The community of Naga invited Sr Divinia de Claro to conduct a series of seminars and talks on the Bible. The activities carried out are as follows:
- April 6, 2013 – Bible Seminar to Catechists, lay leaders and parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Parish (Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres) by Srs. Estela Angeles and Divinia de Claro
- April 13 – Talk on the Bible and the Eucharist, Book display during the Vicariate Meeting of lay leaders and parish workers of Sagrada Familia Parish (Libmanan Diocese) by Srs. Estela Angeles and Divinia de Claro
- April 14, 2013 – Bible Seminar to Lay leaders and parishioners of St. Rafael Parish (Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres) by Srs. Lourdes Ranara and Divinia de Claro
- April 21, 2013- Vocation talk to the parishioners and members of Antioch community of St. Anne Parish, (Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres) by Srs. Loudes Ranara and Divinia de Claro
- Book Displays: at the Archdiocesan Liturgical Assembly (Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres), Mother Butlers’ Guild Annual Gathering, Naga City and at the offices of SSS, GSIS and BIR in Naga City.
Here is a reflection of Sr Divinia.
Sharing the Word: An Easter Experience
On the occasion of the celebration of the 75th Anniversary Foundation of the Daughters of Saint Paul in the Philippines, the community of Naga had a series of talks and seminar on the Word of God, last April 6-14, 2013. A talk was also given to parishioners and to young boys and girls who are members of Antioch community, on the occasion of the 50th World day of Prayer for Vocations last April 21, 2013.
It’s always a joy to share the Word of God to people of different ages, at the same time it was a challenging and enriching experience for me to meet them.
I realized this as we carried out our mission in different places in Bicol. What struck me most is the encounter I had with the participants of the Vicariate meeting in Sagrada Familia Parish, one of the parishes of Libmanan Diocese. We were asked to be among the speakers on the theme Faith in the Eucharist. Almost 1,000 participants composed of lay leaders and church workers came. The topic assigned to me was the Biblical Foundation of the Eucharist. As I was delivering my piece, I felt it was not I who was speaking but the Spirit who gave me the right word, at the right time. The power point presentation I prepared was not used, since the daylight screen was blown by the wind, before I started the talk. How come?
The venue of the gathering is the parish church on top of a hill, which is still under construction. Every time a strong wind blows, it enters through the windows yet to be furnished with glass. The wind was so strong then, that two men had to stay near just to hold the screen and keep it in place. But to no avail, so we gave up the idea of having a power point presentation. That afternoon, there was also a heavy downpour that entered though the unfinished windows, but the participants were ready with umbrellas as shield.
Unfazed by strong winds, heavy rains and at times scorching heat, the participants continued to listen intently to the inputs given. The simplicity and the faith of the people encouraged me to deliver the topic assigned to me, believing that God Himself would speak to them, who had been eagerly waiting to listen to His Word. Their attention, their listening attitude and their hunger for the truth made me experience the presence of the risen Lord in them!
Sr. Estella followed with her talk on the importance of the Eucharist in their daily life. They continued to listen attentively, although it was already a bit late in the afternoon.
My second significant experience was during our Bible Seminar with the parishioners of St. Raphael Parish in the Archdiocese of Caceres. The participants were composed of parish workers, choir members, lay ministers and children. I could not figure out how I would share the inputs on salvation history, and how I would teach them to locate the chapter and verses of the Bible to such a diverse crowd of children, 8-13 years old, and adults from 20-65 years old. I thought of how I would relate the history of the Bible from Abraham to Jesus Christ in a way that would be interesting to both young and old. I was a bit apprehensive thinking that the children would just play around during the lecture. But to my surprise, the children were the most responsive and active participants and they were very serious in locating the chapters and verses in the Bible. “This is very unusual,” I thought to myself.
When it was the turn of Sr. Lou to give her lecture on the historical background of the gospels, they were all very attentive. During the gospel sharing, the children followed all the instructions and they spontaneously grouped among themselves, in silence.
When I joined one of their groups, I was amazed how an 11-year old girl shared her experience and reflection on the reading of the day from the gospel of John (3rd Sunday of Easter) and how she was able to relate the gospel verse to her life experience. Truly, it was the Spirit who has been at work in them, in us!
We are grateful to God, to these people and to the bishops and priests who collaborated with us, during these days of our mission in Bicol!
We pray that these grace-filled encounters with these people and with the Word of God will bear fruit in our lives, regardless of age, mentality, educational background… They encountered the risen Lord in the Word of God…and they believed!
We believe it was God Who did it for us. Together, we can truly say: “We have seen the Lord!” (Jn. 20:25)
By: Sr. Divinia C. De Claro, FSP
