By Myra Zymelka-Colis

March 9, 2019 was not just a holy retreat. It was not only ‘a moment with the Lord,’ the theme of this day’s spiritual retreat. It was a full day divine encounter that has a lasting impact in the lives of those who came, who saw, and who went home victorious!

Early at 8AM, twenty-one of us from the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda (FCC-Gouda) and Surroundings made it on time for our one and a half hour bus ride to Handel in North Brabant where the FCC-Gouda Board made plans for a spiritual retreat— the very first for the community! The group arrived before 10AM and three other members from the Filipino Catholic Community in Dordrecht joined us there at the Onze Lieve Vrouw Kerk where the retreat is taking place. Warmly welcoming us upon arrival was Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, who then introduced us to our retreat master of the day, Fr. Charles Ajogi.

“It’s easy to spend our time shopping, working, visiting places, or chatting with friends. But it’s very difficult to spend solitude with God,” uttered Fr. Ajogi as he wasted no time getting us oriented of the day’s activity. “If having a solitude with God is easy, then it would be one of our top things to do.” He went ahead and talked about the importance of silence and that of prayer.

Prayer is simply a conversation with God, our Heavenly Father and Creator. Just like speaking with our best friend, such interaction is characterized by having full attention to the person— especially when sharing secrets or our inner most thoughts and aspirations in life. When conversing with a loved one, there’s that element of listening, trust and respect; there’s no hiding and pretending. In the same manner, we can tell exactly how we feel when we converse with God.

The week we went for a retreat was also timely for the first week of Lent. As we all know, Lent is a Christian penitential period that involves the disciplines of abstinence and fasting for the sole purpose of repentance. It is a time of the year that should be spent on preparing and strengthening our body and mind through prayers and reflections before Easter. Thus, we’re in the so-called 40-day period prior to Easter Sunday!

As Lent is the time of spiritual preparation before Easter, beginning this season with a spiritual retreat is like doing the right thing at the right time and at the right place with the right people. What could be more awesome than that, right?

But what is significant about these 40 days? What is it that we ought to be doing at this period before Easter? Why are we having this retreat in the first place? These were the questions that were thankfully answered during the first hour before we had our individual quiet times, group discussions and sharing, praying the Rosary, and the mass— all part of the well-planned program prepared for us by the Congregation Sancti Spiritus (CSSp) Community in Handel.

“Numbers have meanings,” began Fr. Charles as he explained the significance of what we were about to do that day. “Just as number 1 signifies our unity with God and number 3 means completeness and number 7 perfection, the number 40 often signifies a period of growth. And before growth is manifested, there comes trials or challenges that needed to be overcome.“

So what is it then that we should be doing during this 40-day period?

As we, the participants, reflected on these questions on solitude, prayer and Lent, we came to realize that we have been observing Lent for compliance sake; we haven’t really taken it seriously as part of our personal spiritual growth. As Fr. Charles put it, this is the best time to make resolutions and do something about it. For instance, some people can make a pledge to do one act of kindness. For some others who haven’t developed the habit of praying yet, they can tell themselves to commit to prayer even for at least 5 minutes upon waking up in the morning and another 5 minutes before going to bed. If say, for example, one managed to get these done within the period of 40 days, then isn’t that something worth celebrating as well in remembrance of the day our Lord Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead?

To further equip us in our journey towards spiritual maturity, Fr. Charles also shared with us eight (8) steps to meet God in silence and in solitude.

1. Pay attention to what’s going on in your soul, in your life.

2. Overcome resistance or whatever it is that is pulling you back.

3. Seek rest for your body, mind and spirit.

4. Let your emptiness lead you to God’s fulfillment.

5. Face yourself as you really are, and allow God to help you.

6. Receive God’s guidance. It is a gift and it is up to you to receive it or reject it.

7. Let that love you receive in solitude helps you to reach out to others in life.

8. Make silence and solitude a part of your daily life.

Following lunchtime was a fruitful and emotional group discussion; four teams were formed and were given a set of three questions to talk about and reflect on…

• Do you think it makes sense to take a step of faith, and why? How does hearing from God affect your daily life? Would you like to hear from God more? What is the importance of solitude in your life?

• Could you share a personal story of a time when you experienced the value of solitude? Define prayer in your own words. What do you think it means to hear from God, and what are some of the ways you experience it personally?

• Do you find solitude difficult or easy, and why? Could you talk about the importance of prayer in your life? Where do you look for guidance and inspiration when you need it, and why?

• How do you balance solitude with your daily activities? Could you talk about a time when you’ve held unto your faith, or to a particular conviction, even when it was hard? What helped you to keep believing? What do you think about the value of prayer in your life?

To sum up what had transpired during the group discussions, to be in solitude is a conscious effort. It’s letting go of the nuisances in our hearts and minds, so we could enjoy that special moment with God’s presence. It’s a time of silence, a time to speak to God and also to listen.

Prayer is not an obligation; it is a lifestyle. We can talk to God anywhere we are at any time of the day and of about anything we have in our minds and in our hearts. In fact, prayer is also something we could give as a gift to others, especially to those in our community who are in utmost need.

In that afternoon, we did experience much more than expected. With thanksgiving in our hearts, below wordart shaped like a clover summed up all that every participant has shared as takeaways from this day’s holy retreat.

SPECIAL WORDS OF THANKSOnce again, we thank the members of the FCC-Gouda Board headed by Amor van Os for making this holy retreat happen. Thank you, Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe for coordinating all these with Martin van Moorsel and Callistus Offor at CSSp Community in Handel. Big thanks to our retreat master, Fr. Charles Ajogi, who did very well not only in facilitating the activity but also in addressing all posted questions. Above all, we give back all the glory to God, who made all these wonderful things possible.

(FCC-Gouda Board Secretary, Susan Horn-Perez, also contributed to this article.)