DC and Montgomery County Regions Hold Morning of Reflection

“Walking with Jesus through the High Holy Days” was the theme when over 30 knights and dames gathered for a morning of reflection in April at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Potomac, Maryland.

The Rev. Kevin Nadolski, OSFS, vice president for mission at DeSales University, inspired the group by his two talks. Among the ideas he presented were:

• Lent and Holy Week are times to learn from Jesus--to serve, surrender, sit still, and celebrate.
• The two doors to Christ are love and suffering. Like French doors, they are equally valuable in a spiritual journey seeking union with Christ.
• We all suffer pain, but, if we don’t transform our pain, we will transmit it to others. The only ones who can transform others are those who themselves are transformed from personal afflictions.
• “Neighboring” is a verb, and it leads to heaven. Like the Good Samaritan, we should take stock and “repurpose our resources” to make ourselves available in every way to help the needy whenever and however we encounter them.
• “Redemptive listening” is the art of being present to one another. It benefits both persons in a relationship.

The morning also included reflections on personal experiences of Holy Week by Barbara Knollmann-Ritschel, DM, and Daniel Young, KM, who both cited lessons they learned from being with malades in Lourdes. The program ended with the celebration of Mass.