A little ‘Pentecost’ Experience I never forget
About two ‘mysteries of the rosary’ ago, soon after my first religious profession I was posted to my first community in Katong. Not long after, a kind Brother asked me to take over him as the coordinator of his retreat team. His team consists of 3 to 4 groups of facilitators running camps for catholic students in mainly Catholic secondary schools. Docile just a bit like Mother Mary, I accepted the task even though I had no prior experience nor was I aware of what was really in store. There were several challenges but thank God they were mostly positive.
One day, together with the youngest retreat team, we facilitated a camp for a group of 40 secondary four students. The facilitators had meticulously planned, prayed for the camp and enthusiastically looked forward to the camp. Then on the first day, as we were introduced to the participants, we felt something amiss. There was a strange tension between the participants and the facilitators. We also felt a certain underlying tension between the chaperon and the participants. We proceeded our sessions as planned but after the second session, we felt we could not continue anymore. Soon we discovered that the participants were very reluctant to attend the camp. It was a very unusual experience because it was a situation whereby apparently almost all were unwilling to come for the weekend, something I have never experienced before and after. It was a shocker for the young, spiritually deep and very enthusiastic facilitators. The facilitators prayed, discerned and quickly swung into action of changing the program to suit the situation. Out of the windows were our much cherished spiritual-religious based activities and in place were tele-matches, games and even concert. It was like ‘Oh dear, this is crazy!’. The next wave of challenges came from the chaperon and the people who managed the facility. It was terribly embarrassing as I had to face some ferocious questionings as to how our retreat became a funfair by day and a party by night. Thank God for my Buddhist upbringing, I was as cool as a cucumber much to the frustration of one facilitator.
I admired our facilitators for their courage and patience. They were mostly very composed. Enormous efforts were made to ensure that the young participants felt that they were accepted as a package, that is, with all their baggage. The facilitators prayed as hard as they tried to interact unconditionally. Then some thing happened on the third day. A sense of peace, calmness, joy, kindness, goodness and above all love descended among us who gathered to pray, to listen and to share with one another at the few sessions left for the weekend. The young participants wept and so did some facilitators. It was joyful weeping. Some how, the participants were touched by God’s grace. As for us facilitators, we were gratefully touched by our God of Surprises. It was one of my most memorable little Pentecost.
This Pentecost, I thank God for those facilitators [among them were Magdalene Yip, Lawrence Ng, Greg Krygsman, Teresa, Valerie, Wilson Wong, Michael Chia, Giovanni Cordeiro, Madeline Chung] and I pray that the Spirit of the Living God may continue to follow them, lead them, touch them and inspire them so that they may continue to radiate the love of Christ to all who come into contact with them. Yes, ‘I remember the days that are past: I ponder all your works. In the morning let me know your love for I put my trust in you ….. Let your good spirit guide me in ways that are level and smooth’. [Ps 142]
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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Gregory Chan on 27rd May 2010.
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