– 13 hours ago
Spirited Away The grounds of Loyola Retreat House Spirituality and Arts Center in Angono, Rizal — Margaux Salcedo
You need to pause.
This is what Father Primitivo Virai Jr., or Father Jun as he is affectionately called, told us as we set off for a long weekend of silent meditation.
I thought I would never make it. The last time I tried silent meditation (about 20 years ago) I literally asked to be picked up the next day – I was so bored!
But at Loyola Retreat House (LRH) in Angono, Rizal, we learned to love silence. We began with Mass, and Father Jun’s sermon focused on “the voice of silence.” After dinner, we were led in prayer by Father Jun, who gave us the guidance we needed to recharge our spirits. He recommended John 1:35-39, where Jesus was asked where he lived and Jesus replied, “Come and see.”
Well, we (I was with Chef Jesse Sincioco and Mimi Abueg) came and dined! We had such delicious food during our 2 night stay. We had a delicious lunch of Nilagang Baka, merienda of palabok with squid and local puto, and dinner of Angono’s famous itik (duck). Chef Jesse was smiling cheek to cheek as this was the best feast she had ever had to cook for the first time.
On Sunday we explored the LRH grounds. I loved going to the edge of the Retreat House garden and listening to the birds. I tried to talk to the birds, but the ones I was whistling to knew I needed to be quiet and flew away.
I was overcome with emotion as I walked past the moving artwork of the Stations of the Cross just outside the gallery, and by the time I reached the final Station, it was as if so many realizations had been poured into my mind: that Christ was a King yet had to rely on the kindness of strangers, that he could be betrayed by those he trusted most, respected most and even those who were supposed to guide him, that commitment to mission does not negate the possibility of suffering, and the depths of the ridicule, humiliation and insults he suffered because he advocated for a better humanity.
I was especially moved by how Mary never left Jesus’ side as a witness for Him, and I missed my mother terribly, who passed away only last year. This weekend was Eid al-Adha weekend, the Muslim festival that commemorates Abraham’s sacrifice of his son. In Christianity, the same story is quoted about God the Father sacrificing his son, but seeing Mary at the foot of the cross, I realized how painful it must have been for Mary, the very symbol of strength, to sacrifice her son.
There was so much noise in the silence!
Right next to this art gallery, which has seasonal exhibitions, is the Chapel of the Risen Lord, which in turn is adjacent to the Garden Laudato Si. Laudato Si is Pope Francis’ encyclical on the urgency of climate change, also known as “Caring for our Common Home,” and urging us all to care for the environment.
There are three gazebos in the garden: Faith, Hope and Love. We had the place to ourselves and planned to spend the whole day there, so we spent a little time in each gazebo. It was special and really invigorating to be in a space surrounded by trees. We need to think more deeply about how we can care more for our “common home.”
Before entering the small chapel just beside the refectory in the first section of the grounds for Sunday Mass, I thought about the words Father Jun made us emphasize: “Come and see.” He pointed out how interesting, even profound, is Jesus’ response to the place where he lives, because He lives not in an address, but in the heart of Christ.
And I realized that this ties in perfectly with the motto of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, “Dominus Est.” Coincidentally, Cardinal Tagle just celebrated his birthday last Friday, June 21st. Happy Birthday, Cardinal!
Dominus Est means “Lord!” John 21:1-14 tells us that the resurrected Christ appeared to his disciples on the shores of Lake Tiberias. The disciples were in a boat and were able to catch fish by following the directions of a “stranger” standing on the shore. After the incredible catch, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” cried out, “Dominus Est! It is the Lord!”
And that is the message of Dominus Est: for each of us to be able to say, “Come and see, and see where Christ lives, in the heart of each of us.” For people to exclaim when they see you that they see the Lord in you.
We left Loyola Retreat House refreshed, rejuvenated and reinvigorated, and we invite you to come and see for yourself.
