Spend time reflecting/journaling on why the theme for this retreat, "othering," is so important to you.
Dear Lord,
You cause and inhabit all of my prayer, for which I thank you. I invite you into this prayer as well, Lord, and offer it to you fully. Lord, entrench yourself into this moment and all moments from here on. Animate my mind now as I reflect on my tendency and habit to "other" those whom I disapprove of, or are afraid of in some way or another.
Lord, as I've progressed spiritually I am beginning to learn about Your infinite love and mercy for me, and how You give it while I most certainly haven't earned it or deserve it. You've allowed me to witness this in specific and personal ways, not with a mere intellectual or acknowledgement. Next to Your love for me, and with the knowledge that all people are Your children, I see that my behavior, whether outward, or merely inward thoughts, simply doesn't reflect the love You wish me to have for your children. I reserve my kindness and courtesy for those I like, rather than giving it to everyone.
It goes beyond the dismissal, or dislike, or exclusion of individuals from my kindness, however. Perhaps more subtly and pervasively it expands to include groups of people, based on a variety of things, like political stances. In my case it often expands to where people have chosen to live and work. I often look with a bit of patronizing pity, or disdain on people who struggle to excel professionally in their careers for what appears to me, to be the acceptance and esteem of corporate managers, and for those who struggle to gain prestige, or who work to gain material wealth. Goals which I personally don't think are good goals to have. I judge people who have those goals, and dismiss them as people I could probably never have a meaningful relationship with. Perhaps not even a good conversation.
These thoughts and behaviors don't exist in isolation either. Or rather, they aren't without cause. Lately I've started to have the idea that this is, in fact, rooted in a dislike, or a dis-love, of myself. I'm afraid of being wrong, or embarrassed or looking foolish or falling short in any way whatsoever in front of anybody else at all. And when I interact with people who are seemingly succeeding at things that perhaps at one time I wanted to succeed at (like being a big-buck making corporate exec), I get the feeling that I'm perhaps outgunned. Or, in the case of people who really to differ from me in a way which I have no desire to succeed in, or believe in (like opposing political beliefs), I get edgy and antsy about the possibility of being wrong. Or at least of being bested in a debate which will very likely not happen. The root is really a lack of humility. And not the arrogant vainglorious type of pride. Rather the afraid for my psychological existence type of pride which is always on the defensive and always worried about being "beaten," figuratively, at some abstract contest.
Lord, I have two motivating factors for this being important. First, You love me so much and you've shown it to me, thus I feel the desire to love You. To love you, I'm to live the Beatitudes. I'm to serve You by doing your commandments. To love others, including my enemies, as myself. That's hard, and I'm a thousand miles away from that reality. But I don't want to just "do" the Beatitudes, I want to "be" the Beatitudes. I want to exude your love in all that I do in a way which magnetizes people toward you. I want to be the Beatitudes at my core.
Also, I'm tired of feeling isolated. I'm tired of hurting people's feelings because I'm worried about my ego in a conversation, and then I see that little glint of pain after something comes out of my mouth. I feel like this is causing me to not be able to serve you fully in tangible ways. I think this hinders professional relationships, family relationship, it's connected to self-centered thinking which burns a lot of mental energy simply worrying about my image, and not just living, or being, or doing. I want to be free, and I want to feel Your peace in these other areas of my life as well. I feel your peace in my faith life, and in a lot of my work. However, I'm not feeling the peace around others often times. I feel like others aren't getting my best self in any particular situation.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.