Читать книгу From Darkness Into the Light - Marino Restrepo - Страница 7

I was invited to share my testimony at an upcoming Catholic spiritual retreat. From the moment I entered the place, I felt that the Lord had something very special in mind for me. After I shared my testimony, I was invited to join a silent retreat that would begin on September 12. Personally, I knew it afforded me an opportunity to have a much-needed rest for I had been giving my testimony nearly every day for about four months in different places around the country. Sometimes I had to repeat it twice or three times daily. I did not know much about spiritual retreats. I had always wanted to be in a setting like that and to participate in such an activity. It was like a secret dream come true.

At the first lecture I attended, the priest discussed the schism in the Catholic Church and explained how evidence of it could already be seen among priests and nuns of different Church branches. He spoke of the Church’s need to go through a passion, crucifixion and death process in order to reach resurrection and Pentecost, since the Church is Christ’s mystical body on earth. The lecturer said, “The Church will suffer great tribulations and persecutions before it is purified”. In other words, everything that goes to Christ belongs to Christ and turns into Christ; therefore, it goes through a Christianizing process similar to that experienced by Christ himself.

As the priest gave his lecture, I had a very deep experience. It was as if everything he was saying was already inside me, complementing and adding to the information the Lord had previously infused in me.

I realized this was a wonderful opportunity because I keenly felt that God had anointed this priest, and that the Spirit of the Lord talked through him. This encounter made me happy. Moreover, it reminded me of the period after my conversion when I returned to church and felt sorry for the incredible spiritual poverty of some of our priests and clergymen. Though many of them were highly-trained and well-educated in philosophy and theology, held high degrees and received the benefit of extensive teachings in Rome, the Holy Land and in the best universities around the world, sadly, many were, nonetheless, ignorant of the supernatural life. Seemingly, the more educated they were, the more estranged from God. I will never understand it, but I think it could be the interference of the enemy in our faith. The lecture continued, mirroring my past conversion thoughts as the priest began to discuss today’s laity. My happiness knew no bounds during those moments for the priest’s discussion paralleled what the Lord had earlier instilled in me. The priest also mentioned that it was the laity who would wake up the clergy and the religious communities, making them turn to the Holy Spirit and reconcile with each other.

While I listened to this man of God, something deep inside of me grew stronger: the certainty that our Lord had called me, in my adulthood, to go around the world to testify that He is alive, that our salvation was not the invention of a group of rebel Jews two thousand years ago, and that the persecution of the early Christians was really an act of martyrdom and not the action of a group of fanatics. I was attracted by the idea of bearing witness to all this and lived this first day of the retreat with an indescribable joy. The silence of all the participants contributed greatly to this wonderful experience.

I woke up the next day full of enthusiasm and went into the lecture room with my notebook and Bible. I opened up the notebook and reviewed my notes from the previous day. The priest had talked about the devil trying to sabotage God’s plan to save man, and how the Holy Trinity comes to man as a perfect three-dimensional concept — an extensive and very important topic for our concept of faith. At that precise moment I felt clearly our Lord’s presence telling me that those notes would be on the pages of the first book He would inspire me to write.

Following that inner revelation, the whole retreat experience took on new meaning; the more I immersed myself in it, the deeper the new dimension that presented itself — full of exciting new choices to enrich my spirit. Consequently, at this time I felt myself to be mentally absent from the opening day activities. Fortunately though, this transpired as two members of the group led the worship. There was much anointing and a cheerful spirit filled the air. The chill in the room — due to the lack of heating — gave more tenacity and character to the silence of the congregation. Cold weather in tropical highlands can be felt to the bones. I have always thought that cold weather favors concentration in intellectual activities that demand careful work and discipline.

God’s perfect timing often catches us by surprise. At moments when we least expect it, He touches us, making us part of His divine pedagogy. Some people were eager to know if I had thought of writing a book about my experience with the Lord. To be honest, I had not even thought about it until the Lord inspired me. This shows that we cannot anticipate God’s plans once we leave everything up to Him. Without thinking, I was already writing that book. The most difficult part was to start writing and to find a language clear enough to express everything the Lord had infused in me. It was especially difficult for me since I had not studied theology and I did not even know the catechism of the Church well. Nonetheless, difficulties no longer existed for me. I suddenly felt perfectly secure knowing that the Spirit of the Lord would guide me throughout this journey. It was clear to me that each day of this retreat would influence the first pages.

My testimony was announced for Friday of that week. This caused my relationship with the group to grow even closer. It would allow me to provide you, the reader, with a better idea of my life experience. As one more witness of conversion among the countless examples we have heard of since the dawn of Christianity over 2,000 years ago, it was my hope then, as it continues to be now, that my own life could serve to help others in their conversion.

God has a particular way of revealing Himself, every moment of each day, to all his creatures. Even though my testimony may be similar to that of others, all authentic witness lead us to one single destiny: our salvation through Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to put across a spiritual experience using mere words, or to project an immaterial and divine dimension onto a human plane. It would be like trying to feel the softness of a baby’s skin wearing a thick glove. Only the grace of the Holy Spirit will allow the reader to understand the mysteries revealed to me in spite of my limited vocabulary and theological knowledge. With the blessing of our Lord and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit — spiritual guide of this journey — I invite the reader to participate in this encounter with the Lord with a joyful and humble heart and an open mind.