A Weekend Well-Spent

I took the liberty and courage to spend the weekend inside the Abbey of our Lady of Montserrat where our beloved Benedictine monks and priests stay. My stay there has been nothing but great and peaceful. I am filled with His peace and gratitude for this opportunity he had given me. 

Amidst the silence of my stay inside the monastery, I realized a lot of things that I believe only in silence can we ponder. 

1. There is no "perfect timing" to spend time with God.

I have always wanted to spend time in the abbey, believing that it will open me to life realizations and lessons that only there I could find. I deferred this plan until the last weekend. After years of trying to define the "perfect timing", I realized that God deserves every second of my life. A lot of us are often too busy with our earthly possessions and responsibilities, we tend to forget the One that truly matters. I lost my habit of talking to God upon waking up and before going to sleep as I got swallowed by the exhausting bustle of the working life. This experience reminded me that God is willing to listen anytime to my rants and stresses. But more importantly, I must be more expressive in thanking Him for simple blessings and grants, like not being late for work on Mondays, or being spared from heavy traffic, or simply for another day of life. 

2. Everywhere is a place of prayer. 

Similar with time, everywhere can also be a place of prayer. Our churches are holy places where we can really feel the solemnity of God's presence. The sacred images and relics are there to remind us of how the power of God's love had lived through the blessed people before us. The challenge for us, the laity, is to find the presence of God anywhere we go. Be it inside a jam-packed train or along the populated streets of Manila, we are very free to talk to God and feel His love.  

3. Silence is important.

I am very thankful for this experience as I am reminded that silence must remain to be an essential part of everyone's life. Benedictine monks are known for their love of silence and how they connect to God through silence. I was somehow taught how to appreciate silence, that it is not "boring"; it opens my life to a lot of opportunities to speak with God and let Him speak to me as well. I admire how St. Benedict lived a life of silence yet His praise for God roars. Among all the challenges I have sworn to accept during my stay, it is the vow of silence that I am very willing and will really try to enliven. For only when we are silent can we truly listen to Him, to our loved ones, and to the calls of the needy.

4. Everyone is an instrument of God's love.

We are all children of God, made in His own image and likeness. This basic truth is more than enough reason to live a life of faith and love. We are, however, imperfect; but this is not an excuse for our faith to falter nor to give in to sin. There is always the challenge for us to say YES to God's call for us to do His will. We are not required to be religious people, but we are given the freedom to serve others in His name, and do small things with great love and kindness. 

I encourage my Benedictine brothers to experience the life in the monastery as well, we are given this great privilege to connect with Him through the silence of monastic living.

2014 is the year of the laity, and we are all called upon to be instruments of His Great Love. Pax.