I. HUMAN APPROACH

    ‘… we Filipinos are indeed a religious people. The thousands of churches and chapels all over the ISlands, from Batanes in the North to Jolo in the South, testify that Christianity has become a true part of the Philippine lie. We consider ourselves the Christian country of Asia.

     When one tries to determine the characteristic of our Christian faith, one finds that our practice of religion has taken on a popular color and has a special sense of devotion that makes it specifically Filipino…

     No less prominent is another trait … the special place the Mother of Christ has in the life of the Filipino people… this devotion to the Blessed Mother should be reflected upon and exmianed so that a golden mean may be kept between these forms of devotion that reflect “the diversity of native characteristics and temperament among the faithful,” sand the principle stated by the Council itself “that true devotion consists in neither fruitless and passing emotion, nor in a certain vain credulity.

     Rather it proceeds from true faith, by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and are moved to a filial love towards our mother and to the imitation of her virtue.

(Ang Mahal na Birhen, a Pastoral Letter on the Blessed Virgin Mother art. 1 - 3)

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her. ‘Rejoice, so highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favor. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; and he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you,’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with his shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age,      herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

(Lk. 1: 26-38)

1. The Philippines has been labeled as “pueblo amante de Maria”. Let us enumerate how the Filipinos show their love and devotion to Mama Mary.

o       Most parishes have Mary as their patron in different ways like Our lady of Fatima, Lourdes, Immaculate Conception, etc.

o       In almost every region, there is a shrine where most go for their pilgrimages like Antipolo, Manaoag, Penfrancia, Piat, Aysasay, etc.

o       The novenas in preparation of the patronal feast and most especially the Perpetual Help Wednesday novenas.

o       The propagation of the block rosary especially in the month of October, the Month of the Holy Rosary.

o       Family altars with an image of our Blessed Mother and grottoes are prevalent in most residences

o       Marian names often used in the christening of many children during baptism

o       The liturgical year has highlights in Christmas and Easter but not without Marian touch. The Christmas is not without Mama Mary and the belen and the “panunuluyan”, a re-enactment of the first family finding a place to stay to give birth to the Baby Jesus.  Easter celebration is not without the “salubong” where the Risen Christ meets her mother.

o       All through the liturgical year, the different feasts of the Blessed Mother are remembered and specially celebrated.

o       The Immaculate Conception is considered the National Patroness of the country and whose solemnity is a holiday of obligation.

o       May is dedicated to the Flores de Mayo.

o       Certain religious organizations are dedicated to the propagation of Marian devotion like the legion of Mary, Barangay Sang Birhen, the Children of Mary Immaculate and others.

1. These are but some of the many ways of the Filipino devotion of Mary. However, the bishop in their 1975 Pastoral Letter “Ang Mahal na Birhen” wrote:

“In Order to preserve and purify and strengthen our Filipino heritage of devotion to Mary, we should compare our own practices and attitudes with the sources of Revelation and the documents of the Magisterium, so that we can retain and enhance what is truly Christian and eliminate what is legendary or false. We should also set our devotion to Mary in the context of our Filipino society and in confrontation with the needs of the Filipino people today, so that it may be truly our own and may mirror our way of approaching Mary and Christ.” (25)

1. What do we observe which makes our devotion to Mary bordering to the folk religiosity?

a)      Tendency to be attracted to the externals

b)      The lack of doctrinal instruction on the role of Mary in the history of salvation

c)      Santacruzan as culmination of the Flores the Mayo has become a fashion show without spiritual meaning

d)      A devotion that has no connection with actual living

1. What therefore are measures that must be done in order to correct abuses of the devotion?

a)      Intensive catechesis with Scriptural imprint

b)      Make fiestas and celebrations in shrines a true spiritual encounter.

c)      All veneration to Mary is subordinated to the Triune God.

d)      Venerate Mary out of love and appreciation for her dignity and not because of her personal and material favors.

e)      Incorporate novenas into Eucharistic celebrations: ad Jesum per Mariam!

