This morning we returned from retreat at Laguna de Apoyo. The Jesuit community lent us their beautiful retreat house mere feet from a pristine volcanic lake. The retreat was much needed by all. Our theme was the life and mission of Jesus—past and present. It was a great opportunity to reflect on our lives here and juxtapose them a bit with the life of Jesus. Michael’s session focused on revolutionary figures and the revolutionary Christ. I really appreciated the session because it reminded me of the revolutionary teachings of Christ and the need to step out of my own status quo, especially a call to live with radical love. So often here I get stuck in a rut: work, eat, sleep, work, wash clothes, work, etc. This quickly becomes mundane. This retreat was a good reminder to live the life I have chosen as a Jesuit Volunteer—to live in community, to live simply, to live spiritually, and to live out social justice. This last pillar of our community can often be the trickiest to define, but it is really at the heart of Jesus’ mission. Jesus was a radical dude and no matter if I’m living in the States or here I often need an occasional reminder to jar me out of my daily routine, to remind me of who I want to be and how I want to live.
Oh and I almost forgot, where we were staying was pura selva salvaje or an entirely wild jungle. We fell asleep to howler monkeys bellowing and woke every morning to parrots chattering. On the freakier side we found a hairy tarantula and Christine found a nasty scorpion in her jeans (unfortunately only after putting them on! Ouch!). Despite the incessant mosquitoes and the occasional creepy crawly, the house and lake were so beautiful. I sound like a broken record, but any and every occasion to get out of
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