News & Views

LETTER TO MY COP COMMUNITY

by Marite Dichoso

Dec. 5, 2009

Dear COP Family,

For all who came, thank you so much for your presence! For all who were not there, we missed you a lot! Here is what happened.

The Community Gathering and Christmas Party of Contemplative Outreach Philippines (COP), on Saturday, December 4, started at 10:30 AM with a Holy Mass officiated by Fr. “Ting” Miciano, parish priest of St. John Bosco, Makati. In his homily, Fr. “Ting” reflected on the meaning of suffering in our lives, and how suffering turns into consolation once suffering is embraced. A 20-minute centering prayer period followed right after Holy Communion. After the Eucharist, the COP community gathered together to have some pictures taken with Fr. “Ting”. (Please go to Photo Gallery.) Then, our dear Lita Salinas warmly welcomed everyone while also thanking the Salesian priests of St. John Bosco Parish for generously providing COP with a room for our Secretariat since July 2008, gratis at amore. Deo gratias!

To start the day’s program, Lita made an announcement that during this Christmas Gathering, COP would begin the process of organizing and updating its’ official list of COP members, something which had not been done formally in the past. It was a good time for each one of us to reflect on why we chose to be a part of this community --- to learn Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina, and to witness its fruits in our daily lives with the support of our bigger family, Contemplative Outreach Philippines.

Single sheets of paper were distributed for membership sign-up. Everyone was requested to indicate whether he/she would like to become an active member or a “supporter”. A minimal fee of Php100 per month or Php1,200 per year was requested from each member to help defray the cost of maintaining a Secretariat.

After the Eucharist and the welcome remarks, a simple lunch followed, everyone keeping in mind the serious problems being faced by many Filipinos due to the recent typhoons. All enjoyed the “lugaw” (hot porridge) meal served with “tokwa” (soybean curd), and for dessert, “turron” (banana spring-roll). Also, in solidarity with our suffering brother Filipinos, a good number of COP members donated foodstuff, used clothes and other miscellaneous items, as well as cash, for the typhoon victims. These were turned over to St. John Bosco Parish and from there, to Caritas Manila.

The community stayed on after lunch for more fellowship and bonding. The Socials Committee ably led by Rita Go and Miren Sun, organized fun games like “Name-that-Christmas song”, Bible Quiz, and “Pinoy Henyo” with a Christmas Theme. Laughter and mirth were the order of the early afternoon fellowship. In between the games, there were several raffles enabling every single one in the room to win a prize or two.

A special entertainment treat was given us by one of the members of the San Antonio Centering Prayer Group, Christine Carlos, a professional in the entertainment field. She sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” so beautifully. Christine’s readiness and graciousness to consent to sing for our Community Gathering was also so heart warming. Thanks so much, Christine!

Before winding up the Community Gathering and Christmas Party, Lita encouraged everyone to hold hands, sing a Christmas carol together, and finally give each other the “contemplative hug”. It was a fitting finale to a beautiful experience of one community and one heart in the one family of God.

Blessings and cheers,

Marite

CIRCLE OF SERVICE YEAR-END MEETING

by Tess Colayco

During the October COS (Circle of Service) Meeting, the 15-member COS and their alternates assessed the performance of the different committees in terms of effective and successful programs during the year, as well as map out plans for COP in 2010.

Among the activities in 2009 that the Servant Leader Team especially found helpful in advancing the vision/mission of COP were the many workshops and retreats held within and outside Metro Manila, the website (www.cophil.org), the fund raiser garage sale last July, and the formation classes. The role of the Secretariat was also highlighted as being essential in achieving the goals of COP. Based on the 1 ½ years of its existence at St. John Bosco parish, the Secretariat has lived up to its objective of performing the daily administrative functions of COP, being the custodian of the community’s official records, books, audio/video materials, updating the database of its members, and coordinating work between the different committees.

For 2010, a Calendar of Events for retreats and workshops (both for the COP members as well as for the general public) and other COP activities was drawn up. Details will be announced in the proper time. It was also agreed that the thrust for next year will be on training new workshop presenters and CPG (Centering Prayer Group) heads, as well as organizing a series of activities/programs to celebrate meaningfully COP’s 20th Anniversary.

The first important COP event in 2010 will be the Recommitment Day on January 23. Venue and schedule will be announced soon.

TITA VIÑA

by Monina LaO

When COP was started in 1985, Viña Avanceña was one of its very first members, attending the earliest centering prayer group that met in Santuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park, Makati on Monday mornings. And, until she passed away last November 16 at the age of 93, Tita Viña was also the oldest COP member. During those early years of COP, when most people her age gladly retired into quieter, more leisurely activities, Tita Viña – in her ‘70’s – was in the thick of many involvements. She was a real estate developer, buying existing houses, then renovating and selling them, even without an architectural or engineering background. She was an Ikebana artist, a culinary whiz, a music and dance enthusiast. She sewed clothes for herself and her family and even drove herself to her activities.

But soon enough, one by one, she had to let go of the active life. In the end, up to the time she entered the hospital, only one involvement remained in her calendar. Tita Viña regularly attended her centering prayer group, the venue of which was transferred to her own home when she was already house-bound.

