Merry Christmas Everyone!

Shalom Class!

May you have a truly blessed and meaningful Christmas with your family, friends and all you hold close and dear, and may the New Year bring you more opportunities to experience God's love for you and share it with others. I greatly enjoyed even my rather brief visit to your Christmas agape parties.

Congratulations too to those who got a perfect grade for their Scrapbooks:

H1A
Daniel Quiaoit
Vince Gawtee
Martin Ongchuan
Jasper Tiu
Jeremy Yu

H1B
David Ngo
Aric Lim
Robert Go
Derrick Yao
Jodaren Dyhengco
Prudy Reyes

H1C
Shane Benedicto
Al Ramos Yeo
Julliard Tan
Richter Siccion
Reiner Locsin

H1D
Charles Gosiaco
Lucas Ngo Dee
Janson Sy
Marco Bermejo
Vincent Whang

H1E
Michael Tobias
Markyn Kho
Joshua Reyes
Philippe Bitong
Gregory Tecson
Michael Tobias

H1G
Jessel Herradura
Alex Oh
Eric Lao
Jed Chua
Josh Co

Although practically all your projects were truly great, these projects excelled not only in creativity and presentation but more importantly in content and even group participation.

God bless all of you.

Saul and David

The King Controversy ended with God granting the people's ardent request for a king. However, an important condition was given by God through Samuel: a king has to be faithful or else, he and the people with him, will perish.

It was an assurance as well as a warning: God will continue to bless his people and their king as long as they continued to honor him as their One and only True King, from whom authority and the strength to carry it out comes. But then, it was also a very serious warning: all infidelity to the Covenant will have to pay its price.

This part of the lesson explores the lives of the first two kings of Israel and how their actions and attitudes led to their eventual success and downfall:

Saul and his father’s asses (1 Sam 9) – Saul here is described as a tall and handsome young man who, besides being comely of stature, is responsible and efficient in being entrusted with an important errand by his father.

A King among the Baggage (1 Sam 10) – After being chosen and anointed King by Samuel, Saul remains hesitant to accept the post, feeling unworthy and unqualified for the job. Some of the people also question his capacity but Scriptures described them as worthless. He is shy and weak in the eyes of men but in the eyes of God, he is humble and submissive.

Merciful to His Enemies (1 Sam 11) – Certain groups rebelled against Saul and his men slaughtered them. Saul however was hesitant to execute his enemies, thanking the Lord instead for his victories. Saul was not proud about his own achievements but recognized God as the real source of his victory and success.

Chapter 12 – Samuel’s Homily at Saul’s Inauguration
Here, Samuel gives his famous exhortation about authority. Authority comes from God and must be exercised in accord with his will. Fidelity will be the ultimate condition for the kings' success or downfall.

Saul at Gilgal (1 Sam 13) – Saul was waiting for Samuel to offer the holocausts before an important battle but be became impatient and preside over the ritual himself, to the anger of Samuel who arrived just as he finished.

Saul and Jonathan (1 Sam 14) – Jonathan unwittingly disobeyed Saul’s order for a fast. Saul became very angry and ordered him executed. If not for the intercession of the other soldiers, Jonathan's life would not have been spared.

Agag and the Bleating Sheep (1 Sam 15) – Saul disobeyed the “ban” (herem) to dispose of and keep none of the war spoils. He tried to deceive Samuel but God had found him out and told the prophet. Samuel vows never to return to him and refuses henceforth to ever see him.

By the end of Chapter 15, both God and Samuel are already very dissatisfied with Saul. Samuel already refuses to see Saul, although he grieves for him. God orders him to fill his horn with oil once again and look for another king to anoint in Saul’s stead.

When God, and Samuel, finally turned their backs on Saul because of his infidelity and disobedience, the search was on for another king to replace him. Let us try to find out whether this king is indeed better than Saul and what made the difference.

Call of David (1 Sam 16) – David is the youngest of Jesse’s children, but he is the one who was chosen by God. “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart." (6, 7) He does not measure by human standards but supplies power, strength and grace with the mission that he gives even when it seems lacking at first. The Spirit of God departs from Saul and now goes to David together with God’s favor and blessing. He now possesses the gift of healing “for the Lord is with him” (6, 18) and uses this to help relieve the affliction of Saul.

David and Goliath (1 Sam 17) – With God’s Spirit in him, the young David defeats the feared Philistine giant, Goliath. His renown spreads throughout Israel and he begins to outgrow Saul in popularity among the people with his great skill and also his humility.

David was successful because the Lord was with him. Saul on the other hand grows more and more jealous of David and seeks to end the young man’s life. Jonathan, the son of Saul protects his dear friend.

David’s Attitude towards Saul (1 Sam 24, 26) – Saul is hunting David down but when David finds the opportunity to kill Saul at the latter’s most vulnerable moment (easing nature in a cave), the former refuses to do so. Here, they make a peace pact but Saul continues to pursue David.

Spear and Water Jug (1 Sam 26) – Despite Saul’s infidelity to the peace pact, David continues to refuse to lay his hand on the Lord’s anointed, waiting for the Lord himself to put an end to Saul’s reign in his own way and time. (1 Sam 26: 10-11) Here, David gets another chance to slay Saul at another vulnerable moment (sleeping) but only takes Saul’s spear and water jug as a sign of his mercy and respect for Saul.

The chase continues until the defeat and death of Saul and Jonathan. When Saul and Jonathan died, David wept bitterly for them both. Afterwards, he succeeded Saul and began his reign, soon to become the greatest of all Israel’s kings. He unified the kingdom and established peace in the land.

David established the city of Jerusalem as his capital and brought the Ark of the Covenant there, amid great joy and rejoicing. David’s reign, after many and successive victories, marked a period of peace in the turbulent history of Israel. They were settled in the promised land at last.

David however was not a perfect king. He too had his own mistakes, like Saul. But what made the difference?

David’s Sin (2 Sam 11) – David here commits a double sin. Not only does he take Bathsheba for himself, another man’s wife but he also has Uriah, the husband of Bathseba, killed in a setup. The prophet Nathan goes to David again to rebuke him. David, however, repents, acknowledges his fault, and begs for God's forgiveness. (See Psalm 51 for David's prayer of forgiveness)

Although David was punished by God for his great crime, God forgave David for David remained sincere and loyal to God in his heart despite his grave sin. He continued to show goodness and kindness even to his enemies, even for example, to his own son, Absalom who rebelled against his own father.

God did not take back his promise to David and will continue to fulfill it, for the sake of his promise—to David himself and Abraham, his father.

Early Christmas Gift from Mr. Ocampo

Shalom Class!

To make sure you do your Final Output for the Creative Synthesis VERY WELL, and in keeping with the spirit of the season, I am officially extending the deadline for your Scrapbooks to December 17 for all classes.

Your preparatory outputs (journal entries) will be returned on Monday and Tuesday during class time. As you get them back, please do the following:

1. Write the Introduction of the Scrapbook by describing the promise to the Patriarchs as you prepare to unfold the story of how it is fulfilled through the journal entries.

2. Revise the individual journal entries so that the journal, as a whole, will be consistent and coherent.

Example: You may want to change first person singular references (I's) to make them first person plural references (We's).

The length of the articles should also be proportional. Cut down articles that are too long while add on articles that are too short. Polish the grammar and finalize the lay-out. No prescribed font style, size or color.

