Verbum Dei Disciples’ Silent Retreat 2024 - Belonging. Rooted. Sent.

By Verbum Dei Singapore. Posted on 10 May 2024.

From 19th to 21st April, the VD Community held our annual silent retreat at Majodi Centre in Johor Bahru. Joan Wong, a member of one of the Saturday communities, GIF (God is Faithful, Fruitful, Fun, Food), will share her experience at the retreat.

Before the retreat, my mind was foggy from worries and fears in my life. However, I told Jesus that I wanted to be open to Him and resolved to put these worries and fears aside. The day started at St Joseph’s Bukit Timah to board a chartered van to the retreat centre. By God’s grace, we arrived about 3 hours earlier than expected due to the clear traffic. So a group of us went out to eat prata nearby and walked around the area. When we returned, everyone had arrived, and dinner commenced. The period of silence began after dinner, and we were warmly welcomed by Sr Monika for the introductory talk.

“And He [Jesus] said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” (Mark 6:31). We were invited to offer our current obstacles and distractions to Jesus this weekend in order to receive Him through the Word of God. I realised as we closed the first day with this invitation that I was blessed with this opportunity to respond to it fully. Jesus had already ensured that my environment could be conducive for rest, for the retreat centre was relatively deserted and away from the bustle of usual life. On my part, I had to be open and offer what was on my mind to Him. I prayed that I would be open to Him in accepting the unexpected and trying new things. 

Up till the end of the silent retreat, the routine was a variation of meal time, an input delivered by one of the Missionaries, followed by a period of silent prayer. Since this was my first time attending a silent retreat and having my own accommodation, the silence was refreshing. Eating in silence allowed me to focus on chewing the food, enjoying the flavours and listening to my body: ‘Could I go for seconds or am I adequately satisfied?’ I found that I was more attentive to the words preached by the missionaries, and the period of silent prayer after each session allowed me to ponder what I had just received. I could bring it to prayer wherever I was - In my room or while walking around the grounds. The silence helped to amplify God’s voice.

The period of silence ended with the Commitment of the Disciples and Communitarian Sharing. As I witnessed my fellow brothers and sisters in the Verbum Dei Family make their commitments, I was moved by their “yes” to commit to the mission of preaching, praying and living the Word of God in their daily lives and their own capacity. I prayed that in God’s time, I too would be able to make that commitment one day. In the meantime, I prayed that in this time of waiting, Jesus would prepare my heart to commit myself to Him. During the group sharing, it was a chance to hear the sharings of other Disciples in the community and get to know their names and faces. 

My takeaways

The theme of the retreat was Belonging, Rooted, Sent. 

• Belonging: I belong to Jesus. Life is a journey of returning home to Him
• Rooted: This sense of belonging helps me to stay rooted in Him whenever I am shaken 
• Sent: I know that I am loved by the Father. But this love cannot be kept for myself. As shared by Sr Leticia during the last talk, we need to remember that the true protagonist in Mission is Jesus Christ. We, His people, are collaborators. We cannot just be cups that are full. It needs to be emptied for others - to fill their cups with a taste of His love and allow ourselves to be emptied so that we can be filled with God’s love over and over again.

Dear reader, if you ever hear the call to “come away” with Jesus, pray for the courage to bravely accept this invitation. He will help you to make sense of your reality within the context of His plans for you, and you will return with greater clarity with the peace of Christ.