As members of Our Lady of Peace CPG, we were so blessed with Tita Viña’s company, her love and wisdom, her friendship, God’s life and presence in her life. She must have enjoyed the camaraderie and, being a good cook, the exchange of gourmet delights during frequent dinners. But her devotion to the CPG was for one primary reason – it was her prayer life - Centering prayer, lectio divina, and the Magnificat monthly prayer booklets that most of us used as part of our prayer routine. We expressed to her quite often how inspired we all were with her life and how faithful she had been to the Lord.

In our own words, we share our personal tribute to our dear Tita Viña. . .

“I shared with Tita Viña a different kind of friendship. She was quiet most of the time, her sharings were few, but were nuggets of wisdom, deeply felt from the bottom of her heart. And I was her appreciative listener, learning more and more about the Lord through her life experiences. How He speaks to us in utter silence, how He nurtures a friendship in the quietest of ways – that was Tita Viña in my life.

I met Tita Viña way back in 1991 when I used to attend the Centering Prayer Group in Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes. She used to drive her car then and would offer to bring me home after our prayer meetings as she said I was on her way home. I lived in Urdaneta Village and she in Bel-Air. For various reasons, it became difficult for us to attend the support group in Forbes but we found ourselves together again in another support group, Our Lady of Peace, which met weekly at Baby Dee’s house in Valle Verde.

Tita Viña and I felt a special bond of kinship because of relatives/friends who were close to both of us. She was particularly fond of my aunt, Sr. Mary Assumption, RGS who was her teacher at St. Bridget’s College in Batangas and who now resides in Baguio with Sr. Veronica, Tita Viña's younger sister.

She shared a lot of stories about herself and her family and I could glean from her stories the love, care and concern about her family and her pride and joy in their accomplishments. One Christmas, she gave us a beautifully packaged salad dressing and said: “Tikman ninyo yan, gawa yan ni Ana” (“Try that. . . It was made by Ana.”)

She was a multi-talented woman. Whenever she baked her delicious butter cake, she would always share some with her support group, even giving us a “pabaon” to bring home with us. Ikebana was another love. She was proud of their work and would invite me to see their shows.

She adopted our CP group into her family as she never failed to invite us to her birthdays where guests were mostly family. When it became difficult for her to attend our prayer meetings, we moved our meetings from Baby’s house to her condo so that she could still join us. We would share our dinners with her and Tito Mart before doing our prayers.

Though she hardly spoke during our meetings, we felt one with her in our prayer of silence. We will truly miss Tita Viña. She touched our lives."

̶  Dedette Gamboa

“I will miss Tita Viña’s quiet presence and her shy smile – and most of all, her delicious butter cake which she brings at every prayer meeting."

̶  Edda Henson

“Tita Viña was the only person I called Auntie. I will miss her presence and the pound cake that she gives me. Although I wanted to visit her in the hospital, I decided not to go because I want to remember her the way she was when she was my seatmate in our Centering Prayer Group.”

̶  Bert Uson

“I will miss Tita Viña’s motherly ways and patience in listening to all our talks and chats before we start our prayer meeting. I called her weekly for our scheduled prayer meeting and when she became weak, we decided to have our Centering Prayer Group meetings in her place so that she could join us.”

̶  Baby Dee

“She was quiet but her big and generous heart spoke for her silence.“

̶  Angie Ong

“I will remember TitaVina for her being present all the time during our weekly centering prayer meeting. Although remaining quiet, she was there to break bread with us, hear our jokes and stories and mainly, to pray with the group. When she became too weak to get out, we would meet every week at her home. Surely, we'll miss her. It's a great consolation for us to know that she now rests in God's bosom ---- no more pain, no more insomnia --- but joy and peace with Him forever."

̶  Lisa C. So

“Though I was not part of her CPG, I also have many fond memories of Tita Viña. We belonged to the same CP group meeting every Monday morning at Santuario de San Antonio in the early 90’s. There were also many retreats and COP activities where we were together.

In one retreat at Lake Island Resort in Binangonan, we were roommates. It was a joy being with her because she had so many interesting stories about life. I felt like I was in the presence of a wise person who was full of joive de vivre.

She was a wonderful cook and loved to share her culinary expertise. I still recall one time she brought a delicious fish dish during one of our COP get togethers. I asked her for the recipe and she was only too happy to give it to me. It was lapu-lapu sautéed with garlic, onion and tomatoes, to which she added potatoes, topping the whole fish with kinchay.

Tita Viña was a woman of faith, grace and prayer. She was one spunky lady who endeared herself to those of us who had the privilege of knowing her...We were blessed by her warm friendship, gentle ways and deep spirituality. May she enjoy being in the heart of God forever.“

̶  Tess Colayco

CONSOLATION

by Chuchi Daroy

Pools of lucid time
Wisdom uncaught
Unfettered joy
Your consolation is but a moment
Yet I welcome, bid adieu
Remain in your presence

Seeker's Ambition
Let me reflect your brilliance
My impoverished science heeds
In the darkness of true knowledge
I weep at your feet
To taste of blood
The richness of human purpose

HEART STIRRINGS

by Conchitina S. Bernardo

To write a reflection for others to read has never been asked of me. I sit and sit and cannot write. I have in one hand a treasured book , “The Cloud of Unknowing” and in another hand a treasured handout from Grace Padilla.

