by Susan D'costa
KUWAIT, OCT 4, 2017: Over one thousand youth participated in a Biblical Quiz competition, on selected parables from the Gospels, organised by a group of 
parishioners under the patronage of Hindi Bhashi Samudday (HBS), affiliated to the parish of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Kuwait at the Indian English Academy School, Kuwait on September 29.
The students from standards four to ten spent part of their three-month summer break studying selected parables of Jesus, which was the mandated portion by the organisers. The elimination round, a written test was held on September 15, and 1200 youth participated. Twenty eight toppers were then selected and grouped into four teams, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each team had seven participants.
In the mega quiz held on September 29, the four teams competed. Father Blany Pinto, Father Francisco Pereira, Father Johnson Nedumpurath, and Father Lionel Braganza were present during the finale.
Father Pinto in his opening message to the participants said, "By knowing the Bible we gain knowledge and this must lead to wisdom". He stressed that in participating in the quiz, one should never be over competitive but take part and make use of the knowledge we get, in our daily lives." Father Nedumpurath added, "Each parable of Jesus has a lesson for each one of us. If we reflect on the words deeply we get more insight and it becomes more meaningful."
The quiz consisted of seven rounds of questioning, namely, Ice breaker, Seek and you shall find, Knock and you shall receive, Audio-visuals, Parable quotes, Reflections and Rapid fire. The questions put forth to the teams were intriguing, exciting and made the audience go 'Aah!' and clap when the teams answered correctly. The audience actively participated in the various audience rounds. Maryann Soares, coordinator of team Matthew said, "The quiz was a huge success. Very well organised thanks to the hard efforts of the organisers".
Father Pereira advised the participants that like the neighbour in the parable, "Friend in need" (Luke 11), we should know when to pray and knock on the right door, do not delay to ask God for something you need. He also explained the symbol of the three breads in the parable, which refers to the Holy Trinity. He mentioned "How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"(Luke 11:19). He said that in this verse we have the Holy Trinity: Father, Holy Spirit and Jesus, who is narrating it to us.
The results were then declared. Team John stood first, and all members were awarded gold trophies along with the Championship Rolling Trophy, second position went to team Luke, and all members were awarded silver trophies, third position was bagged by team Matthew, all members were awarded silver medals, and team Mark in the fourth position were awarded with bronze medals. All the participants received certificates. Valence Fernandes, from the winning team, said, "It was a nerve-wracking experience. But all-in-all I had a great time."
Father Braganza interacted with the participants on parables, asked what their understanding was and explained the essence of parables. He also informed the participants of the very essence of the number '3' which appears many times in the Bible. The number 3 always refers to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The six months of relentless hard work by the organising team, along with the support of Father Pereira, Father Rodrigues, resulted in the event panning out as a success. "The parable quiz was well organised from start to finish. We appreciate all the efforts of the organisers and look to many more Bible quizzes," Violet D'Souza, a parent of one of the participants, said.