I shouldn’t be posting here. After celebrating the 200 years of the Marist Brothers foundation as a congregation yesterday, I am now in an Oblates of Notre Dame retreat house for a recollection, writing my self-evaluation and my letter of application for the renewal of vows.
Please do pray for me as I spend time for reflection and prayer with my fellow temporarily professed young Marist Brothers in active ministry, teaching or doing mission work.
Hello. How are you? Me? A bit sad this day. Is this what they call separation anxiety? Maybe. Our young novice Br. Jay Jay went back to the novitiate as he now finished his apostolic exposure here in Cotabato community after three months of staying here. Br. Ador is in Bangkok until next week. Now, we’re only two brothers here in the convent as of the moment. Br. Oca also said that it feels sad now that we’re just two in the house. Absence of presence here now. The house is big but the occupants are few. That’s like a paraphrase of the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. At least we have the Real Presence in the chapel. Let’s pay a visit to Him later.
Life as a brother can be lonely sometimes. No girlfriend, no wife, no family, no children. This is the life I have chosen. Sometimes the road can be lonesome. I hope what I feel is in solidarity with what my mother and sister in Japan feels like being isolated with their loved ones. To all widows, brokenhearted, single, overseas Filipino workers, I feel you. I pray for all of you. I don’t like this feeling but, yeah, I will savor this moment too. There’s a time to be sad and a time to rejoice. I will feel it and pray for it. And now I wrote it.
Cheers to life!
St. Francis of Assisi, who lead a life of solitude to follow our Lord, pray for us.
Dear Brother,
You know well the love I have for You
And Your love cannot be repaid by this wayward disciple
O how I easy it is to forget my vows to serve You and my brothers and sisters;
to be chaste, poor, and obedient like You, our Good Brother
And here I am, trying be like you yet ungrateful for wasting Your gifts
But see my intentions and not my faltering steps
Because I admit that I will always stay as a novice in following You more closely
And You, my Master, are always there to teach me
Let me unlearn the ways where I seek false comfort
and redirect me by being the lamp to my path.
Thank You for being my co-pilgrim, the God-with-us. Amen.
Your little brother,
Allen
Prompt: 2nd year anniversary of my First Profession of Vows
Br. Allen 