Mini-Reflection 1 for 2nd Quarter

MY MISSION STATEMENT
1st Mini-Reflection Paper for the 2nd Quarter

TASK
Based on our lesson on the Mission of Jesus, reflect and answer the following questions:

• What is my mission statement? What made me formulate such mission statement that I want to fulfill in my life?
• How is my mission statement aligned to Christ’s mission statement? Does my mission statement speak of the demands and values of the kingdom of God? If yes, how? If not, how will I be able to align my mission with that of Christ’s?
• What are concrete ways by which I can fulfill my mission statement? (Be SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound)
  

PRACTICAL GUIDELINES

• SHORT Bond Paper
• Maximum ONE FULL PAGE
• Computerized, 1.5 spaced (Don't know how to do it? CLICK HERE!)
  
• Font: Times New Roman, size: 12
• Margin: 1 inch per side
• Write the title of the reflection paper on the first line. Title must be in BOLD and UNDERLINED.
• Write proper identification marks at the back of paper (handwritten may do)
• No drawings, borders, pictures, wordart!
• Rules on reflection papers apply! (Grace period of one day with 20% deduction, any work submitted beyond this date merits a ZERO)
  

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 4 SEPTEMBER 2009 ON OR BEFORE 4:00 PM

Assignment for 2D

This assignment is in preparation for our forthcoming session. You are expected to accomplish this task individually.

Research or look for “mission statements” of well-known institutions/brands or products/people. Then, answer the following questions:

• What is the mission statement of your chosen institution/brand or product/person?
  
• Why do you think such institutions/nationality/brand or product/person chose or formulated this mission statement?
• If you were to create your own mission statement, what would it be? Why?

Answer these questions on a S2 (1/2 sheet, crosswise) paper and submit this next meeting (28 August 2009). Do not forget to write the proper paper format for the assignment. This is a homework worth 10 points!

Pointers for the First Quarterly Test

H2 CLE
FIRST QUARTERLY TEST
18 August 2009

Coverage:
1. JESUS CHRIST: A MEANINGFUL RE-INTRODUCTION
- Knowing Christ through the Sources
- Knowing Christ through the Gospels
- Formation of the Gospels
- Canon and the Gospels
- Scriptures and the Saints

2. THE WORLD OF JESUS
- Jesus' sitz-im-leben
- Where Jesus walked
- Socio-political groups of Jesus' time

3. GOD IS WITH US: THE EARLY LIFE OF JESUS
- The Infancy Narratives
- The Early Life of Jesus

Study well and do your best! God bless!

The Early Life of Jesus

The Hidden Life of Jesus (Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39-52)

According to Matthew, after the Visit of the Wise Men, the Holy Family had to escape the wrath of Herod by seeking refuge in Egypt. Luke, on the other hand, tells us that Jesus was circumcised and named 8 days later, and was presented to the Lord in the Temple.

While Matthew falls silent after the Holy Family’s settlement in Nazareth, Luke tells of Jesus’ lost and finding in the Temple when Jesus was already 12 years old. After this event, Luke, like Matthew, tells of Jesus growing in wisdom and stature, in Nazareth where he was obedient to his parents. After this, we see Jesus as already an adult.

This part of Jesus’ life has always been referred to as His Hidden Life. The gospels may be silent about it but reflecting on how Matthew and Luke summarized what happened to Jesus during this time, the following lessons may be gleaned:

• that life, for its greater part, is lived in ordinariness and regularity where the constant challenge is to recognize God Who silently works with, through, and in us.
• that the silence of the gospels with regard this part of Jesus’ life is an invitation also for us to observe periods of reflective silence to review our lives and contemplate our growths and areas for formation
• that family life is important wherein parents and children form one another, doing the role proper to each one.
• that work is ennobling when learned and done in much sincerity

The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22)

The gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus publicly starts His ministry when He was already around 30 years old. This was also the time that John the Baptist started preaching to the people about the need to repent and reform their lives in preparation for the Messiah. A highlight in John the Baptist’s ministry would be his baptizing people as an external sign of their desire and willingness to change their lives (metanoia). Jesus, sinless as He was, availed of the same baptism which John very reluctantly administered.

