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
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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.