Because I Am Human...

... because I am human, I am weak,
because I am weak, therefore I pray.

The above verses came from our retreat master, Fr Michael Casey, OCSO, a Trappist monk from Tarrawara Abbey, Melbourne (Australia). At my last entry, I mentioned we were on our Clergy Annual Retreat from 15 - 19 July. The theme was on prayer that had various aspects of 'faces' to discern and reflect.

Overall, the retreat was a fruitful one because it helped me regained my composure on my own prayer life and the various possibilities of growth and deepening of my relationship with God.

Clergy Retreat

We are having our Clergy Annual Retreat this week at the SFX Major Seminary. It will be from the 15 July till 19 July.

The retreat master is Fr Michael Casey, OCSO, Trappist monk from the Tarrawara Abbey, Melbourne, Australia. The theme he his presenting is on Prayer, through some of the sub-topics of simplicity, faith, revelation, spiritual warfare, forgiveness, petition, dedication and Christ the Priest, just to name a few.

Do pray for all of us priests and clergy that we would have a fruitful and spirit-filled week and that we may come out this refreshed and renewed in our ministry.

Venturing into Advent

We now find ourselves in the midst of Advent and with the 1st week of it now.

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It is the theme of Hope and a virtue which we greatly need today in a world that seems to have lost this sense of outlook and running all over the place to find any medium to fill up that emptiness which is felt. Christians already have their answer in this through the person of Jesus Christ, yet how many can sincerly say that one is truely hopeful of the future and our heritage that is in heaven, where now all is not quite yet there.

I am in the Seminary for these 3 days till Thursday, giving a retreat to the seminarians who are preparing themselves to be installed as lector or acolyte. Much of my reflection for them would be on their role and duties of the ministries which they will be living out as of tomorrow evening, Thursday, when they get installed by the archbishop in a special ceremony at their seminary chapel, attended by some priests, families and friends.

In the series of reflections is included this dimension of hope, coupled with faith, which asks of the seminarians to pay careful and close attention on how they can be persons that bring this Hope which people greatly need. Christians, in general, are to live as if there is a future to look out for, but one that is far more revealing and utterly fulfilling than what we can get in this world.We usually sell ourselves short by concentrating too much on this world and forgetting that we do have a greater life we are all called into - namely to be with God.

While not forgetting what we must still do here on earth in making it a better place for all, we must also see that this 'better place for all' is really a practice and pointer to a 'greater place for all'!

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Mac Haji!

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It took me a while, but I finally managed to drag myself to put in something here after much procrastination.

Part of why I could do so is because I had finally summed up some courage to make a buy for a Macbook Pro as my primary laptop, my older Viao having been put into the pasture due to 'old age'. The Sony laptop was already showing signs of dementia when some of its keys on the keyboard seems to forget what character to give when I press them. When SITEX came along, I headed down to the Expo and after some walking around, I decided to throw caution into the wind and plonked down my money on a 15" Macbook Pro which also offered some nice extra freebies and an Applecare  extended warranty (for $168). Now I am a Mac person. Perhaps I can now wear my old Apple t-shirt which is sitting quietly in the cupboard more often!

Actually, I am now writing this on my Mac!

Today, being a public holiday (Hari Raya Haji) also offered me an opportunity to catch up on putting something here as well. The past week and even today, had been rather busy. They were spent fire fighting some problems that crept up within some ministries I am currently looking after. There were a series of meetings and talking things through, with much discussion and giginv and taking, that after all of this, my whole body and mind just want to shutdown awhile. Thankfully, much have been resolved and, while there is still a lot of work to be done, all concerned were able to cooperate and move on to the main goal at hand - for the greater glory of God.

I had finished one retreat today for the Communion Ministers. It was a half day affair and a good and inspiring one for all. I had an hour and a half to share with them a passage from Hebrews 11 on faith and when it was over, there was a general renewed awareness for a better relation with our beliefs concerning how we live it out and the good examples of life to put into practice.

All in all, a fruitful and quiet day which the grace of God was allowed to flow and touched people's lives.

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On Retreat

I am on the Annual Priests Retreat this week till the 17th July 2009. So, I won't be putting up much entries here for awhile till the retreat ends.

Meanwhile, do pray for all of us priests of the archdiocese here, in the Major Seminary, as we renew ourselves, together with our retreat master, Fr Michael McGuire, SSC. He is an Irish Columban missionary priest, currently based in the Philippines.