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MARK HARTGODSpeaks ersonal etreatwithJesus
Copyright © 2025 Mark HartAll rights reserved.Published by The Word Among Us Press 7115 Guilford Drive, Suite 100 Frederick, Maryland 21704 wau.org29 28 27 26 25 1 2 3 4 5ISBN: 978-1-59325-734-7 eISBN: 978-1-59325-735-4Unless otherwise noted, Scripture texts in this work are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations marked NABRE are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.Design by Rose AudetteNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and publisher.Library of Congress Control Number: 2025907421
CONTENTSIntroduction ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51.Encountering esus nleashes od’s ercy Christ and the Samaritan Woman ��������������������������������������������������������������92.Encountering esus nveils our rue ocationChrist and Simon Peter ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 213.Encountering esus alls ou nto a elationshipChrist and the Rich Young Man �����������������������������������������������������������������334.Encountering esus nvites ou to erveChrist and the Woman Who Washed His Feet ���������������������������������������475.Encountering esus ffers ou opeChrist and Jairus ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������596.Encountering esus nlocks Eternal ifeChrist and Dismas ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������717.Encountering esus alls ou to reatnessChrist and You ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������83
5IntroductionJesus had plenty of challenges in the years beforehis ministry began. For one thing, he had to make a living. Whether self-employed or as an employee, he had to work hard to make ends meet. The Gospels don’t tell us what those early adult years were like for him, but I think it’s safe to say that even when he was work-ing, he was also taking time to grow in his relationship with his Father. We see that pattern—busy yet seeking time alone with the Father—later in his ministry. When I read the Gospels, it’s never lost on me that Jesus was always retreating from the crowds to, well, retreat.In short, he was taking time to grow in intimacy with the Father—time to develop a deep prayerful relation-ship, rooted in mutual love. Think about this: What does growing in a relationship require? One thing is for sure: it takes time. Jesus took the time, even when the crowds were pressing in upon him. We need to take the time, too, even when the busyness of life is press-ing in upon us.We need time in silence. We need time to reflect, to be present to God in our spirit—time free of stress and screens and task lists. We need times of rest.
6God SpeaksIf you’re thinking, Great, when is that supposed to happen?, then think about what God does first thing after finishing creation: He sets apart the Sabbath, makes it holy, and commands us to keep it sacred. Why? Because “keeping holy the Sabbath” is far more than just making it to Church every Sunday for an hour. The meaning of the Sabbath runs deeper than that.For us to truly “keep holy the Sabbath” means to enter fully—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiri-tually—into communion with God. It means we rest, yes, but more to the point, we find our rest in him.Unfortunately, too often Sundays have become about squeezing in Mass amid all our family responsibilities like sports tournaments, dance regionals, yard work, grocery shopping, food prep, house cleaning, paying the bills and, of course, watching football. It’s not that any of these activities are flawed or bad, only that the Sabbath is meant to be so much more.This little book is not the answer to life’s busyness, but I pray it will serve as a help. Perhaps you can’t get away for a couple of days for a true retreat. That’s okay. The Lord has something to say to you—whether at home or away—as you draw near to him.My prayer is that this book will help you to press “pause” on the busyness of life and hear the God of the universe speaking directly to you. Whether you reflect on each chapter on your own or with your spouse, family, or study group, I pray that the Lord’s words in
7Introductionthe Scripture passages we’ll consider will resound in your heart in a new way.The greatest gift you can give yourself is the gift of time with God. Once you do that, everything else in life has a tendency to fall into the right order. I hope that as you read and reflect on this little work, you’ll find that the words of Jesus, our Savior, will convict your heart, challenge your mind, and fill your soul.
91Encountering esus nleashes od’s ercy Christ and the Samaritan Woman“He told me all that I ever did.” (John 4:39)Growing up, hide-and-seek was my favorite game.The strategy of securing the perfect hiding place, the thrill of the countdown, the heart-stopping anxiety that my six-year-old body endured, the frantic scurry-ing to hide and then holding my breath as I heard the seeker getting closer—it was almost too much pressure for my preadolescent heart to endure.The lessons we learn from hide-and-seek are lessons we can carry with us throughout life: the importance of thinking under pressure, the integrity necessary to keep our eyes closed while counting, the ability to remain silent for long periods of time, and the joy
10God Speaksderived from taking a break to play a game with friends. But the takeaways aren’t just practical applications of moral development. The game offers a fundamental look at a timeless theological dilemma; namely: when it comes to God, are we really seeking him or is he the one seeking us?Face-to-FaceToo often, I treat my relationship with God like a game of hide-and-seek. At times I try to hide from him and act as though he can’t see me. But of course, the problem with this thought process is: We can’t hide from God.To God, everything is exposed: our faults, our imper-fections, and little personal secrets. But the good news is that to God, everything is also known: our talents, traits, successes, and achievements The even better news is that God is always seeking us: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). You may never miss Mass. You might read spiritual books or listen to Christian radio stations. You may wake up each day ready to earnestly seek the Lord. But the soul-stirring reality is that you’re not seeking God even a fraction as much as God is seeking you.Regardless of our sins, past or present, God constantly draws near to where we are in order to bring us to where he is.
