RCIA Retreat @ Sebana Cove, Johor, Malaysia
RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, for those who don’t know. It’s a process which allows non-Catholics to become Catholic, by exposing them to the various aspects of Catholicism.
This retreat is particularly aimed at exposing them to the different types of prayer. I went, partly because I heard that it was a nice hotel, and also because my mum wanted me to go. It was conducted for the catechumens (people preparing for baptism) in St. Ignatius Church (my parish), but since my parents are involved in that ministry, I was invited along too.
We were transported to the ferry dock by bus, on which certain people felt sick, and were frightened of the boat ride to Sebana Cove, which is accessible fastest by ferry. However, I did not suffer from motion sickness, as I was fast asleep, mostly on the boat and somewhat on the bus. When we reached there, I got off, and we had to wait in the hot sun to clear customs, instead of in the cool air-con (back in Singapore). After that, we had breakfast (imported from Singapore) in the function room (called Neptune), and then settled down for the first segment of the retreat, after doing several action songs to wake us up. This did indeed liven the spirits of both old and young alike. I was not really paying attention during the talks, since I was tired from packing the previous night and from the early rising that morning.
We also had a short ‘washing of feet’ ceremony, usually done on Maundy Thursday, but in this case, it was done to commemorate the ritual done on the start of the Easter Triduum, which was what the retreat was focussing on, by the way. First, the priest went around washing several of the catechumens’ feet, followed by the taking up of the task by anyone who felt ready, and I was one of the first take a bucket and cloth, but I didn’t know who to chose, my mum or dad, so my mum told me to go to my dad, and I didn’t really know how to do it, so I just poured water on, and then kinda dabbed his feet dry =P… Always making me do the dirty work… Just kidding =P… Then near the end of the ceremony, someone came around to ask if our feet had been washed, and I didn’t want to say no, but I hesitated and that was enough to make him tell me to take off my socks… The water was also quite cold, and the drying part was pretty ticklish =P, hehe, my weirdness taking note of insignificant details, when I should be concentrating on the spiritual aspect of service, and how the greatest must be the humblest servant, coz if you exalt yourself you will be humbled, but when you humble yourself, you will be exalted.
After that segment, we had a sharing in which I got to know the group members (of the group I joined) a bit better, due to an introduction, which I didn’t really listen to, they knew me and we started from that and worked our way up =P.
So on the first day, I had quite a bit of fun, particularly during meals (which were all buffets), and eating more than I could digest =P. The music ministry was fantastic, with excellent guitarists, and good singers too, it was something to remember, though they were from Christ The King church.
After lunch, we checked out our rooms, and apparently, I was living in a suite with my parents, with a spacious bathroom, and a large (not necessarily comfortable) sofa bed, which I had all to myself. I would have fallen asleep if not for the fact that I was late for the next segment of the retreat, so I “hurried” back to Neptune and found that no one was settled down yet (all still chatting and walking around), even though we were off schedule.
We then had The Way of the Cross, which is a meditation on the Passion, and is milestoned by “stations”, or scenes from the Gospel depicting the stages leading to Jesus’ death. This one was captivating because it was acted out, instead of just read out, and it helped us to imagine what really happened, even though the acting wasn’t of top quality, it was very good, and I enjoyed that.
We had mass sometime in the afternoon and I received a part of the big host, instead of the small ones usually given out (because I was last in line), and I also took and extra big “sip” of the wine =P.
The next memorable activity was the reflection during quiet time, which we were supposed to spend reflecting (on what I don’t know), but I happened to fall asleep outside on the sofa =P. Oh well, I was looking forward to spending some time by the riverside, with the breeze blowing my face, like I experienced several times before at the beach, but I missed it due to unexpected circumstances.
During that discussion, I was a bit sleepy and didn’t really listen, and my mind was wandering off… We were then released for our baths before dinner, but I went to the end of the jetty to experience the sea breeze, and I discovered that I was just in time for the sunset, and I watched it till it disappeared behind some clouds, so I went to bathe for dinner.
