“God never changes his mind about you. He is simply in love with you. What he does again and again is change your mind about him. God is just infinite, unconditional, unalterable, eternal love…” Herbert McCabe OP
Join us for this special School of Contemplative Life weekend retreat exploring the journey of meditation (silent prayer) through the lens of the parable of the prodigal son.
With help from a remarkable essay on the parable by the Dominican friar Herbert McCabe, as well as insights from Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, Henri Nouwen and other teachers across the centuries, we’ll reflect on:
- how the parable describes our journey home to the God of unconditional love revealed in the life of Christ
- how it overturns the idea of a judgemental punitive god often found in contemporary models of salvation and atonement
- how the ancient Christian practice of meditation provides a path to help us rest in the unfailing love of God and discover that this love is the deepest truth of who we are.
For the early Christians, salvation was entirely a story of healing and rescue; of God coming to us in the depths of our estrangement to free us from illusion, gather his children, and restore all creation within his infinite love. The great paradox of the Christian life,” says Nouwen, “is that we are most ourselves when we are most in touch with God, the ground of our being.”
The story of the prodigal son, says Herbert McCabe, “is not about the father forgiving his son, it is about the father celebrating, welcoming his son with joy and feasting. This is all the real God ever does, because God, the real God, is just helplessly and hopelessly in love with us. He is unconditionally in love with us. His love for us doesn’t depend on what we do or what we are like. It makes no difference to him. He is just waiting to welcome us with joy and love”.
Everyone attending the retreat will receive a selection of key passage from McCabe’s essay a week before the event to help prepare for this journey of reflection and shared silence.
The central focus of this experiential retreat will be silent meditation practice, offering a space to deeply explore the transformative messages of this parable. Although the practice of silence may be new to some, most people find this a powerful and wonderful experience. Maintaining a quiet and peaceful environment (walking, moving, and doing things quietly) is important for our practice and a gift we can offer to each other.
Who is this retreat for?
The retreat has been carefully crafted to be inclusive and accessible, welcoming anyone seeking truth, peace, and spiritual renewal, regardless of their faith, beliefs or previous experience of meditation.
Practical information
The retreat starts on Friday 14th March at 16:30 with an orientation talk, followed by a period of silent meditation before dinner. Short talks across the weekend will be balanced with periods of sitting meditation, walking meditation, time for private reflection and enjoyment of the beautiful grounds. Saturday and Sunday begin at 06:30 with meditation practice as early morning meditation is a wonderful way to greet the day together. However, while we very much encourage retreatants to attend these sessions, if this is difficult for you for any reason please don’t worry. It is always enough to do what we can – or what our life allows. The retreat will finish after lunch and a closing conversation on Sunday 16th March.
For those who would like to, there will be opportunities to attend some of the services with the Community of the Resurrection.
One-to-one spiritual counsel meetings are offered during the times set aside in the retreat for private practice. These times are not counselling or coaching, but provide a dedicated opportunity for someone to explore a question or two about their meditation practice, or how practice relates to what they have heard during a talk or to daily life. Lasting approximately 15 minutes, meetings are deliberately short to provide focus.
A detailed timetable for the retreat will be sent to everyone attending.
The cost of the retreat is £275 full board in a standard retreat house room.
Retreat leader
Chris Whittington is the Founder of The School of Contemplative Life. He was introduced to contemplative practice during several years of formation when he lived at the Benedictine monastery of Prinknash Abbey. Chris’ monastic teachers, including Sylvester Houedard OSB, taught meditation as a universal wisdom found within all the great spiritual traditions, a pathway to peace and solidarity with people of all faiths and none. Following an introduction by the Abbot of the Prinknash community, Chris subsequently studied at the Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamsala, India. Chris regularly delivers talks, workshops and retreats and has introduced the practice of meditation in the Christian tradition to thousands of people in the UK and abroad.