I read both, waiting for a word, a phrase. From Grace, "today I will ask my heart for guidance and be guided by its message of comfort and discomfort." Strange, because I have silenced my heart, having always been told to "always use my head, never my heart."

Governed by that, my heart's stirrings have been stifled, and cast aside as whining sentimentality. So when it stirs as a beloved granddaughter utters her first words, or as an ailing, aged mother, with barely audible words grips my arm, and tells me she loves me, I turn away and hide the tears. The heart is too soft.

How comforting to know that it is alright to cry and that tears are a message from the heart. How wonderful to know that attuned to the heart you awaken a universe of realities, with no judgment other than being fully conscious to the present.

It is not easy, not easy at all, this journey we are on. We never know where we are. There really are no road maps. So I turn to “The Cloud of Unknowing”. I open the book and again this hits me: "It is not what you are, and not what you have been, but what you wish to be that God considers with His merciful eyes!" And so again I find that I am crying - tears of consolation, tears from the heart. I set aside both literature and I am basking in this one precious moment when I feel embraced by the Lord.

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

by Lucy T. Gomez

There are stretches of time when life is quiet. Not uneventful or lacking in excitement, just quiet. Steady. Fluid. Almost like a very neat, very pretty, room where everything is exactly where it should be, picture perfect and just dandy.

And so there you are, just coasting along your happy way, thanking God and chirpily proclaiming how beautiful life is when………………..wham-bam! A blow comes that literally takes your breath away. Where did THAT come from? Why did I not see THAT coming?

It happens everyday. Just in different ways for different people at a time, I guess.

The last time I came face to face with something of that proportion I was too stunned to even cry, initially at least. My jaw just dropped and my talent for analyzing and over-analyzing just surfaced naturally, and in full force. Maybe that is why I was not able to cry --- my first instinct was to immediately get busy trying to be Wonder Woman. Fix what is broken. Now. Right now. My way, too, naturally. So in pursuit of that I thought long and hard and deep ---- the why’s colliding with the how’s and maybe’s, the rewinds looping with the fast-forwards, the should-be’s like a cherry on top of them all. By the time I had to call it a day I was too tired to even sleep, even when practical wisdom dictated that.

The news came in one big chunk. Like a child presented with a bad gift wrapped in beautiful paper I placed the box that was the situation on my lap, not knowing I would find something rotten inside. I thought that if I looked it in the eye without blinking it will not be such a force to contend with. I convinced myself of that breathlessly. But when I started taking the situation apart like pieces to a puzzle, I saw the situation for what it really was. The truth was I could not make light of it just so I could feel better about it. It was something altogether serious, inconvenient, and unwelcome that had to be addressed, and immediately at that.

For three days I did not live, I merely existed ---- eating mechanically, watching without really seeing, talking mostly in syllables, having a conversation of sighs with myself. I was not doing much really but I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I was overwhelmed, many thanks to the frantic race with myself to make everything better for everyone. Now, now, now! It must be now, now, now! I was in a rush.

One day after lunch I mindlessly took the sketch pad we always have in our kitchen table and I drew chairs, lots of fancy-looking chairs. My daughter caught on and she would color them carefully and beautifully, using bright ink and wild color combinations. It steadied my mind somehow. The happy colors made me smile, and the whole working-with-my-hands bit allowed me to ride along threads of thoughts minus the strain that comes from knowing I was doing just that. Strange as it may seem the activity gave the muddled-in-my-mind situation some sense of clarity and to a certain degree too I understood how art could be therapeutic, although up to this moment I still do not know how to translate that feeling into words.

I would also mumble repeatedly in my mind and under my breath: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”. It was part of the sermon of the priest the Sunday before I heard the news. He said we all have to get used to saying that many, many times in one day until it is as natural as breathing. I do not question very many things in my life, I am quite accepting, so I employed that when I felt like my heart was going to pop out of my chest and run far, far away from me. That was what I did when I got overwhelmed with scenarios I concocted in my mind. That was what I did when I felt the wind was knocked out of me.

Happy colors I see on white paper, a singular phrase that was potent enough to give comfort ------- thank heaven for small mercies, indeed. When you are coping with something, every little thing that soothes feels very much like being allowed to come up for air. It buys you time, and gives you sheer will to put one foot in front of the other until things eventually get better.

When the tears finally started to come, they flowed in spurts, but most other times they manifested themselves in sustained torrents that seemed to know no end. Reality bites, really. The burden too heavy, the chest too tight I, at one point through my tears, asked out loud, in the quiet of our room: “God, where are you?” I could not find Him in the darkness that surrounded me. Where was He? It felt very much like He was everywhere but near me.

I had that very same thought as I plopped myself into bed, face down, one afternoon within that sad window when it is no longer day but also not quite night yet. I do not like that time of day, I never did, but especially then as it was sadder than most. I do not know how long I stayed that way in bed, with silence as my lone companion. It could have been 30 minutes or 3 hours, but when I came to my first thought was that my pillow was very wet. And the room, dark and very quiet. Night had fallen. The sound of silence was soothing. After being so used for many days to so much noise in my mind, at that point and given the circumstances, silence was a very strange but welcome feeling. I asked again, more quietly this time: “God, where are you in all this?”