11Encountering Jesus Unleashes God's MercyCase in point: the Samaritan woman in St. John’s Gospel. She would have been a small-town gossip’s dream. She was known for her sin, and no one, certainly not a prophet or preacher, would be seen in her presence, much less engage her in a dialogue. But our Lord Jesus did precisely that. When Jesus, the Living Word, drew near, he didn’t just see the sin. He saw the sinner, in need of God’s mercy. In fact, the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well is the longest recorded dialogue Jesus has with one person in any of the Gospels. Let us read those Holy Spirit-inspired words not from the perspective of a third person “reader,” but as a first-person “sinner.” For as the Lord sought her, he is seeking us.The Lord . . . left Judea and departed again to Galilee. He had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. (John 4:1, 3-6)Why is it so important that Jesus “had to pass through Samaria” (4:1). What are we to take from this seemingly inconsequential detail?In the time of Jesus, there was such a deep-seated hatred between Jews and Samaritans that Jews wouldn’t even go into Samaria if they could avoid it. There were
12God Speaksalternate (though far longer) routes around the region. In short, Jews would do anything avoid interacting with a Samaritan on any level.The carpenter from Nazareth, however, was anything but politically correct. Jesus was not swayed by cultural bias or racial tension. Repeatedly, throughout the Gospels, we see our Lord shattering social norms. To put it simply, he had a divine appointment that day at the well, unbeknownst to the Samaritan woman fetch-ing water.St. John writes that it was “about the sixth hour” of the day (4:6), making it about high noon, the hottest part of the day. Why would she go to the well at high noon? Why not in the cooler parts of the day, like early in the morning or right before sunset?The well was the office “water cooler” of two thousand years ago. Villagers congregated there and exchanged the best gossip before or after the day heated up. She most likely went there at noon because she had a sordid reputation and wanted to avoid the crowds who judged her. But it was at high noon—the brightest part of the day, with everything exposed and with nowhere to hide—that God came seeking.There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of
13Encountering Jesus Unleashes God's Mercyme, a woman of Samaria?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water?” (John 4:7-11)In addition to Jews and Samaritans not mixing, men and women did not interact with one another in public, nor did they ever share a drink or a cup. Yet Jesus sat completely present to the woman, unphased by her past and deeply interested in her future. And not only did he break convention and draw near to her in public, he asked her for a drink.Why did he do this? Because the Living Water thirsted for her salvation. The only other time we hear Jesus mention his thirst was while on the cross. In a way, this episode at the well foreshadows the cross: the thirst Jesus acknowledges here for himself foreshadows the thirst he will acknowledge on the cross for the many. Jesus said to her, “Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” (John 4:13-15)
14God SpeaksWe all experience thirst. We are born with it. It’s a scientific fact that humans can go longer without food than they can go without drink. The need for spiritual drink is a matter of life and death as well.Christ, though, is far more than a canteen for emergencies in the arid deserts of our self-involved existence. Through a midday conversation at the local watering hole, he invited this woman—and by exten-sion, he invites us—to dive into the ocean of his mercy and experience what freedom really tastes like.The Taste of FreedomJesus had a divine appointment, and he went straight to the place he wasn’t supposed to go, to the person he wasn’t supposed to talk with. He wasn’t revealing his thirst; he was inviting her to reveal hers! And as he talked to her, he revealed even more. Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.” (John 4:16-19)In a shocking moment ripe for reality television, Jesus revealed that not only had this woman had five
15Encountering Jesus Unleashes God's Mercyhusbands, . . . and she wasn’t married to number six! Can you imagine how you’d feel having all your sins revealed by this seemingly random Nazorean carpenter/mystery man? All of a sudden, the Samaritan woman was face-to-face with the God of the universe—and the reality of her own shame.To be clear, God revealed her sin not to shame her, but precisely because of his unfathomable love. He drew up next to her, looked her in the eye, and basically said, “I know about your shame, and I still love you.” God loved her so much that he crashed into her existence, not just to forgive her, but to save her, hoping she would invite him into her life.What would your response be if you were the one holding the bucket at that well? Would you deny the sin? Would you walk away? Or would you own your past and invite him into your life?I Have a Confession to MakeDid you notice what happened when the woman’s sin was brought into the light? We don’t see her retreating in fear, but, rather, she advances for mercy. The sur-prising reality is that we all want truth; our hearts are hardwired for it. More to the point, everyone needs truth.Some of us have convinced ourselves that we don’t really have sins, but “no sin” equals “no need for a Savior.” Others among us are so overwhelmed by the gravity of our past sins that we won’t let God into our