1. Reasons for our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary

a)      MOTHER OF CHRIST– first because she is the Mother of Jesus and therefore Mother of God, THEOTOKOS; MOTHER OF THE CHURCH – second because she was given by Christ on the Cross to be the spiritual mother in grace of all his disciples.

b)      MODEL OF FAITH – as first among the redeemed, she present as the best example of all virtues to be emulated; MODEL OF ALL WOMEN – “Blessed are you among women.” She represents a woman who is to be respected especially in this age of equality among the sexes; MODEL OF THE PREFECT DISCIPLE: ‘the disciple who builds up the earthly and temporal city while being a diligent pilgrim towards the heavenly and eternal city. Mary’s Magnificat exemplifies her concern for social justice and shows that Marian devotion must not be devoid of the social dimension of Christian living lest it becomes pious individualism. Our devotion to Mary should never lose sight of the present plight of the majority of the Filipino people who live lives unworthy of human beings.

c)      MEDIATRIX – There is ONLY ONE MEDIATOR in Jesus Christ, yet Mary because of her special role share in the saving mediatorship of Jesus. Thus, we often invoke her to intercede for us.

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

1.      Look around your house and identify signs of Marian devotion.

a)      What statues of Mary do you have?

b)      What Marian traditions do you as a family like pilgrimage to Manaoag, daily rosary, etc?

2.      Identify the Marian Churches, parishes and shrines around your vicinity.

3.      Make it a habit to have the rosary in your pocket and to recite the Holy Rosary everyday personally or with the family.

I. HUMAN APPROACH

   Every story or a movie has an ending whether happy or sad. This differentiates comedy and tragedy.

   Man has his own story and therefore will also have his own ending, happy or sad. Just as in any story

   and movie, the end is an effect of what transpired from the beginning. So the same, the life of man will

   end tragically or happily depending on how his life was lived.    

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

     Reading: Revelation 21: 1-5a (Cfr Soar High, Lesson 20, p. 229)

     Complementary readings: Philippians 1: 21-24

                                                   2 Maccabees 12: 46   

1. Our liturgical year is moving towards its end and the themes of the readings start to revolve on the so-called LAST THINGS (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell). This study of the last things that will happen is called ESCATHOLOGY. 
2. DEATH:
3. 2.1.  “In one sense death is the natural end of human life: there is “a time to be born and a time to die” (Eccl 3:2). Our lives are measured by time and pass through a natural cycle of birth, growth and final decline. … This marks our temporal lives with a special urgency and importance… (CFC 2053)

2.2.  But death experienced precisely as a violent rupture, a painful loss of life filled with anxiety about the future is the result of sin, humankind’s alienation from God, the source of all life, and from all creation …”For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23),  (CFC 2054)

1. JUDGEMENT:

3.1.  Particular Judgment: Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven – through a purification or immediately, - or immediate and everlasting damnation. (CCC 1022)

3.2.  The Last Judgment:

3.2.1.      The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and the entire economy of salvation, and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence ked everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God’s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death. (CCC 1040)

3.2.2.      The resurrection of all the dead, “of both the just and the unjust,” will precede the Last Judgment. This will be “the hour when all those who are in the tombs will hear the Son of Man’s voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” (Jn. 5 28-29) … And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt 25: 46) (CCC 1038)

3.2.3.      Parousia refers to Christ’s coming in glory “as judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42)… With Christ’s coming, all who have died will rise again with transformed bodies. All will be judged by Christ who “will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and manifest the intentions of hearts s that everyone will receive his praise for God” (1 Cor. 4:5) thus the justice and mercy of God’s judgment will be vindicated before all. (CFC 2105)

1. HEAVEN means the state of “being with the Lord” (cf. 1 Thes 4:17), enjoying the “depths of God … in the presence of the Church in glory. We often call this state of seeing God “face to face” the “beatific vision” because it causes unspeakable joy and happiness in communion with all the saints. (CFC 2102)

4.1.  Purgatory means “the state of final purification,” so that those who died in the state of grace but are weighed down by the remnants of selfishness and sin, may be purified and thus enter into everlasting glory with the Lord. (CFC 2104)

