Message from Father Gregory J. Hickey

Many people have caller ID on their telephones. This device enables us to know who is calling, even before we accept the call and speak to the person. If we recognize the name or phone number on caller ID, we can decide to answer the call or refuse it. If we refuse the call, we may never know what the message would have been. We may have missed some good news or lost out on a great opportunity. We can hide behind our caller ID, with the caller never knowing if we deliberately missed the call. This does not hold true for calls we get from God.

God may call us through prayer, or through some new study that gives us insight and helps us find a new way of behaving or thinking. God calls each of us in special and unique ways. A question that we can all ask is: “How do we respond to God’s call?”

The process we are looking at when we make a retreat is how we discern God’s call through prayer, the Eucharist, and Reconciliation. We spend time with the Lord, answer Him while not having to use caller ID. God enflames the heart with holy desires, and with attraction toward a life of greater divine praise and service as we ponder His will for us.

Many people are experiencing storms in their lives. The winds are swirling and they are looking for direction. Unemployment has reached an all time high. Others are making serious decisions about family situations. The Lord invites us to have courage and trust in all of these aspects of our lives. There is a tendency to live by fear and what we actually need is to have trust in the Providence of God.

As we approach the Season of Lent in preparation for the glory of Resurrection, I would like to invite you to come to Malvern Retreat House and experience the peace and serenity that we are all looking for to deepen our relationship with the Lord.

Fr. Gregg Hickey, Rector
Malvern Retreat House
GHickey@MalvernRetreat.com
Prosit!

A message from Cardinal Justin Rigali regarding the Year of the Priest.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ... With these words, holy priests for a holy people, I am pleased to announce the observance of The Year of the Priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia... Read the entire message by downloading the PDF