24 Jun 2016 4:01am
I was awaken by people passing and the noise of the motorbike. It was just past 1:00am. Since then, I had the difficulty in sleeping. By 2:00am, I was still fully awake, my mind was wandering everywhere. Until I felt asleep again.
I got up by almost 4:00am and everything was silent and dark. I started entering messages in my journal. I am already on my 4th day here, and what a joy to be in this peaceful atmosphere! There is no rushing for early masses, no stress for office works. Instead, I have more time for myself, for prayer and solitude. I don't think that I am selfish for wanting this life, I just want this simplicity and intimacy with the Lord.
It is in solitude that my soul finds its abode. In the mission, no matter how busy my life was, at the end of the day, it was silence, it was personal, it was good rest and time to give thanks to God for everything that He has given.
8:00 am
I was not able to attend the morning prayer for I felt really heavy, as I did not sleep very well. They already finished everything when I came out. I just helped in the kitchen after. After a long long time, I was a able to prepare the fire for cooking. Here is still very much like years and years ago, everything is for dirty kitchen and firewood.
I guess part of this experience is to recapture my simple life when I was a child. Cooking and blowing the firewood, preparing the kettles and the table. This is an expression of my unity with the many poor people all over the world.
Even on the table, we were eating like many years ago, unlike to the formalities in our Religious communities. I love the prayers before meal, lifting up the plates and pray for the food and giving thanks to singing: "Laudato si mi Signore." We share the fruits from the backyard, bananas, vegetables and tea. Very simple, very economical and very symbolic.
24 Jun 2016 10:58:27 AM
St. John the Baptist.
As a community, we decided to go for swimming. The sea is not that far from D'Sanctum. We had a great time. Again, there is the expression of simplicity, just going there for fun, not so much problem of what food to bring, what meat and drinks to carry, what cottage to take and how much and so on. It was just the community and enjoying the gift of the sea.
We went to Bucana, and there were few people swimming. I can see that many of them were just simple ones, and I said to myself: How lucky I am still! Yet, they are still lucky for they don't have the pressure and the stress of city life. Everything is simple living.
On our way home, I saw a woman selling some native bread. I bought ten pieces for us to share during snack time. I don't want also to be a burden here, so I pay some of the things we buy in the market, fish or food and for fares. I guess, it is also a nice gesture to render something in this way.
4:25pm
We cleaned a bit the surrounding, making fire everywhere to chase away the mosquitos. So many this time! My arms and legs are full of mosquito bites by now, and they look really awful.
We then cook banana, and by mortar, we prepared a very traditional "nilusak" which is common during my younger days. We had a great time eating together.
24 Jun 2016 6:26:52 PM
We just finished our mass, which is a sharing mass. I always start the sharing for them to follow and get some points to relate their own lives. Most of them shared on the point of humility.
They have very touching stories and experiences in the issue of humility, especially the trials back home, their lives now in Sanctum, and they have converted their pains into prayer and they have experienced great joy being here. They have expressed their gratitude to God for having brought them in D'Sanctum. God really created wonders in their lives.
8:45 pm
We continued wrapping the soap after dinner. I have become an expert, that I wrapped a good number before bidding good night. While wrapping, we watched the teleserye of Coco Martin "Ang Probinsyano". Amazingly, we were more focused on our work than the television, and we just work silently. We only spoke if needed.
In my hut, just when I entered, I was frightened again by the huge lizard just in front of the door. But I did not show any actions of violence. I just left it silently hiding at the back of the door.
YOU ARE READING
Diary Of A Hermit: Intimacy With GOD
SpiritualThis will be a compilation of my daily journal as I entered into a month of solitude as a guest Hermitine at D'Sanctum. I am so grateful for this experience, it was an intense period of solitude, rest and prayer. God is really so good!
