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A Path to Spiritual LivingAugust 04, 2025
Back to weekly reflections
A Path to Spiritual Living
From July 18-24th, all the sisters were invited to attend a retreat held at Merici Crossings. For this reflection I will be drawing on the wisdom of our retreat director, Nicki Verploegen, to share her insights with you in the hope that you, too, may find renewed peace in your daily life by practicing them.
Here are the six spiritual practices that Nicki identified and described:
1. H 2. Story-telling, 3. Stillness, 4. Solitude, 5. Surrender, and 6. Solidarity.
Slowing down encourages us to savor the beauty of other persons and of nature. We are cautioned to avoid the “sin” of “omni-availability,” an affliction of our society today. Slowing down is akin to mindfulness but is a spiritual practice when our motivation is to grow in recognizing God.
Telling our story to others is a sharing of our own sacred text. This practice enriches our spiritual life as well as that of the listeners who receive our story with reverence. In the retelling, our own story can be better appreciated.
Stillness and solitude are related practices. Entering stillness, a quiet, waiting space, can calm the entire body and prepare us for the even deeper solitude of our own integrity where we await God. In a period of solitude we notice a shift from control to receptivity.
When we practice surrender, God can enter in. Letting go is a posture of detachment in which willfulness exits and willingness comes to life. Stillness and solitude prepare the ground for surrender.
Solidarity, at-oneness, is a fruit of surrender. The inner freedom of surrender allows us to connect with others. We can enter into right relationships that become prophetic if we are attentive to God’s call.
I left retreat with renewed motivation to strengthen these practices in my life, but to do so open to receiving God’s grace not by taking control of my own life. The fruit of this retreat is a gift from God that I am beginning to experience. May you, too,find that some of these practices open you more fully into God’s embrace.