A Night With Father Antoine

23rd April, 2010 - A Friday.

We were all tired, having come from a long, tiring week of either school or work. Instead of dragging ourselves to the Upper Room (which, recently, is never open on time, causing Erica to go hunting for the caretaker of keys), we dragged ourselves to a little place called CAYC for a talk about adoration, targeted at our age groups.Of course, I was complaining about having to attend a boring talk about the wonders of kneeling down and adoring the Blessed Sacrament. I mean, after a long week of school, that was not really how i wanted to start of my weekend.

So, grudgingly, reluctantly, with many a temptation to just go home, I go to CAYC. And I sit. And I listen. And I even take down notes.

In summary, this is what Father Antoine said (in my own words, of course):

-Technology vs. God

In today's society, many of us cannot function without our handphones or computers. Here's a wake-up call to think about. False Idols. What does "idol" sound like? Being idle! Standing still, not progressing, not growing, not moving. If we are all the time, attached to one screen or another, where is the time to look at God? When do we spend with God? Of course, in mass! But honestly now, let me ask you a question. If i were to go through your mP3 right now, how many of us have religious songs in them? Do they outnumber the secular songs? If i were to check your phone, how many of us have the Bible application in it?

Father's point was we spend so much time on the material objects of this world. We say we'd die without the almighty facebook, or we can't live without our precious handphones. And yes, society has evolved so that the internet and handphones play a vital role in our day-to-day interaction. It was a big wake-up call when the other day, I brought my laptop to school and all my friends were sitting in a circle, laptops on. Instead of talking face-to-face, we were talking on facebook. Strange? It honestly makes me wonder if human interaction will cease to exist altogether in the future. If that happens, how will we know how to adore, how will we pray? There isn't a button n your keyboard that says "Prayer". Nor is there an application of it for any handphone, to my knowledge.

The sad thing about it is, we are, if you will, slaves to technology. We feel the need to have it around 24/7. Even when we sleep. To be fair, in the faced-paced world of today, we do need our handphones. We need to respond fast, simply because the phrase 'time and tide waits for no man' is just too true.

This is why the Garden of Gethsemane in IHM is such a - dare i say it? - Eden. It is open and waiting. Sure, it does close, because like every human, Jesus needs to sleep so tomorrow he can be on display in Gethsemane again for you. The point is, he is there, hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. There, time ceases to exist (unless you have your handphone in your pocket and it starts buzzing incessantly or Greg happens to be taking a *ahem* snooze). It is peaceful, it is serene. It is safe. It is, in short, a sanctuary from the helter-skelter world that we live in today.

In lieu of bidding adieu, I shall show you a short dialogue i wrote during the talk.
GOD: My child, have you loved me?
Me: Uhm... Well, you've seen my life.
GOD: My child, have you loved me?
Me: Uhm... Yeah.
GOD: What's with the 'uhm'?
St. Peter: God, her life checks out, she didn't even own an iPhone. She can pass through
Me: YAY! *passes through pearly gates*
GOD: *takes out iPhone* Okay, the next person is some guy named Johnny Depp.
Me: WHAT?? Can I stay out here a little longer?? PLEASE?!?!

Cheers!!
AllyBONG