Three Days of Living a Contemplative Life

Wow! What a weekend!

My friend, Cha and I had been planning to visit a monastery ever since and stay there for days...we don’t have plan of entering in a congregation though…we just want to experience a monastic life. Hmmm…maybe u guessed already what’s this article all about, noh? Yes, we visited a monastery(nuns)…a cloistered community with people(monks) who live a contemplative life.

It was Kuya Eigene(a former seminarian now a postulant) who introduced the monastery to Cha. And Cha who knew that I am also interested on the thing told me about it. Then we decided to visit the said monastery and asked permission to the Mother Superior if we could search in. We were so grateful when the Mother Superior(a Japanese) gladly said “yes”. She said that the workshop (search in) should be at least three days. So after our exams last week I went there with Cha.

There are only five nuns there, 2 are Japanese and the 3 are Filipinas. The Mother Superior is a bit older than the others (70years old), the other Japanese Nun is 51years old. The three Filipina Nuns are at their 40s. They look young though. In fact if they didn’t tell us how old they are, we might think that they are young 10 years younger than their real age. The main language they use is English because the Japanese Nuns cannot understand Filipino language. Kaya pansamantalang naging englisera kami ni Charisse hangang sa dumugo2 and aming mga ilong.

Kidding aside, living a contemplative life is hard if you are not used to. We had hard time of adjustment on our first day there. When we arrived, Mother whispered us to keep our silence. There is a time to chat (just 30 minutes during recreation) but most of the time they devote themselves into solitude. Even in works like, washing the dishes and cleaning the rooms, you are not allowed to talk unless you have permission from your mistress. Silence in work is offered to God. It should be coupled with prayer…prayer for the poor, for those who are suffering, sick and the like. Their everyday life is tide up with prayers--morning prayer, midmorning prayer, noon prayer, mid afternoon prayer, afternoon prayer and evening prayer, mid evening prayer. In the middle of morning and midmorning prayer, and afternoon and evening prayer there’s a 1hour contemplative prayer. In my first contemplative prayer I really ran out of words. Nakapikit na lang ako at nakikiramdam sa mga susunod na mga gagawin.

God’s presence is everywhere in everything you do. The solemnity of the place makes you feel that He is always beside you…even when darkness fills the night.

It was, indeed, an extraordinary weekend for Cha and I. It was a cloistered community, thus, people are not allowed to enter the monastery unless they are permitted to. Lucky are we to have had searched-in there. I may not be destined to be a monk but for sure, the memories I had in the monastery will always remain in my heart…and I will cherish it forever. It was really a great weekend!