"I fear not Oh Lord, for you are near!"

"I seek Yahweh and he answers me, frees me from all my fears.  Fix your gaze on Yahweh and your face will grow bright, you will never hang your head in shame." - Ps. 34:4-5

Source of Image: deborahbrasket.wordpress.com

In today's Responsorial Psalm we hear the psalmist opening up his chants with a deep fervor of rejoicing. His is a testament from old (for nothing is new here) that no one who'd seek Yahweh will ever be refused . . . for all who seek Him have been found. They have indeed already been blessed and liberated on a moment by moment basis. 

Only genuine reliance upon God will ever free us from all our fears. But are we ready to accept this kind of freedom? Do we really want to be freed from our fears? Or, have we been so accustomed and so identified with our own fears that they have  become more real than God's love for us?   

Dear friends, it's time to let go and experience the freedom that only Yahweh can give. Let us heed the psalmist wise counsel: "Fix your gaze on Yahweh and your face will grow bright, you will never hang your head in shame." Fix your gaze upon God so that you might live fearlessly and all the rest will follow. . . including material blessings, fulfilling relationships and a blissful life. It cannot be otherwise for God can never be outdone in kindness, greatness and generosity.

Come and allow us to help you make one step farther in your journey. Join our mini-retreat: Road Trip- Finding God in Your Life's Journey- especially offered to guide our pilgrim hearts this Lent. Scroll down below on previous posts for details.

Retreats and the Blessings of Giving

"For it is in giving that we receive."- Francis of Assisi

The Road Trip spiritual retreat to be held on March 16, 2013 finds for its venue Villa Maria Social and Educational  Center located at #53 Cuenco St., Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon  City, Philippines. The Center is run by the sisters of Religious of Mary Immaculate. The sisters will definitely benefit from the minimal fee given the generosity of retreat attendees since the use of the venue will be properly compensated.  By participating in this spiritual retreat, you will also be giving and sharing your treasure with the sisters. Be more generous of your time, talent and treasure this Lent.  Join a retreat.

Source of Image: agapeintimin.org

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."- Matthew 6:16-21

ROAD TRIP

Finding God in Your Life Experience

March, 16, 2013; 8am-5pm

Venue: Quezon City, Philippines

Fee: P800 per person w/ lunch and snacks

For questions and to reserve a place call tel. no. 7819140 and/or 
send an email to: 

wholeingcenter@yahoo.com.ph

v  walk prayerfully through the many phases of your life

v  discover God as your constant companion on your journey

v  reflect on your transitions in the light of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus

v  uncover the gifts of these transitions

Feeling So Confused, Lost, Weary And In Need of Prayer Support? There is power in praying together and for others. Let our intercessory team pray with and for you. "Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them."- Matthew 18:20 Your name will be included in our daily prayers and masses. Sign up in the form below. Name: Email: We value your privacy. Your info are secured with us. We won't share them with anyone.

click here for your free autoresponder

Retreats and the Heart of A Pilgrim

Are you happy? February is love month and February 14 is heart's day!

"Where your pleasure is,  there is your treasure; where your treasure, there your heart; where your heart, there your happiness." - Augustine of Hippo

The heart of a pilgrim and meeting God in every transition he encounters along the way in his life's journey-  is the inspiration of the retreat called ROAD TRIP: Finding God in Your Life's Journey* which will be held on March 16, 2013.  To find God in my heart . . . is to find true happiness! Join us in this lenten mini retreat (recollection-workshop)-  a  meeting of heart with Heart and to seek no more.

Source of Image: agodman.com

* The Road Trip spiritual retreat is based on a retreat by Joyce Rupp (author of Dear Heart Come Home) with insights from William Bridges (author of Transitions)

 Venue will be at Villa Maria Social and Educational Center, #53 Cuenco Street, Sta Mesa Heights, Quezon City, Philippines.

Retreat Director will be Ms. Nina Robledo, Master of Theological Studies, Franciscan School of Theology (a member school of the   Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California).

To defray expenses, there will be a minimal fee of P800 per participant inclusive of lunch and snacks.

