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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.