3. Mount your memorabilia in the scrapbook. Do not forget to write a short but complete description (3-5 sentences) for each memorabilia and how it is important/meaningful for that part of Israel's history. Also, make sure that the memorabilia itself appears in the story as narrated in your journal entry so its importance is highlighted.

4. Conclude by writing the final prophecy and/or prayer as described in the rubrics.

5. Finally, decorate your scrapbook with pictures, cut-outs, drawings, etc. to make it even more beautiful.

Enjoy your work and let your learning, talents and creativity shine! God bless you.

Advent Prayer Service

Shalom Class!

Are you beginning to feel and notice the cool December breeze? Christmas is in the air once again and Advent is an opportune time to help us prepare to receive Christ truly in our hearts as we celebrate his birth.

Here are the guidelines for this quarter's Prayer Service, which will be part of your class agape on December 21. God bless.

Advent Prayer Service
To be celebrated as a class on December 21. Class Prayer Text due on December 17.

Sample Christmas Card
Cards are due on December 17 also.

Recommended Site for Christmas Clipart
(You are free to use other sites/ sources or even do your own drawing and lettering!)

Scrapbook Ideas

I found a webpage online that has an Old Testament Scrapbook.

They made use of doors, windows, rotating wheels, pull-tabs, pop-ups and other exciting scrapbooking strategies that are fun and easy-to-learn! I'm pretty sure you can do even better by letting your creativity and artistic talents shine.

Of course, content is also very important, which I think can be a little lacking in this scrapbook, as you will see. Your journal entries must provide for that.

Check it out for ideas!

Sample Bible Scrapbook

Advent, Xavier and Deadlines!

Advent is coming on Sunday... a beautiful season to rediscover our inner thirst for God and pray for his real indwelling in our lives. Monday is also the feast of Saint Francis Xavier! May he inspire us to give our lives generously to Christ in the service of others.

As festivities arrive, our deadlines are also fast approaching:

Dec. 5 - Individual Journal Entries (Creative Synthesis)
Dec. 7 - Reflection Paper
Dec. 14 - Group Scrapbooks (Creative Synthesis)

For those who may have lost their handouts, here are the softcopies of the guidelines:

Experiencing Israel's Journey
(Creative Synthesis)

Choosing Covenant:
Burning the Barbs and Thorns that Crush It
(Reflection Paper)

Some pointers:

1. The individual journal entries for the Creative Synthesis should NOT be mere paraphrases or rewrites of the original Scriptures. You should narrate them in such a way that you bring out the most important part of the experience and discuss the important issues behind it (as we did in class, but in your own creative way this time).

2. Submit to your group leaders so you can submit them to me altogether as a group. Try to help each other even if the grade for this component is still individual.

3. Let us not procrastinate so we will not find things more difficult towards the end.

The coming of Advent increases our longing for Christmas in hopeful expectation and the feast of Francis Xavier is a true cause for great rejoicing. Meanwhile, let us do all things with generosity and excellence so we may truly be able to celebrate these two great feasts with abundant joy. God bless you all.

The Covenant Broken and Renewed

Again and again, God offers his Covenant to man, from the beginning of Creation, and now to be established formally, once and for all, with Israel on Sinai mountain. All too soon, however, his chosen people fail again in their response to the Covenant. Will God finally give up on them?

Here is the powerpoint presentation for this part of our lesson:

The Covenant Broken and Renewed
Fidelity and Infidelity in the Context of the Covenant

Mazal Tov: 2nd Quarterly Test Achievers

Shalom Class and welcome back to school!

Mazal Tov to all students who got very high grades (93% and above) in the recent Second Quarterly Test. Special mention goes to H1G for a very impressive performance as a class, 1/5 of them getting 93% and above. Continue to "let your let shine so that you may give glory to your heavenly Father." God bless all of you.

H1A
Fernandez, John Patrick
Lim, Alfred Vincent
Quiaoit, Daniel Mark

H1B
Orosa, Rafael Andre
Uy, Jason Russel

H1C
Chiong, Michaelvin

H1D
Qui, Martin Daniel
Yu, Charles Richmond

H1E
Tan, David Reginald
Teh, Jeffrey Alester
Ventanilla, Juan Miguel

H1G
Co, Marc Terence
Lao, Eric Michael
Lim, Tristan Jonel
Onglao, Mario Juvenal III
Rosal, Thomas Abraham
Santiago, Benedict Leonard
Tan, Christian David

Second Quarterly Test

Shalom guys!

QT Week is here again! To help you in your studying for our CLE Exam, I have prepared a short review sheet that gives you an overview of our lessons for this quarter to help you see everything as they fit in the big picture of Israel's Covenant-relationship with God as it progresses in history.

May the much hoped for Promised Land of the Semestral Break inspire you as you go through this Desert Experience which you have to undergo. God bless all of you.

Review Notes
H1CLE- Introduction to the Bible and the Old Testament
2nd Quarterly Test

Passover Meals

Shalom everyone!

I just finished today my last of six Passover Seder meals this week. These were truly great and memorable class encounters for me and, I hope, for each and everyone of you as well.

Although prayer services, they were nonetheless fun-filled experiences getting to eat traditional Jewish dishes, trying out things we've never tasted before, all over stories of how God led his people from slavery into freedom, from bondage into fullness of life. As we shared the food, so did we share in the experience of our forefathers in the faith, letting its power, made present by our anamnesis, touch us in the present and unite us with them.

Thanks to everyone for making these Passovers truly meaningful for all of us. Special thanks to the parents who supported our endeavors and helped prepare some of the food.

Dayenu, Adonai, Dayenu!

Sample Prayer Service

Shalom Class!

To further help you with your Prayer Service, I have prepared a sample prayer service for my favorite saint, Saint Therese of Lisieux.


Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
virgin and doctor of the Church
Feast Day: October 1

Brief Biography

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus was born as Marie Therese Francoise Martin to an upper middle-class family in Lisieux, a rural village of France. The youngest child, Therese was raised in piety, surrounded by the love and care of her family. At age fifteen, she was called by God to serve him as a Carmelite nun in a life of prayer and sacrifice. In Carmel, she had to live the simple and disciplined life of a contemplative nun, very far from the comfortable and sheltered environment she was accustomed to in childhood. Yet she offered herself to God, doing the most ordinary things like sweeping floors, folding towels and washing kettles always with great love. She contracted tuberculosis and died at the tender age of 24, still uttering on her deathbed of pain with undiminished faith and devotion, "My God, I love you!"

After her death, many people from all walks of life have been inspired and led by her simple way of sainthood: to do the most ordinary things with great love. She was soon declared a saint, and soon after, despite the simplicity of her teachings, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, foe she taught and showed people how to be a great saint even if one is able to do only simple things for Jesus. Even if she considered herself very small, Jesus' Little Flower, she is regarded by many as "The Greatest Saint of Modern Times."

Scripture Reading

Psalm 131
LORD, my heart is not proud; nor are my eyes haughty.
I do not busy myself with great matters,
with things too sublime for me.
Rather, I have stilled my soul, hushed it like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother's lap, so is my soul within me.

Reflection on the Saint's Virtue

Although she wanted to accomplish great things for God, Saint Therese knew her weakness and chose instead to offer Him the simple, ordinary things she does everyday with great love, like a little child to her Father. She can be our model in following the commandment, "You shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength," for she teaches us that to please God, we do not need to do great things, we only have to do all things with great love, that is, with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength.