I wanted very much to hear a booming voice, the way Moses or Samuel did in the Old Testament, but there was none. So I reached for my Bible and randomly opened a page. With eyes closed I pointed wildly, and my fingers landed on some place on the bottom right of the open book. I believe what I did is called Bible cutting, and some people have advised me against the wisdom of doing it but especially when push comes to shove I persist.

I read Isaiah 49:13

“Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song O mountains!
For the Lord comforts His people
And will have compassion on His afflicted ones.”

Now I have always believed that there are no coincidences, not when God is involved, and definitely not when anyone is at that point of sadness or immediate despondence. This was no coincidence, this was God telling me to be glad. Now. The timing was uncanny, too impeccable to not be from someone as perfect as Him. Remember, he is not only supreme Intelligence, He is merciful beyond understanding, and when a breakthrough is needed that is exactly what He sends. Days had passed since the incident but that verse proved to be my first breakthrough. I’m sure there were others along the way but I’ll be honest enough to say this one was the first I recognized as such. It was the kick I needed to set me on the right mindset again.

It was exactly at that point that I settled down, melting ever so gently into the present moment and all it contained ----- sadness, fears, bad feelings, that glimmer of hope ---- all of that, plus more. The road up ahead was going to be strange and scary and unfamiliar all at once but attached to that knowledge was also a gentle knowing deep in my gut that all would be well. The cookie may crumble wildly but the crumbs will fall where they should.

It was also at that moment when I realized how, in my desperation, I almost forgot the basic truth that, hey, God is in control. I wasn’t. And that being so, I could expect only something good to come out of even the worst case scenario. I simply surrendered. Why did I choose the hard way when it could be this easy really? I stopped wiggling around like a fish out of water, I stopped running around like a headless chicken trying to find relief and sanity. Like a helpless child I melted into my wonderful Father’s embrace with absolutely no words. It was just me and Him, and that was enough. During that embrace I offered it all to Jesus, I dumped the whole mess at His feet ---- to untangle, to sort out, to fix and put back together and make whole, in His way, in His time. It was His show from that point on. I will just follow His lead.

Fr. Keating says that God is infinitely patient with us and that He understands the human condition so well He puts up with our illusionary/futile attempts at playing God almost with playful good humor. I try to remember that each time I am tempted to take control. I picture Jesus in fits of gleeful laughter, gasping for breath as He in His infinite wisdom struggles to make heads and tails of ignorant, limited requests that I in my finite mind think are so perfect. Simply put, God’s best is best. Anchoring myself on that truth made obedience less of an effort. I knew my submission would hasten things happening the way He perfectly planned it to be.

Everything was simpler, suddenly. All that was required of me was my yes, my constant submission, my total dependence on Him. Okay, Lord, today things are this way. What do you want me to do, where do you want me to go, how do you want me to deal with this? There still was no booming voice that gave out instructions, no map or arrow appeared before me to show me the way. “Guide me, push me, lead me. Just always be with me.” That was my gentle plea.

The more quiet I was, literally and figuratively, the more He showed himself strong for me. The more I became aware of that, the more I learned to trust, and the more I trusted the more He blessed me. The cycle goes on. The journey continues, and what once was something I simply knew as The Mess has, lo and behold, morphed into a depot of some pretty solid messages. How do we know we are doing God’s will? I believe there is that space in the heart that tells us clearly enough when a decision gives us peace. That is the gauge and the affirmation we need.

This much I know. He never leaves anyone to deal with things all by his/her lonesome, even if in a moment of self-pity it can sure feel that way. I may not always have things easy (who does anyway?) but as they say in Centering Prayer, “God is in the present moment, no matter what the content of the moment is.” And that always I am really, truly, exactly where He wants me to be. My prayer passing through my lips now is that I may always be reminded that, at a point in time when I needed Him the most, I found Him in the quiet of my room, where the only sound was the sound of silence.

REFLECTIONS ON LIVING FROM THE TRUE SELF

by Billie Trinidad

Grace Padilla, in her formation talk last October, shared with us the Four Levels of “You.” She ended her talk with that level of you which is our True Self, and gave us pointers on how to live from the True Self daily, simply, and practically.

Since the True Self is the source of all our other capacities in the Spirit, the question is how to get into that seemingly “unreal” world, the world of the spirit, and make it our reality…the world Father Keating speaks of when he says:

"Contemplative prayer is the world in which God can do anything!”

How do we express our ordinary lives in an extraordinary way… in harmony, peace, joy, and love?

To live from the True Self, is to be in touch with the field of pure potentiality, of infinite possibilities which opens us to infinite choices, and the love, the ground from which our choices are made, which is expressed in giving and receiving.

To get in touch with the field of pure potentiality or infinite possibilities, Grace suggests the following:

1. daily practice of meditation – Centering prayer twice a day

2. spend a certain time each day in silence, communing with nature

3. practice non-judgment - Judgments we make take us out of the field of infinite possibilities.

Infinite possibilities open us to infinite choices. We are choice makers. It is important to be conscious of the choices we make because everything that happens at this moment is the result of the choices you’ve made in the past. By the same token, our future is generated by the choices you make in the present moment. Thus when you make any choice, ask yourself two things:

First, “What are the consequences of this choice that I am making?” and second, “Will this choice bring happiness to me and to others affected by this choice?”

What happens with the wrong choices we make? Grace reassures us, quoting from a song that goes: “There are no mistakes, only lessons to be learned.” We can transmute these mistakes as learning experiences or we can transcend them and simply move on to the next choice. God will work where we are at.