16God Speakspast. We want God to be here in our present and merci-ful in our future, but we hesitate to allow him into our past. We think, “You can’t forgive me, Lord. I’ve sinned too much and I’ve run too far.” “My sin—it’s just too big.” We might even lament, “Church? Oh, I can’t go to church. That place will fall down if I’m in it.” But the Catholic Church is a place of mercy; in fact, mercy is its mission statement! The Church counts former con artists, addicts, thieves, rapists, murderers, and heretics among the communion of saints. Never doubt the power of God’s grace or its ability to change you.If that’s you, take a moment to tell the Lord, “I want you to walk back with me, Jesus. I trust you. Please tell me I don’t have to carry this anymore. Please forgive me. Please tell me you still love me, a sinner, your child.” Don’t keep your past from him. Take it to Confession. You can’t be made new for today or tomorrow until you invite Jesus to redeem yesterday.When the Lord comes to you and looks you in the eye, he’s not saying to you, “You are the sum of your sins and your failures.” No! God’s truth, to paraphrase the words of Pope St. John Paul II, is, “You are not the sum of your sins; you are the sum of the Father’s love.” Unless you reconcile the past, you’re never going to taste the future God has designed for you.One of the greatest things you can do for your spiri-tual life is to say to Jesus in prayer, “Walk with me, Lord. Walk me back into this episode, this sin, this
17Encountering Jesus Unleashes God's Mercyroom, this addiction, this struggle. Walk back with me and show me where you’ve preserved me and protected me. Reveal it to me, Lord. Pour light into my darkness. Show me where I need healing, Lord, and then please come and heal me. Come, Jesus, and save me from my darkness, my past, and myself.”The Lord reveals our shame because he loves us and wants to free us. The enemy reveals our shame because he wants to chain us and leave us there. Samaria is half a world away, but right now, the Lord wants some face-to-face, soul-to-soul contact with you. He’s saying, “You know what? Give me something to drink. I’m thirsty for your soul. I’m more thirsty for your salvation than you are; I’m more thirsty for you to know me than you are. Are you willing to lose the façade? Are you ready to let me love you?”If you’re in that place where you constantly feel pulled backward to the past, it’s not time to walk to Confession; it’s time to run and to experience the love of the Father. The woman at the well was made new. You have the same opportunity to be made new thanks to Christ’s priesthood here on earth.It’s fascinating that in this conversation in Samaria, the woman says, “I can see you’re a prophet.” And then a little later, she says, “I can see you’re the anointed one, the Christ.” By the end of the encounter, though, she says, “You’re my Savior.” She leaves that jar of water and goes back to the town completely free—a new
18God SpeaksFrom Head to Heart For Reflection1. Have there been times in your life when you’vetried to hide from God? What did that looklike? What were the consequences of essentiallyfooling yourself that God didn’t see you, orworse, care about you?2. How often do you take advantage of theSacrament of Reconciliation? Are youfrequenting the Sacrament? If not, why not?missionary. Unafraid and unashamed, she shares the love of Christ with those who haven’t been good to her.
19Encountering Jesus Unleashes God's MercyA Step BeyondThe more grace is overflowing from you, the more oth-ers will be drawn to God themselves. See what happened in Samaria after one sinner sipped from the chalice of God’s mercy. She shared the truth with others who also came to believe: Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:39-42, emphasis added)God loves us even more than we love ourselves. He’s also coming back at some point. That fact is only scary if we’re not where we need to be in relationship to God. Open yourself to God and allow him to love you for who you truly are: a sinner in need of his mercy, an unrefined but glorious work in progress.
20God SpeaksPrayerHoly Spirit, please open the eyes of my heart and reveal to me all those areas of my life where I have chosen myself instead of following you. Lord Jesus, thank you for your cross by which my sins are redeemed and the sacrament through which they are forgiven. Heavenly Father, thank you for your great and never-ending mercy even when I don’t deserve it. Please give me the strength to follow you more closely. Amen.A Personal Message from Mark Hart