Daughters of Saint Paul

Young Ladies Gather for Annual Lenten Recollection

“The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10) — this is the main theme of the talk shared by Sr. Rose Agtarap, FSP to 26 young ladies through the annual Lenten Recollection, held on March 5, 2017, first Sunday of Lent, at the Pauline Media Center across the Daughters of Saint Paul Convent in Pasay City.

            Sr. Rose emphasized the need to bring back the focus on worshipping and serving God alone in one’s life. The young ladies were asked to surrender their cell phones as an exercise on focus and were also asked to pick a leaf outside and appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of God’s creation. Sr. Rose said, “When you see something beautiful, you feel happy. Why? Because it’s beautiful. And beauty is the face of God… When we appreciate the loneliness of God, we worship Him.”

            As she expounded more on worship and its four levels (reverence, praise thanksgiving and service), Sr. Rose further said to the young ladies, “Whatever we worship, we serve. Whatever we serve, we become.”

            The participants then watched a short video about the movie, Hacksaw Ridge showing the exemplary behavior of its protagonist who lived out what he greatly believed in. Sr. Rose then led in praying the Breastplate of St. Patrick as the talk came to a close.

            After the talk, the young ladies began sharing in pairs and were given time to reflect and write. After the lunch break, they were led by Sr. Lines Salazar, FSP in a dance activity, where everyone grooved to the beat. They were then grouped for another round of sharing, focusing on the questions, “What blocks my ‘willing attentiveness to God’s grace’? How am I being called to worship?” Each group was then asked to list three practical steps that each member will make this season of Lent. Each group’s outputs were then shared by a representative in front of all the participants.

            The recollection culminated with the adoration to the Blessed Sacrament led by Sr. Vangie Canag, the presentation of tokens to the participants, evaluation, picture-taking and snacks. 

By Krizelle R. Talladen