How Did It Go for You?

Thank you for this recollection.

I heard exactly what I needed to hear. God spoke with me so clearly. Thank you. Thank you.

Great to have this opportunity to enunciate what we can give to God. Thank you.

I am reminded of how blessed I am. That God chose me and He loves me personally. I am struck by Mary’s “Yes”. It showed her deep trust and confidence in God no matter ho impossible it may seem. She answered in humility and obedience. I also learned a new perspective in the unnamed woman’s response in turning back. In effect she became a pillar of salt but perhaps not because of disobedience but compassion. That can be likened to God’s love for us, to choose to suffer in response to showing compassion for us. How can we fathom His great love for us?

This recollection has become a journey for me. Three years ago, my whole world turned upside down. I am now ready to let go of the past… but I still need to resolve some things. From this recollection, I remembered that:

“It is what it is.”
“Do not be afraid… you have found favor with God.”
“With God, nothing is impossible.”

When Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, what struck me is that if I continue to keep looking back into the past, I will remain frozen in grief, regret, and pain that I will be unable to move on and be happy.

God’s gift of compassion should be mine, as well. It is really difficult, but I have to be kind and compassionate to those who wronged me and forgive them fully and finally. So that I can heal completely.

Our Lord is completely committed to us. This is the ultimate Christmas Gift. To accept His gift means to also commit myself to His teachings. I pray that I may have the strength & the courage to do so. He will always be there to help. May I not harden my heart when He is talking to me to guide me.

Yes, this retreat will be my turning point to be more closer and focus to our Lord Jesus Christ.

This recollection has been a very meaningful one for me especially in my process of discernment of God’s plan in my life.

The chosen scripture passages for the theme of the recollection and the guide questions were really helpful. They allowed us to dig deeper to the story of Lot’s wife, and to understand how it can relate to our personal experiences of our own “defiances” to God. It made me realize how God does understand what we are going through — whatever it may be and in all moments of our lives. He has even gone beyond understanding to the point of breaking His own “rules” just for our sake. All out of His compassion and love.

I also thank you for including the “blank check” to God as our form of thanksgiving and response to His continuous revelation in our lives. It is in these responses that we are able to do our part in communicating with Him, through concrete acts of love expressed in surrendering to Him our hearts’ innermost concerns.

AMDG!

The retreat made it so clear to me where Jesus is calling me and only assures me with the religious vocation. At the same time, I am feeling so loved and freed from my own weiryness and ideal ways of spiritual life to attain.
As a university student, I am curious and thinking of what its like to work in the world as a faithful lay person so that the experience will allow me to serve others in the future as a missionary.

To deepen the story of the Lot’s wife was very emotional and enlightening. The songs were very helpful too and loved how the course was set out. Though online, it was fun and meaningful, fruitful as well, unexpectedly. Thank you!

I felt reconnected to God. I feel grateful with everything I have right now. This is really a beautiful recollection and I can see myself rereading everything again

Thank you for this prayerful time. My takeaway from this spiritual exercise are: (1) to be reminded that despite the many frustrations and anxieties in these dire times that the Lord is with us all the time as was His promise, and, (2) to be reminded of the things I can do for Our Lord.

had a different reaction when i heard the last song… growing up with the song it was difficult.

but was able to look past the change in tempo and focus on it’s lyrics. saw it in a different light. thank you for those reassuring words. it has renewed my hope.

Cathartic. I needed this more so now with my situation in life.

Thank you Fr. Johnny. As always, your recollection is so relevant to our lives. As we begin Advent, we carry the burdens of this past year with us.
The message of hope and God’s endless love for us is the only way that i can unburden myself from the load i carry. That no matter what happens to the world, the only thing constant will be His undying love, and this truly gives me Hope.

Lot’s wife disobeyed the angel’s instructions and was punished. But she probably couldn’t have resisted looking back. The act of disobedience didn’t necessarily mean she was evil.
Another woman, in her obedience, became the vessel for God to become one of us and made our salvation possible.
We will surely commit more acts of disobedience as long as we live. Nobody is pure and sinless as the Blessed Mother. But we are assured that we are already saved and God’s mercy is endless.
Thank you for the simple yet surprising insights.

Thank you for this beautiful recollection; for time to get in touch with God speaking to me. Thank you for the guided questions and reflections, Scripture passages, and the powerful music. I was particularly touched by the blank check and pray that this offering may be fruitful and may free me to love and serve Him in a better way.

The story of Lot’s wife made a significant impression on me. During the first read, it seemed so easy to say that she was wrong, na hindi lang marunong sumunod sa instructions. Napaka-basic, hindi pa maaga. Then, it was so beautiful to realize that her stubborn nature was like Jesus’. Sabi nga, human nature na maging curious, impulse magrespond pag narinig natin ang pangalan natin. Knowing that Jesus was human, I find comfort in knowing that kahit God siya, He knows and understands human nature.