4.2.  The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned (CCC 1031).

4.3.  This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: “Therefore Judas Maccabeus made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” (2 Macc 12: 46) From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead. (CCC 1032)

1. In contrast to the reality of heaven, the Church teaches the possibility of eternal damnation, following Jesus’ own teaching. The possibility of HELL stresses our ultimate accountability for what we do with our earthly lives. The essence of hell is the loss of God, suffered by those who have freely chosen to separate themselves from Him. (CFC 2103)

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

1.      Explain Don Bosco’s Exercise for a Happy Death

2.      Ask your parents all the names of your relatives who have died and get to know them. Keep this list with you and write them at the November Envelopes for the coming All Souls’ Day. Remember to pray for them every so often.

3.      As you to the cemetery this November, know who are the deceased you have visited and make a prayer for their repose.

I. HUMAN APPROACH

   Divide the class into three groups. Instruct them to make a machine using each member as part of that machine.

   Stress the importance of each part in the machine. Yet the machine is composed of different parts aving different roles.

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    “Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ, In the one Spirit we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.

      Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say: “I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body’ would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, ‘I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body’, would that mean that it was not part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?

      Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you”, nor can the head say to the feet, ‘I do not need you’.

       What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seems to be the weakest which are the       indispensable ones; and it is the least honorable parts of the body that we clothe with the     greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honor, all parts enjoy it.

       Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. (1 Cor. 12: 12-28)

1.      Jesus spoke of an intimate union between Him and His followers. “Live on in me, as I do in you … I am the vine; you are the branches.” (Jn. 15: 4-5). He also provided the means of such communion: “The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood, remains in me and I in him.”  (Jn. 6: 56) (CFC 1384)

2.      The Church is not just a body BUT IS THE BODY OF CHRIST, really made one in him, in his “mystical” Body. “Mystical” does not mean “unreal” but rather a reality not limited to sensible appearances. Therefore it is accessible to faith alone because it belongs to the mystery of God’s salvific plan hidden for endless ages but revealed in the Gospel. (CFC 1385)

Christ’s body can then refer to:

o       The physical body of the historical Jesus, assumed at the Incarnation; or

o       His Eucharistic body, making sacramentally present to us the Person of the Risen Christ in his saving sacrifice; or

o       His mystical body, the Church, the faithful united to Christ, as their head, and united and vivified by His Spirit.

3.      In the Church there is great variety of members and functions. This means that in the unity of the Body of Christ is not uniformity. Rather, there are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the ‘same Spirit; there are different ministries, but the same Lord; there are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone” (1 Cor 12: 4-6).

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

1. The local Church can provide us a practical of how the Church is like a body with many parts. The church can be divided into four main ministries in administering pastoral care to its flock. Mandated organizations are oftentimes identified according to these ministries in consonance to its charism and identity. The four main ministries becomes therefore the framework of the parish pastoral council.

a)      Ministry which concerns the proclamation of the Word of God, more often called Education. It takes the form of missionary work, evangelization, catechesis, formation programs and spiritual direction.

b)      Ministry which concerns the animation of Liturgy and Worship. It takes the form of private and public prayer, popular devotions, and the liturgical celebrations.

c)      Ministry which concerns the rendering of social service. It takes the form of social services and action like livelihood, feeding programs, basic education and provision of basic needs.

d)      Ministry which concerns the fostering of fellowship. It takes the form of social gatherings, get-togethers, communication, mutual support and cooperatives.

1. List down certain mandated organizations in your local parish and ask where they fit in the different ministries.
2. Our religious youth groups are like a miniature Church with the four ministries present: Formation – Liturgy – Apostolate/Service – Fellowship. That is why to be fully alive our youth group must cover these areas. For example: Knights of the Altar has its Achievement Ladder  as its formation, its Weekly visits and recollection as their liturgy, its assignment of serving at Mass as its apostolate and the monthly celebration of their birthday celebrants as their fellowship.

IV. ASSIGNMENT:

      1,   Read Genesis 37 – 44

I. HUMAN APPROACH

   WE BELONG. We are part of a bigger group and never alone because God made us social beings.

