The last time I attended a Lenten Recollection at St. Jude Thaddeus Parish was two years ago. It’s always nice to get in touch with people you only know by face every Sunday but you don’t even know their names. And the good thing is, there is a little personal touch once you get to know them even just through their name tags. There is a feeling of anticipation on what the topic would be. There is a feeling of joy listening to the hymns being played while waiting for the recollection to begin. It may only be a short four hours of reflection, it may not be enough but the most important thing is, you get in touch with yourself once more. Our recollection master was Br. Ruben Lobo from Don Dosco.
“Let the Holy Spirit enter my heart O Lord to have this Lenten Recollection a meaningful one for me.” And the big question is, “Why am I here?” At sometime in our life we need to take time out from the daily chores of living because we need time to nurture our spiritual growth, to look at life, to discern, to get in touch with what is happening within. And the more fitting time to do this is when we observe the forty days of Lent. We go back and reflect on how God truly loves us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16.”
When we fast, prepare, give and pray, we feel the meaning of Lent in our lives all the more. Br. Ruben compared it to the four seasons when you see nothing but snow in the dead of winter but there is always something to look forward to when spring comes – new growth, a beginning. And he was able to bring forth his message through the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I told a seatmate while we were sharing how you could learn so much from this biblical passage from the point of view of the prodigal son, the father and the older brother. He even asked, which are you among the three? Did you ever experience being the prodigal one? There were so many points to ponder that we just can’t help but reminisce on how our lives were, the past years. I always love the sharing portion since I get to see myself in another person’s perspective. Sometimes we think that we are perfect, that we are always worthy of praise but we don’t see the other side of the mirror where other people see us.
We did a ritual of letting go of all the hurts in our lives. It was one of the highlights of the recollection and it was also in preparation for the coming Kumpisalang Bayan ( Sacrament of Reconciliation) which will be held on Wednesday, March 21. We wrote on a dark piece of paper what we want to confess and let it burn, we were given a candle each to use. How touching and what a meaningful Lenten recollection. Thank you Lord for this blessing!
Dreams And Escapes 
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