Love is the energy of the universe, properly understood. In nature, things function effortlessly - plants grow, birds fly, etc. Things happen with spontaneity, simultaneously orchestrating everything. Three things are important to put these into motion.

1. Acceptance. I can plan the future, revise the past, but this moment I accept it as it is. Surrender to the moment - accept situations as they are; not as I wish them to be.

2. Reponsibility. This is the ability to respond creatively without guilt or shame.

3. Defenselessness - the ability to relinquish my point of view; to “listen without defending, talk without offending.”

Finally the movement of love is the law of giving and receiving. Both are different aspects of the flow of energy of the universe. If we stop the flow of energy, it causes strangulation, stagnation, and even death. There is wisdom in capturing the energy from the universe, circulating it, and then giving it back again. If our giving flows from love, giving becomes joy. Therefore, wherever I go, and whoever I meet, I will give the most precious things in life – caring, affection, attention, appreciation, and love.

Daily living in the True Self is learning to be comfortable in a world where one need not be on the defensive all the time. Where only love and acceptance reign. It is once again, a sense of coming home: getting to that place where you are loved and accepted for who you are and what you stand for.

YEP, LORD!

by Rachelle Rule

Morning peeks over the edge of the Parish Center roof
A new day stretches and yawns
Chasing away the shadows
That linger in the dark corners of my soul
Fear of what is not known
The fearsome, insecure, unstable unknown
The unknown of all that I will be facing today
At work, on the road, in church
These are washed away in a few precious moments of surrender
I feel His presence assure me
Love, peace - even humor
"Have you forgotten?" I sense Him asking me
"There ain't nothin' in this world that you and I can't handle?"
I grin and say "Yep, Lord, You're right!"
What is there to fear
When I am with You
At the center.
 

COME AND SEE...

Reprinted from COPNews Vol.9, No.1, June 2006

“Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi, where do you live?’ ‘Come and see,’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived and stayed with him the rest of the day.”

̶  John 1:38-39

Twenty minutes, twice a day, in the quiet of our hearts, we go and see where our Lord lives as we hear His gentle invitation, “Come and see…” In this regular COP News section, let us share with one another the quiet gladness we have grown to relish with Centering Prayer. No fruits or effects, no life stories, no before-and-afters. Only the reasons we are attracted and committed to the Prayer; why it has become a luminous beacon in our spiritual journey; why it draws us to see where He lives and stay with Him the rest of our lives.

Centering Prayer came into my life more than five years ago when I was searching for a way to respond to God’s call. I right away committed myself to be part of this spiritual way of life.

Having become conscious of the false self, I was able to become conscious of others too instead of just having my own way all the time. I learned to be more considerate and patient and less angry in my dealings with others especially those under me.

I have learned to identify what I can achieve. Self-awareness has not only clarified my identity as a person but showed me how not to be afraid to face and accept the truth. This freedom has led me to be in tune with God’s intentions and to take refuge in God knowing that He is present in all places all the time. I have learned to give everything that I do to HIM without reservations. I have learned to TRUST HIM and not to question HIM, especially in my lowest moments. He is my WAY and no one can take this away from me.

I am still struggling everyday with my response to God’s call – to live LOVE. My commitment to serve, to love and to follow His will gives my life here and now a strong grounding to be closer to Him.

̶  Lourdes de Leon

Centering Prayer has opened for me a window into silence, stillness, the present moment – all in a posture of waiting on the Lord. As I abstain from motion while everything else moves around me, the thirty minutes of willing solitude are often interrupted by thoughts of everyday cares that interfere with my good intentions to wait in silence. But God blesses my intentions and perseverance with His presence and action.

Letting go of workaday concerns allows me to put the problems of daily life in their proper perspective. The tensions that arise separately from fear, anxiety or anger are understood and eventually resolved. I find that they no longer overwhelm me. Nowadays I allow people to be themselves not what I expect them to be. I stand back rather than make impulsive decisions. I allow time instead of my compulsions to remedy impossible situations. I sense the hand of God in all the nooks and crannies of my life. He is all around me, in all things.

̶  Chita Castillo

THE WAY OF THE CONTEMPLATIVE FILIPINO

by Monina LaO
(with commentaries from Fr. Thomas Keating, Bishop Raul Martires, Mons. Atilano Oracion, and Lita Salinas)

Reprinted from Contemplative Outreach Philippines 15th Anniversary Commemorative Issue 1990-2005

Religion, spirituality, prayer have been rooted in the Filipino way of life from the time the Spaniards brought the Catholic faith to the Philippine shores. It is not surprising then that Centering Prayer (CP) retreats and workshops are able to draw in mixed crowds of Filipino men and women, all searching for a deeper relationship with the Lord. Centering Prayer, however, is more than just another prayer method for the Filipino. Like many indigenous Asians, he is innately contemplative in his approach to God.

Bishop Raul Martires values this fact and has incorporated the learning and practice of CP in the guidance and training he has imparted through the years to the seminarians under his tutelage. Bishop Martires shares, “Ideas, values and attitudes are not born in a vacuum. They are conceived, grow and develop within the geographical, historical and cultural milieu. Since the Second Vatican Council, mission work has shown sensitivity to the relationship between faith and culture, appreciating the innate goodness and nobility of many cultural traits, values and attitudes, without losing sight of the need to ‘Christianize’ some of these values, which may at times prove to be counter values.”

