Retreat Theme Saint Paul’s famous insistence in his letter to the Corinthians, “We preach Christ and Christ crucified, a scandal to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23) is no less an enigma today than it was when he first penned those words. Yet, nothing of the New Testament can ultimately be understood apart from it. To be sure, the early church did not choose the cross as its central symbol, rather, it was confronted by its terror precisely as an irreligious – even sacrilegious – reality. Indeed, unlike the official councils that defined the doctrine of the Trinity or that of the divine-human natures of Christ, the church never convened a council to define a clear doctrine of the cross. Thus, while many theories abound, they remain largely misunderstood because they invariably confront us with complex theological ideas and archaic language. More viscerally however, reflecting on the cross poses painful questions about our own complicity in the the violence and injustice of history, the nature of Sin and evil, and the necessity of divine judgment in a God whom we deem all-good, all-merciful, and all-loving God. 

Thus, our Triduum retreat this year is not only intended for those who wish to deepen their comprehension of the cross, but even more so for those who are still scandalized by it. While there will be time dedicated to clarifying some of the most enlightening “theories” on the subject, our overarching emphasis will be to invite a more intuitive, liturgical, and metaphorical approach. Through conferences, sermons, liturgies, and spiritual exercises, participants will be invited to immerse themselves in the Paschal Mystery as together we feel our way into the scandal and beauty of the cross. Thus, we will move collectively from the themes of betrayal (Maundy Thursday) to abandonment (Good Friday), to death (Holy Saturday), and ultimately to the unbound joy of Resurrection (Easter Sunday).

Perhaps there is no better time to contemplate the richness and mystery of this paradoxical symbol than in the days of Holy Triduum, where through her ancient, cathartic, and transformational rituals the Church invites us once again to enter this deepest mystery of our faith: body, mind, and soul, that with St. Paul we may come to know what it means “to carry with us, in our body, the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our body.” (2 Cor. 4:10) For in this, the cross becomes the very posture of the contemplative disciple in the world: arms outstretched, naked and vulnerable, dying to oneself in order that love might reign not through triumph over the world but in self-sacrificial defeat, not in human strength but in divine weakness. A scandal and folly indeed!

Join us at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church and Retreat House over the Triduum weekend, April 17-20, 2025 as Fr. Vincent Pizzuto, PhD leads us in a cathartic rumination on the cross as scandal, terror and – paradoxically – the unsurpassed joy of Resurrection. In this immersive retreat, Fr. Vincent and his co-presenters will invite the full participation of the retreatants in each of the four liturgies of the Triduum, while offering theo-logical reflections, exercises, and meditations that will open participants to a richer and deeper appreciation of the Paschal Mystery of Christ.

Presenter Bio  Father Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D. is Professor of New Testament Studies and Christian Mysticism in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco. He received his doctorate in New Testament Exegesis from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (2003) and has since published and presented internationally in the areas of New Testament christology, ecological discipleship, marriage equality, inter-religious dialogue, Christian mysticism and contemplative Christian spirituality. In 2018 he published his second book, Contemplating Christ: The Gospels and the Interior Life with Liturgical Press; translated in Spanish, Contemplar a Cristo: Los Evangelios y la vida interior, (Desclée de Brouwer) in January 2022. As an Episcopal priest Fr. Vincent serves as Vicar of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church and Retreat House in Inverness, California. Working for the advancement of contemplative Christianity, he has reinvigorated the mission and ministry of St. Columba’s through the introduction of contemplative eucharistic liturgies, public lectures, online courses, directed retreats, thought provoking sermons and online blog.