   Thus, we have our own physical family, as well as a our own spiritual family, which we call the CHURCH.   

   By natural birth, we become part of a natural family. Through the sacrament of Baptism, we become children of God and become part of His family here on earth, the Church.

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    “So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens, like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundation, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone, As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.”

(Eph. 2: 19-22)

1. We try to compare the vernacular words we use for

    Church in order to come up with an understanding on

    what it is for us:

a)      SIMBAHAN = more on the building structure, the place of worship

b)      SAMBAYANAN = fosters the concept of communion  but limited to those living, to a town’s population, without relation to other “sambayanan”

c)      KAPATIRAN = stresses the horizontal relation of communion but lacks the vertical relation to God.

d)      SAKOP = idea of belonging which is the Old Testament view (Jesus, ang Mananakop) but expresses submission, excessive dependence and passivity.

e)      SAMAHAN = like “kapatiran” but with a not so close relationship

f)        IGLESIA = from the Greek ekklesia but often identified with the Iglesia ni Kristo and also identified with the institutional Church (as in Santa Iglesia)

The word “Church” means “convocation”. It designates the assembly of those whom God’s Word “convokes,” i.e. gathers together to form the People of God, and who themselves, noureished by the Body and Blood of Christ, becomes the Body of Christ. (CCC. 777)

2. CHURCH AS SACRAMENT OF SALVATION

The Greek word mysterionwas translated into Latin by two terms: mysterium and sacramentum. In later usage, sacramentum emphasized the visible sign of the hidden reality of salvation which was indicated by the term mysterium. (CCC, 774)

“The Church, in Christ, is like a sacrament – a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men.” The Church’s first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of men with God. (CCC 775)

As sacrament, the Church is Christ’s instrument. “She is taken up by him also as the instrument for the salvation of all, “the universal sacrament of salvation,” by which Christ is “at once manifesting and actualizing the mystery of God’s love for men. The Church is the visible plan of God’s love for humanity, because God desires that the whole human race may become one People of God, form One Body of Christ, and be built up into one Temple for the Holy Spirit. (CCC 776)

Why is the Church today called “sacrament”?

The Church, like Christ himself, is rightly called “sacrament” because it is a visible sign which makes present a spiritual grace-filled reality, Specifically the Church is the efficacious symbol that unites us to God and one another, and thus is the efficacious symbol of our salvation. (CFC 1448)

3. “What of the Church if not the assembly of all the

    saints? The communion of saints is the Church. (CCC

    946) We believe in the communion of all the faithful of

    Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who

    are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all

    together forming one Church; and we believe that in

    this communion, the merciful love of God and his

    saints is always attentive to our prayers. (CCC 962)

The communion of Saints is the supernatural union of the faithful on earth, the blessed in heaven and the souls in purgatory, with Christ as their Head. There is jonly on mystical body, only one Church which contain three portions:

a)      the saints and angels in heaven compose the Church TRIUMPHANT, because they have already gained the crown of glory;

b)      the souls in purgatory compose the Church SUFFERING  because they still have to expiate their sins before they can enter heaven;

c)      the faithful on earth compose the Church MILITANT or PILGRIM , because they have to struggle ceaselessly against the enemies of their souls.

All members of the Church are of one family and share n the spiritual treasures of the Church.

The members of the communion of saints help one another by PRAYER and INTERCESSIONS, and BY THE MERITS OF THEIR GOOD WORKS.

a)      Through the communion of saints, the blessed in heaven can help those in purgatory and on earth by praying for them. That is why we pray to the saints and angels that they may intercede for us before God, whom they see face to face,

b)      The souls in purgatory pray to the angels and saints, and pray for the living but they cannot merit anything for themselves

c)      The faithful on earth can relive the sufferings of the souls in purgatory by prayer, fasting, good works and by having Masses offered for them. Also they can help on another by practicing charity and especially by performing works of mercy.