Bishop Martires cites as an example the Filipino value of “makakaraos din” (It will pass, we will survive this.). “The attitude of ‘makakaraos din,’” he says, “may seem like a counter value, connoting indifference, apathy, lack of drive; end result is a haphazard performance, a half-baked job.” But in the heart of a contemplative, this attitude draws from union with the Lord’s designs for him and a response of resourcefulness and creativity in whatever God sends his way. “It actually reflects the Filipino’s depth of hope,” Bishop Martires adds. “Faced with seemingly insurmountable difficulties, the Filipino does not give up; he wades right in, struggles on, buoyed with the hope of ‘makakaraos din’ – I can cope with this; I will get through.”

The contemplative’s confidence stems from Spirit-inspired discernment and action. “God’s action within us may suggest a lot of action on our part,” explains Fr. Keating. “We cultivate sensitivity to the Spirit in Centering Prayer so that we can follow His inspirations, not our own.” This obedience to the Spirit’s proddings is the actual foundation of another Filipino attitude, “Bahala ang Diyos.” Leave everything to God; this too may appear negative and passive but, in reality, it is deeply profound; it implies total dependence on God.

Lita Salinas, COP director, traces this mode of docility in the CP process, “As we continue to sit and consent to the Presence of God within us and to His action in our lives, our deep-seated fears are slowly transmuted into trust. In silence we develop a capacity to be still and listen to His presence. This grace-filled posture allows us to discern and obey God’s will on a moment-to-moment basis. We begin to understand in time that God is truly the Divine Provider if we are diligent in doing all that we can in every situation. Obedience on our part releases the power of God to do His part.”

With such faith and trust in the Divine Indwelling, it is not surprising that the contemplative Filipino entrusts everything to prayer. For him, “daanin sa dasal” (get it through prayer) means the certainty that, in whatever he prays for, God’s overflowing love will always prevail. Not faith in God only when He answers specific prayers but faith that God always answers prayers in the way He knows best.

Like Bishop Martires, Mons. Atilano Oracion has lived CP for many years and zealously passes on the practice to seminarians under his guidance. He points out that whereas Westerners are quick to turn to depression and even suicide in the face of suffering or hardship, the Filipino stands strong in resiliency and adaptability. Mons. Oracion attributes this to the contemplative Filipino’s faith in God and in prayer, “Amidst the travails and frustrations of a hard life, in addition to countless losses to natural calamities, he trusts in God’s purpose for things and faces life squarely, strengthened in the knowledge that he is not alone and hoping always in an almighty and loving Lord.”

It is this constant posture of faith and trust that brings the contemplative Filipino to acknowledge that, beyond the words and activities typical of his regular prayer methods, he remains restless and perplexed and his prayers remain “unanswered” until he listens to the God within and disposes himself to the challenge of Transformation. In this process he recognizes his sinfulness and trusts in the Lord’s grace to bring him to change. “May awa ang Diyos” (God is merciful) does not refer only to the fact but an intimate knowledge of God’s mercy. It is much like the Psalmist’s humble homage to the God he has personally and profoundly experienced.

From the depth of silence and stillness in Centering Prayer, the contemplative Filipino goes out into the world and addresses his role in it. In Fr. Keating’s words, “Centering Prayer is a preparation for action in everyday life that comes from grace, from our center which we experience in prayer.” It is into this depth that he returns and resuscitates his true self. There is really no shift from inside to outside, from out to in. For the contemplative Filipino God’s daily invitation is a simple call from home.

FR. KEATING ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

by Tess Colayco

With the whole Contemplative Outreach global community doing an unceasing round of prayers for healing, Fr. Thomas Keating returned home to his monastery at St. Benedict’s Abbey, Snowmass, Colorado on Sept. 13, 2009, to recuperate after undergoing a surgical procedure to prevent pulmonary embolism. A few days earlier we had received word that Fr. Keating was hospitalized for a medical issue that was threatening his health especially considering the fact that he is a “young” octogenarian being 86 years old.

So it was with much joy and relief that on Sept. 14 we received the happy news from Contemplative Outreach in the U.S., (thru Gail Fitzpatrick Hopler, CO President) as well as from the centering prayer internet lists (thru Mercedes Scopetta, list moderator) that Fr. Keating was back home in his monastery on Sept. 13, “resting and in good spirits.” As Gail wrote: “We at Contemplative Outreach and Abbot Joseph and the monks of St. Benedict’s appreciate your continued prayerful support. . . We are most blessed and our hearts are filled with gratitude.”

Indeed our hearts are filled to overflowing with gratefulness to God and Our Blessed Mother for watching over our beloved founder, mentor and friend, Fr. Thomas. We at Contemplative Outreach Phil. will not stop covering Fr. Keating with our loving thoughts and prayers as he continues to recuperate at home in Snowmass. Deo gratias!

MESSAGE OF THANKS

by Tess Colayco

As typhoon Ketsana, locally called “Ondoy”, devastated Metro Manila and outlying areas including southern Luzon on Sept. 26, 2009, heart warming and consoling messages of deep concern and unceasing prayers were received from the global community of Contemplative Outreach for their brother Filipinos. This was communicated thru the different centering prayer internet lists as we apprised them of the ongoing crisis. The community included list members from the United States, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and other countries.

