by Wilfred Vaz
KUWAIT, OCT 2, 2017: To fortify the spiritual growth of parishioners who are actively involved in the various ministries of the Church of St. Therese 
of the Child Jesus in Kuwait, Father Francisco Pereira conducted a recollection – which was attended by 93 parishioners - on September 23.
Several issues were touched up on during the recollection. They included strategies for personal prayer, overcoming personal and family problems through the power of prayer, experiencing improved and renewed relationship with loved ones, interceding for family members and others, and praying for the situations that the Holy Spirit reveals when we are in prayer.
The recollection commenced with the screening of the movie - The War Room. It gave a startling revelation that 'prayer room' is actually a 'war room' where each one has to battle their worldly desires, spiritual frailties and sinfulness with prayer as the weapon complemented with holy Scripture. The movie helped the participants identify themselves with the characters and resolved to implement a change in their personal lives. "The Recollection explicitly brought out the power of prayer as a weapon, defence and energiser," Virgilio Rangel of the Choirs Ministry, said.
The participants were then put into groups to discuss the questions that were based on the movie. The members shared the wealth of learning that was received. After the group-discussion, the recollection venue was converted into a 'war room' where the participants deeply introspected, meditated and prayed in silence. The participants were also instructed that petitions and intercessions could be written on post-it slips and pasted on the board that was kept for the purpose. Prayers and intercessions were then offered up to God at the Offertory during holy Mass. "My learning from the recollection is that we need to intercede for others and spend more time in reading the Bible," Basil Lobo of the Eucharistic Minsters, said.
Father Pereira then explained how to read the Scripture meaningfully. He mentioned that when one reads the Holy Bible, there has to be a 'revelation'; the Word of God should reveal a unique message to the reader. The revealed message should trigger a 'revolution' in the reader, that is a thirst and desire to change one's life in tune with the will of God. Lastly, a firm 'resolution' should be made to stay committed to the change despite circumstances that may compel one to return to their former way of life.
The culmination of the recollection was the celebration of the Holy Eucharist; during the homily, Father Pereira spoke on the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Prayer. Prayer Cards were given to all the participants as a personal gift from Father Pereira. "It was truly a beautiful and enriching experience, I am blessed to be a part of this parish," Pamela Viegas from the Liturgical Ministry, said.