the disciples were driving him crazy, and Jesus occasionally needed to get away from them just to maintain his sanity.
You know, that happens to me. I'll be spending time with family members whom I love, or friends whom I treasure, and then all of a sudden they will say something that really sets me off. And so I go off by myself and try to recover. Usually after a few minutes or a few hours, I calm down and feel more reasonable and can approach the person I love with grace and peace. Then everything is fine.
Could it be that Jesus was just as human? I hope so.
No wonder we need retreats now and then. We need the perspective, to be better friends and lovers.
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