A Remarkable Lenten Experience

Time flies! In the wink of an eye, the Holy Week has arrived, thus drawing the Lenten season to an end. Am I satisfied with my progress along the Lenten journey?

In retrospect, while admitting to occasional failure to resist temptation in the forms of tantalizing food, mobile phone overuse and unworthy thoughts, I can also claim to have benefited from spiritual enrichment opportunities, the most constructive being my participation in our Parish Lenten Retreat. 

The retreat, which focused on the theme “ Learning from Our Lady’s Passovers”, was divided into five sessions, the first four taking place on Friday evenings and the last, also the climax, on a Saturday afternoon.

Each of the Friday retreat sessions began with the reading of a Bible passage related to the life of Our Lady. After that, the lector talked about her reflection on the reading for about fifteen minutes, inspiring us attendants with our Lady’s virtues, which could be put into practice in our own lives. The sharing was then followed by a brief moment of silence to allow the Bible verses to sink in. The rest of the time was dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration.

Frankly, I was a bit worried when the schedule of the Friday spiritual gathering was first announced as my experience of Eucharistic Adoration had never been promising. Actively engaged in one way or another almost every minute of the day, I used to find it impossible to be faithfully involved in the practice. I could not understand how the people around me managed to spend a long hour sitting or even kneeling in silence with the eyes fixed on the monstrance, containing the Sacred Host. 

Now, however, I can look back with satisfaction and pride on the change in my attitude. Everyone of those Friday evenings saw me sitting or kneeling in adoration, gazing upon Jesus, meditating or praying to him. There was no more fidgeting or frowning over the dragging time. What had brought about the change?

It was all due to the inspiration from the fifteen-minute Bible talk. The verses selected to match the main theme provided focuses to meditate on. Inspired by the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for example, I reflected on my failure to respond to God’s calls with humility and obedience as Our Lady did. Besides, the Holy family’s escape to Egypt from Herod’s massacre of the innocents showed us Mary’s ability to brave life’s challenges and turn risks into opportunities. My thoughts then drifted to the obstacles and hurdles in my own life and I wondered how I could overcome them with a peaceful state of mind like Mary’s. Moreover, we learned from Jesus’ first miracle in the wedding in Cana about Mary’s caring concern for her friends’ needs. Finally, the disciples’ being entrusted to the care of Mary reminded us to be faithful to our promise of companionship. I also talked with Jesus, communicating with Him the thoughts generated from my meditation, seeking support from him and asking Him for forgiveness of my failings. In fact, there seemed so much I would like to share with Him that I was not aware of the passing time. 

In brief, though my planned Lenten practices have not been fully implemented, I am grateful that I have gradually learned to appreciate the power and beauty of the intimate encounter with Jesus. Eucharistic Adoration will always be an important part of my faith and I will treasure the opportunity to fully embrace the silent moments with Jesus.