The days of the retreat are the most important in the year. 1. _The most important for the Exercitant_; for his principal duty and highest interest are the salvation and spiritual progress of his own soul: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.” What would it profit any of us to convert even thousands, if he loses his own soul? And if any one imagines that his own salvation is already secured, and no longer needs his principal care, he is a very ignorant or a conceited man. 2. _These days are the most important for the salvation of our neighbor_; since, the more one becomes a man of God, as a good retreat tends to make him, the better he will do the work of God. And the salvation of souls is pre-eminently the work of God, not that of human talent or industry. 3. _They are the most important for the glory of God_; since the glory we render to God is in proportion to our holiness, the purity of our intentions, the ardor of our love and our other virtues; the increase of all of which is the direct purpose of the retreat. II The yearly retreat is important for all religious, whatever be the spiritual condition of their souls. 1. _Those who are leading fervent lives_ are likely to receive during it special lights and graces enabling them to draw nearer to their Divine Lord; _Amice, ascende superius_, “Friend, come up higher.” The Holy Ghost is ever laboring at the sanctification of souls, of such especially as show themselves deserving of peculiar love by their faithful co-operation. Now this fidelity is most strikingly exhibited when we abandon all earthly cares to devote our whole hearts to the loving worship of the Lord, as we do in a retreat. 2. _Such souls as are gradually allowing their fervor to cool_ amidst the distracting cares of an active life stand in special need of the Spiritual Exercises, to arrest their downward course. When one runs down a hill, his descent is accelerated by his own weight, and he needs special help to avoid a serious fall. Such is the case of those who are losing their fervor, and a good retreat provides the remedy. 3. _If any have unfortunately already lost their balance_, and are hurrying along to destruction by the commission of serious faults, or by yielding to a no less dangerous tendency to tepidity, a good retreat is almost the only way of saving them from ruin. In connection with these thoughts it is well to reflect that some one of our annual retreats will be our last; it may be the present one. Many of those who made the retreat last year are now in eternity; and not a few of them saw no more reason then to expect so early an end than we do now. III