The Province theme “Prophetic Loving Here and Now Where the Need is Greatest” focused this year’s Bible study on the Prophets. Since August we have been studying the prophetic books through our resource person, Fr. Cristino Pine, OFM, a biblical scholar. The session was given every third Sunday of the month at 3-5.30pm. He began with the introduction of the prophetic tradition and the former prophets, followed by the major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, then the minor prophets in fours – Hosea, Joel, Amos and Obadia; Jona, Micah, Nahum and Habbakuk. This ended on March 20 with the last group of minor prophets Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. We have been enriched and inspired by the persons of these prophets who braved all odds from detractors and did not resist God’s call to speak to His people of the need for conversion, to live justly, to care for the poor and to speak God’s message of hope to His unfaithful people. During this last session, Sr. Lilia Nuesca, Provincial Leader, thanked Fr. Cris for his comprehensive presentation of the prophets and for pinning their relevance in our prophetic mission today. Three Sisters expressed the particular prophet that touched them. Notably, all of them were struck by prophet Jeremiah.
Sr. Gina thanked Fr. Cris for accompanying us in our journey with the prophets. Inspired by Jeremiah’s teaching, she felt called to recognize, admit and face her own fears and struggles and be like him who was very courageous to speak to people, to be brave to face the darkness of life and bring hope and light in this time of difficulties, challenges and confusions especially in the workplace. For her, Jeremiah is telling her that it is good to focus on HOPE because her future is held firmly in the hands of a faithful God”.
Sr. Aurea De Vera, echoed the gratitude of her sisters from Lipa Community to Fr. Cris, for sharing his giftedness and for his generosity in making the stories of the Prophets insightful and relevant in their journey. As Daughters of Charity, they felt constantly challenged to be first and foremost, a mystic, evaluating the quality of their seriousness in prayer and listening, recognizing the presence of God daily, leading them to be Servants of the Poor, continuing their accompaniment and engagement to the call of the different situations in the community, in the ministry and in the country as an offshoot of their relationship with God.
Sr. Fe Javier shared her insights in the study of the prophets. It is the role the prophet to keep people free for God. It is the responsibility of the prophet to keep God free for the people. Being free for God means engaging each moment uncluttered by the psychological and spiritual baggage of the past. It means encountering God, nature, and everyone you meet from a place of radical not- knowing. “The One Who Is, said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your land, away from your people, out of your father’s house, to the land that I will let you see ‘ (Genesis 12:1). This is God’s call to you as well: God calls you to turn from the small self which worships the gods of nation, tribe, race and ancestor, to your greater self which worships God alone. Sr. Elizabeth Asuncion expressed the gratitude of all the Sisters and wished him God’s blessings as he continues to proclaim God’s word.
