by Bro. Bob Roddy, OFM Conv., Director of Retreats at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake, MN

“Peace be with you,” is the greeting used by Jesus to his apostles after his resurrection. Our Lord responded to the disciples collective fear and confusion, by calling them to a state of peace. St. Francis of Assisi often used, “May the Lord give you peace,” as the opening greeting in his letters. The 14th Century mystic, Julian of Norwich responded to the anxiety of her times with the famous quote, “…all will be well.”

Like the first disciples, many of us find ourselves or those we love in states of fear, confusion, and doubt; peace may be the farthest thing from our state of being. Yet in Ephesians 2:25, we are told that “He [Jesus] is our peace,” but what does that really mean for us today? In the midst of the fast moving changes in our lives, how do we find and nurture that deep center of peace and faith that all of us need to face life’s challenges?

Our 2014 Retreat Theme: Peace Be With You…All Will Be Well, will explore and examine those forces in our lives that promote and hinder this peace that is promised to us. What are the opportunities of grace that surround us? We will look at how fear, shame, and guilt undermine and erode this peace. how do we move from our need for certainty and control to confidence in God’s presence in our lives and the lives of those we love? What is the peace that God is calling each of us to in this particular moment of our lives?

1st Conference: Fear Not.. All Will Be Well
2nd Conference: Unbind Them and Set Them Free
3rd Conference: Surrender Into Grace
4th Conference: Peace Be With You; My Peace I Leave With You

For the complete Retreat Calendar for Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake, Minnesota, please go to www.franciscanretreats.net