4. The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation,

    the sign and the instrument of the communion of God

    and men. (CCC 780)

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

1. Get to know the important personages in the Catholic Church today: the Pope, your local Ordinary, your parish priest and his assistant.

IV. ASSIGNMENT:

1. Read Genesis 31 – 36
2. Read pp. 42-45 of Lesson 33, Soar High
3. Get to know the people and the programs of your local parish. 

I. HUMAN APPROACH

   What do sources of energy have in common? SOLAR, HEAT,

   ELECTRICITY, NUCLEAR, except for WATER. They all are invisible; they

   can only be felt but not seen.

   The same can be said with another source of power and energy but this time

   of a higher level. It is by its power we receive strength for the Lord even for

   our ordinary life. It is through Him that the Church gets its power. It also 

   cannot be seen but can be felt. It is none other than the Holy Spirit

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    “When Pentecost day came round, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these       separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

      Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. ‘Surely’ they said ‘all these men speaking are Galileans?       How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language?…”

(Acts 2: 1-8)

1. The Holy Spirit descended on the Church on Pentecost Day.

After the Ascension, Jesus did not leave us orphans. On Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, the Holy Spirit was sent upon the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles in Jerusalem. With now the presence of the Spirit, Christ’s work is continued, and the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to make responsible choices.

The Holy Spirit is already at work with the Father and the son from the beginning to the completion of the plan of our salvation. But in these “end times” , the spirit is revealed, recognized and welcomed as the Third Person of the Trinity.

1. Symbols of the Holy Spirit.

From the narration of the Pentecost, we can get some signs and symbols of the Spirit and get a glimpse of its power:

a) WIND – The term “Spirit” translates the Hebrew word ruah, which

    in its primary sense means breath, air wind. The Holy Spirit breathes

    life into the early church as He is the Spirit of Life.

b) FIRE – this signifies the transforming power  and energy of the Holy

    Spirit’s actions. In the form of tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit rests on

    the apostles and fills them with himself.

c) DOVE – When Christ comes up form the water of his baptism, the

    Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes down upon him and remains

    with him. The Spirit comes down and remains in the purified hearts of

    the baptized. Christian iconography traditionally uses a dove to

    suggest the Spirit.          

d) WATER – The symbolism of water signifies the Holy Spirit’s action

    in Baptism. The Spirit is also personally the living water welling up

    from Christ crucified as its source and welling up in us to eternal life.

e) ANOINTING – the symbolism of anointing with oil also signifies the

    Holy Spirit to the point of becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit. In

    Christian initiation, anointing is the sacramental sign of Confirmation.

    Jesus is God’s Anointed in a unique way: the humanity the son

    assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit

    established him as “Christ”.

1. Title of the Holy Spirit.

When He proclaims and promises the coming of the Holy Spirit Jesus calls him the “Paraclete”, literally, “he who is called to one’s side,” advocate, an attorney. “Paraclete” is commonly translated as “consoler” and Jesus is the first consoler. The Lord also called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth.” 

1. Knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit.

“No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:11) By virtue of Baptism, the first sacrament of faith, the Holy Spirit is the first to awaken faith in us and to communicate to us the new life. “Because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of His son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4:6)

Likewise, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the spirit himself intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (Rom 8:26) The Holy Spirit, the artisan of God’s works, is the master also of prayer.

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

1. If the Holy Spirit is very important in the life of a Christian, then it is first received by the faithful in the sacraments of initiation. By virtue of Baptism, the faithful becomes anew creation, an adopted child of God, a member of the church and becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit as well. Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life and the gateway to life in the Spirit.
2. Confirmation meanwhile becomes the full outpouring of the Holy spirit once granted to the Apostles on Pentecost. Confirmation increases the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit in us:

o       Wisdom, which moves us to judge all things as God sees them and have a relish for God’s things;

o       Understanding, which moves us to deeper insight of the truths revealed by God;

o       Counsel, which moves us to properly apply eternal truths or norms to particular and difficult cases;

o       Fortitude, which moves us to undertake great things for God, joyfully bearing and fighting the difficulties found on the way;

o       Knowledge, which moves us to see the things of this world in their true perspective as related to God;

o       Piety, which moves us to love God as our Heavenly Father, revering all persons and things as consecrated to him or representing him; and

o       Fear of the Lord, which moves us to avoid whatever may displease God or separate us from Him whom we love.