While Jesus was being baptized, according to Matthew, three things happened: the heavens opened, the Spirit of God descended on Him in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased.”

The baptism of Jesus, therefore, can be said to have the following meanings:

• that Jesus, once again, fully identifies with the rest of humanity by availing of the same baptism that is supposedly reserved only for sinners.
• that Jesus truly is the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, in Whom the fullness of God’s Spirit resides; it is Jesus’ formal investiture with the messianic with the messianic office.
• that the baptism of Jesus marks the start of His public ministry.

The Temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11)

After Jesus was baptized, Matthew and Luke both tell us that it is the Holy Spirit Himself which leads Jesus into the desert, a symbolic place for moments of purification and testing. This is not to say that it is the Holy Spirit or God Himself which leads us into temptations, but it is He who prepares us in overcoming these. Hence, the Spirit’s “driving” of Jesus in the desert should be interpreted as the Spirit’s strengthening of Jesus for the inevitable: Satan will try and try to overthrow Jesus’ mission.

Matthew tells us that Jesus fasted for 40 days, reminiscent of the 40-year sojourn of the Israelites in the Sinai desert, prior to His being tempted by the Devil. But unlike the Israelites, Jesus would prove to be victorious over the Devil.

In the accounts of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was tempted three times.

• In his weakened, hungry state, the First Temptation was to turn into loaves of bread common stones. This temptation tried to question Jesus’ (and in turn, our) identity: “If you are the Son of God…” The Devil uses as leverage Jesus’ divinity in order to make His mission easier. But Jesus refuses to give in to this temptation of pride. In the end, it is God’s Will expressed through His Words from which man’s true and everlasting nourishment comes from. Shortcuts by the use of extraordinary means may be convenient and advantageous but most of the time it also cheapens and does injustice to man’s capacity to fully develop himself extraordinarily through ordinary means.

• The Second Temptation, according to Matthew, is to test God’s love for us and fidelity to His promises. Though it starts with the same “If you are the Son of God…” what is peculiar and frightening to this temptation is that it shows that the Devil can quote and is most probably an expert with regard Sacred Scriptures. This temptation therefore warns us against false and twisted ways of showing faith and trust in God: like the bahala na ang Diyos and kung ikaw nga nang Diyos mentality. By refusing this challenge of Satan, Jesus teaches us that the true value of our faith and trust in God lie not so much in what is spectacular, fatalistic or supernatural. Rather, true faith is the hope, trust, and love we render to God despite our intellectual poverty, away from the cheering crowd, and without self-satisfaction.

• The Third Temptation, still according to Matthew, is a temptation to worldly power. Many times have our world been called the Kingdom or Domain of Satan not because the world is evil by itself, but because we often get attached to the things and affairs of this world which take us away from worshiping and developing an intimate relationship with the true God. Satan toys with Jesus’ Jewishness by promising to make Him the ideal Messiah of His people and therefore be speedily acceptable to them. And yet, this is not God’s will. By refusing this temptation and finally banishing Satan away, Jesus teaches us that we may be in this world, but we are definitely not of this world. Nothing in this world will fully satisfy man’s eternal longing for meaningful and everlasting satisfaction save God alone Who was the One Who placed that longing in us as our supposed link to Him. To link and fill this longing using the world may satisfy us but only for a while.

In all three temptations, Satan tried to make Jesus question His own identity and consequentially His own mission. By refusing all these, Jesus in turn teaches us never to let this world make us forget our identity as children of God.

Temptations are not sins by themselves but invitations to commit sins. At the same time, temptations are also opportunities to put into action the graces that God bestows upon us as His children, and therefore, opportunities also for doing what is good. Our worst temptations are those that hit our weakest spots. That is why self-knowledge is key to overcoming temptations especially habitual ones. The Devil exactly knows where and how to trap us that is why constant vigilance aided by the values of Jesus, the wisdom of the Church, and the experience and testimony of others will properly equip us in our daily spiritual warfare.

