Encountering God

In 2006, Father Wayne Sattler received permission from Bishop Paul Zipfel to become a hermit. During that time, without a lot of worldly distractions, he devoted most of his life to prayer. 
 
During the six years as a hermit, Father Sattler was living a contemplative, prayerful existence in a one-room cabin in a rural area in far western North Dakota. During these six years, Father was allowed by the bishop to give retreats to priests and consecrated religious communities twice a year. Each retreat was multiple days in length and typically consisted of giving talks as well as being available to meet privately with retreat attendees.
 
It was during one of these retreats in 2007 with a group of religious sisters preparing to make their final vows that Father Sattler met with one of the sisters. This sister was questioning taking this last step and she confided how she had been recently drawn to a priest that she and her fellow sisters had been assisting during the past summer. Nothing had transpired between the two, but her heart was troubled. 
 
Father Sattler writes in the new book’s introduction that the sister had remarked to him, “Father, he wasn’t even that great. What happens when ‘Mr. Wonderful’ comes into the room?” Father paused and responded, “Sister, if ‘Mr. Wonderful’ has not already entered the room, we have a problem.”
 
It was that interaction and the guidance of the Lord, that led Father Sattler to further question her, “Sister, is God a person or an idea to you?”
 
If you want to know sister’s response, you’ll have to pick up a copy of Father Sattler’s latest book titled, “Remain in Me and I in You: Relating to God as a Person and Not an Idea.” 
 
The book, born of the prompting of retreat attendees asking for Father’s notes, explores the three main themes of knowing, loving and serving God. These are concepts we’ve all been taught but find ourselves lapsing when we treat God more as an idea than a person.
 
In the book’s introduction, Father Sattler explains that many people engage others with only our mind that leads us to treating them as an idea rather than a person. To relate to someone as a person, our heart also needs to be engaged. It’s the same concept with our relationship with God. When God is only engaged with our mind but not our heart, He’s more of an idea. To relate to God as a person (three persons in the Trinity), our heart must also be on board. Only then, do we fully appreciate God as a person we can know, love and serve.
 
Father Sattler acknowledges the irony of encouraging people to read a book that begins with a challenge to not base their relationship with God by just their mind and what they read in books. He states in the introduction that it was never his intent to be an author. This book, just as his first, “And You Will Find Rest: What God Does in Prayer,” is born of material he uses for retreats, classes and parish missions. It’s meant as a guide to accompany the reader on their journey to know, love and serve our Lord.
 
“This current book, Remain in Me and I in You is the fruit of parish missions I have been giving since being assigned as diocesan spiritual director in 2023,” Father Sattler explained. “Beginning with Advent 2023, the parish missions and parish day retreats I gave were on the theme Is God an Idea or a Person? They would consist of three talks, Knowing God, Loving God, Serving God. On my drive to the first parish mission in Minot, the thought came of how this material could be developed into a book. Seeing how well the material was being received and being able to give the presentation a number of times allowed it to be fleshed out over time.”
 
Whether you’ve attended one of Father Sattler’s retreats or not, this book is an easy read with helpful guidance on connecting with God on a deeper level. It’s both an inspiring and practical guide to strengthening your prayer life.
 
“This book is about tapping into our deepest desire to not simply know about God, but to encounter Him as the Person He really is! God is His own Person, in fact, He has revealed Himself to be three Persons! No matter where we are in the spiritual life, there are moments when we slip into the tendency of treating God more as an idea than a person. This book is about accompanying any soul in their sincere desire to truly know, love and serve the living and true God,” Father Sattler said.
 
Mother Teresa connection
 
In part of the book, Father Sattler writes that he had the privilege to meet and form a connection to Mother Teresa. His encounters with her came about when he was studying in seminary in Rome and volunteered at a homeless shelter run by the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity. 
 
It’s fitting then that the book concludes with a prayer Mother Teresa would pray with her sisters every day right after Mass, before they went out to serve in their mission. It’s the “Prayer for Peace” commonly associated with St. Francis of Assisi. When we pray for peace, we are clearing away our fears to realize our mission to know, love and serve God and, in turn, share with others the person we know as our God.
 
Get the book
 
The book, “Remain in Me and I in You: Relating to God as a Person and Not an Idea” will be released on March 18. It will be available through Sophia Institute Press at sophiainstitute.com and on Amazon. Father Sattler will also have some on hand for those who attend his talks and retreats.