1. Likewise those who are confirmed are capable of acting according to the Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5: 22): Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-control and Chastity.

    4. Aside from sanctifying grace and the gifts of the Spirit, the Holy spirit also

        bestows special graces called CHARISMS, given to individuals for the

        service of the community, to build up the Christian community. Examples

        are special gifts for apostolic work, prophecy, healing, speaking in tongues,

        discernment of spirits and other gifts as specified in St. Paul’s letters.

IV. ASSIGNMENT:

1. Read Genesis 24 – 30
2. Ask from your parents a photo copy of your baptism certificate, as well as your birth certificate and bring them to class.
3. Reflect on the Gifts, Fruits and Charisms of the Spirit and try to identify from your personal experience if you have used or felt them.

I.  HUMAN APPROACH

Game: Divide into two groups and have the two groups compete against each other one

contestant at a time. The tag line of a product will be said and the first to be able to identify the product it endorses gets the point. For example: Just Do it! The answer is: Nike.

In order to sell, products bring out a message or a tag line to attract buyers, some even in a funny way, so that the idea and the product sticks to the sub-conscious of the consumer.

When Jesus came, He had an important message to sell and He used certain “gimmicks” in order His message will stick to the people.

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

“It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. No sooner had he come out of the water than he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘you are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you.’ “                                     (Mark 1. 9-11)

     1, Jesus’ public ministry began with his BAPTISM by John in the Jordan…

         this is the manifestation (Epiphany) of Jesus as Messiah of Israel and Son

         of God. (CCC 535) the baptism of Jesus is the acceptance and

         inauguration of his mission as God’s Suffering Servant.

“From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message: ‘Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ “                                                                              (Matthew 4: 17)

2.   The teaching and preaching of Jesus centered on the KINGDOM of

      GOD, a dynamic symbol of God’s active presence among His people.

      (CFC  481). Everyone is called to enter the Kingdom. To enter it, one

      must first accept Jesus’ word … (CCC 543)

      The kingdom belongs to the poor and lowly, which means those have

     accepted it with humble hearts. (CCC 544). Jesus also invites sinners to

     the table of the Kingdom (CCC 545), showing them the way to

     conversion and His Father’s boundless mercy.

3.      Jesus’ typical method of communicating the Kingdom was in the form of PARABLES. (Mk. 4: 33-34) through telling stories, Jesus invites people to the feast of the Kingdom while also asking for their radical choice to give everything for the Kingdom.

“Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, “What teaching! He gives orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.’ “  (Luke 4: 36)

4.      Jesus accompanies his words with many “MIGHTY WORKS AND WONDERS AND SIGNS”, which manifest that the Kingdom is present in Him and attest that He was the promised Messiah. (CCC  547)

“He called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”

                                                                                                                              (Luke 9: 1-2)

5.      From the beginning of His public life, Jesus chose certain men, twelve in number, to be with him and to participate in his mission. He gave the TWELVE a share in his authority and … they remain associated forever with Christ’s Kingdom for through them he directs the Church (CCC 551)

Jesus entrusted the authority of the Church through the ministry of the apostles and in particular through the MINISTRY OF PETER, the only one to whom he specifically entrusted the KEYS of the KINGDOM.  (CCC  553)

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

      Enumerate the different ways a Bosconian can help spread the Good News of Jesus regarding the Kingdom of God.

o       Being an exemplary Bosconian giving good examples and showing servant-leadership

o       Becoming an active proclaimer of God’s Word in the Liturgy or even as prayer leader in the assemblies

o       Becoming a volunteer catechist teaching in the public school

o       Becoming a Karamay member for Radio Maria and create programs translating the Good News to young people.

o       Becoming an active member in one’s parish joining in a youth group in the parish.

I.  HUMAN APPROACH

1.      Make a personal record of Jesus at the time of His death as far as what you know about

      Him.