Guidelines for the First Quarter Prayer Service

GUIDELINES FOR THE FIRST QUARTER PRAYER SERVICE

At the end of the first quarter of your second year in high school, it is important for us to remember where we came from (our study of the Old Testament in High 1), where we are right now (our topic for this year's CLE - Experiencing Goid's love in Christ), and where we aspire to be (application of the things we learned in our various topics and lessons). Hence, it is but fitting to "begin" our deeper understanding of the person and mission of Jesus in the next few quarters through a simple yet meaningful class prayer service.

This is a class activity where the members of the class are expected to help each other to make our prayer service solemn and memorable. Class officers (i.e. president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) together with the class ministers (i.e. chaplain and porter) are tasked to supervise and distribute the workload from among the members of the class. Please appoint five point persons, who will form the Steering Committee, in-charge of overseeing the following:

a. the prayer text b. the music c. logistics (decoration and physical arrangements) d. presentation (powerpoint for prayer and responses) e. invitation (for class advisers, mentors, guidance counselor, etc.) e. the symbolic gesture (headed by the Class chaplain)

Below is a suggested format for the Prayer Service:

1. Opening Hymn – A familiar gathering song to begin the celebration, which can be sung by the class led by selected instrumentalists.

2. Introductory Speech/ Presentation – A reflection on beginning a year of experiencing God's love in Christ, delivered by the Class President and/or class porter.

3. Reading from Scripture – A gospel reading that would serve as your "food for thought" at the beginning of the year.

4. Symbolic Gesture – As a response to God’s Word, the students will decide on a symbolic gesture, related to their lesson, as a focal point of their prayer service. The idea is to be proposed and discussed by the Class Officers and Ministers to the CLE teacher, subject to his/her recommendations and final approval.

5. Intercessions – Intercessory prayers to be offered for various intentions. The following are especially recommended intentions: a. for the Church b. for the nation c. for the less fortunate d. for Xavier community. e.for the class

6. Final Prayer – The prayer service ends with the singing of the Lord’s Prayer and a short final prayer for the class to be led by an appointed member of the class.

7. Closing Hymn – A fitting song to end the prayer service.

Here are the criteria for grading the prayer service:

• The place/venue was suitably arranged and well decorated for the event: 2 POINTS
• The class established a prayerful atmosphere throughout the entire prayer service: 4 POINTS
• The symbolic gesture that the class members used was meaningful and carried out in an appropriate manner: 4 POINTS
• The class participated actively in singing and saying together the prayer responses: 3 POINTS
• Evaluation from teacher or mentor present in the celebration: 2 POINTS
  

Total: 15 POINTS

This Prayer Service will be rated as part of the students’ quarterly prayer service grade in CLE. Part of the grade (5 points) will be based on a copy of the text for the entire prayer service to be submitted by the Class President and Chaplain on or before Thursday, 13 August 2009 to the CLE teacher and part will be based on the actual prayer service on Friday, 14 August 2009.

Infancy Narratives and the Genealogy of Jesus

Of the four canonical gospels, only Matthew and Luke have an account of the infancy of Jesus. In our study, we used the gospel of Matthew because of its intention to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophesies that was made in the Old Testament with regard the coming of a Savior.

The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17)

• The Abrahamic and Davidic ancestry of Jesus established His credentials to be the royal Messiah of Israel
• The inclusion of women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah) in the genealogy is unusual but not unprecedented and they serve two possible purposes: 1) all the women are Gentiles/non-Jews and Matthew is trying to portray, like Luke, the universality of Jesus’ mission; 2) that the presence of immoral women (except Ruth, and even of immoral men) does not undermine Jesus’ messianic credentials.
• Nothing can prevent God from drawing good from evil.
  

