RETREATAINMENT 2010

Reuben D’Souza & Brian Moras sdb
MATUNGA, NOVEMBER 11, 2010: “Retreatainment”, the very name of the program aroused curiosity in many minds. The word very evidently surfaced the combination of Retreat and Entertainment. The question arising was, „How can the two be possible together‟? The thought of Entertainment coupled with a Retreat seemed like a „Paradigm Shift‟.
But Retreatainment was not left a secret for long, and the idea was rolled out on November 6 and November 7, 2010. Welcome to experience Christ and His Gospel through „Inspiring Movies‟ was the clarion call.
Our beloved Holy Father of happy memory, Pope John Paul II, being an actor in his early days, was also known to be a man of the media. Our present leader, Pope Benedict XVI, also advocates the use of the power of media in spreading the Word of God. No surprise then that a tremendous inspiration which touched the minds of Frs. Glenford Lowe and Brian Moras to present “Retreatainment”.
Four movies were screened over a span of two days, with enough time for reflection, group-work and sharing. This turned out to be a very fulfilling experience for the Retreatants.
The first of the movies was „Letters to God‟, a touching story on the power of prayer. We can communicate to God even through letters and He always responds.
The next movie on Forgiveness was based on a true story. „Crossroads‟ tells the story of a man whose feelings of anger, blame and sadness transform when he decides to forgive the youngster who kills his wife and daughter via a reckless car accident. A good point to reflect here was on the selfish logic of our mind. It seeks forgiveness when we are wrong, but seeks justice when others are wrong. A very strong message God gives us here is to forgive always.
The next action packed movie was a drama about a Christian High School football coach who uses his undying faith to battle the giants of fear and failure, proving that with God nothing is impossible. „Facing the Giants‟ a movie all about us having to put Faith in Action, when we meet challenges. What is the source of such Faith? The coach in one of his speeches to motivate his team says “The more I read this book, I realize……..” He was holding the Bible in his hand.
No Retreat is complete without „Jesus‟. Unlike other movies on Jesus, the television miniseries named „Jesus‟ first aired in 1999, was very interesting to watch. It showed the human side of Jesus. It felt very good to see Jesus enjoying himself like any one of us, dancing, playing with children, having a good sense of humor, throwing stones in the river.….. We also saw the mature and emotional side of Jesus, in his ways of respecting the sentiments of people, crying at the loss of Joseph his father and Lazarus his cousin, and more importantly how he accepts the call to do the will of his Heavenly Father.
It is your turn now to watch and benefit from these movies. God inspires in amazing ways, only very often we are not at home. Like the television advertisement caption for a telecommunication product brand says “An IDEA can change your Life”…this idea has done likewise