Learn more about the Lord in Jesus in the Four Gospels A Four Part Bible Seminar Sa Kabukiran

After conducting two batches of Lenten Retreats, Sa Kabukiran is announcing its new seminar offering during the Easter Season: Jesus in the Four Gospels. This is a four-part bible seminar on the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The seminar on the four gospels will be conducted for four consecutive Saturdays starting April 26 then May 3, May 10 and lastly May 17. Each Saturday will be devoted to one evangelist at a time. The seminars begin from 8:00 am and end at 5:00 pm. Participants need to bring their own lunch baon. Registration will be at 350 pesos which include materials, certificate and merienda.

The study of the gospels is as important as ever in understanding our faith. In these gospels we find the Jesus of our faith - who he is and how he was known and believed by the early Christians. In each of the gospels we discover a different facet of Jesus. In these gospels we discover how each evangelist tried to present Jesus according to how the first disciples of Jesus knew him and how succeeding generations of Christians believed him to be.

The study of Jesus in these seminars will present some historical-critical aspects of each gospel. But more importantly, it will help the participants to journey with the Christian communities of the evangelists who wrote them and discover how these communities understood Jesus in their own contexts and life situations. At the end, participants will also reflect on their own particular life situations and contexts and discover how their knowledge and understanding of Jesus sheds light to these particular life situations and contexts. Hopefully, the seminar will allow participants to encounter the same Jesus through these gospels so that they too may write an account of who Jesus is for them.

For many of the early followers of Jesus, their relationship with Jesus acquired such a personal sense. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we sense this personal bond between Jesus and Paul when he writes: “ It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.” (Gal. 2: 20) But this personal bonding with the Savior also opened up an entirely new reality to the early followers of Jesus, the reality of living together and being together as one community. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes this clear when he says: “ All of you are Christ’s body and each one is a part of it.” ( 1Cor. 12: 27)

The study of Jesus in the four gospels allows us to discover this Jesus that we believe in faith, this Jesus who loves us so much and who has given up his life for our sake so that we may have life to its fullness. But the study of Jesus in the four gospels also allows us to discover his presence among us who believe in him, so that we may journey no longer on our own but with everyone else who believe in him in faith. May the Spirit of Jesus bring to you the desire to know more about Jesus. Happy Easter to everyone!

La Salle visits Sa Kabukiran

It was April 9, 2014 when La Salle graduate students of the Doctoral Program for Educational Leadership and Management, Executive Program visited Sa Kabukiran. All five students, James Messina of Malayan College, Cynthia Grace Diaz of the University of the East, Lou Melegrito of De La Salle University Manila, and Sister Remy Decozar of the Dominican School System and myself spent April 9 and 10 Sa Kabukiran to have our last lecture session with Dr. Roberto Borromeo. 

When the guests arrived they were immediately amazed at the place. Immediately after, lunch was served. Guests were treated to a sumptuous Kabukiran meal served on banana leaves. Guests had to eat with their bare hands – Kabukiran style! Lunch included Alimango, hipon, longganisang Guagua, Chicharon, tabang talangka some salads and suman for dessert. Whew! How is that for a meal!

The group checked in at Abe’s Farm for the night which is just a ten minute drive from Sa Kabukiran. The experience was beautiful as the group had light and bonding moments together even if the topic was about Strategic Planning! Dr. Borromeo chided the group that the session was to be a despedida party for the group since one of the students, Fr. Efren Ambre has left for the states and that the group was no longer feasible as a class at La Salle. Well, despedida or not, the experience really allowed us to bond with one another at this beautiful place where one can really be with nature – not to mention the delicious Kapampangan food only Sa Kabukiran!

The Second Retreat Sa Kabukiran

The second retreat was held Sa Kabukiran on March 30, 2014. The second batch was a larger group, 34 in all. The participating groups came from Mabalacat Parish under Among Sito Sison, the Marriage encounter group from Holy Rosary Parish Angeles City headed by Sr. Mariz, teachers from St. Mary’s Academy at Guagua headed by Jo Fajardo. Like the first retreat, the theme of the retreat was “My God My God why have you forsaken me?”

The retreat was focused on the Passion Narrative of the Gospel of Mark and how the evangelist used Psalm 22 as a kind of framework for his passion narrative. Compared to other passion narratives, Mark’s narrative is stark and bare, devoid of the later developments that other gospels would have inserted or added. For example, Mark’s passion narrative depicts a Jesus who was totally abandoned and alone even when he died on the cross. This is in stark contrast with the gospel of John where Jesus was accompanied by Mary and John who stood at the foot of the cross. Or perhaps Luke’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion would include conversations with the two thieves who hanged crucified together with Jesus. None of that is present in Mark’s passion narrative. Jesus was truly alone and abandoned and no one was there, indeed, apparently, according to Mark, not even the father was there to accompany the son, hence the apt cry of Jesus before he died: “ My God my God, why have you abandoned me?”

The retreat not only focused on this stark and bare passion narrative of Jesus, it also allowed the participants to journey with Jesus by making them trace back their own life experiences of being alone and abandoned in life.

The retreat ended just like Psalm 22, which extolled God nonetheless for his goodness and faithfulness. The passion narrative of Mark also ends up victoriously when suddenly after the death of Jesus, the father answers the Son by allowing the curtain of the temple torn in two – substantiating Jesus’ claim that indeed, he could destroy the temple! Also after Jesus’ death, a centurion declares: “truly this is the Son of God” – again, substantiating Jesus’ claim before the Sanhedrin , that he was the Son of God, a claim which caused him his death!

The retreat was a great time to remember God’s faithfulness, despite our feelings of abandonment every now and then. God never abandons us. He may at times be quiet but his faithfulness finds a way in order to restore and bring back whatever was lost and whatever has failed in our life! Happy Easter!