Prayer

Loving Father,
you raised your little one,
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
and made her great, even in her simplicity,
by teaching her to do even the smallest things
with great love for you.

Be with us as we journey through life
and help us imitate the way of Saint Therese.

May we always remain simple as a little child before you,
and learn to do our ordinary duties with joy and faith
through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Very Important Announcements

Shalom Class!

Thank God for the holidays... by using it properly and wisely especially in view of the fact that the Second Quarter is quickly coming to a close with hoards of requirements to prepare and pass and tons of class material to review and study. The coming week will be especially hectic for CLE class with several things to submit:

1. Creative Synthesis (Part 3 - My Saint's Desert Experience) due on Monday

ALL DUE on Friday:
2. Creative Synthesis (Part 4 - My Saint's Promised Land)
3. Creative Synthesis (Prayer Service)
4. Passover Meal Group Paper
5. High1CLE - Second Reflection Paper (My Own Desert Experience)

The Passover Meal Group Paper must include
1. Title: the name of the food assigned to your group.
2. The recipe thatyou used for the food.
3. The significance/ symbolism of the food in the Passover meal.
4. The prayers that are said while sharing the food. (You can find the prayers in the material I posted earlier in this blogsite)
5. The names of your group members

Here are the rubrics for your Second Reflection Paper:

H1 CLE - Second Reflection Paper

Topic:
My Desert Experience: Finding God in a Dry and Difficult Moment of Life

Procedure:
1. Identify a period or moment in your own life where you encountered God’s silent presence. Remember and describe that part of your life by identifying the feelings and thoughts that your had. How did I react to the apparent absence of God? Was I angry, doubtful, complaining or still trusting? How did God speak to me during that difficult moment in my life? What was he trying to tell me?
2. Compare your experience to the desert experience of Israel. How was my desert experience similar to or different from that of Israel? (Remember to use Scripture and apply the lessons in your comparison)
3. Ask, "How did God lead me and form me in the desert?" Looking back at it from the present, ask, “How did that experience change me for better or worse?” What contributed to the change? Where do I see the hand of God at work here?

Scoring Rubrics:
Proper Understanding of Desert Experience 10pts.
Application to one’s life 10pts.
Comparison with the Biblical example (Israel’s desert experience) 10pts.
Depth and completeness of insights and reflection 10pts.
Organization and Coherence of Ideas 5pts.
Proper Format 5pts.

TOTAL SCORE (10% of Quarterly Grade)

God bless us all.

Passover Recipes

Shalom Class!

I am already very excited for our Passover meal! I am looking forward to a truly meaningful and memorable Prayer Service will all my classes for this quarter. Here are some recipes that you may want to follow. You are to submit the recipe with the significance of your assigned food and the prayers for eating it together with the names of your group members next week.

Matzoh (Unleavened Bread)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wholewheat flour (or just another cup of all-purpose flour)
spring water (or plain, clean water)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix two flours together and add water until you have a soft, kneadable dough. Knead about five minutes. Let dough rest a couple of minutes.

Break off egg-sized portions of dough. Stretch as thinly as you can before rolling into thin, oval slabs that are as thin as possible. Prick each slab with a fork or pastry docker. Place on baking sheet and as soon as sheet is filled with matzohs, place in oven, and bake until crisp and buckled, about 3 minutes. Cool and eat.

(You should prepare three big matzohs for three rounds of eating, so just multiply the ingredients to achieve that amount. Each matzoh should be enough to be shared by the whole class, which should be around the size of a 14"-16" pizza.)

Maror (Bitter herbs dip)

Ingredients
traditionally, horseradish or romain lettuce is used
other bitter herbs like ampalaya leaves may be substituted.

Directions
Finely grate the herbs together to form a bitter dip for the matzoh. You may want to use a food processor but do not overdo so the maror will not become watery.

Kharoset (Sweet apple dip)

Ingredients
5 large apples
2 1/2 cup walnuts or another nut, chopped fine
5 tablespoonw grape juice, fresh squeezed is best
5 teaspoons honey
2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Directions
Peel, core and grate the apple. Mix apple with the remainder of ingredients in a storage container with a lid mixing well. (You may also want to use a food processor but do not overdo because the dip may become watery. Place in the refridgerator for several hours, the apples should be turning brown.

Other reminders:
1. Those assigned to bring traditional Passover dishes, except the matzoh must divide the food into four containers to facilitate sharing. (So we will not have to get from just one dish.)
2. Those assigned to bring grape juice should bring enough for everyone in class to drink a small amount for three rounds. They should also bring paper cups.
3. Those assigned to bring roast beef should also bring toothpicks for everyone.

"We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt, but God took us out from there, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm..."

Passover Meal

Shalom Class!

We shall be holding our Prayer Service during our first encounters next week, which will be one of the highlights not only of the quarter but also of the entire course. We will be experiencing a Passover celebration with all the beautiful ceremonies, inspiring texts and richly symbolic food of this important Jewish festival.

Each class will be divided into groups and will take care of preparing the various foods and other preparations for the celebration. The cooperation and contribution of each member will be important to make this event successful and meaningful for each of us. I shall discuss the particulars with you during class time. Meanwhile, here is a copy of the Passover Ritual (Haggadah) in booklet form.

Dayenu, Adonai, Dayenu
A Passover Haggadah

Exodus and Passover Notes

The Exodus at the Core of Israel’s Faith

Exodus 14:1-18

Exodus, God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, is the core of Israel’s faith, worship, and life. This affirmed the reality that the Hebrews were the Chosen People of God. They experienced God as liberator and savior. God’s glory and power was revealed most powerfully in this event when he saved the people from Pharaoh’s oppressive hand.

God provides special protection for the people throughout their flight from Egypt, especially in the glorious crossing “dry shod” of the Red Sea, and as they march through the wilderness and in the triumphant journey toward the Promised Land. The crossing of the Red Sea, however, was the climactic moment. In this, the people saw the extraordinary saving act that God did on their behalf. They were assured of God’s constant and faithful concern for Israel in the future. They saw their whole life as an Exodus—a march towards greater faith and freedom in Yahweh.

a. Pillar of Cloud by Day and Pillar of Fire by Night – God showed them his constant guiding presence, walking before them as their true leader, as a pillar of cloud shielding them from the heat of day and as a pillar of fire protecting them in the cold and darkness of night.

b. Crossing of the Red Sea – God showed his mighty power, not only in creating a highway right in the middle of the raging sea but also in allowing the Israelites to cross it “dry shod’ and unscathed. Moreover, his mighty hand is seen to defeat the enemies of Israel: Pharaoh and his formidable army of chariots and charioteers by a single stroke of his mighty right arm.

b. Manna, Quails and Water – God showed his providence for the Israelites despite their continual grumbling and complaining, graciously providing all of their needs and patiently attending to their cries.

God’s continuing presence is seen in his constant communication with his servant Moses who acts as the mediator between the people and God. God is continually attentive to the needs of the people and always responsive to their needs.

The Characteristics and Dynamics of Authentic Religious Experience

Experience of God – Authentic Religious experience always begins with a Theophany, God who reveals himself, an experience that can inspire awe by becoming aware of God’s greatness as well as fear by becoming aware of our unworthiness and littleness in comparison to the greatness of God. The experience can be as grand and overwhelming as the experience of the Israelites in the Crossing of the Red Sea. It can also be as subtle and simple such as a profound movement during prayer.