Many were brought to tears as they saw videos and still photos of Filipinos -young and old, men, women and children - struggling to keep themselves from drowning in the rampaging waters all around them. More than 300 people sadly lost their lives as they were swept away. Not less heartbreaking were the countless cases of people losing their entire life’s hard earned possessions (i.e., cars, household appliances, furniture, clothes, important documents and photos, and everything else that they owned.)

The Butler, New Jersey main office of Contemplative Outreach Ltd., sent an appeal via the E-News for the CO members to pray for the Philippines as it was reeling from the worst flooding in forty years. (In a matter of six hours, the deluge had dumped as much water in Manila and other areas, as one month’s rainfall would have brought down.)

To all our friends in Contemplative Outreach and in the different internet centering prayer lists, thank you very much for your loving concern and fervent prayers. As we continue the massive relief efforts after the killer flood, we experience a surge of hope and a deepening faith in God whose abiding presence is shining brightly thru the overwhelming generosity and heroism of the thousands of volunteer workers and relief donors here and abroad. May the God of infinite compassion and mercy embrace each and everyone one of us, all of us being members of one Body, one Family and one Humanity in the heart of God.

INTRODUCTION TO CENTERING PRAYER WORKSHOP AT MARY THE QUEEN PARISH

by Jane Ty

All things are possible if it is part of God’s plan.

Despite Typhoon Ondoy last September 26, 2009, seventeen participants and eight staff members gathered in the Conference Room of Mary the Queen Parish at Greenhills, San Juan for the Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop. Participants listened intently as facilitator, Pixie Cuisia, gave them an overview of the history of Centering Prayer and taught them how to do the prayer. The talks were followed by a Centering Prayer session which allowed the participants to experience it first hand.

The stormy weather made it impossible to go out for lunch, leaving the group no choice but to order food and eat together inside the Conference Room. This gave the people, some of whom had only met that day, a chance to talk and get to know each other.

The afternoon session began with a brief talk about the Human Condition, allowing us to have a deeper awareness as to why we find it difficult to live Gospel values despite our best intentions. Another period of Centering Prayer session followed, then some participants shared about how and what they felt during the twenty minute session.

At the end of the day, one could see how God truly blessed everyone. There was genuine concern for one another as it dawned on everybody that the weather had turned for the worse. People were offering rides and all kinds of possible assistance to those who needed it. Utmost charity in action.

The workshop was organized by Miren Sun and her Centering Prayer Group at Mary the Queen Parish, assisted by Terly Chikiamco, Jean Sia, Betty Ngo and other CP members.  Notwithstanding the deluge that fateful Saturday, everybody agreed that the Workshop was a great blessing, opening a new way for us to grow in our relationship with God and abide constantly in His presence within us.

CP WORKSHOP FOR AGUSTINIAN SEMINARIANS

An Introductory Workshop on Centering Prayer was given to fourteen Agustinian seminarians on Sept. 21, 2009 at the San Agustin Seminary in Intramuros, Manila. Jean Sia, COP member brought to Anna Marie Llanos’ Workshop and Retreat Committee the request of the seminarians’ formator, Fr. Tony Lumukso, to give the future priests a taste of centering prayer.

The main presenter for the one day workshop was Pixie Cuisia assisted by Rita Go. Anna Marie Llanos and Minda Villamayor helped staff the workshop which was received very well by the group. A request for a similar workshop next year has already been communicated to COP.

DEEPENING RETREAT AT MARYRIDGE

With the breathtaking view of Taal lake and volcano before them, eleven members of COP had a Deepening Retreat at the Good Shepherd retreat house in Tagaytay on Sept. 11 to Sept. 13, 2009. Unlike a regular centering prayer retreat where the day’s schedule includes several talks, this time the emphasis was more on silence, solitude and longer periods of centering prayer. The only input for each day was one hour of video, “The Inner Room – Deepening your Contemplative Practice” by Fr. Thomas Keating and Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan. The video was from a retreat which was given jointly by the two spiritual masters at Fr. Richard’s Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, Mexico a few years ago. The retreatants found the talks deeply moving and transformative.

“It was truly a rejuvenating weekend!”, said Terly Chikiamco who organized and staffed the retreat together with Anna Marie Llanos. The Good Shepherd retreat house with its beautiful garden, and the gentle caring of the nuns led by Sr. Rose Tapia, was the ideal setting for the weekend retreat that made everyone feel refreshed in body, mind and spirit.

DARKNESS TO LIGHT

by Rita Go

Last Sept. 11-13, 2009 I found myself joining the Deepening Retreat without any advance planning as I am wont to do. In fact there were NO PLANS. But a few days before the retreat, I kept on hearing an inner call to go and join it. It was the Lord’s invitation to “come to a lonely place to pray”. I listened and obeyed. I said “yes” to His invitation. He wanted me to be with Him for a couple of days in SILENCE.

My spiritual life was in doldrums. I was having such a struggle to actually sit and do my Centering Prayer/ Lectio Divina daily. There were so many days when I would try to “escape” doing my prayers. My heart and mind were not into Centering prayer including my other prayers.

