In haven of tea and spiritual life

After a pleasant day spent in the mild climate of Kandy, once again we started climbing the mountains to reach our next destination: Bandarawela, Sacred Heart Novitiate. However before we reach the Oblate Community there we were immersed in the misty and mystical region of the high country. It is also called the region of waterfalls. As we were driving we could admire the silvery lines of waterfalls braking the intensity of the rich greenery of the jungle. It is hard to say what was more exciting: the breathtaking scenery or the winding road we were taking. I guess that during the five-hour-drive there wasn’t a hundred feet straight section of the road. I must admit that at first it was scary but after a while the picturesque landscape distracted us from the continuous turns. With every hour it became noticeable that the climate was cooling down. For the first time since I came to Sri Lanka I observed people wearing jumpers.

What was awaiting us still was the tea haven. At some stage the jungle on the slopes of the mountains gave way to green fields of little shrubs. On both sided of the road tea plantations became a common landscape. It was a fascinating place for me as I have never seen tea before, I mean apart from tea in my cup of course. Taking a tea break in one of the tea factories we met a parishioner from an Oblate mission in the mountains who works in the tea factory. She explained, and showed us, the process of the tea making before the ignorant like us brew tea at home. I learnt that to make the best tea the top twigs are plucked with no more than three baby leaves.

After an educational session and a cup of real tea we continued our zigzagging journey through the mountains which started feeling like chilly Melbourne as we were 2000 meters above sea level. Eventually we arrived in Bandarawela to see “the most breathtaking scenery” – 25 Oblate Novices welcoming us to their community. When I was looking at them I remembered that blessed time of my own Novitiate which I started 20 years ago. Our group was of similar size too, 25 or 26 Novices. I must say that I felt at home among those Novices from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Japan. My Novitiate was located on the top of the mountain like theirs. We too did lots of manual, farming work and we too spent hours cleaning the old monastery.

However what touched me most was the deep spiritual atmosphere of the place. That’s the beauty and power of the Novitiate. It is always the time to grow closer to Jesus. A Novice should become drawn to Christ so much that for the rest of his life, even in the busiest ministry, he will be most committed to his relationship with the Lord. We believe that the best contribution a missionary can make to the community he serves is his love and commitment to Christ. During our time with them we joined them for their community prayers, meals and recreation. It was inspirational to sense their prayerfulness and recollection. At the same time it was evident that their prayer wasn’t an escape from real life, in their common prayer in a very simple way they were bringing before God the needs of people from far and near, beautifully they prayed for each other and at the same time no one prayed for himself. It takes a lot of humility and charity not to focus on myself, at the same time I know that if I give my whole heart to my community my brothers will pay attention to what is happening with me and they will pray for me and they will also support me when I struggle. The young Oblates have already discovered this secret.

The Novices in Bandarawela live very simple life but because of that simplicity they can enjoy life for what it is – the gift from God. They don’t use the Internet, they don’t have mobile phones, they watch very little TV and what they watch they watch as a community. They have very little at their disposal but at the same time I wish our young people in Australia could be as happy as these Novices are. They don’t need various devices to have fun, they are so creative when it comes to games, music etc. That’s why their joy is so contagious because it is natural. Using the language of our Founder, St Eugene de Mazenod, I can say that those young men are a true Christian community, where people put glory of God and the needs of others before their own needs and aspirations. Christianity is expressed by sacrificing oneself for the glory of God and the good of the neighbor. There is no doubt that it was a refreshing trip to the mist of the mountains away from the heat, humidity and smog of Colombo but what refreshed me more was the freshness of the faith, enthusiasm and hard work of our Oblate Novices. I pray that when they complete their Novitiate in a few months by taking their first vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and perseverance, they can take that freshness of their closeness to Christ and share it with other people.