Joy and forgiveness were the topics of the 2014 diocesan Lenten retreat by Dominican Fr. Ott

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Dominican Father Jeffrey Ott (standing) and Bishop John C. Wester (seated, left) chat with participants of the 2014 diocesan Lenten retreat. IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — The Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, welcomed more than 350 parishioners from the Diocese of Salt Lake City to the Diocesan Lenten Retreat at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Salt Lake City April 5.

"Relax in the arms of the Lord," Bishop Wester told the faithful before leading them in an opening prayer. "Technology is a great blessing, but it can also be something we spend time on worrying about messages, I-phones and what to do. It actually changes who we are; we become phonetic human beings, tense and incapable of listening. We have to take time, like Jesus did, to go into the desert to pray and ask the Lord to give us his grace."

Dominican Father Sergio Serrano, from the Dominican Province in the Greater New Orleans area, led the Spanish-speaking retreat.

Dominican Father Jeffery Ott led the English-speaking retreat on the second chapter of Pope Francis’ 2013 Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Guadium (Gospel of Joy). "The delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing," said Fr. Ott, pastor of 102 year-old Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Atlanta, the first African American Catholic Church in the United States.

Pope Francis is a "humble man who has a heart for the people," Fr. Ott said. "We all need to improve, to change for the better. Lent is a time for that. Pope Francis said ‘we are called as a Church to be ministers of mercy, ministers of compassion.’"

We all are "walking wounded; we have all been hurt by life," said Fr. Ott. "First, do no harm. We need compassion for ourselves; it’s OK we made a mistake. We must also forgive ourselves and our brothers and sisters."

When we allow God to use us, we are ministers of mercy, Fr. Ott said. "By virtue of our baptism, we are called to be ministers of mercy," he said. "If we are to be effective in living out our baptism, we have to find our joy and how to operationalize it."

How do we serve? Fr. Ott asked. "We are God’s hands and feet … Wherever we are, we are Church. Whenever someone is merciful, it is like a gift that keeps on giving," he said.

Referencing the Gospel story of Jesus and the woman at the well, Fr. Ott said, "Jesus gave her the living water of acceptance and that transformed her; she could tell her own story and not be ashamed."

Clergy undertake clinical pastoral education to learn about others, but "what we are really doing is finding out about ourselves," Fr. Ott said.

The large group shared what it meant to them to be ministers of mercy.

Kerry Florez learned to listen to students so she could hear where she needed to be a minister of mercy, she said.

John Koenig "stopped judging others after he had been forgiven," he said.

Life is about what we make of it, Fr. Ott said. "Jesus saw the Samaritan woman as a person, he saw her heart, and that made a difference," Fr. Ott said.

Will we see Jesus among the many or experience the power of God in our lives? asked Fr. Ott. "It’s up to us what we see and don’t see," he said. "We don’t always get it right, we are works in progress. Sometimes all we have to give is a broken heart and a torn body."

Participants shared how God was speaking to them.

Tooky Schuyler can see better "when I can keep my sense of humor and keep my trust in God," she said.

Susan Espinoza learned "it’s not about us," she said.

"We should be the tool in God’s work belt," added Fr. Ott. "As we see so many people suffering, we are called to help free them, to be ministers of mercy and in the process free ourselves and experience the power of Christ."