2.      Look around your house and list down what images of Jesus do you have.

o       Sacred Heart                                 

o       Christ the King

o       Crucifix

o       Jesus Nazareno

o       Santo Entierro

o       The Eye

o       Sto, Nino

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

1.      We are sentient beings and therefore we like to have things tangible so that we can remember and appreciate them just like souvenirs. This is the reason why we take pictures and have photographs of our loved ones in our pocket.

2.      Thus, understanding our way of perception, Gos thoguth it best to reveal Himself in the flesh by sending His Son.

“Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life.” (John 3: 16)

“When the appointed time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. (Galatians 4: 4-5)

3.      Jesus means in Hebrew: “God saves.” At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, “will save his people from their sins”. In Jesus, God recapitulates all of his history of salvation on behalf of men. (CCC  430)

The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God who “loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins”: “the Father has sent His Son as the Savior of the world.,” and “he was revealed to take away sins”.                       (CCC  457)

The Word became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature”. Fro this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God. (CCC 460)

4.      Taking up St. John’s expression, “The Word became flesh.” The Church calls INCARNATION the fact that the Son of God assumed human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. (CCC 461)

Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith… “He was manifested in the flesh.” (CCC 463)

5.      All the Scriptures – the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms – are fulfilled in Christ. The Gospel is this “Good News.” Its first proclamation is summarized by St. Matthew in the sermon on the Mount…. (CCC 2763)

The Sermon on the Mount is teaching for life, the Our Father is a prayer; but in both the one and the other the Spirit of the Lord gives new form to our desires, those inner movements that animate our lives. (CCC 2764)

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

      God coming to us freely in a tangible form as to be incarnated makes us understand why we have symbols in order to remind us of God. Thus, statues are not against faith since they merely represent the divine. We have so many images of Jesus depicting many aspects of His life: from birth (belen) to his childhood (Sto. Nino), to His suffering at the Cross (Nazareno, crucifix), to his death (Santo Entierro), to His Resurrection (Risen Christ) and to His dominion at the end of time (Christ the King).

     What is your favorite image of Jesus? Why not make your own altar in your own room and pray in front of it everyday. In the personal confines of your room, you have Jesus’ presence and grace

IV. ASSIGNMENT: Genesis 16 - 20

I. HUMAN APPROACH

            The comparison between Tito, Vic and Joey who went to the military academy and after graduating was given by the superintendent a big task, to hunt down Bib-Laden. Here are their different views and how they dealt with their not accomplishing their mission.

            Has this happened to you? Could you relate with any one of the three?

II. CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

            God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the nether world on earth, for justice is undying.

            God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world and they who belong to his company experience it.                                                                                    (Wisdom 1: 13-15; 2: 23-24)

1.      “Although set by God in a state of rectitude, man, enticed by the evil one, abused his

freedom at the very start of history. He lifted himself up against God and sought to attain his goal apart from Him.” (CCC 415)

2.      From the Old Testament, three words and concepts are used for sin.

a)      “HATA” means missing the mark or target, to make a blunder or error. When we sin, we miss the target which is God’s Law.

b)      “AWON” means a state of being distorted or twisted out of shape by a massive weight. When we sin, do we not feel the weight of guilt?

c)      “PESHA” means infidelity, rebellion, breaking of the covenant. It is this third sense of sin that we should feel more about. Sin is not just breaking the law, but. More, breaking a relationship.

3.      Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:

-         by participating directly and voluntarily in them;

-         by ordering, advising, praising or approving them;

-         by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;

-         by protecting evil-doers.

                               (CCC 1868)

                   Thus sin makes men accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence, violence and injustice to reign among them. Sins give rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to the divine goodness. “Structures of sin” are the expression and effect of personal sins. They lead their victims to do evil in their turn. In an analogous sense, they constitute a “social sin”.                                                                                       

                                                                                 (CCC 1869)

III. CHRISTIAN LIVING

1.      Don Bosco has stressed to his boys to go regularly to Confession and not just because

      one has made a mortal sin.

a)      Review steps in making a Confession

b)      Review the ACT of Contrition

c)      What is regularity? Don Bosco meant it to be fortnight which means every two weeks, but going for Confession during the monthly Exercise of a Happy Death will do. What is important is making it into a HABIT.

