Introduction – Meditations for the Time of Retreat

This is a short overview of the 16 meditations that De La Salle wrote for the Brothers during their annual retreat. These meditations provide a concise synthesis of De La Salle’s spirituality – the priorities, themes, approaches, and perspectives that characterize the Lasallian educational context. They are meant to be read and considered in a retreat-like setting and are worth careful reading and ongoing reflection.

The video is one of a series of videos introducing major Lasallian resources available in print. (In process)

(7.5 Minutes)

Film Maker: Br. George Van Grieken, FSC

(The “Show the VIDEO” tab below lets you run the video from here.)

Link to Video

Categories: Educators English

St. John Baptist de La Salle’s 16 meditations for the time of retreat are a collection of reflections written for the Brothers on their annual 8-day retreat, so that they might look at their way of life, get a better grasp on its meaning and orientation before God, and reconnect with their spiritual identity in the very roots of their calling. They are 16 of a total of 208 meditations that De La Salle developed and put to paper in his later years, many based on the spiritual talks he had regularly given to those in his community, especially to the novices. The Sunday Gospel or the life of a saint would be the basis for developing a topic on the spirituality, the professional work, or the community life of the Brothers. In the style of the time, each meditation consisted of three parts and ended with very direct questions that applied the content to a person’s own life. Of all the meditations, it is these 16 that especially stand out because of their profound character and content.