Being Transformed by the Experience - One characteristic of religious experience is its ability to organize our life around it so that it becomes the defining center of our lives and personal history. Do our values and priorities change because of the religious experience or do we remain the same? We cannot say we have been in touch with God and remain in our dark and sinful lives.

Experience Issues into Action - The final test of the authenticity of a religious experience is whether it issues into the right course of action. Did the experience make us more holy and more loving towards our neighbor?

Using this criteria, we see that the experience of the Israelites was complete on God’s part who made his saving presence felt beyond all doubt but limited on the part of the Israelites who still did not learn to trust and believe in him fully.

The experience in the desert will be a prolonged experience of purifying their faith, teaching them to really trust and believe in God, not only when he makes his presence clearly felt but also when he seems absent.

Anamnesis and Religious Experience

Anamnesis is to remember. Its opposite is amnesia. Remembering is important in our daily life, and especially in our spiritual life. We always need to go back to our experiences of God, especially in times of darkness and doubt, to find our faith anew and replenish our strength.

Memory is the Source of Identity – Remembering brings us back to who we are. Just as we need to remember our names, our parents, where we live and other details since we were little children, we also need to remember that we came from God and how God has constantly shown his love for us through the years.

Memory is the Source of Maturity – We can go through life learning nothing. But if we go through our experiences reflectively and try out best to remember and carry with us the lessons and wisdom we have learned from the past, our memory of history becomes the source of our maturity. Otherwise, we will only keep repeating our mistakes.

Memory is the Source of Relationship – Relationships are built on memories of shared moments and experiences, both happy and sad. When we accumulate these memories and whenever we recall them our bonds become tighter and our love becomes stronger.

For the Jews, they always return to the Passover experience when God showed to them the greatness of his saving love. For us Christians, we proclaim in every Eucharist that "Christ has died, Christ is risen and Christ will come again" when God revealed the depth of his love by giving us his only Son who laid down his life for our salvation so we may also join him in his Passover from death into newness of life.

Liturgical Prayer: Anamnesis, Epiclesis, Petition

In composing the official prayers of the Church, we follow a certain prayer format:
anamnesis-(epiclesis)-petition.

Anamnesis- recalling God’s acts
Epiclesis- invoking God’s presence and power
Petition- asking for specific favors or blessings

Sometimes there is only epiclesis, or only petition. But always, there is anamnesis. For example:
(anamnesis)
Father, source of strength and comfort for your people.
(epiclesis)
Watch over us always
(petition)
and keep us under the shadow of your wingsfor we put all our trust in you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Even just the word “Father” constitutes an anamnesis for whenever we call God Father, we also invoke the memories of how he has always been a Father to us as community of believers and as individuals in our own lives as his children.

We remind God of the wonders he has done for us in the past and ask him to do the same for us again. We refresh the memory of our relationship, which assures us that the prayers that we make will be granted according to what will be best for us.

By remembering God's saving acts in history in our prayer and is our life, we are thus reminded of our identity as God's children and chosen people. Thus we grow in maturity by remembering how God has always cared for and guided us in the past despite our many faults and failings. Thus we grow to love our Father who has always loved us.

On the Scapular Promise, October Medals and Sacramentals in General

Yesterday, during Mentoring Time, one of the students asked me question out-of-the-blue which made me think. He was asking about the Scapular promise. "Cher, is it true that if I die wearing the brown Scapular, I will not go to hell?" Another student quickly added, "What if I commit suicide while wearing the brown Scapular, will I go to heaven?"

The Scapular promise is said to have been given by Our Lady to Saint Simon Stock as a pledge of her maternal love and protection saying: "Whosoever dies wearing this Brown Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire." While I have always believed in that promise, I think it should not be taken too literally, especially in the sense of the second question.

Killing oneself in despair is definitely contrary to what Our Blessed Mother would want any of us to do. I ask, "What if somebody tries to steal from a bank and wears a brown Scapular just in case he gets shot by the police and dies?" Obviously enough, using the Scapular in that sense is ridiculous! It is almost as if the Scapular is a magic badge that will protect us from the never-dying flames of hell almost as certainly as the Survivor "immunity necklace" would surely save you from being voted out of camp!

This morning, the traditional October medals were blessed and distributed and we teachers and the students are now wearing them, but why? Are they supposed to have the same kind of effect the Brown Scapular is said to have? Must we wear them as passports to heaven?

Brown Scapulars and October Medals are passports to heaven but only if we use them properly, that is, with true love and devotion to Our Blessed Mother. True love and devotion does not end however in wearing these religious objects but must always translate into faithful imitation of Our Lady's virtues and struggle to wear them worthily with purity of heart and holiness of life.

These articles are not magic amulets but sacramentals-channels and instruments through which God draws near to us and through which we draw near to God. Without our real drawing close to God, these sacramentals will not serve their real purpose, will not be effective.

May our wearing of these articles of faith help us to become really close to Our Mother and to her Son Jesus Christ by our imitation of her following him closely and loving him faithfully. Thanks to the two students whose questions helped remind us again of the real value of these objects of our love and devotion.

Saint Jerome

Shalom Class!

Today we celebrate the memory of Saint Jerome, a very important Biblical scholar and a truly great doctor or teacher of the Church.

Saint Jerome's greatest contribution was his translation of the Biblical texts from the original Greek and Hebrew, which were difficult to read and study, into Latin, which was the language used by more people during his time. He believed that every Christian should be able to read and study the Bible. He even said, "Ignorance of Scriptures is Ignorance of Christ."

May Saint Jerome's example and holiness inspire us to study with greater love and devotion God's Word revealed in Scriptures.

More about the Creative Synthesis

Shalom Class!

How are you proceeding with your Creative Synthesis? I hope you are all enjoying your adventure with your saint of the quarter. Anyway, here are some added tips:

1. Do not limit yourself to just one source/ website. Check several sources and try to put the information together according to the requirements of the task.
2. Do not limit yourself to the information available. Fill in what is unsaid and unspoken by trying to put yourself in the shoes of the saint. (E.g. How must it have felt to be a martyr, or to enter the seminary at that age? What would it have been like to face the problems that he or she encountered in life?)

For those who got the Chinese martyrs, here are some useful sites:

Agostino Zhao Rong and 119 Companions, Martyrs in China
From the Vatican Website

Chinese Martyrs Parish
A Canadian Website

If you really think you cannot find enough materials for your saint, you may get other saints that the others did not sign up for or you may try to find another saint who is not in the list. Here is the official list of saints you signed up for:

Saints Sign Up

Creative Synthesis

Shalom Classes!

The creative synthesis for the Quarter is much longer than the first (don't worry I will go through it patiently as you will) but hopefully it will be very fruitful and formative as well for everyone of us.

The prescribed format for the four installments (milestones) will be as follows:

Arial font, 12-point size, double-spaced, short bond paper

The deadlines for each milestone will be every Friday beginning next week. For those classes that I will not be meeting on Fridays, and for the October 5 submission, you may submit them to your designated CLE beadles before lunchbreak during those Fridays.

a. Lech L'cha - September 28
b. Passover - October 4 (since October 5 will be Appreciation Day)
c. Desert Experience - October 12 (with the Reflection Paper)
d. Promised Land - October 19 (with the text of the Prayer Service)

CLE Beadles:
H1A - Christopher Dy
H1B - Ronald Lim
H1C - Andre Garcia
H1D - Jedric Lim
H1E - Francis Abad
H1G - Eric Lao

Just two practical tips:
a. take down notes during class so you will have an easier time writing your papers.
b. manage your time well so your requirements (this is true in all subjects) do not pile up.

