DAY 1
April 1, 2021 | Holy Thursday
Welcome and Prayer

Bo Sanchez:
Welcome to our Not Afraid Holy Week Retreat! This is your appointment with God for the next four days. And I want you to believe that you’ll encounter Him. He will be speaking to you… He will minister to your heart… You are thirsty, you are hungry and God will be with you in the next four days. Father, I don’t want this to be just an online event. I want this to be a real face-to-face encounter with You. I believe nothing is impossible with You. I declare that now. I open up my heart and my soul to what You need to do in the depths of my being… I am open to receive every blessing, every miracle… I claim miracles will happen, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Talk 1 | Garden of Gethsemane
Fr. Michael F. La Guardia, SDB:

The Garden of Gethsemane is a silent witness to the:
1.Intimacy of the Father and the Son; 2. Humanness of the Son; 3. Docility of the Son.

Prayer is not just an activity or a ritual. Prayer is our loving conversation with God. Prayer is our communication line with God. It is our lifeline.

God is in love with me in spite of me…”Do not be afraid”… this is the favorite line of God in the Bible. He said it 365 times. We have 365 days in a year… Every day He tells us, “Do not be afraid.”

God is saying, “I am always with you until the end of time.”

Believe in the love of God for you. Passion signifies intense suffering, but it also means immense love. Matinding pagpapakasakit, malalim na pagmamahal.

DAY 1
Talk 2 | Not Holding Back

Arun Gogna:
Once you overcome the fear, once you let go, you will have the adventure of a lifetime.
Let fear lead you to Jesus.

Reflection:

Issa Rodriguez:
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup of suffering from my hands, yet not my will but Yours be done.” Here we see Jesus fully God, but at that moment fully human. He prayed thrice that if there is a chance that God would take away that suffering, that God would allow Him to not do it anymore. But we also see Jesus at the end of the day surrendering to His Father’s will.

Questions: 1. What fills your cup? 2. Do you have suffering, trials, or struggles that you want to surrender to God?

Testimony

Aben Garlan:
All those health problems I encountered in 14 months, not counting the other ones I experienced in 2012… All the problems that I encountered, although extremely painful, I surrendered everything to God. I know He still has plans for me. I still have ambitions to fulfill.

As I reflected on those painful moments, as I looked back –my fears, my worries, my trials, my agony… I realized that you’ve got to let go of what you think is good for you, so God can give the best for you.