By LUKE GEALOGO
Redemptorist Novice

Acts 2:1-11
Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23 

Formed into becoming a professed Redemptorist missionary, I am expected to spend a whole year within the Novitiate – hence, a “novice” of the Congregation. In the Roman Catholic Church, such is a requirement among candidates for the religious or consecrated life (i.e. sisters, priests, and brothers adhering to a particular charism or mission within the Church). The Novitiate is the opportune time for the candidates to immerse themselves in contemplation and prayer so as to prepare themselves in professing their vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience – their “Yes” to radically serve God and the people.

When we began our Novitiate, a Polish Redemptorist priest guided our group in a weeklong retreat. He was, technically speaking, our retreat master. But I can never forget what he said to us right before he presided the opening Mass: “The Holy Spirit is our ‘retreat master.’ In fact, the Holy Spirit is the true Master of your Novitiate journey.”

And reflecting on the readings for Pentecost Sunday – the day the Holy Spirit came down upon the first Christian community, the moment “the Way” or the Church was born – I was and will always be reminded of who’s the true Master of the journey!

The Holy Spirit has rekindled within me the conviction that all are created in the image and likeness of our good, compassionate, and redeeming God. During the Novitiate, my co-novices and I have been steeped in moments of solitude and introspection. I personally have become more attuned to my strengths and weaknesses, wonders and wounds, gifts, needs, and aspirations as a human person. Yet, through the Spirit’s guidance in prayer and meditation on the Scriptures, I reaffirm my faith in the hope and dignity within and amidst our humanity!

Such moments of realizing this truth have also led me to remember the many people whom I’ve journeyed with – those who, in spite of their flaws, challenges, and poverty, have shared with me their time, resources, stories, and dreams of a life that is blessed by God and shared by all. These are the people and communities enflamed with the Holy Spirit who have shown great generosity, courage, and love in the face of unjust structures and oppressive conditions around them. I cannot help but to cherish their memories, write them in my journal, and include them in prayers.

The Holy Spirit, also, has invited me to a life of community and harmony with others in the midst of our diversity. Our Novitiate is, in fact, a “multicultural” community. Here, I did struggle to unite with fellow aspiring religious coming from different Asian countries, cultures, and perspectives. We may speak in different tongues, but we choose to bond, share, and celebrate our unique yet unifying gifts. From there we’ve realized how we are more alike than different, united in a common dream to follow Jesus in serving the poor, abandoned, and oppressed.

Moreover, the Holy Spirit has stirred us out of our comfort zones to embody God’s compassion and solidarity with the people. Our prayers did not confine us; instead, they propelled us to respond to the “signs of the times” and to the plight of our suffering and struggling brothers and sisters. When Typhoon Kristine left much of Batangas buried in mud and debris, our Novitiate joined professed Redemptorists and lay Church volunteers in providing immediate relief and support to families seeking refuge in evacuation centers.

Similarly, when we were around Metro Manila and our intercongregational classes were suspended to allow the Church’s participation in the commemoration of the EDSA People Power Movement – we found ourselves surrounded by protests and calls for government accountability and genuine democracy. Our Congregation even issued a statement of solidarity with the Filipino masses who continue the “struggle for justice, dignity, and freedom.” In the face of these “signs of the times”, we Filipino novices and our formator had our hearts ablaze with zeal to take action.

On the eve of the mobilization, our formator invited us then to see where the Spirit was leading us and, from there, to judge the moment and to act prophetically. Much like the disciples when the Spirit descended upon them in the Upper Room, we stepped into the streets to stand with the people. Together with them, we prayed and raised our voices, clamoring for justice, peace, truth, and liberation to prevail—a collective hope for the Reign of God to manifest in the “here and now.”

The Holy Spirit invites us to enter the inner recesses of the heart and to embrace the God-given goodness and dignity within. This is the same Holy Spirit that challenges us to go out and to bear witness to the vision of a world redeemed and transformed. Such is the hope where “all [are] baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons… all given to drink of one Spirit.” The Spirit, our Master. Amen.  

Balik-Tanaw is a group blog of Promotion of Church People’s Response. The Lectionary Gospel reflection is an invitation for meditation, contemplation, and action. As we nurture our faith by committing ourselves to journey with the people, we also wish to nourish the perspective coming from the point of view of hope and struggle of the people. It is our constant longing that even as crisis intensifies, the faithful will continue to strengthen their commitment to love God and our neighbor by being one with the people in their dreams and aspirations. The Title of the Lectionary Reflection would be Balik –Tanaw , isang PAGNINILAY . It is about looking back (balik) or revisiting the narratives and stories from the Biblical text and seeing, reading, and reflecting on these with the current context (tanaw).