For any questions, you may e-mail me at leoruizocampo@yahoo.com. Just do not forget to identify yourself properly and immediately identify your concern in the subject of your email.

I hope you will have a wonderful time journeying with the people of Israel and with your personal saint this quarter. Shalom!

Creative Synthesis (GRASPS)
H! Q2 SY 2007-2008

Here I Am!

We've all seen how God invited Abraham, Isaac and Jacob out of their comfort zones to follow his mysterious Lekh L'chas. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, he led them along the exciting journey of faith where God formed (sometimes, even transformed) them to be the Great Patriarchs of his chosen people.

As we close the book of Genesis and begin with Exodus, we see another person being called by God in one of the most beautiful and moving examples of what we call a call narrative. The structure of the call narrative reveals another dimension to how God chooses people for his tasks: not only does he call unworthy men, he also promises to be with them to support and sustain them in their carrying out God's work.

With that, here is our slideshow for the Call of Moses.

Here I Am!
Yahweh Calls Moses to Set His People Free

Joseph's Journey

After having studied the myths about the beginnings of the universe and of man in Gen: 1-11, and after having seen the lives of the Patriarchs of Israel, at long last, we are about to close the book of Genesis with the saga of Joseph, Jacob's favorite son.

A saga is a prolonged story colored with many interesting details and exciting twists and turns. In the story of Joseph, you will see almost every kind of thing that happened to the Patriarchs occur in his life as well. But while the story itself may be long and winding, the point of this literary form is quite simple: what happened to the Great Patriarchs, if it happened to Joseph, can also happen to you, to me and to any of us who are also Jacob's sons by faith.

With that, here are the slides for our lesson on Joseph. As you receive your grades, may you accept them with deep and real hope and not just shallow optimism. God bless all of you.

Joseph's Journey
It Can Be Yours Too

High Batch Mass

Shalom everyone!

Thank you once again to each and everyone of you who made our Batch Mass a really fruitful, orderly and meaningful activity for our High1 Xavier Community.

Special thanks to the Batch Representative and the Class Presidents, and those who were given particular roles to play in preparation as well as the celebration of the liturgy.

All praise, honor and glory be to God our Lord and to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. May God bless you always.

Isaac and Jacob

After Abraham, the promise continues with his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob: two people with personalities you would never expect to be chosen by God. Yet God called them and they allowed themselves to be led along God's exciting ways.

With that, here are the slides for our Isaac and Jacob stories.

Isaac's Silent Laughter
Another Way of Following Yahweh's Lekh L'cha

Tale of Two Brothers
Jacob and Esau

Some Changes in our Batch Mass Liturgy

Shalom Everyone!

There are minor changes in our Batch Mass Liturgy. The flowers will be offered no longer during the Prayers of the Faithful but after the Prayer After Communion.

Below is the list of ministers with assigned roles to play during the Mass itself. All the rest are highly encouraged to JOIN THE CHOIR. There will be a choir practice tomorrow during lunch time at the High School Sacred Heart Chapel. Let us all work together to make this batch activity a real success.

Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Chosen Daughter of Israel (Revised Version)

ALTAR SERVERS
John Aldrix Tan (H1B)
Lucas Ngo Dee (H1D)

READERS
First Reading: Edmer Maguan (H1G)
Responsorial Psalm: Justin Pua (H1C)

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL
John Say (H1A)
Ronald Lim (H1B)
Stewart Ngo (H1C)
Caesar Wongchuking (H1D)
Markyn Kho (H1E)
Godwin Gan (H1F)
Jessel Herradura (H1G)
Mario Bautista (H1H)

FLOWER OFFERORS
Christopher Malata (H1A)
David Ngo (H1B)
Gabriel Yuyek (H1C)
Gregory Siy (H1D)
Solomon Say (H1E)
Kevin Co (H1F)
Sidney Aquilino (H1G)
EJ Dee (H1H)

Batch Mass High1

Shalom Everyone!

We will be having our High1 Batch Mass this coming Friday, September 8, at the newly-renovated Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH) for the first two periods. Since it is the eve of the celebration of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and we are studying the Old Testament this year, we will be using the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chosen Daughter of Israel (taken from the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

Below is a copy of the liturgy to be used during the Batch Mass. Those who have been assigned particular roles are asked to study, and practice if needed, their parts beforehand. (I have indicated your parts by printing your names in the rubrics, or instructions, of the liturgical text)

Let us all work together so that this spiritual activity will be truly meaningful and fruitful for our High1 Community. God bless all of you.

Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Chosen Daughter of Israel

P.S. The picture above, for those who were not able to watch The Nativity Story is a scene where Mary shares some treats with the younger children after Old Testament Class. c",)

Abraham: Father in Faith

Shalom Classes!

We have moved from the first quarter to the second quarter by discussing three well-beloved Bible stories that bring to a close the section Genesis 1 to 11. Now, we are officially leaving the realm of myth and entering the realm of history.

In the lives of the Great Patriarchs of Israel, you will see how Yahweh moves in the lives of his chosen people: ordinary men who are far from perfect yet full of trust and faith in following Yahweh's surprising Lekh L'chas.

With that, here is our first round of PowerPoint presentations for the second quarter.

Chaos to Cosmos Cycles
Three Well-Beloved Bible Stories from Genesis 1 to 11

Lekh L'cha
Abraham's Journey of Faith

Abraham's Ultimate Test
God Commands Abraham to Sacrifice Isaac

Mazal Tov: First Quarterly Tests

Shalom Classes!

Mazal Tov to everyone for a quarter that has been successfully ended: your first ever in your high school life. Mazal Tov in particular to those who did excellently in the quarterly examinations. Here is the list of our achievers:

H1A
Joseph Brianne Bacleon
John Patrick Fernandez*
Daniel Quiaoit

H1B
David Ngo
Gerard Clinton Que*
Dong-jun Shin
Jason Uy

H1C
Shane Benedicto
Joshua Collado*
Jeffrey Ty

H1D
Charles Gosiaco
Jeremy Kua
David Peñaloza
Martin Qui
Kendrik Sio
Arthur Tan
Marvin Tan
Caesar Wongchuking
Charles Yu*

H1E
Francis Abad
Matthew Chua
Baron Chuahiong
Harold Co
Markyn Kho**
Donal Ong
Joshua Reyes
Solomon Say
Bryce Tan
David Tan
Timothy Tan
Jeffrey Teh
Michael Tobias
John Christopher Umali
Juan MIguel Ventanilla

H1G
David Andres
James Chua
Jed Chua
Josh Co
Marc Terence Co*
Dustin Dee
Timothy Hung
Tristan Lim
Mario Onglao III
Thomas Rosal
Benedict Santiago
Myles Sy
Christian Tan
Rodger Tan
Miguel Tan Casis
Winchell Wong

*highest in their class
**highest among all my classes

To those who did very well, keep up the good work! To whose who did not do so well, never lose hope and try until you succeed.

Pope Benedict XVI's Homily on the Solemnity of Our Lady's Assumption

The Holy Father's homily for the feast of the Assumption echoes our discussions on Creation. Nothing ends in chaos. God is constantly drawing the world to himself.