Hindi tayo matitiis ng Diyos kahit alam niyang buhay niya ang kapalit.

It took a pandemic for me to set aside time to go through Fr. Johnny Go’s online retreat. Everyday God surprises me with wonderful gifts, i need only to open my eyes and heart to experience his love and grace. Thank you Fr. Go and friends for helping me tread along my journey this Advent.

I have been doing Fr. Johnny’s Holy Week retreat for many years now. And when I good friend passed this on to me, I immediately thought that it would be similar to the Holy Week ones. I knew I was going to do it too. The big difference though is that I am actually sharing now. I had always felt shy expressing my thoughts and reflections before but I promised this time that I would write comments and participate in the sharing. Am really glad I did as it helped me appreciate the recollection more and has uplifted my spirits..

Thank you for the reminder to be hopeful!

What struck me was the different perspective with respect to the behavior Lot’s wife. She looked back because of compassion. Forget about rules. She just had to act with compassion.

I feel lighter like all the frustrations and fears have been taken away because I come to find myself more hopeful and that the Lord will never give up on me no matter what and to continue to trust His will.

The mystery of Divine Compassion as personified by the reason why Lot’s wife turned as her neighbor’s and friends called her name and in turn became the basis of the Incarnation was what struck me most. And choosing a popular song by Rick Astley as a music for meditation gave new meaning to the lyrics “Never Gonna Give you up” a theological/spiritual dimension.

God did not come down to fix the wrongs of the world. He came down for those who were open to his teachings on how to make the world a better place. The other option was to destroy the world and start anew which did not happen. Therefore there will always be wrongs in the world. However, our commitments to God, partaking of communion and the Sacraments where we are united with God, not just performing routines, tell God each day that saving us is worth it. Our sacrifices are sweet.

With all the seemingly bad things tHt happened this year, I wondered how I could be hopeful this Advent. Yet deep inside me, I knew there was still a spark left, waiting to be revealed. This time.of reflection has allowed me to think about the bigger picture. 2020 is only but a year out of the many others that have passed where God blessed us so abundantly. And despite the pandemic, continues to bless us with the gift of our lives, our work and above all our family. The Lord is not done showing us in 2020 that He is still with us and will remain to be until the end of time. Just the thought of that makes me HOPE for bigger and brighter days ahead. Thanks pinsoflight for the gift of this recollection.

Thank you for this time with you.

As always Lord our meetings in prayer always leave me happy and contemplative. Thank you for my epiphanies, discoveries, and learnings today. As I always say at the end of my prayer to you, basta’t andyan ka, basta’t mahal mo ko, lahat makakaya ko.

Lord, salamat sa lahat ng biyaya na galing sa inyong labis na pagmamahal sa amin. Ako ay lumalapit sa inyo para gamitin ako bilang isang instrumento. Maging daan na maramdaman ng mga tao ay tunay na pagmamahal na mula lamang sa inyong kabutihan.

I remain hopeful because with God, nothing is impossible. I love you, Lord!

I believe that the essence of Christmas amidst the pandemic is that of going back to the basics, away from the commercialism of past Christmases. We have to be grateful for all the blessings we have been receiving though undeserving and be hopeful that this pandemic shall pass. Gratitude and appreciation for the gift of family and friends as well as compassion to our less fortunate brothers and sisters by sharing what we have.

My feelings before the start of the recollection has changed after all the prayers, gospel readings, reflections and songs and most of all the blank check. The whole activity led me to a deeper connection with God. Writing the check made me reflect deeper what would I give or surrender to God. The GIFT that GOD has given me… Is the GIFT the amount I wrote on the check.
Receive the gift God has given us… Return the gift freely and joyfully with a grateful heart.

I feel God’s assuring presence and love … again. It has been a long I have gone through a “prayerful recollection”. The pandemic context has forced to dwell deeper into the issues I have been confronting: doubt, powerlessness, insecurity. With this 1st day of Advent recollection I somehow felt the trust, power, and the security in God’s loving presence (compassion). Nothing is impossible, He won’t give me up!

I thank God for all His blessings, including this beautiful and awesome recollection!

Thank you Fr J and everyone who assisted in making this recollection! The theme couldn’t have been more appropriate – “Work from Hope.”

This year has been remarkably life changing and I am grateful for what I have. I realized that there are so many things we have to be grateful for-we seem to think that we lack so many things but truly we have more than enough. God is enough.
Everyday should always be a day of gratitude. There is always, always something to be thankful for.