4-Day Online Lenten Retreat: Awakening the Four Holy Desires of the Liturgy
In this intimate retreat led by David L. Gray, discover how the liturgy—through its four parts—instills holy desires in us, contrasting them with unholy temptations that hinder our union with Christ.
Inspired by The Liturgical Sense of the Readings at Mass, you’ll cultivate desires mirroring the Eucharist’s transubstantiation: from ordinary to divine life. Active participation in the liturgy, as the Church urges, yields abundant graces.
“Holy Mother Church desires… a general restoration of the liturgy… so that [the Christian people] should be enabled to understand them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits a community.” (Verbum Domini, 56)
The Four Holy Desires
Each day focuses on one liturgical part, fostering holy longings while exposing unholy ones:
- Opening Rite (Penance & Contrition): Holy desire to confess sins humbly and seek forgiveness; unholy to deny sin and lack awareness of salvation’s need.
- Liturgy of the Word: Holy desire to hear God’s voice and know Him; unholy aversion to the Creator’s revelation.
- Liturgy of the Eucharist: Holy desire for face-to-face communion with God; unholy craving for fleshly passions over divine relationship.
- Rite of Dismissal: Holy desire to be sent as apostles, sharing graces; unholy hoarding of God’s gifts.
The Liturgical Life Daily Examen Guide:
