AIMING to enrich the Benedictine values of the College, a collaboration between Junior Financial Executives - SBCA (JFINEX) and Bedan Liturgical Ministries (BLM) presented the first episode of their newly-launched Benedictine Enrichment of Values Operations (BEVO) series entitled: “Episode 1: Ora in Our Decision Making.” It discussed the influential importance of prayer towards one’s decision making and career trajectory, and was live-streamed on the official Facebook page of JFINEX last Sept. 4.

Before the event commenced, hosts Jonathan Casey Angala (IV-BSA) and Cherry Anne Fuentes (IV-BSBA-FM) introduced JFINEX President Angela Ghobris (IV-BSBA-FM) to deliver the opening prayer. It was then followed by the singing of the national anthem. 

The Benedictine Importance

The opening remarks was delivered through a video by Prof. Anne Klaine Maravillas, Department Head of the Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, who emphasized that the common goal among the people present during the event was to identify how to consistently uphold the Benedictine values in the decisions that they choose and on how they represent themselves in society. 

Additionally, a video presentation from BLM was presented to provide a detailed overview of the Benedictine lifestyle, most notably St. Benedict’s core value of Ora or Prayer.

Mr. John Charles Bryan Sotto, a Senior High School Theology professor at Mater Ecclesiae School, was the sole guest speaker for the event. Sotto established his reflections’ starting point by respectively quoting Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II, saying that: “We meet God in prayer, in the ‘today’ that we live [in]!” and “The fullness of prayer is not that you allow yourself to be present in prayer; the fullness of prayer is that we allow God to be present in our prayer.” 

Praying in the Present

His discussion started with the significance of consistently praying in the present. He mentioned that prayer transforms people, especially teenagers who have one foot forward since they are eager for opportunities, and are also about to take their first step towards real life once they accomplish their undergraduate studies. However, he conveyed that: “Since we are humans, we are limited beings; we are humans who have the capacity to fail,” to which he then concludes the second point by citing St. Therese of Lisieux’s quote: “Since I cannot rely on myself, I rely on God 24/7.”

Sotto also shared that even if  all humans are prone to committing mistakes, experiencing failures, and encountering a fair share of difficulties in their lives, they will always be loved by God. “Hindi binibilang ng Diyos kung ilang beses kang magkakamali. Hindi binibilang ng Diyos kung ilang beses kang babagsak at tutumba. Ang bibilangin ng Diyos ay yung kung ilang beses kang tatayo, at muling lalaban at magpapatuloy sa buhay,” he conclusively expressed.

A Faithful Exchange

After Sotto’s sharings, a question and answer session was held. The first question was about the “Bahala na si Batman” habit, to which he answered by recalling that the saying originated from our ancestors who relayed their problems on “Bathala” or God. He further established that in order to properly uphold the mentality, an individual should do their best and let God do the rest instead of settling for mediocrity and simplifying it as “bahala na.” 

Another question was raised, it was about praying for decisions that people regret. The speaker responded earnestly through his recollection of what he usually imparts to his students, “[Kapag] nagkamali tayo, ‘wag nating iyakan lang; gumawa tayo ng pagkakataon para makabawi [at] matuto doon sa mga pagkakamaling ‘yun.”

BLM Moderator Prof. Carlo Enrico Tinio, in his closing remarks, expressed his gratitude to Mr. Sotto, the officers of the organizations, and the audience who made the event possible. He also imparted his wisdom on the importance of prayer that it should be a two-way street, and that “It is nothing else but a frequent and loving conversation with a friend whom we know loves us.”

Formally closing the event, BLM President Adrian Gagarino (IV-BSBA-FM) led the prayer which was followed by the singing of the Bedan Hymn.

An Enriching Expectation

Since BEVO was intended to be a series, Ghobris confirmed through an interview with THE BEDAN HERALD that “For this year, we have planned to have one BEVO Episode per semester. So, you can expect our next episode next year!”

Ghobris also told that the overall goal of the BEVO series to its target audience (Bedans) is not only "to help them enrich [their] benedictine values by connecting it to different situations that [they] often encounter in [their] lives,” but also to "remind them that the purpose of [their] values is not [just] to be memorized, but to hone [their] personal values to be excellent professionals."