Send email to wholeingcenter@yahoo.com.ph

In Need of a Prayer Partner? Intercessory Prayer is Powerful. Let our intercessory ministry pray with you. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." - Matthew 18:20 We value your privacy. We won't share your information with anyone. Be in our daily prayers by signing up below.  Name: Email: Your name will be offered in our altars and masses for daily prayers. Let us lift  your hearts' intentions unto the Lord.

click here for your free autoresponder

Retreats and Ash Wednesday

For  Catholics, Ash Wednesday is the official start of Lent- a solemn observance in the Christian Church lasting for about six weeks or 40 days in the liturgical year.  For the faithfuls, Ash Wednesday also ushers in the period for joining retreats. Ashes are blessed  usually  during the first Mass of the day. The blessed ashes are  "imposed" on the forehead of the faithfuls after each Mass celebrated the whole day through. This act is a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality.  This 2013, Ash Wednesday falls on February 13 which is today . . .

The act of putting on ashes symbolizes fragility and mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God. Far from being a merely external act, the Church has retained the use of ashes to symbolize that attitude of internal penance to which all the baptized are called during Lent. — Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

Lent is the best time to fast from the boredom or dryness and / or pains of  daily struggles. Joining a spiritual retreat provides the inner peaceful ambiance for a more meaningful observance of Lent and of life.

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:16-18

On Ash Wednesday, you may begin to ponder how  and where to  find that place of  refuge where a safe inner journey can be made possible. Join us in our Road Trip spiritual retreat this Lent. We will be glad to journey with you.

ROAD TRIP

Finding God in Your Life's Journey

March 16, 2013

v  walk prayerfully through the many phases of your life

v  discover God as your constant companion on your journey

v  reflect on your transitions in the light of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus

v  uncover the gifts of these transitions

email: wholeingcenter@yahoo.com.ph

Retreats: The Blessings of Wisdom

We all want to be healthy in body, of course! Man works his butt off to make a living. But who wants wisdom? Wisdom here means knowing and embodying God. Rephrasing the question, it would seem to me its essence is- "Who wants his soul to be truly alive for it to shine through?" What is the use of a body if the soul within is obscured by life's seeming problems and trivialities?  Who wants his / her soul to be free to experience genuine joy and clarity of purpose? The good news is whoever sincerely wants wisdom and asks for it  . . . has it already.

Source of Image: quotes.prowritingaid.com

The Book of Wisdom 

(Proverbs, Chapter 2:1-11)

My son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands,

Turning your ear to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding;

Yes, if you call to intelligence, and to understanding raise your voice;

If you seek her like silver, and like hidden treasures search her out;

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord;

the knowledge of God you will find;

For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge

and understanding;

He has counsel in store for the upright,

He is the shield of those who walk honestly,

Guarding the paths of justice, 

protecting the way of his pious ones;

Then you will understand, rectitude and justice,

honesty, every good path;

For wisdom will enter your heart, 

knowledge will please your soul,

Discretion will watch over you,

understanding will guard you.

Allow Road Trip- a spiritual retreat on finding God in your life's journey to help you discover wisdom even more and be strengthened in the process. Send email to wholeingcenter@yahoo.com.ph.

Retreats . . . God Filling Up My Boat

Attending the Holy Mass on a relaxing and calm Sunday afternoon, I heard the homilist  say - "Complaining, doubting and seeing only the negativities of life and the world around you . . . is coming back to shore with an empty boat."  "Giving up and allowing hopelessness to overcome you is coming home empty handed with no joy to bring home."  What does this account got to do with a spiritual retreat?

Source of Image: goodsalt.com

Yet,  just like when the apostles who were so distraught for not catching any fish, have  allowed Jesus into their boat and obeying his command for them to cast down their net, doing so despite their misgivings . . . then, after a while, looking back again at the net, they saw it suddenly teeming with fish. And their boat,  which was then empty  . . . is now filled with catch.

Let Jesus come into your boat; heed his invitation and put out your net of faith. Come home with a boat full of aliveness.  To go on a retreat is a way of saying "yes" to that invitation of Jesus so that he may come into your boat. . . you and Jesus together  . . . in this journey of life.

