There was once a certain Colonel de B. who, though a good man, was like most men of the world and not very well educated in spiritual things. By God’s grace, this good colonel truly wanted to make some time for the needs of his soul. In fact, a spiritual retreat might be just what he needed. A retreat is a period of time set aside for prayer and meditation, generally accompanied by spiritual reading, confession, and Holy Communion. It can be any length, from as short as one day to as long as a month. The goal is to clear away life’s distractions long enough to refocus on the needs of the spiritual life.

And so, one day, the Colonel went to a religious house and begged the Superior for permission to make a short retreat under his direction. The Superior was more than willing, and happily agreed to provide all the necessary spiritual guidance.

When the Colonel asked for a holy book to read, the priest went to the nearby bookcase, took a little book from one of the shelves, and placed it in the Colonel’s hand. The Colonel looked at the title of the book and his curiosity immediately changed into a slightly offended confusion; the book the Superior had handed him was a small Catechism.

"What, father?! A Catechism?” He cried in astonished surprise. “Are you setting me back to my ABC’s?"

"Oh no, I am far from thinking such a thing, Colonel!” the Superior quickly explained, “but I’m afraid that you may have forgotten some of your Catechism."

"Oh! never fear, father!” The Colonel assured him with a proud smile. “I know my religion; I had learned the Catechism all the way through before I was ten years old."

The Colonel, expecting a look of awe from the Superior, was confused to find instead a very worried look.

"Before you were ten years old?” The priest repeated. “Then you have an even greater reason to read this, Colonel! The longer it is since you learned your Catechism, the greater your need to refresh your memory. Take this little book, read it attentively, and we will discuss what you read this evening."

"Why not speak of it now, instead of this evening, father?” The Colonel suggested, hoping to convince him that there really was no need to read the little book. “Question me, and you’ll see how well I know my Catechism."

The Superior agreed and asked him a few questions. After a few minutes, it became quite obvious that the priest’s fear was correct. The Colonel soon became very puzzled over the questions put to him - even to the point of making some large mistakes in the answers he gave; he did not know whether Christ had one or two natures; he confused satisfaction with restitution, etc.

At last, embarrassed and ashamed, the good Colonel had the humility and honesty to admit that he had been wrong. Without any more protests, he took the Catechism, went over it carefully, and with its wisdom, the Superior’s guidance and Heaven’s help, he made an excellent retreat.