Marvin SD Men's Retreat 2026

What holds us back from going all-in, from giving ourselves totally over to God? For most of us it's fear. Our human instincts tell us that if we give away everything we have, there will be nothing left for us. But we are called to renew our minds, to stop thinking as humans do, and think instead the way Jesus does. With the renewal of our minds must also come a renewal of our hearts, so that we can transcend the limitations of human love, and love instead the way Jesus calls us to…with His Sacred Heart. To love as Christ loves means to give everything we have, a complete emptying of one's self, holding nothing back.

How can we get past our fears and make a total gift of self to the Lord? As St. John Paul II showed us the way to make this total surrender is to ask the help of the Blessed Mother. It was Mary who first offered all that she had, all that she was, to the Lord. It was she who first went all-in for Jesus, and through her fiat, we can find the inspiration and courage to make that same kind of surrender.

Going all-in, making a total gift of ourselves to God, means making a total gift of self to our wives, to our children, to our brothers and sisters in Christ. It means loving each other as Jesus loves us. It means giving without counting the cost. It means emptying ourselves, trusting that the Lord will fill us up in return. By uniting our surrender to that of the Blessed Mother we can find the courage to offer up our lives, just as Jesus did for us. We can echo the words of St. John Paull II and say to the Lord, I'm here, I'm all-in, I'm totally Yours!