Retreat in Latvia
On the day of my arrival, I walked through the city of Riga in the evening. In the middle, between the Statue of Liberty on one side and a hotel on the other, lies the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ's Nativity. The latter is important to remember...
I looked to my left, a sea of light because of the Christmas season with a view of the symbol of the Latvian nation, the immense Statue of Liberty. Christ is our prince of peace and the way to freedom, I thought then...
I looked to the right, again a sea of light because of the decoration mentioned and a view of a large and illuminated cross that is not actually there. The words came to me: the road to freedom runs through the cross of Christ.
When I realized that the cathedral of Christ's birth is located in between, I became aware that He was born for us to liberate us through His 'shining' cross and to give us true peace. Everyone is welcome to accept his invitation, no matter how cold it can sometimes be in human life. I say the latter because when I left it was about -16C outside. If we allow ourselves to be permanently warmed by the light of Christ, our inner or spiritual life will never drop below freezing point and certainly not to the temperature mentioned. And can we move freely in all respects under the guidance of his Holy Spirit, like Mary and Joseph despite the cold stable in which they stayed at the birth of Jesus the Lord, the incarnate Son of God...
Amen
Father Jacques Grubben