He also made an important point about Sacred Scripture: "The words of Sacred Scripture always transcend the period in history." What was true for the community of believers during the time of the formation of the Scriptures remain true for us today.

Here he presents a historical interpretation of a passage from the Book of Revelation and opens up for us how looking and understanding the historical context of the Scripture text sheds light on its original meaning and becomes the key to our understanding its meaning for us today.

HOLY MASS ON THE SOLEMNITY
OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, Castel Gandolfo
Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Dear Brothers and Sisters, In his great work "De Civitate Dei," St Augustine says once that the whole of human history, the history of the world, is a struggle between two loves: love of God to the point of losing oneself, of total self-giving, and love of oneself to the point of despising God, of hating others. This same interpretation of history as a struggle between two loves, between love and selfishness, also appears in the reading from the Book of Revelation that we have just heard.

Here, these two loves appear in two great figures. First of all, there is the immensely strong, red dragon with a striking and disturbing manifestation of power without grace, without love, of absolute selfishness, terror and violence.

At the time when St John wrote the Book of Revelation, this dragon represented for him the power of the anti-Christian Roman Emperors, from Nero to Domitian. This power seemed boundless; the military, political and propagandist power of the Roman Empire was such that before it, faith, the Church, appeared as a defenceless woman with no chance of survival and even less of victory.

Who could stand up to this omnipresent force that seemed capable of achieving everything? Yet, we know that in the end it was the defenceless woman who won and not egoism or hatred; the love of God triumphed and the Roman Empire was opened to the Christian faith.

The words of Sacred Scripture always transcend the period in history. Thus, not only does this dragon suggest the anti-Christian power of the persecutors of the Church of that time, but also anti-Christian dictatorships of all periods.

We see this power, the force of the red dragon, brought into existence once again in the great dictatorships of the last century: the Nazi dictatorship and the dictatorship of Stalin monopolized all the power, penetrated every corner, the very last corner. It seemed impossible in the long term that faith could survive in the face of this dragon that was so powerful, that could not wait to devour God become a Child, as well as the woman, the Church. But also in this case, in the end love was stronger than hate.

Today too, the dragon exists in new and different ways. It exists in the form of materialistic ideologies that tell us it is absurd to think of God; it is absurd to observe God's commandments: they are a leftover from a time past. Life is only worth living for its own sake. Take everything we can get in this brief moment of life. Consumerism, selfishness and entertainment alone are worthwhile. This is life. This is how we must live. And once again, it seems absurd, impossible, to oppose this dominant mindset with all its media and propagandist power. Today too, it seems impossible to imagine a God who created man and made himself a Child and who was to be the true ruler of the world.

Even now, this dragon appears invincible, but it is still true today that God is stronger than the dragon, that it is love which conquers rather than selfishness.

Having thus considered the various historical forms of the dragon, let us now look at the other image: the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, surrounded by 12 stars. This is also a multidimensional image.

Without any doubt, a first meaning is that it is Our Lady, Mary, clothed with the sun, that is, with God, totally; Mary who lives totally in God, surrounded and penetrated by God's light. Surrounded by the 12 stars, that is, by the 12 tribes of Israel, by the whole People of God, by the whole Communion of Saints; and at her feet, the moon, the image of death and mortality.

Mary has left death behind her; she is totally clothed in life, she is taken up body and soul into God's glory and thus, placed in glory after overcoming death, she says to us: Take heart, it is love that wins in the end!

The message of my life was: I am the handmaid of God, my life has been a gift of myself to God and my neighbour. And this life of service now arrives in real life. May you too have trust and have the courage to live like this, countering all the threats of the dragon.

This is the first meaning of the woman whom Mary succeeded in being. The "woman clothed with the sun" is the great sign of the victory of love, of the victory of goodness, of the victory of God; a great sign of consolation.

Yet, this woman who suffered, who had to flee, who gave birth with cries of anguish, is also the Church, the pilgrim Church of all times. In all generations she has to give birth to Christ anew, to bring him very painfully into the world, with great suffering. Persecuted in all ages, it is almost as if, pursued by the dragon, she had gone to live in the wilderness.

However, in all ages, the Church, the People of God, also lives by the light of God and as the Gospel says is nourished by God, nourishing herself with the Bread of the Holy Eucharist. Thus, in all the trials in the various situations of the Church through the ages in different parts of the world, she wins through suffering. And she is the presence, the guarantee of God's love against all the ideologies of hatred and selfishness.

We see of course that today too the dragon wants to devour God who made himself a Child. Do not fear for this seemingly frail God; the fight has already been won. Today too, this weak God is strong: he is true strength.

Thus, the Feast of the Assumption is an invitation to trust in God and also to imitate Mary in what she herself said: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; I put myself at the Lord's disposal.

This is the lesson: one should travel on one's own road; one should give life and not take it. And precisely in this way each one is on the journey of love which is the loss of self, but this losing of oneself is in fact the only way to truly find oneself, to find true life.

Let us look to Mary, taken up into Heaven. Let us be encouraged to celebrate the joyful feast with faith: God wins. Faith, which seems weak, is the true force of the world. Love is stronger than hate.

And let us say with Elizabeth: Blessed are you among women. Let us pray to you with all the Church: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

© Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Some Important Announcements

Shalom Classes!

Hope you are enjoying your rainy day holidays and making enjoyable as well as fruitful use of your extra time.

The school administration has officially announced some important changes in our school calendar which I would like to share with you:

1. No classes tomorrow, August 19, Saturday.

2. The Quarterly Tests are moved to August 25 (Saturday) August 27 (Monday) and August 28 (Tuesday).

3. August 21-24 will be regular school days.

(August 20, Monday, is a holiday in honor of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.)

For our class calendar, please take note of the following:

1. Submission of Creative Synthesis Stage2 will still be on August 21, Tuesday. For High1G and High1B, please submit your Stage1 together with your Stage2 on the same day.

2. These requirements will be collected during class time. For High1B whom I will not be meeting on Tuesday, please submit them during recess time.

Please help spread the word to your other classmates and batchmates.

Meanwhile, please begin browsing through the story of Abram/Abraham which you will find in Genesis 11 onwards. Remember to pray also, hopefully not for more storms and lesser class days (we've had enough storms and suspensions!), but especially for those who are severely affected by these typhoons: the poor who have very fragile homes, the flooded who have to survive on evacuation centers, the farmers whose crops will get washed out.

God bless all of you.

Classes Suspended!

Shalom Class!

Due to the highly unpredictable weather, our classes were suspended again at the height of our last encounter day in the quarter.

Make the wisest use of your precious time. I leave it up to you to help yourselves and if possible, to help one another in doing your review. I am hoping the materials I have provided in the course of our discussions contained in this blogsite will be of help to you.

Just some last tips before the QT:

1. For multiple choice questions, read all choices very carefully. Understand what the question is really asking and then pick the best answer.
2. For modified True or False, look at the questions very carefully before answering.
3. For essay questions, answer briefly but completely. Look first and understand what the question is really asking. Answer the question direct to the point and to the best of your ability.

Do your best in studying but don't overdo it. Also, don't forget to pray at least on your own before taking the QTs. While taking the test, relax and be confident because God surely helps those who help themselves.

After all the QTs are over, take some time to rest and relax. And after you have rested and relaxed, you can already meet as groups and do your CLE Creative Synthesis Stage2.

