MADRID, Spain.
Twenty-four young people had an experience of silence, prayer, and of finding themselves the weekend of April 13-14 during a workshop on "Meditation and Prayer." This workshop was facilitated by Elia Fleta and organized by TA (Teresian Association) Youth. The experience took place in Galapagar, province of Madrid.
he advertising brochure stated: “In the workshop we will learn to meditate in a way that will help us in our prayer and daily work." The participants learned that Saint Teresa calls the imagination "the crazy one in the house " and she recommends, in the Interior Castle, not to mind the imagination that much but try to allow the will and understanding to act. Maite Uribe, President of the Teresian Association, referred to this experience of young people in her speech at the celebrations of the centenary of the presence of the TA in Linares.
"We believe in people, in every person," said Maite Uribe. "God has placed his wealth in the deepest part of the life of each one. This giving to each person results in commitments and very specific actions, of which we may point out a few: In Madrid, a few days ago, TA Youth offered a weekend of prayer in silence to young people who wish to believe, with moments of sharing, with "no cell phones," helping each other to listen deep inside and in the depths of our world. (...) We want to promote the conditions that help people in their encounter with God and to discover a faith that involves everyday life. This is what Pedro Poveda expressed when referring to Jesus as the `basis of all moral and material progress."
The workshop addressed current problems experienced by young people and adults: "Many times when we get ready for prayer we realize that we have a rude mind with all sorts of thoughts arising that block our concentration. We frequently find it difficult to be quiet, to connect with ourselves. Praying becomes difficult because we cannot make silence or we think that inner silence is to stop thinking, which is impossible. Also, we long for our bodies to participate in prayer by relaxing and taking a posture that will help us, and yet it seems that it goes its own way. And we may happen to read the Gospel and feel that it doesn’t seem to mean anything, that Jesus is not speaking to us, and we may wonder how to connect it with our own life.”
Hence, the objectives were:
• Learn a form of meditation that can help us to be quiet, to listen and go deeper in prayer.
• Learn to relax and make silence, putting our heart and mind in the present moment before praying.
• Know and experience the role of the body in prayer. Learn to listen to our body, our mind and our spirit, knowing how to name what happens to us.
• Reach inner peace without distractions, where we encounter God.
• Encounter the Jesus of the Gospel by listening in depth and trying to bring his message to our life.
According to the organizers, "Saturday morning was devoted mainly to learn to breathe, to make inner silence, and relax the body to prepare for several visualization exercises. One of these exercises vas the visualization of the Sunday Gospel using all the senses. The group sharing and the Saturday Eucharist brought a full day to a close, which was complemented by a meditation-prayer on the following days’ gospel reading on the rich young man (Matthew 19, 16-22) "
Testimonies of the young
"Connecting. This is the word that best sums up my experience during this meditation-prayer workshop. During the return trip, I wondered how much time we spend each day being connected to many things that do not really add anything to our lives and the little time we devote to connect with ourselves, to remain silent and to seek a connection with Jesus. For me, these were two intense days when I have learned that, in the same way that you need to concentrate to study, you also need to do so before praying. As Elia told us, meditation is an atrium for prayer. We cannot pray well if we are thinking of a thousand different things at the same time.
Another word is Sharing: Share life experiences, share this experience. The priest told us in the Eucharist that a Christian is never isolated; one should always be part of a community. That weekend I felt part of a community because everyone there had a common goal: to live and share faith."
"For a while I have been telling myself that it is important to spend time in meditation and prayer. During these two days I realized that it is not difficult to get to it and let the mind be silenced to open the heart. I have also learned that it takes perseverance and we do not need to expect an immediate response. The experience, shared and illuminated by fellow travelers, has been a small "tasting, " a first step in this long and exciting journey and I was driven to seek spaces for meditation and prayer in my daily life to continue deepening in the encounter with God and with my real inner life."
"One could say that, beyond the joy of sharing a weekend of silence with other TA Youth members, the meditation workshop in Galapagar has worked on me like an alarm clock. Lately the days have passed without having made a meaningful space in my life for silence and listening to the word of God, other than on special occasions (such as Holy Week) or group meetings. The prayer weekend has reminded me (and you could also say that it made me long and desire) of the need to find room everyday, at the personal and communal level, to take old junk out the heart to make room for God."
"I was thinking about how the weekend would be, if my back would hold ... and it began. It was incredible to empty the mind of worries and distractions for a moment and find peace and serenity in those moments of meditation ... Until then, silence for me was annoying (because I was deaf). But this silence was peaceful, calm, and comfortable. And I spent the morning and afternoon between meditation and group sessions to share life experiences ... I do not forget the Eucharist, celebrated in the old style of the early Christians, on the floor, sitting on cushions, sharing something so familiar to me. And I left there happy. "
This last experience of inner prayer has continued to transform our trajectory as a group of militants. We have realized how important it is to make silence in our lives. But this is not a silence caused by earplugs that make us stop listening around, but by outer and inner silence, a silence that makes us more aware of life around us and brings us closer to God. Learning to pray is learning to care for and soothe the spirit and, although we know how important it is and the good these meetings do to ourselves and to our relationship with God, many times we do not persevere in it and we do not let God touch our heart. For me, personally, what became particularly important was not only the fact that we prayed, but also our sharing. What was I you looking for when I decided to enroll in this Prayer Meeting? Well, the truth is I was not sure of what I was looking for, but whatever it is that I have found, I can assure you it has been an invigorating experience of faith and it helped me to realize that the simple act of searching, even though we may not know what we are looking for, is also a way of responding to God's personal call to me."
"I could not imagine that with a few words, readings and music, I could get myself into inner silence, listen inside to myself and listen to God, relax and let my mind free of problems and worries, allowing the body to pray as needed at that particular time. "
"I must admit that ‘meditation’ may seem something far away and even unrealistic. With all the things we have to do throughout the day, is there time left to devote to oneself? I came to the workshop inside a whirlpool of much responsibility and work, which did not allow me any right to listen to my own needs, because there were other more important priorities to attend to. I give thanks to God because TA Youth has taken an important place on my list of priorities. This way, without any complaint, I allowed Elia Fleta to enter into my personal whirlpool and introduce trees, birds and rivers running. Paradoxically, silence made me raise my head and listen to both the exterior and the interior. And God had placed the many people coming from every part of Spain there with you, right at that moment. And there I was pondering feelings, realities and needs. Was that voice there all the time? At what point of the day it was silenced? Like one who recovers his hearing suddenly, I prefer the voices around me; the voices of those people who help me see how good life is. And there is the voice of Jesus, telling myself the same thing over and over, tirelessly, until I listen. I do not know how he is not tired of me ... ‘Let go.’ Thanks for reminding me that we are needy… and this is not bad. "
Information by TA Youth