But the silence and solitude I experienced during those days energized my sagging spirit and tired body.  Soon I felt rested. I was able to get back into the groove of doing my prayers on a regular basis. The discipline of the long CP periods, letting go of my restlessness to be still, the tasting once more of the silence that I seemed to have lost a taste for, experiencing the beauty of God in the lushness of the expansive garden and the labyrinth, the cool although rainy weather embraced my whole being. Once again I experienced His perfect plan for me. He has made me "feel" His presence once more.

You can never outdo God in His generosity. As the sun lifted up the dark clouds of the past days I too felt lifted out of my darkness and embraced in His light.

MY SNOWMASS RETREAT EXPERIENCE

by Jhulie Teh

Going to Snowmass was a dream come true! I had planned on going there for an Intensive Retreat as early as 2004, but unfortunately, my plans did not push through. This time, God found a way for me to go. I got my visa, my husband’s approval, and the money to fund the trip. Looking back, financially it was almost impossible since I am unemployed. However, at the last minute, I was able to buy cheap airline tickets. I was also given free accommodations at the same hotel where my companions, Billie and Dedette were booked.

I am a city girl, which means that I grew up in an environment of city lights and noisy surroundings. So I was a bit apprehensive wondering how I would manage in a monastic environment. But miracles do happen.

We arrived on Sept. 8, 2009 at the train station in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, met by Pat Johnson from the Retreat House. She was so warm and hospitable that it seemed like she had been our friend for ages. On our way to St. Benedict’s Monastery, she told us about her daughter Sarah, who had passed away a few years ago. Sarah, a special child, was an inspiration to the retreatants at the Monastery when she was alive. Mentally and physically handicapped, and unable to move by herself, somehow Sarah touched the retreatants with her beautiful soul and the monks and retreatants drew strength from her. There are pictures of Sarah in the monastery, a testament to her beautiful spirit.

During the 10 day Post-Intensive Retreat, we would get up between 3 AM and 4 AM to get ready for the 5:45 AM first period of Centering Prayer after which it was time to go to the Monastery for Lauds and Holy Mass. The monastery was ¾ miles from the retreat house. Since Dedette and I could not walk that far, one of the retreat staffers, Mary Ann, drove us back and forth twice daily - once in the morning and another time for Vespers in the evening.

Listening to the chanting of the monks was a beautiful experience. As for the Homily preached during the Mass, it was always inspiring and deeply moving.

After the Mass, we return to the retreat house for breakfast. There the staffers serve us an ovo-lactarian diet. Sherry Dutelle prepares the daily breakfast, except on the last day of our retreat when Bob Johnson took over. For breakfast, retreatants can have a choice from several beverages - 30 kinds of tea, brewed coffee (regular and decaf), orange juice, and milk (2% and soya). For cereal one can have oatmeal, 7 grains, raisin bran or wheat germ. There are also pancakes with regular mulberry syrup or sugar free maple syrup, omelets, quiche, burritos, etc.

Our second Centering Prayer period begins at 11 AM. Afterwards, we have lunch at 12:35 PM. A silent prayer always precedes the meals where all of us hold hands, squeezing each other’s hands at the end of the prayer. Pat Johnson was in charge of preparing lunch which was very international. We had meals that were of Mexican, French, Italian, Indian, Thai or Native American influence.

Since my digestive system is lactose-intolerant, I always had to have my meals free from dairy products such as milk and cheese. I was amazed that the retreat staffers were always very attentive to the needs of the retreatants down to the littlest detail.

From 1:30 PM up to 3:00 PM, the staff meets with those retreatants who previously signed up for spiritual companioning. This is followed by another period of centering prayer which begins at 3:30 PM. Altogether, retreatants spend a total of four hours of centering prayer daily. Dinner is at 5:35 PM, after which we then proceed to the monastery for lauds at 6:30 PM. Then it is time to call it a day. We return to our hermitage to retire for the night.

During the day we have time to be by ourselves when we would do some hiking, photography, or go to the library. Sometimes we would just be still and enjoy the beautiful landscape, or do Lectio Divina privately. It is also possible to volunteer to help out in the retreat house doing the dishes, washing, ringing the bell, or being the reader during the centering prayer periods.

There is a “retreat day” where group centering prayer is optional and retreatants are given the freedom to spend the day as the Spirit moves them. While we were on retreat, it was already within the hunting season, so the retreatants were warned not to go deep into the woods.

Two days before the retreat ended, we had a “talking dinner” where we no longer had to observe strict silence. The last night was “party night”. You couldn’t have found a more joyful bunch of people!

On the last day of the retreat, we all had mixed feelings – i.e., joy, because of the beautiful experience we just had, but also sadness because we were leaving Snowmass. Abbot Joseph and the whole staff were all present for the closure where both the retreatants as well as the retreat staff shared some of their experiences over the past 10 days.

A day before the retreat ended, God treated us to a magnificent show! We saw clouds descending on the mountains which made Abbot Joseph exclaim: “God is with us!” The next day, Mt. Sopris was capped with snow and the temperature fell from 25 degrees centigrade to 18 degrees.

Indeed, Snowmass was a dream come true for me! I shall always treasure in my heart my Post-Intensive Retreat from Sept. 8 – Sept. 17, 2009. Thank You, Lord, for blessing me with such an unforgettable experience that totally refreshed my whole being.

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