Again, submission is on Tuesday, Aug. 21. God bless all of you!

Creative Synthesis Stage2

Instructions for CLE Creative Synthesis Stage 2

Shalom Class!! Before we finally end the first quarter, you have to work in groups to finish and submit the Stage2 of your Creative Synthesis (worth 30/70 of 15% of your quarterly grade).

After all your QTs are over, be sure to do the following:

1. Find your special grouping assignment for the CLE Creative Synthesis by looking it up at the High1 Bulletin Board (or clicking the link above).

2. Set a time to meet as a group and discuss the ideas that you already wrote in your Creative Synthesis Stage1 on how to improve the myth assigned to your class.

3. Come up with a short but complete version of the myth enriching it with the key religious points we learned. (Format: maximum of 5 pages, minimum of two, double-spaced Arial 12-point size, short bond)

a. You may replace some elements/details in the myth.
b. You may delete some elements/details from the myth.
c. You may add some elements/details to the myth.

(I posted the soft copy of all the myths below: Pinoy in the Beginnings. Just find the myth that I assigned to your class and you may just want to edit it instead of retyping everything all over again.)

VERY IMPORTANT: Underline the things that you have replaced or added to the story.

4. Print your work and submit on Tuesday, August 21, during your CLE period. If you do not have a CLE Period, you may submit them at the Faculty Workroom but only during Recess Time.

Note: Late submissions will only be accepted until the day after the deadline (August 22) and with a corresponding 20% deduction.

In the Beginnings
Creative Synthesis (GRASPS)

Pinoy In the Beginnings
Various Creation Myths from the Philippines

Pointers for Review

Shalom Class!

The QT Week is finally here! More so, we even have one last project (Creative Synthesis) coming up. Half of it will be done within our class time and the other half will be taken home to be submitted after the QTs are all over.

For your review, please pay attention especially to the following:

A. Introduction to the Bible and the Old Testament
-Essential concepts (Inspiration, Inerrancy, Canon, etc.)
-333 Lesson (3 Important characteristics of Scripture, 3 Important consideration in Interpreting Scripture, and the 3-fold Importance of Sacred Scripture)
-Literary forms
-
B. Creation: the Initial Act of Promise
-First Story of Creation (key points, historical context)
-Second Story of Creation (key points, historical context, important symbolisms)
-Sabbath (key points, history)

C. Fall and Promise
-The concept of being human (coming from the previous lesson)
-The concept of sin
-Justice, mercy and redemption

Our CLE QT Test will be on August 17. Bibles are not allowed during the QT.

So, prepare well for your exams in CLE as well as in other subjects. (Please, nobody should fail in CLE or in other subjects!) But even though you are very busy, don't forget to rest and relax once in a while and to pray. God bless all of you.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Shalom Class!

Classes are cancelled today due to heavy rains and flooding in many parts of Metro Manila so make good use of your time to rest, to study and work on your projects in preparation for the final exams. To help you review in CLE, I made a crossword puzzle which you can download that will hopefully help you remember not just important words but also important concepts. God bless all of you.

Shalom! Crossword Series 1
Introduction to the Bible and the Old Testament and Genesis 1-3

Creation: Fall and Promise

Wrapping up our lessons on Creation, we shall end the Quarter with a very brief discussion on Creation: Fall and Promise.

In this short section, we shall see the end of the Second Story of Creation, which contains the famous story of the Fall of Man. Looking deeply at the story, we hope to understand some very important aspects of the mystery of sin, how we are often tempted to commit it, and its consequences in our lives. More importantly, we hope to discover God's mercy and unconditional love, seen in the way he responds to sin, always with justice, but with even more abundant and overflowing forgiveness as well.

With that, here is my last slideshow for the First Quarter. Hope you had fun first encounters discovering God's Love in the Old Testament. Good luck for your quarterly exams in CLE as well as in all subjects and see you next Quarter!

Trees of Life and Death
Man's Fall and God's Promise

The Celebration of Sabbath on Sunday

Shalom Class!

Cheers as we all enjoy another long weekend! (Although we, your teachers, will still be in Xavier preparing your Quarterly Tests tomorrow) Take advantage of the free time to begin your review as well as to come up with quality requirements to submit to your teachers. Nevertheless, do not forget to allot some time to rest and recreate with your beloved friends and family.

With that, here is the Powerpoint presentation for your next lesson.

On This Day the First of Days
Celebrating Sabbath on Sunday

IF AND ONLY IF

Shalom Class!

IF AND ONLY IF there are no classes on Friday, August 3, the deadline for the reflection paper for all my classes will be moved to Monday, August 6.

Meanwhile, watch out for my upcoming post about the Creative Synthesis especially if classes will be cancelled on Friday so you can begin it early and will not have to cram the week before the Quarterly Test.

Reflection Paper Format

Shalom Class!

Due to insistent public demand, I have prepared a step-by-step procedure for formatting your reflection papers as double-spaced paragraphs:

1. Select/highlight your paragraphs (by clicking and dragging your mouse pointer over the text)
2. Then, click Format in the Menu bar, choose Paragraph and a dialog box will appear.
3. In the dialog box, go to Line Spacing and change the default selection which is single to Double. Your paragraphs will now be formatted as double-spaced!

Or, if it will make your life a bit easier (I know it's a little difficult these times of the year) you can just download the document below and type your reflection paper over the text that you already find there. (Warning: You cannot just cut and paste because the computer will usually follow the original formatting of the text before you cut it and will not automatically change it to double-spaced)

Reflection Paper Template
Word Document File

Or better yet, learn how to use the very easy keyboard shortcut!

1. Highlight/select your paragraphs
2. Then press Alt+O+P+N and change the selection to double.
3. There you go! Your document is already double-spaced.

Good luck for all your requirements! Work hard on your requirements and study very well but never forget to pray, even if for just a short while. God bless all of you.

Reflection Paper Guidelines

H1 CLE - First Reflection Paper

Topic:

Appreciation of my being a Human Person,
the most gifted and beloved of all God’s creatures

Guide Questions:

1. What does the Bible (Genesis 1-3) say about who I am as a human person and my relationship with God?

How does the text show the human person as gifted by God?
How does the text show the human person as beloved by God

(Be able to cite relevant passages or details from the text.)

2. How do I see and experience this reality in my own life?

How do I see and experience myself as gifted by God?
How do I see and experience myself as beloved by God?

(Be able to cite relevant experiences or self-realizations.)

3. Given this realization, what response will I give to God?

(Here you may specify some concrete actions or resolutions based on what you realized in your reflection.)

Prescribed Format:

Heading must include the following details:

name, year and section, date, teacher's name and an appropriate title

Arial Font, 12-point size, double-spaced, 1-inch margin on all sides

Grading System:

Appropriate Use and Correct Understanding of Scripture 15
Application and Comparison to Personal Experience 15
Depth of Realizations and Resolutions 10
Organization and Coherence of Ideas 5
Proper Format 5

TOTAL SCORE 50
(10% of Quarterly Grade)

Mazal Tov: Quiz No. 2

Mazal Tov to all students who got a perfect score for our Quiz No. 2!!!

To all students, always keep in mind your 333 Lesson (3 Characteristics of SS, 3 Considerations in Interpreting SS, and 3-fold Importance of SS) because these will be very important tools you will keep on using for the rest of the course. God bless you all!

