Walking the Path - Day 7
Life is the Gift
Today's Theme
Carry one practice forward.
Throughout this week, we have explored our respective paths—the choices we make, how those choices can shape the way we experience our lives, and what it means to use our lives and experiences to cultivate God’s work and serve others.
The Bible reminds us that life is a continuous path of exodus, transformation, and return. We leave what is familiar, enter into the unknown, encounter God along the way, and eventually return—often seeing ourselves, our lives, and our purpose differently than when we began.
In putting this retreat together, a few truths have become especially clear to me:
The transition is the transformation.
And our participation in that process is essential.
When we look at the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we can see something of our own journey reflected in theirs. They didn't begin with understanding. They began by walking. Christ was with them before they recognized Him. He listened to their story, helped them see it differently, and ultimately opened their eyes to His presence.
Perhaps our own journey can be understood in much the same way:
I Am on a Journey — Becoming Aware
Don often invited us to begin with where we actually find ourselves—with our questions, struggles, hopes, disappointments, and uncertainties. We don't have to have everything figured out before we begin.
Luke 24: The disciples don't begin with understanding. They begin by walking.
Christ Is Walking With Me — Discover Who I Am
One of Don's central teachings was the importance of becoming aware of God's presence—not simply believing that God is present, but becoming conscious of that presence in our actual lives.
Luke 24: Christ is already walking with the disciples before they recognize Him.
I Can Tell Him My Story — Heal What Separates Us
Don encouraged us to honestly look at ourselves and our lives—to recognize the things that can separate us from our true selves, from one another, and from God.
Luke 24: Jesus already knows what has happened, yet He invites the disciples to tell their story.
He Can Help Me See My Story Differently — Receive Love
Through awareness, wisdom, and discernment, Don invited us to see our experiences through the deeper reality of God's love.
Luke 24: Jesus doesn't simply change the disciples' circumstances. He changes how they understand them.
I Can Invite Him to Stay — Learn to Discern
As we become more aware of God's presence, we can begin to recognize His invitation and respond to it. We move from simply knowing about God's love to opening ourselves to receive it.
Luke 24: The disciples move from encountering Jesus to inviting Him to stay.
My Eyes Can Be Opened to His Presence — Allow Myself to Be Transformed
Transformation begins as our awareness deepens. We begin to see what was there all along.
Luke 24: The presence of Christ was there from the beginning. What changed was their awareness.
I Can Return to My Life Transformed — Become an Instrument of Love
Finally, our encounter with God is not meant to end with us. Don often spoke of becoming instruments—vehicles—of God's love. What we receive is meant to flow through us into the lives of others.
Luke 24: The journey doesn't end when the disciples recognize Jesus. They set out and return to Jerusalem.
We may not always understand where the journey is leading or recognize Christ along the way. But by remaining open and attentive to God’s presence, we can be transformed—and eventually look back and see that He was with us all along.
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us on the way?”
The journey continues. And so do we.
K. Cross
Scripture Reading
Luke24:33-35
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together
and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Walk with Msgr. Don
The pandemic reminded me how much we need one another.
I'm not good alone.
I need communion.
I need union.
At times we're asked to be apart, and even those moments can teach us wisdom.
If everything is for us, then there is something valuable in every season of life.
In the end, that's what this journey is about.
It's about life.
Life is the gift God wants us to treasure, to share, and to lead us into the fullness of life with Him.
Your Reflection Questions
What has God been teaching you this week?
What one practice will you continue?
Who can you invite to walk with you?
Today's Practice
Commit to one spiritual habit that you will continue beyond these seven days.
Continue the Journey
There is no right or wrong way to make this retreat.
If a particular reflection stays with you, spend as much time with it as you need before moving on. The goal isn't to finish in seven days—it's to become more attentive to God's presence in your life.
If today's reflection spoke to you, consider sharing your thoughts or experience in the comments below. You may find encouragement in the reflections of others, and your own words may become a source of hope for someone else who is walking the same path.
We invite you to journey together.