SATMI: the School of Arts

Here in SATMI, besides theological study, students are also encouraged to develop and maximize their own talents and skills in non-academic areas such as music, arts, acting, etc. Thanks to Sr. Miriam, our Dean and professor in Scripture, who gave us an opportunity to express those gifts because she realizes that one of the things that are very important in studying the Scripture is the interpretation, how we make a biblical message become relevant and meaningful in our daily life and present and particular context. And it will be more interesting if we do it with our talents and creativity, which was exactly what we were doing on October 10, 2009, the presentation of our understanding and interpretation of the Bible that is not in a form of written paper but in a more creative way.

The event began with the presentation of the first year, which is part of the requirements for their course on the Introduction to the Sacred Scripture, on one of the famous stories in the Bible, the story of Jonah and the whale. However, Jonah was here depicted as the Church in Asia with all the difficulties and challenges it is facing. Like Jonah, the Church is reminded that it is only the instrument of God in His plan for salvation of humankind. Therefore, it has to follow not its own will but the Will of God. The presentation was the mixture of input, audio and visual presentation, dances and some tableaus. And I’m telling you, many new stars were born that afternoon.

The continuing presentation was about the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Actually, this was the result of the negotiation of the students with the professor, Sr. Miriam that the presentation would be done in a bigger scale presentation so that it would substitute the final exam. And fortunately, Sr. Miriam was kind enough to agree with the deal. In the presentation, the book of Revelation was interpreted as the book that tells us of the battle between the two forces, good and evil, that exist in the world and within each and every one of us. It is also the book of hope because we are told that in the end of this war, with the help of God, the goodness will reign victorious over sin and evil.

During the planning we all agreed that we would like as many people as possible to benefit from our presentation, so we decided to invite our friends, professors, benefactors, and some parishioners to come. And in the end of the show when all the lights were turned on again, we were quite surprised to see that the seats that we provided were not enough for all the people that came that afternoon. Finally, before everyone dispersed, Sr. Miriam gave a closing remark and orchestrated the angel clap to officially end the show. Wait! It couldn’t end just like that. Something is missing here. Oh! I remember. We had some snacks together. That’s how it actually ended. ^__^

(-BOY)