EASTER RETREAT - ABIDE WITH ME
Here’s a follow-up article to the reflection on the 5th Sunday of Easter – dealing with our Parish’s recent Easter Day of Recollection. ARE YOU FAITHFUL AND FRUITFUL? — Church of the Holy Family
Having listened to Fr Krish’s homilies during Mass, we were eager to attend the Easter Retreat on 20 April. The retreat centred around the Gospel text for the 5th Sunday of Easter from John 15:1-8.
Three key ideas for us:
1. Abide in Me – the title resonated deeply with us. Abide – in Middle English (from etymology.com) means “remain”, “wait”, “wait for”. From catechism classes we attended from young, we learned that the Lord assures us that “whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty” (John 15:5).
2. One of the seven “I am” statements from Our Lord Jesus. For the 5th Sunday of Easter, Jesus is saying “I am the true vine”.
3. Agricultural image that summarises our spiritual life. As any gardener or any one with green fingers would know, pruning is important. By pruning, we let go of things/ events/ people/ habits/ behaviours that hinder our spiritual growth. Pruning is a way for us to open our hearts and horizons. The question is when as the last time we experienced pruning in our lives?
Our reflection of the retreat in terms of what Fr Krish spoke about, and in applying to our own lives can be framed using three questions – why, how, and so what.
Why do we need to abide in the Lord? As branches connected to the vine, we are nourished by the Body of Christ, we are tightly connected to God, we have the promises of God. Christ promised us that He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). This promise is assuring and comforting, manifested in the Risen Christ who does not give up on us. Over and over again, He comes and calls us. There is no reproach or anger at the events of holy week. Christ only says “Peace be with you” when He met His disciples. He reassures them of His friendship and peace. This is the good news of Easter. The risen Christ did not give up on His disciples, and certainly He will not give up on us!
To be connected to Him, we need to bear fruit; before we can do that, we need to prune ourselves.
How to abide? Here, we briefly share an exercise Fr Krish introduced to us, for us examine any uncomfortable feeling by befriending it. This will enable us to acknowledge our shadows and accept our brokenness with humility, just as Jesus humbled himself to come to us in human form, and to sacrifice His life. Here are the 6 steps (adapted from Seixas, A (2006). Finding the Deep River Within. Jossey-Bass:
· Take deep breaths and recall a situation that evoked uncomfortable feelings.
· Examine yourself – what is the feeling? Anger? Guilt? Panic? Resentment?
· Notice thoughts you have in response to the feeling. Do you hate this feeling? Are you nonchalant?
· Turn to your body. What sensations do you feel? Numbness? Clenching fists?
· Stay with the feeling. Give it space. Breathe with it.
· Voice/think of a sentence that comes with befriending the feeling. E.g. I can allow, I can breathe with…
So what? We learn many new things at each retreat. There are the moments of high. There are the ah-has! For us, what is important is that we internalise what we learn, we practice what Fr taught us. The little activity taught us to prune ourselves by being acquainted with our weaknesses, faults, and to surrender this. So, we have decided to set aside time whenever we feel negative, such as discomfort, anger, anxiety, to befriend the irritation so that we do not let these engulf us. One way is to incorporate this little exercise as part of the Daily Examen that St Ignatius practiced. In this way, we can release control and surrender to Him who is there waiting for us and guiding us.
Sharing by Guest Contributors Peter Gwee & Karen Lam
