BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.  

PSALM 46:10

Wellspring is a Catholic spirituality center that offers spiritual growth opportunities such as classes and retreats and promotes contemplative spirituality. The center is owned and operated by The Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales and operates on a basic vision that all of God’s people are called to holiness and that it is possible for all to live a contemplative life style while being active in ministry.

RETREATS

OUR MASSES

RETREAT WITH MARY, OUR SORROWFUL MOTHER

​

Saturday September 11, 2021               9:30 am - 12:30 pm

 

Our retreat this month is a contemplative walk with Mary, the mother of

Jesus and our mother. Mary is a woman of compassion who shared the

joys and sorrows of humanity. This retreat will focus on the joyful

moments in the life of Mary.

​

Our retreat this month is a contemplative walk with Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother. Mary is a woman of compassion who shared the joys and sorrows of humanity.  Mary, as a sorrowful mother, has always been a fearless, powerful, and moving figure in our Catholic spiritual tradition.  Mary as the Mother of sorrows is an image of hope, courage, strength and wisdom for all. Please join us for a contemplative walk with Mary, our sorrowful and compassionate mother.

​

Fr. Gus Tharappel will guide the retreat.

To register, please email us at retreatsatwellspring@gmail.com

​

SUNDAY MASSES

9:00 am and 5:00 pm

 

DAILY MASSES 

Monday - Friday

6:45 am

​

The Mother of Compassion Shrine
is open daily for prayer and reflection. 

​

twenty-fourth week in ordinary time

REFLECTIONS FOR PRAYER AND WORSHIP

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Today, we celebrate the Twenty fourth Sunday in ordinary time of the year. Last Sunday, we met Jesus leaving the district of Tyre and going to Galilee by way of Sidon (Mark 7:31-37) and this Sunday, we meet him in a place called Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27-35). This would have been a long, roundabout, and tiresome journey for Jesus and his disciples. Without going into details of this journey, it would have taken over six months, on foot, to cover the regions mentioned. Jesus may have chosen this long and complicated route to give himself and his disciples quality time to get to know each other. Long journeys tend to give us opportunities to get to know each other at a more personal and deeper level.

 

Mark tells us, in the Gospel reading of today, that at the end of this journey, Jesus asked his disciples about who they thought he was. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, and he knew what was waiting for him there. It was now time for him to begin to speak about the rest of his journey. But first he had to know where they were in their knowledge of him. So, he asked them what people thought about him. Some thought that he as John the Baptist and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then he asked the crucial questions, “who do you say that I am?” Peter was quick: “You are the Messiah” and Jesus was just as quick and spontaneous, “You are Peter.” Jesus and Peter defined each other and affirmed each other in lasting relationship.

 

This two-thousand-year-old question is put to us today, “who do you say that am?” We must answer this question as Peter did. Who is Jesus for you?  How important has he become for you? This question is not about our knowledge of Jesus. It is about our relationship. It is not difficult to say what others think about Jesus. We can all say what the Gospels say, what the great saints or Popes have said, what our parents have said, etc. It is one thing to share our knowledge of Jesus from various sources. But it is quite another thing to share our experience of Jesus.

Knowing about Jesus is radically different from knowing Jesus. We have many resources to know about Jesus. Even a non-believer can have much knowledge about Jesus. But to know Jesus, we must meet him, encounter him in person, walk with him, dine with him, listen to him, and let him be our teacher and our master. It is not knowledge about Christ that matters. What really matters is knowing Christ as a person, experiencing his presence in our life, and letting his way and truth and life become ours.

 

During the coming week, take a few minutes each day of this week to go to a quiet place, be still and reflect on your relationship with Jesus.  Keep listening, “who do you say that I am?” and reflect on how you would respond. 

 

God bless you and your family.

 

Fr. Gus Tharappel, msfs