I was gone from the 3rd thru the 11th of this month at an amazing camp/retreat experience. This past week I have just been trying to readjust to "real life" again. It was a totally amazing experience one you can't really put into words or capture with pictures. It was just too amazing,to profound I can even say.
The Community of St. John plunged us into the heart of Christianity, the heart of Christ. They challenged us to radically love as Christ did and to seek the truth. Every day was packed full of classes in Theology and Philosophy, recreational activities and lots of prayers. Every day closed with skits and fun around the campfire.
There was 50 of us and by the end of the week we were like one big family. Even people you never got a chance to talk to much you felt close too. A mutual bond was formed between all of us that was founded in Christ, founded on the truth. You could be yourself. I never felt I had to hide anything about the real me. We loved and accepted one another as Christ does each of us. It was beautiful.
There is so much I could say about Eagle Eye. I could go on for days. One of the things that has really stuck with me now that it is all over is that it isn't so much about what you do it is who you do it with. If you are with people you love u almost always have a fun time. One day for recreation we played soccer and volleyball. I love soccer but stink at volley. I really didn't enjoy one more then the other though. I was just hanging out with amazingly awesome people and enjoying their presence.
Presence. It is such a big part of our faith. Jesus's real Presence in the Eucharist shows us how we are to be always present to Him and our neighbor and how we should seek Him in the presence of others. That was a huge theme of the retreat. Appreciating the otherness of our brothers and sisters. Seeing in them an image of God, a witness to the fact that reality exists outside of my mind because this other person exists outside of me.
Like I said I could go on for ever. If you want to have one of the most incredible experiences of your teen years come to an Eagle Eye Summer Institute with the Community of St. John and you will be soaring like me!
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What you said about appreciating other people is so true! Like one time I was hanging out with my friend 'Billy-Bob', and it was a dream come true that time with him. And it occurred to me that the very fact that Billy-Bob was a separate person from me, with his own thoughts and his own free will and his own time which he wanted to share with me... all that was a sign of God's love. God is love and that inspires us to love others, not just in fantasies and day dreams but in gritty reality, where we are completely separate and can reach out to become completely united.
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