Theological Synthesis

“I don’t want to be an eagle, nor do I want to be a worm. What I want is to simply be a priest with a soft heart but a sharp mind.”

After semester- long laboring, the final day had come (Though it was not really final and it was a week rather than a day.” On the last week of the past month (September), SATMI had devoted its whole afternoon for an event called “public lecture.” This public lecture was part of the theological synthesis of the fifth year students who were moving toward their graduation in the near future. 

 

Before I would tell about the actual experience from the public lecture, I would like to tell you a little bit about this theological synthesis. It had been a tradition here in SATMI that on the last year in their academic life, students would be asked to do systematic theological synthesis. It was a time when students would synthesize all the scriptural-theological-moral -pastoral learning they had for years in this institute and came up with a systematic presentation to prepare a ground for them before they would exposed themselves in their future ministry. 

 

This year, academic council had decided to change the method from synthesizing each subject separately to make it as a whole in order to respond to the given pastoral issue. After choosing the topic (pastoral urgency) prepared by the council, the students used their first semester to develop their topics in the related areas such as biblical, doctrinal, moral and pastoral aspects. In developing their topics on the basic area mentioned above students are ask to come up with a presentation (public lecture) of their topic at the end of the first semester before professors and other students. However the challenge did not end here and the work were still ongoing because students had to develop their topic into an academic paper on the second semester. 

 

Here we arrived at the point of public lecture; the week was heavy but fruitful for every fifth year students who worked so hard with their mentor (Bro. Ramon.) At the public lecture, after presenting their topic, everyone would receive feedback, comment, and suggestion from panelists to improve their work in the future (next semester.) It was a good academic experience indeed and we would like to use this moment to show our appreciation and gratitude for everyone who had also worked hard to make this project came true.

Personally, I felt more challenged to apply this method in our synthesis because in the process I did not only  have to review, summarize and remember the studies that I had for many years but also to be able to see their connection to the real pastoral situation, to make a criticism and to suggest some possible solutions on the ground I had founded from m study. It was a exercise of mind indeed that I was challenged to have a critical mind to see the whole picture of the pastoral issue I had chosen while at the same time be sensitive to the outcome of the pastoral guidance that I may give in order to respond properly to such an issue.

 

Even tough, public lecture was done, the study was still going on and there will be a lot to learn next semester. I at the moment felt that I started to become a minister with a soft heart and sharp mind as our synthesis intended. Thanks be to God.

(Bird)