Prison welfare holds Advent recollection

For most of us Christmas is the happiest time of the year not only because we receive gifts and bonuses, but mainly because it is the time of family reunions to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. However, the rush of Christmas shopping and preparations may drown out our spiritual preparations in receiving Jesus, the Real Celebrant of Christmas.

When Jesus knocks on the doors of our hearts are we ready to hear Him, stop what we do, and open our hearts to accept Him? St. John Paul II said, “the worst kind of prison is a closed heart.”

Guided by these words, the Archdiocesan Commission on Prison Welfare (ACPW) organized an Advent Recollection to the inmates of Davao City Jail to open their hearts to receive Jesus.

It was facilitated by the St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary (REMASE) students and ACPW members, while the Ignatian Spirituality module was prepared by Bro. Dexter Priete, an ACPW volunteer.

The activity began with a brief catechesis about Advent. Themed “In the hands of the Potter”, the inmates were led to look back into their past from childhood to how they have become who they are at present. Through their “Life Maps”, they were enlightened to understand the journeys of their lives.

In the Spiritual Conversation, they discussed freely with their group their experience in the guided “face to face with God”, their relationship and image of Him.

The closing liturgy had the inmates writing down their sins and life’s baggage on pieces of paper which they burned in a clay pot symbolizing their resolve to stay away from sins.

To complete this preparation for Advent, the ACPW will be facilitating a “Kumpisalan sa Jail” with the help of priests from the Davao Clergy and religious congregations in order to reconcile the inmates with God this Christmas. (Marian Carmela Raquel, ACPW Correspondent)