"The unexamined life is not worth living". - Socrates

Retreats . . . a pilgrim's stopover

Life is a journey. A retreat- our layover. It has always been that way . . . from our conception in the womb of a woman we call mother, from our grasping the first gasp of air at birth,  toward our expansion amidst the daily grind, and through the end of our mortal forms, we've been on a constant journey through life.  Thus, we aptly call our selves - pilgrims.  This earth is our temporary home with heaven within us and beyond as our eternal destination.  A retreat is our stopover to ruminate and to appreciate this journey even more. And so for us pilgrims. . . here's a psalmist's prayer to help us in remembering . . .

Source of Image: travelblog.org

PSALM 84 (vs 6-8)

Prayer of a Pilgrim to Jerusalem

Happy are those who find refuge in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrim roads.

As they pass through the Baca valley,

they find spring water to drink. 

also from pools the Lord provides 

water for those who lose their way.

They pass through outer and inner wall

and see the God of gods on  Zion.

ROAD TRIP
Finding God in your Life's Journey
March 16, 2013
Text (097) 7945354
Email: wholeingcenter@yahoo.com

What Is a retreat . . . one that is really good?

Form-wise or outwardly, we can appreciate a good retreat in terms of any or all of the following benchmarks: competence of the speaker or the retreat director, the peaceful ambiance of the venue, soothing music, appetizing food, warm reception, great topic, engaging activities, nice buddies, flowing coffee, etc..  And we're right on the mark since these are all important and valid indicators.

Then again, in terms of our interior or inner life, that is -how the retreat has touched our core being and moved us inside- would seem to me the more significant  way to measure. Did the experience speak to your heart? Was there a connection? A spark? Did it made your spirit come even more alive?

Source of Image:  ehow.com

People, in general, may seem to have the tendency to be so focused on the externals;  and who wouldn't be? After all this is our default as humans.  We want externals to satisfy us, to make us happy. Do they? Initially, yes, but, haven't you noticed that sooner or later same things or individuals or situations that made us happy then will be the same things, individuals or situations that will cause us unhappiness later? Well, that's a little digression and a very long story to discuss now. You don't need to believe this, just take a look at your own experiences. Then, you tell me.

Back to the retreat thing. Yet, we are also "beings" (not only humans), meaning there is an invisible core within us, the spirit, which is what any spiritual  retreat is trying to revive and to connect with? Thus, a good retreat is one that has allowed God to connect with your being, one which has made you experience genuine aliveness from within. Does this depend on the retreat alone? Or, could it be dependent more on the person's degree of allowing or openness?

To me, any retreat experience could be a game changer, that is, if the attendees are malleable enough to allow a miracle to happen.

Goodluck and join our ROAD TRIP recollection-workshop, an offering from Whole-ing Center for Spirituality and Healing, as a way to help you find God in your own life's journey. And who knows, this could also be a game changer for you. Scroll down to Feb, 5 post for details.

Retreats and the Chinese New Year

Retreat is taking time to pause in order to start afresh. The 2013 Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 10.  It will be the year of the water snake and green is going to be the color of the year. On this happy occasion let me share with you some wonderful quotes about beginnings.

"You will never win if you never begin." - Robert H. Schuller 

"The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings." - Dave Weinberg 

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." - Sally Ber 

"Celebrate endings - for they precede new beginnings." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect." - Alan Cohen 

Source of Image: sinnersalmanac.blogspot.com

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Taking a spiritual retreat is one great first step. Trust that the rest will just follow to be able to move forward and charge ahead.

Transitions - ending phases of one's life  in order to experience beginnings- is precisely the main theme of the mini retreat (recollection) that will be held on March 16, 2013 in Quezon City. This recollection-workshop is entitled "ROAD TRIP: FINDING GOD IN YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY" (Based on a retreat by Joyce Rupp, author of Dear Heart Come Home, with insights from William Bridges, author of Transitions.) 

Choose not to be alone in taking your life's journey. It is always best to have a trusted guide and the right company in this special journey. May we all start the New Year renewed and invigorated.

Interested? Text (0927)794-5354. More info are provided below- scroll down to post dated Feb. 5.