2.      The Courage to Say Sorry

a)      Learn how to apologize in small mistakes. If it becomes a habit, it becomes easier.

b)      Need to pay attention to the feelings of others

c)      An apology should be very specific.

d)      Making restitution where possible and reasonable is an important part of the process.

e)      After the apology and restitution if any, it helps if the wronged party provides closure. “That’s OK”, “Thank you for apologizing” or “I forgive you” provide profound effects.

IV. ASSIGNMENT: Read Genesis 12 - 15

1. By whose authority and standard will we judge? God’s Word is the authority. It is God’s Word that teaches us what is right. This must be established early ina person’s life
2. Affectionate bond and attachment with one’s children should have developed at an early stage. This is true as regards parents, the Church and most of all, God.
3. Accept responsibility for one’s action and not to put blame on others. Few people are willing to take responsibility for mistakes, faults, wrong action. We see that today. Today’s psychologists strive to do away with sin. If there is no God, there is no sin, and so there is no wrong. This is where correction and discipline come is.
4. Care for others and for life as a whole which makes one selfless, outgoing and thinking of others.
5. Uphold obedience for it entails a focus on and commitment to God, His will and His standards.
6. Teach virtues as against vices. Form good habits.

We have to realize that today the conscience can become diluted, watered down, or can become wounded and defiled. It is possible that conscience can be damaged and destroyed completely. That is actually what Satan is after today. He is wanting to raise a society of people who are amoral, who do not have a conscience.  

You can start making a habit of having an EXAMEN OF CONSCIENCE  before you go to sleep.

IV.  ASSIGNMENT:

1. Read Genesis 6-9

I.                    HUMAN APPROACH

Last June 21 was Father’s Day. How did your family celebrate it? What can you say about your father? What are your expectations about your father? What does fatherhood mean to you?

                  Fatherhood can imply at least three things:

a)      originator/ creator whether animate or inanimate things

b)      provider who takes care of those around him

c)      has some authority over those around him         

II.                 CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

1.      Creation is the foundation of all God’s saving plans and the beginning of the

      history of salvation.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth … God saw all he had made and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day. Thus heaven and earth was completed with all their  array.”                                                                              

                                                                   (Gen 1: 1, 31 – 2:1)

The existence of God the Creator can be known with certainty through his works by the light of human reason (See Five Ways of St. Thomas Aquinas) even if this knowledge can be obscured by error. It is FAITH which confirms and enlightens reason.

The revelation of Creation is inseparable from the revelation and forging of the COVENANTS of the one God with his People. Creation is the first step toward the covenants, the first and universal witness to God’s all-powerful love.

2.      The world was made for the GLORY OF GOD.

It was not meant to increase His glory, but to show it forth and communicate it. God created out of the abundance of his love and goodness.

He also created the world according to His wisdom and not because of necessity, nor of blind fate or chance. Neither did God need any help in order to create. God created FREELY and OUT OF NOTHING.

3.      The dispositions by which God guides His Creation toward its perfection we call DIVINE PROVIDENCE. Though God created all things good, the world continues to journey toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained to which God has destined it: toward a “new heavens and a new earth”.

But God’s Providence also acts through people. To human beings, God grants the ability to cooperate freely with his plans, to “fill the earth and conquer it” (Gen. 1: 28)

III.               CHRISTIAN LIVING

1.      Have you a personal creation/ hobby/ activity which you are so proud of?

2.      Care for Creation is our contribution to Divine Providence. What concrete step as students can we do?

a)      Cooperation in the School Waste Management program

b)      Cleanliness and Creativity in the classroom

c)      Scheduling chores and clean-up at home

d)      Voluntary participation in the Citizenship Advancement Program

e)      Clean and Healthy Living

f)        Engage in gardening at home

IV.              ASSIGNMENT: Read Genesis 3-4