Retreat Guides

Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for "Unleashing the Power of Pentecost: A Retreat Guide on the Holy Spirit" from RCSpirituality.org.

How does the renewal of our minds take place? How does the light of Christ push back the distorting shadows of worldly ignorance and confusion? That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the first meditation starter of Unleashing the Power of Pentecost, "Renewing Our Minds", from RCSpirituality.org.

The Gospel is all about how Jesus came to save and redeem us — to give us back authentic freedom. We were redeemed from slavery to sin and given the immense freedom of becoming children of God. As St. Paul put it: "So you are no longer a slave but a child..." Three particular gifts of the Holy Spirit are essential elements in this redemption. They are infused into our souls in order to strengthen us in the proper use of this redeemed freedom, to heal our wounded willpower, so that we can better overcome our self-centered tendencies in order to make courageous, Christ-centered choices. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the second meditation starter of Unleashing the Power of Pentecost, "Renewing Our Freedom", from RCSpirituality.org.

Taken as a whole, the gifts of the Holy Spirit have a very specific purpose in our lives: they make us better able to receive and respond to the inspirations that the Holy Spirit sends us. There are many things we can do to cooperate effectively with the Holy Spirit in our Christian journey, to stay open and docile to his inspirations. In this conference I only want to talk briefly about four of them. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the conference section of Unleashing the Power of Pentecost, "Following the Spirit", from RCSpirituality.org.

Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for "The Taste of Victory: A Retreat Guide for Easter" from RCSpirituality.org.

The liturgical season of Advent lasts four weeks — almost six if you tack on the days from Christmas through Epiphany. The season of Lent lasts six weeks. And the liturgical season of Easter lasts... seven weeks: from Easter Sunday through Pentecost Sunday. Of all the special liturgical seasons, Easter is the longest. What do you usually do for Advent and Christmas? Certainly you usually do something — after all, they are special liturgical seasons. What do you usually do for Lent? No doubt you think about that question every year as Ash Wednesday draws closer. But what about Easter? Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for "The Taste of Victory: A Retreat Guide for Easter" from RCSpirituality.org.

This meditation-starter begins with a leisurely read-through of Matthew 8, verses 1-10 — the first post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus described in the Gospels, then goes back through these sacred words, taking them verse by verse, calmly savoring whatever God wants to show us for his glory and our growth. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the first meditation starter of The Taste of Victory, "Fearful Yet Overjoyed" from RCSpirituality.org.

What is the primary sentiment of Easter? Without a doubt, it’s joy. Joy is the melody of the Easter liturgy, of the entire Easter season. Joy is the mark of Easter, the joy of everlasting victory over the enemies of God and man. Easter’s name, indeed, is joy. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the second meditation starter of The Taste of Victory, "The Joy of Victory" from RCSpirituality.org.

The day we were baptized, the universe was radically altered. On that day our everlasting spiritual soul was rescued from original sin’s slavery to the devil. On that day, Christ’s Easter victory became our Easter victory; his Resurrection became the promise of our resurrection. On that day, the waters of baptism brought the very life of God into our souls, making us into children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ, and active members of his Church. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the conference section of The Taste of Victory, "The Symbols of Baptism — Our Claim in Christ’s Easter Victory" from RCSpirituality.org.

Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation God is always speaking to us; he is always thinking of us. He is not a distant God, as some philosophers have tried to describe — like a watchmaker who designed the universe, wound it up, and then lets it wind down all on its own. No, our God wants to be involved in our lives. He is the God of the Incarnation; he came to earth to be with us, to be close to us, and to lead us by the hand all the way back to our true, everlasting home in heaven. How often do you see that face in your daily life? How often do you hear God’s voice speaking to your heart? Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for "Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation" from RCSpirituality.org.

Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation God is always speaking to us; he is always thinking of us. He is not a distant God, as some philosophers have tried to describe — like a watchmaker who designed the universe, wound it up, and then lets it wind down all on its own. No, our God wants to be involved in our lives. He is the God of the Incarnation; he came to earth to be with us, to be close to us, and to lead us by the hand all the way back to our true, everlasting home in heaven. How often do you see that face in your daily life? How often do you hear God’s voice speaking to your heart? Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for "Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation" from RCSpirituality.org.

Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation God is always knocking at our door; he is always looking for a way to enter more deeply into our lives; he is always reaching out to us, invading our lives — so to speak — with the saving and redeeming power of his love. This is a fact that God has revealed to us in many, many ways. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the first meditation starter of Welcoming the Word, "God is Always Knocking at Our Door", from RCSpirituality.org.

Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation In our better moments, we are glad to know that God is always knocking at our door and wanting to sweep us up into the great adventure of his friendship and his work of redemption. But not all our moments are better moments. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the second meditation starter of Welcoming the Word, "Three Keys for Opening the Door of Our Hearts to Christ", from RCSpirituality.org.

Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation The English word “angel” comes from a Greek word that means “messenger.” In Mary’s case, at the Annunciation, the messenger that God sent was a literal angel, a purely spiritual being of great power and beauty that lives perpetually in God’s presence. But those aren’t the only kind of messengers that God uses to send his saving, redeeming, creative words into our lives. Join Fr. John Bartunek, LC for the conference of Welcoming the Word, "Five Common Angels", from RCSpirituality.org.

Audio version for The Colors of the Cross - A Retreat Guide for Lent