If you have any questions about retreats in general or about this Road Trip retreat in particular, please click comments link below and post them in the comments box.

Source of Quotes: 123newyear.com

Retreats: A Breath of Fresh Air

Retreat literally means to withdraw, to back away, to take refuge or to move back from enemy lines. It is a pause, a break, to step away from a usual pattern. Going on a "retreat" is a breath of fresh air, a way to recharge your battery and to renew oneself.

Source of Image: toonpool.com

Whatever your job (or jobless situation) is or in whatever business you are in right now, the ordinary routine of daily grind can turn life into a plateau which is boring or even  suffocating. You feel it welling up inside you, inside your head, inside your heart. . . the small voice beckoning you to take a rest, even for just a day. Going on a retreat could be an option.  The big question is  . . . will you heed the call?

Let's take the case of Luisa, a good friend of mine. Luisa is an employee of a printing press based in Makati.  Everyday,  from Monday through Saturday, religiously,  she commutes from her residence in Quezon City to Makati.  Thank God! There's the MRT which somehow eases the pain of commuting. Or, does it?

If you've seen the massive hoard of people every rush hour inching their way to get to the train itself, you know what I mean. You see the human piles (not even lines or queues) down the road of EDSA (North Station), all the way through the stairs, up to the train level.  In the thickness of the crowd, a good view from a little level up would seem not to show people anymore. There are just all heads without bodies jostling each other just to be able to take a ride to arrive to work on time.  To think that this is just the start of the day. And I assure you,  there's a repeat of the same scenario in the evening when Luisa shoves again her way back home; and tomorrow and the next day, day after day.  Maybe I should tell Luisa about this retreat thing.

Every time I witness this scene, I tell myself "What a miracle, Lord".  "Thank you for making all of us safe." This is just one scene in Luisa's day. I haven't told you yet about her travails when she arrives to the office, meeting her demanding boss and intriguing office mates;  and what about the demands of her own family when she comes home at night? I will just keep that to myself for the moment. You can can just add your own version of the juicy details based on the story of your own daily life, your own heart-rending telenovela.

What is the moral of the story? Don't you think Luisa deserves a break?  Can you not take a break, too? Can she not take a day off to take a retreat?  Why a spiritual retreat?   Better ask yourself: And why not?

You don't need to go very far to withdraw from the maddening crowd. This Lenten season, for sure, there's more than one spiritual retreats that will happen near your place. A getaway, like no other.  There's a good one upcoming recollection-workshop for those in Quezon City and nearby. Just scroll down through the previous post in this blog to know the details.

Good luck! Sincerely, may you have a nice breath of fresh air. . . through a retreat.

What is a Retreat?

Are you wondering and would like to  learn more or less what a retreat is all about? Going on a retreat takes courage and a sincere desire to grow more or to uncover more of the inner you or the soul. Why would you like that to happen? Perhaps, in order for you to navigate this world with a little bit of ease and with a lot of joy? Then, let this blog  help you in your search and seeking.

Source of Image: hamy10.wordpress.com

 Any kind of searching takes time to undertake and to come up with some credible results since it is usually a very long (even a lifetime) process. But if you are in a hurry and would like to know first hand or to experience a repeat of a wonderful retreat,  there's a very good upcoming retreat-workshop this Lent in Quezon City. Here are the details and suit yourself:

ROAD TRIP*

Finding God in Your Life’s Journey

This is going to be a lenten recollection-workhop for men and women of mature age.

• v                       walk prayerfully through the many phases of your life
•     discover God as your constant companion on your journey
• v                      reflect on your transitions in the light of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus
• v                      uncover the gifts of these transitions

March 16, 2013

8 am to 5 pm (Registration starts at 7:30 am)

 Villa Maria Educational and Social Center

#53 Cuenco Street, Sta Mesa Heights, Quezon City

             

Retreat Director:
Ms Nina Robledo- Master of Theological Studies, Franciscan School of Theology (a member school of the   Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California)

Participants should bring a notebook, a pen, an old magazine with pictures.

Limited slots only. For Reservations and inquiries about the affordable fee, please text (0927)794-5354 or call 781-9140; 921-45-79 (8 am to 6 pm).