Format and Outline for 40-Day Retreat
Format
The retreat journey will consist of 40 consecutive days of prayers and readings. Each day opens with recitation of a prayer to the Holy Spirit before the day’s reading is begun. The readings on Days 2-40 conclude with five minutes of silent vigil. A prompt is given to help create the disposition of the time in silence. There should be no effort to wipe one’s mind free of all thoughts. Rather the goal is simply the conscious decision to give one’s time to be with Our Lord and love Him without words. We remain present and attentive like the boy Samuel in the Old Testament who upon hearing the Lord’s call, uttered in the night, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). A relationship includes times of speaking, but just as or even more important are those times of silence.
In Scripture we have an insight into the experience of suffering from the person of Job. We are told that Our Lord allows a testing of Job by satan. This testing includes great physical suffering. In Job 2:11, hearing of Job’s intense suffering, his friends come to be with him: “Then they sat down upon the ground with him seven days and seven nights, but none of them spoke a word to him; for they saw how great was his suffering” (Job 2:13). In this we see that Scripture gives us an insight into the great consolation one can experience through the silent presence of a friend. Thus, during Days 11-40 we will keep vigil with Our Lord as He is on the Cross. In this, our presence is a way we can show our love for God, and this allows for a greater union with Him. It is important, prior to starting the retreat, to also read the introduction to this book for further insights into the time of vigil through these 40 days.
Outline
The time commitment for the retreat should include approximately 10-15 minutes per day.
- The retreat begins on Day 1 with a central allegory, “A Fire,” which will be unpacked over the following 39 days. The book is divided into three sections: “Wood and Its Preparation,” “Fire,” and “Light.”
If any day of the retreat is missed, one can add this to the following day or extend one’s retreat by one day. One should not give up or discontinue the retreat if a day or days are missed.
This retreat can be done individually, as a family, or as a group, such as in the parish or school setting. This book was written in such a way that both adults and young people can find meaning. In the Gospel of Mark, 4:34, we read of Jesus, “Without parables he did not speak to them.” Thus, one can see that parables and allegories are the method of choice for exploring spiritual topics at any age.
The late Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, who was imprisoned for his faith for 13 years in Vietnam, wrote during his imprisonment that “the older saints get, the younger their hearts become.” In this way, this book can speak to individuals at any age as our goal is to have a great simplicity of spirit in approaching God.
Step 1
First please read the following before starting this Journey:
Step 2
Choose a Starting Date
This retreat can be done at any time. Our Lord moves in a soul according to a timetable known to God alone. Thus, a soul may find itself at the foot of the Cross, suffering, and such a retreat is ideal for the person at that particular time. Others may choose a particular start or end date that may have meaning to them.
- The retreat lends itself well to initiation on Ash Wednesday and to accompanying one through 40 days of Lent.
- One could begin on Christmas and conclude 40 days later on the Feast of the Presentation, traditionally called “Candlemas.”
- Another option could be to begin or end the retreat on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14. One could also choose to begin or end the journey on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which falls on September 15.
Step 3
Begin the 40-Day Retreat
All Days will be Released by Ash Wednesday 2026
Wood and Its Preparation
Fire
Helpful Links
The retreat can be done using a physical book or with our online Consecration journey. The online readings are free to use so there is no obstacle to starting!