Encontrar a Dios en el silencio
Después de un largo viaje con la meditación a los pasos de San Pablo, que comenzó en Turquía, atravesó Grecia y terminó en Roma, me sentí muy triste, cansado y vacío. En mi corazón más profundo me pregunté: “¿Tal vez Dios me está pidiendo que vaya a un retiro en silencio?” Y eso es exactamente lo que sucedió cuando llegamos a Asís. El retiro me permitió, junto con mis compañeros seminaristas, dedicar tiempo a Dios desconectándome del mundo tan lleno de conexiones. Irme a estar solo con Dios fue una experiencia hermosa.
At the tomb of Saint Francis of Assisi, we were able to have some peace and quiet, to pray, and most importantly to celebrate holy Mass. We used our retreat for reflection, prayer, meditating on Scripture and at times simply being with God, especially sitting before Him in Adoration chapels which were available at various basilicas within Assisi, just allowing our hearts and the heart of God to engage in a dialogue.
One remarkable experience I had during this time of silent retreat was realizing that when one pours out his/her heart to God, God will pour out His heart into him/her. This was a major transition in our life. Assisi’s rich spiritual history gave our retreat the perfect space for deepening our spiritual life and our relationship with God. Thanks to our retreat master Fr. Arturo Felix and to Fr. Ray Webb for all his wisdom throughout our time of silence. And thank you all for your prayers and giving us this opportunity to encounter the Lord in silence as we prepare for ordination.
–Vincent Omondi, Diocese of Joliet