Dinner was good (maybe even too good), and I ate till I needed to walk a bit, just to help it digest =P. So I accompanied Danielle, my friend while she looked for some mosquito tabs thingy… Anyway, since it was dark, I was imagining a crazy murderer jumping out of the bushes and killing us both in the most disgusting manner possible… How weird I can get =P…
Anyway, after dinner, we had a Taize session. Taize is actually the name of a town/village in France, open to all Christians, but concentrating on youth. It is also a type of music, mostly hymns (religious songs), and repetitive chanting, which enhances prayer, because it does not take much to sing the same line over and over again… But I happen to be a veteran at Taize music, so I helped to liven the session by singing harmony (an alternative tune which harmonizes, or intertwines, nicely with the melody, or the main tune). That was a very nice session, and was followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, during which the Taize chanting carried on. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is simply the exposed host (the big white circular flat bread you see at mass), and people praying in front of it, since we believe that its essence, not the appearance, has been transformed into the body of Christ. It’s a bit hard to explain, but basically, I liked the Taize music, and how it helped and enhanced prayer in that dim-lit room, with the candles around the statue of the cross, and the sight of all of us gathered around that “altar”, was really spectacular.
That session was followed by a well-deserved night of rest, but obviously not long enough, since I had much trouble getting up the next morning, after which I made my way to Neptune again. We had a session on the rosary (which was a bit boring, coz it was led by my catechism teacher), and then we prayed it, followed by breakfast, which I pigged out on again… And had to walk out to the jetty with Danielle again, and it was nice but a bit too hot, with the morning sun glaring down on us… How irritating, making me sweat =P… But, anyway, we had another session after that, which I didn’t particularly listen to, coz I can’t remember what it was about… We had a reflection too, a pledge or commitment to improve ourself spiritually, and I didn’t listen to instructions, so I had to take mine home manually instead of them having to post it to me (in a month’s time), which I feel is more meaningful, since it serves as a reminder of a pledge you took and tried (or failed) to keep a month earlier… But that was a nice thing for me, since I used that time to write a personal letter to God, even though it may never reach Him, He still knows what I wrote, so =P…
That was followed by mass and the pledges were an offering to God, made during offertory (during the mass), but I didn’t exactly put my own envelope in there, since it was not meant for the same purpose as all the rest. “I will not be compared to the barbarous multitudes of men”… But that is not what I meant to say, so after mass we had lunch, in which I ate too much again, but this time we only took a short walk back to Neptune, where I had a nice time chatting with others, and also making name tags, which I discarded most of them, to discover that I only kept my original white one and the pink one, both custom-made by me… So after that was a sharing session of the whole retreat, what we liked or disliked, and many commented on the music ministry being vital to the success of the retreat, and I totally agree.
Then began the journey home, which started with the queue in the sun again, followed by a nice song session in the boat, in which I “performed by popular demand/request”, and I did a duet with the guitarist, singing “You Are Near” (which is a hymn btw). On the way, Alan kept on making jokes, keeping the boat in a good mood, but I have to say that several of the jokes were a bit mean and *childish* (by my standards =P)… But they did liven up the mood, even when we got pulled over by the coastal guard who felt that its presence needed to be felt, while looking for smugglers (randomly)… The bus journey back to church was fun too, and I took out my stuffed dog to sleep on, and almost dropped my handphone (which I clutched in my hand) in the process, but was prodded awake by Danielle, and I kept it in my bag… Thanks for prodding so hard =P
All in all, the retreat was great fun, but I think that it was a bit too packed full of activities, with not enough free time, to relax (or to sleep) or to swim in the pool (which looked nice, but I didn’t have any time to)… Although I did like the nature, and the jetty (my fave spot), I felt that I was a bit cooped up indoors, missing out on the chance to enjoy the serenity and peace of the nature that surrounded us…
However, I think I have grown spiritually, no matter how small the change may be, it is still one step closer =P
