HAVANA TIMES – Whenever I heard about a spiritual retreat, the same idyllic image always came to mind: a person, in a Zen position, with background music included, meditating alone in the middle of nature.
The spiritual retreats of my Christian community here in Curitiba have grounded my understanding of that notion. Since the church is the body of Christ, and made up of people, not temples or religious officials, what sense would it make for an evangelical to retreat in solitude?
During my most recent spiritual retreat last weekend, we shared an experience that, for me, was a defining moment. While there were also moments of devotion and solitude, the main purpose of gathering all, or most, of us in one place was fellowship.
The retreat is a kind of catalyst for relationships. What doesn’t happen during the two or three weekly hours of meet