Joseph and Mary (Matthew 1:18-25)

• Joseph is Jesus’ foster and legal father since Jesus was born not of the flesh or out of the marital act but through the action of the Holy Spirit in Mary. The same relationship is true with regard God who is our Father in a non-physical but spiritual way.
• Mary is Jesus’ mother in the fullest sense of the word as she truly carried Jesus in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit without losing her virginity. The exact moment of God’s taking on human flesh or incarnation in Mary’s womb was when Mary said “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel’s Annunciation that she was chosen to be the Mother of God.
• Because Mary was found pregnant during her betrothal period to Joseph, Mary, according to Jewish law, can be stoned to death for adultery. Joseph, however, being a “righteous man” decided to dismiss Mary “quietly” either because he wants to spare Mary’s life and reputation or, after believing that it was God’s son that Mary was carrying, because he felt unworthy to be the foster-father of the Son of God.
• In relation to the Old Testament, it is also good to note that because Joseph is descended from King David, Joseph is able to transfer to Jesus all the royal or Davidic rights of inheritance. Furthermore, Matthew’s portrayal of Joseph is parallel to the Joseph of the Old Testament: 1) both had the same name, 2) both have fathers named Jacob, 3) God spoke to both in dreams, 4) both were righteous and chaste, and 5) both saved their families by going to Egypt.
• God, through countless examples but especially through Joseph and Mary, shows how much good can be achieved if only we are willing to cooperate.
  

Jesus and His Birth (Luke 2:1-7)

• The Greek name Iēsous is equivalent to the Hebrew name Joshua (Yehoshua’) which means, “Yahweh saves.”
• He is born in Bethlehem (“House of Bread”), where David was also anointed (Christos) as king.
• According to the gospel of Luke, Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and was laid in a manger or the animals’ feeding trough. Allegorically, says St. Cyril of Alexandria, Jesus in the manger foretells Jesus’ institution of the Holy Eucharist where He becomes life-giving food for all of us.
• The census that made the Holy Family go to Joseph’s city of origin was also symbolic in the sense that Jesus, who is God-incarnate, was numbered or tagged with the rest of humanity during that time and for all ages. He was God who embraced our humanity full and entire to radically show us the depth of His love for us.
  

Wise Men From the East (Matthew 2:1-12)

• At best, they were Persian astrologers who believed that the skies constantly signify great earthly events such as the birth of a king
• The star which the Wise Men follows, recalls an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah which goes “I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel, That shall smite the brows of Moab, and the skulls of all the Shuthites, till Edom is dispossessed, and no fugitive is left in Seir. Israel shall do valiantly” (Numbers 24: 17-18). This information greatly disturbs King Herod since he is, after all, an Edomite.
• The Wise Men from the East, also known as the “Magi” or the “Three Kings”, symbolize the manifestation or “Epiphany” of Jesus not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles or non-Jews. God came not only to be one with the Jews, but with all of humanity.
• Tradition has always named the Wise Men as Melchior, Caspar, and Baltassar. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh have also been given allegorical meaning: gold for Christ’s royalty or kingship, frankincense for Christ’s priesthood and divinity, and myrrh for Christ’s subsequent passion and death.

Indeed, God responds to the Israelites' prayers with regard the sending of a savior by not giving them another King David who will save them from human enemies, but someone greater than David who will save them from sin and death.

In Jesus, we see, God “pitching His tent” in our midst. God did not simply answer His people through meaningful words and thoughts but more radically “in the flesh”. Jesus is both truly God and truly man. He is God incarnate. He is God-with-us (Immanuel).

ANNOUNCMENT!

With the declaration of no classes on Wednesday, the submission of the mini-reflection paper entitled "The Messiah I Expect" will be on TUESDAY, 4 AUGUST 2009, ON OR BEFORE 4:00 PM.

Please be guided accordingly. God bless!

Monthly Prayer for August

Monthly Prayer for August 2009

MEMORARE
(For the feast of Queenship of Mary, August 22)

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, or sought your intercession,
was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you,
O Virgin of virgins, my mother
to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,
but in your mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.