You are on page 1of 2

MI RETIRO: Experiences and Insights of a Retreatant A TESTIMONY TO THE RETREAT OF IV-ST. ANDREW AND IV-ST.

PHILIP AT THE CARMELITE MISSIONARIES CENTER OF SPIRITUALITY, TAGAYTAY CITY Albert Benedict B. Soliman IV St. Andrew

What do people say when the word retreat means? Vacation, peace and quiet, tears. But if you ask me, it is different. It is where one retreats from the world to help his/her soul to return even better than before. Read this article, and I will tell you of what happened to, as a title of Rizals poem goes, mi retiro, my retreat. DAY 1: Arrival I went to UA at about 6:10 am (Excited much) to catch the bus going to McDo GO Rd to fetch the rest, student and faculty member alike. As we entered the NLEX at about 7:30 am, we prayed for a safe journey to Tagaytay and for the retreats success. After the Rosary, we stopped over for our necessities, and yet a few felt that they to urinate at the middle of the SLEX (Ngek!) When we found a good SLEX stopover, we really rushed to the CR. Its funny seeing us searching frantically for the CR, as though we were participants in the Amazing Race. Well anyway, were happy when we arrived at Tagaytay City, seeing the majesty of the Taal Volcano at a distance. We were most delighted when we saw our destination: the Carmelite Missionaries Center of Spirituality, a retreat house being administrated by Discalced Carmelite Missionary Nuns. It has a simple five-floor hotel (hotel?!), a chapel and several multi-purpose halls, gazebos, gardens and oratories. When we descended from the bus, we all went to the multi-purpose building, where we were oriented. Next, we went to the ground floor, the refectory or dining hall. After our lunch, we went to our respective rooms, the girls being on the second floor and the boys on the last. It is good to be at the fourth floor because it has a wide sala and a large veranda. (Kaburi da reng lalaki king kwartu a nung nu ku makatuknang. Balamu suki mi la.) The boys stayed at my room until 4 pm, where we went down to the refectory for some snacks. At 4:30, we had our first session. Our retreat master got late because of an emergency meeting at the Seminary, and so Sir Romy Ignacio of the College Department (the one who plays the organ during our Council Masses) was entrusted with this session. At 6:30, we had Vespers and after that, we went to the refectory for dinner and roamed around the gardens until Fr. Aljim Tuazon, when our retreat master arrived. He showed us a clip about two kids with progeria, reminding us of how short is our life. After our session, we all went back to our own rooms to take a shower. All of us boys had a problem with how to use the water heater and so we braved the chilly water. After everything, including a little visit by an angry nun, we slept at 11 pm. DAY 2: Retreat Proper I woke up at 4 am (when its supposed to be at 6) and goofed around until 5, when some of us went down to the gardens for a stroll. At about 6:30, we had Lauds, after which we all went down for our breakfast. At 8, we had our session until 10, when had our snacks and after that, we returned for

another session until noon for lunch. We had our siesta until 2:30 pm, when we watched the movie Tuesdays with Morrie. At 4, we had our snacks (nanaman) and returned to our session until 5:45. We then went to the Chapel for the 6:30 pm Mass. After Mass, we had our dinner and at 8, we went to the gardens with Among Aljim to burn letters to God that we ourselves composed. Then, we had some activities, the best of which is the Death Exercise, where one imagines how death would be like. Ive been wondering actually on why many of my classmates are sobbing while I stay tearless. After that, some of us retired to our rooms, while others stayed at the veranda and the gardens since tomorrow is our last day. DAY 3: Departure We woke up at 6 am and went to the Chapel for personal prayer. We then went down at 7 for breakfast and after eating, each took his/her respective souvenirs. We then boarded our buses. When we went out of the city proper, we prayed in gratitude for the retreats success and for our safe journey to Pampanga. When we arrived to our SLEX stopover, some rushed to the CR to puke because they got dizzy, so Ms. Del Puerto gave them ointments to relieve them. We then continued to our NLEX stopover for our lunch. (Kanya-kanya na ngayon. Sayang naman.) After an exhausting trip, I descended from the bus at SM and rushed to the place where I wanted to return because there is no place like thishome. Some people say that a retreat is just goofing all day, crying, making some noise, hanging together. But I have a different perspective of the word retreat. What is my definition of the word retreat? It is like a time when war rages on. When a commander sees that his army is outnumbered or when his army has won the battle, he would say to his soldiers, Retreat! And when they do, they would replenish themselves, bind their wounds and train more. And after this, they would to the battlefield healthier, stronger and bolder. So it is with what we have experienced in the Carmelite Missionaries Center of Spirituality: we retreated from the battlefield of the world to the quietness of this place in order to replenish, to bind and to train our spirit. Please pray that we, who experienced this retreat at that most sacred place, after pressing Enter to a new life, may not regret this so as to press Undo back to our old selves. We came home to Pampanga with bandaged wounds and stronger spirits. May we not become masochists of our souls so as to make our conditions worse than when we went to Tagaytay. Lord Jesus, you were sent to this world to save us and to reconcile us to one another and to the Father. Give us the virtues necessary for us to fight valiantly in this battlefield, this valley of tears, so that we may one day be counted among those on your right hand and hear from you those words, Come, you who are blessed in the kingdom of heaven. You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

You might also like