May 20: Early Morning Prayer and Rest

Chapel of the Monastery of Our Lady of Montserrat

My brother and I went early to catch the early morning prayer at the Benedictine Monastery. We arrived before 6 am and the chapel was already open. We went in and you get a sense of peace. The place was still dark except for the lights on the statues.



The chapel is famous for its murals. But since it was dark, the murals could not be seen. This makes me think that in our lives, things may seem dark. But once light shines on it, God will show the beauty that has been hidden.

We waited for the monks to have their morning prayer. The morning prayer is sung every day at the monastery. If I am not mistaken, the music in the chants were composed within the monastery.

The charism of the Benedictines is the liturgy and it shows. I like the way they celebrate the mass because even if it was a very simple liturgy, you can encounter the presence of God. Periods of meditative silence can really make the liturgy beautiful. One needs silence to be able to encounter God.

In my situation, I appreciate the luxury of silence these past few days. It gives me time to put things in perspective and really listen to the voice of God. The problem is he also seems to be silent. The difference is when I come before him in prayer, I am at peace. God works in peace. And when there is peace in prayer, God is present, even if he is silent. I think Pope Benedict XVI wrote that we must learn to listen to the Lord even when he is silent.

Game between San Beda and under 15 Philippine Team

After this, my brother and I went on a tour of the school. We walked to the sports center. There are two basketball courts and we saw a game between one of the San Beda teams and the under 15-Philippine team playing against each other.

We then went to visit my father's grave which has moved to the Garden of the Divine Word owned by the SVD order. The visit was interesting. I had time to speak to my father and asked him for guidance. As Catholics, we believe life continues after death and we hope and trust in God's mercy that he will bring them to his kingdom.

Panoramic Shot of the Garden of Divine Word

Lido Restaurant

After this, we went to the mall close to my brother's house. I found out that there is a Lido restaurant in the mall and we bought some Lido rice. There used to be a Lido restaurant in Chinatown when I was growing up. My father used to bring me there for breakfast of fried rice and BBQ pork. I also used to bring Marie there for Lido rice.

While waiting for our order, I ordered coffee. The coffee in the restaurants in Chinatown when I was growing up had a certain taste that I cannot find in the coffee sold in Starbucks and other coffee shops. The smell of coffee fit the taste of coffee. Perhaps because of the brown sugar from sugar cane, perhaps the milk used or may be the coffee beans itself. But for lack of a better word, it makes me feel 'manly' and strong just to smell the coffee. The coffee did not disappoint me. It had the smell and taste that I remembered of what a coffee should have. It is a 'manly' coffee.

We had lunch at my brother's place and I stayed with my mother for the entire afternoon.

My sister and I went to meet someone for some business that I needed to wrap up while I am here. We finished in an hour.

I went home and was tired but it was a fulfilling day. It was still hot.