H1A

Abigan, Kevin Derrick
Bacleon, Joseph Brianne
Ching, Godfrey Vance
Co, Spencer
Fernandez, John Patrick
Lim, Alfred Vincent
Ongchuan, Martin
Reyes, Marvin
Say, John Wesley
Tan. Bryan Jason
Tañedo, Henry James. Jr.
Tiu, Jasper Esmond
Yu, Jeremy Johnson

H1B

Chuahiock, Jon Fredrik
Go, Robert Martin
Lao, Kevin Brian
Rafols, Justin Paul
Tan, Chase Fredrick
Tong, Franz Paolo
Uy, Jason Russel
VeraCruz, Abram

H1C

Ancheta, Alfonso
Ejercito, Joseph Luis
Pua, Justin
So, Denzel Dion
Sy, Harvin
Sy Cezar, Kervick
Tan, Fernando, Jr.
Tan, Julliard Patrick
Te, Paolo Biondi
Uy, John Matthew

H1D

Enriquez, Berkeley Novak
Kua, Jeremy Jan Gabriel

H1E

Abad, Francis Andrew
Chua, Matthew Joseph
Hou, Tsung-Jen
Tan, David Reginald

H1G

Lao, Eric Michael
Rosal, Thomas Abraham
Tan, Aaron Daniel
Wong, Winchell
Yulo, Jose Luis Gerardo II

Keep up the good work!

The Second Creation Story

Shalom Class!

Now we come to the Second Creation Story, which is probably very familiar to many of you. By now you should already now that both Creation stories are not narrations of facts but fictional stories that drive home a religious point. It is more like a poetry than a newspaper, a painting rather than a documentary, presenting a way of looking at an experience of the past while affirming profound truths about the world, the human person and God.

With that here is our slideshow for the Second Creation Story.

The Second Creation Story
History but not History

Notes for Creation Lesson

Shalom Class!

Here is the online hand-out for our Creation lesson. However, may I repeat once and for all that this website does not excuse you from your duty of listening in class and taking down notes. By now, you should have already noticed that paying attention in class and following the flow of the encounter is the most important, even the one thing necessary, in this course.

God bless you.

Creation: the Initial Act of Promise (Hand-out)

The Enuma Elish and Genesis

Shalom Class!

The Genesis stories of Creation are not scientific or historical accounts about the origins of the universe and of man. Rather, they are myths that convey profound religious beliefs about who God is, what the world is and where it is going toward, and what is our place in the world as human persons.

The first story of Creation, as you already found out in our class activity is actually based on a creation myth widely accepted among the peoples of the Ancient Near East entitled Enuma Elish or "When on High". More than jusr noticing the similarities however, we need to focus on the differences that the Genesis author made in rewriting the Creation myth. Knowing the historical background of the writing of the text gives us a further clue on the meaning of the Genesis author: he is not just simply editing a story but is making a profession of faith.

With that, here is a copy of my slideshow for the First Story of Creation. Happy viewing!

The Enuma Elish and the Genesis Story of Creation
Israel's Profession of Faith

Mazal Tov: Quiz No. 1

Mazal Tov (Congratulations in Hebrew) to our early achievers who each got a perfect score for our Quiz No. 1!!!

H1A - Alfred Vincent Lim
H1B - Jason Russel Uy
H1C - Joshua Collado, Harvin Cy, Kervick Sy Cezar, Jeffrey Ty
H1D - Martin Daniel Qui, Edric Jordan Regalario
H1G - Tristan Jonel Lim, Edmer Maguan, Mario Juvenal Onglao III, Christian David Tan

Keep up the good work!

Garfield: Fact or Fiction? True or Untrue?

Here we have a sample of a Garfield comic strip. (Sorry about the size. Just click on the picture to enlarge it if you find it too small. Or, you can copy and paste it to MSWord and enlarge it more there if needed.)

Garfield, a cat and Odie, his friend dog, are shown as having human qualities: they go to Xavier High School just like you (although they don't wear the proper uniform) and talk to your teacher (and about your teacher) like you also do!

Now, think about these important questions:

Is Garfield something we can call fact or fiction? Is the comic strip true or untrue? Or can something be fiction and at the same time convey or carry a true message?

You may want to post your replies/comments below. Afterwards, see how your answers compare with the lesson on the powerpoint presentation.

Literary Forms (Powerpoint Presentation)

Introduction to the Bible and the Old Testament

Hey Freshman!

Are you enjoying your High1 CLE course so far? We're now formally beginning our study of the Bible and in particular, the Old Testament. Here is the PowerPoint Presentation containing the essential concepts for our first lesson.

Always do good and study well! Don't forget to pray also.

Introduction to the Bible and the Old Testament
Essential Concepts

Introduction to the Bible and the Old Testament
Supplementary Notes (Word Format)

XSELF Instructions

Shalom Class!

Congratulations to those who have successfully completed their XSELF Courses. My apologies also to those classes where the Moodle did not work perfectly. You will be doing your XSELF next time we meet. I enjoin everyone to be patient and accomodating with our experiments. Hopefully we can come up with more Online Learning Packages like this in the future.

To help prepare you for our Online Quiz (this will be graded) you can access the Pre-Test PowerPoint by clicking the link below or by accessing XSELF. Be sure to understand and master everything so you will have high grades in the upcoming quiz. You might also want to check even the wrong answers because you will also have much to learn from the explanations given there.

Tutorial Game
To prepare you for the Quiz

Pre-Test
Introduction to the Bible and the Old Testament

Enrichment Activity

This is Rembrandt's depiction of The Evangelist Matthew Inspired by an Angel. Carefully observe it and notice the details.

Based on our lesson, is his idea and picture of Divine Inspiration correct or incorrect? Why do you say so?

If you think it is incorrect, what could be another and better way of representing The Evangelist Matthew Inspired by an Angel? If you think it is correct, what details will support your answer?

Share your thoughts to us by adding your replies below.

Guide on Composing the Opening/Closing Prayer

Shalom Class!

Beginning next week, you will begin to take turns in leading the Opening and Closing Prayers during our class meetings. Remember that this forms part of your Prayer Service Grade and you have to come up with a well-prepared and meaningful prayer:

1. Choose 1-3 verses from the Wisdom books of the Old Testament particularly the Psalms, Proverbs and the Book of Wisdom.
2. Read the verses in class and pause for a short while so everyone can briefly reflect.
3. Then, conclude with a prayer that you composed based on or drawing from the verses you have chosen. You might want to end with the phrase "through Christ our Lord" or "you live and reign forever and ever" to better alert your classmates when they have to respond "Amen."

For example:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise knowledge and instruction .-- Proverbs 1:7

To have a loving fear of you, O Lord,
to avoid offending you
and to do all that pleases you,
because you deserve all our love,
is the best and surest way for us to really learn
the most important things in life.

Help us to be truly wise
and to seek knowledge and instruction
not only out of fear
but out of love
through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Your prayer should fall within our 1-2 minutes time frame.
Submit a copy, typewritten or handwritten (but if it is handwritten it has to be really neat and presentable) to me on the day you lead the prayer.

WARNING: If you do not have a prepared prayer, you will automatically get zero for that particular grade component.

First Prayer Service

Shalom dear H1 Classes!

Here is the PowerPoint show for our First Prayer Service. Commentators, readers and those who were assigned other liturgical roles, please read and practice your parts beforehand.

Beginning a Year with Yahweh
First Prayer Service for H1 CLE