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!
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!
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