July 8, 2012 (Sunday) at ACM Office. This day
marks the beginning of a spiritual journey with the Carmelite
Missionaries. This religious congregation of consecrated women holds an
annual Life Direction Program every second Sunday of each month of the
year. There would be a particular theme to reflect upon each month. This
month's theme is friendship with Jesus.
"Who
do you say that I am?" Jesus asked his disciples one day. And Peter
declared, "You are the Messiah!" Jesus explicitly instructed his
disciples not to tell anyone about him. The sisters had impressed this
question into our hearts: Who is Jesus in your life? And like what Jesus
told his disciples, we don't have to tell anyone. It will be our
"little secret" with our beloved Savior.
The entire
activity had been animated with beautiful reflective music. We started
by singing some songs specially selected by the sisters for the theme.
Then, we went into a guided meditation on the image of Jesus as a
loving, caring friend. This short meditation was guided by one of the
Carmelite sisters.
After a short discussion of the theme
and sharing of our thoughts and life experiences, the sisters showed us
an inspiring video reflecting how Jesus had related to the people in his
time. Special attention was given to Mary, the Magdalene.
 |
| And Jesus said, " I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more." (John 8:11 - AMP) |
According
to Saint Luke in the bible, Mary the Magdalene was a woman who had
seven demons driven out of her. She is portrayed as a prostitute in the
movie. The video reminded me of the bible passage where Jesus defended
the woman caught in adultery. He said to the people, "If any of you
have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!"
(John 8:7 - CEV) The people dropped the stones to the ground and left
the woman alone with Jesus.
Although the movie was just a
fictitious narrative and not the real historical account of the life of
Jesus, it has inspired me so much. In the movie, Mary Magdalene became a
very loyal disciple of Jesus. Well, who would not be moved by such
lavish display of affection? This holy man, Jesus Christ, stood and
defended her from her oppressors. While the entire town was ready to
condemn her and put her to death, Jesus showed her love and compassion.
He gave her hope and brought back her dignity.This was the goal for the
month's theme for search - in : to move us into a deeper relationship
with Jesus Christ so that we may also be able to find hope in him.
