Dear Teachers,
The Lenten Season is a special occasion for us to commemorate the life, death
and resurrection (paschal mystery) of Jesus Christ. It is best spent by
taking the time to ponder and build an intimate moment with
our Lord.
Take it as a challenge, my dear teachers, to bring your students to that special
moment. A lot of things might unfold in such a time. God continues
to speak through many means. It can be through you.
Be an instrument of God’s love.
Have a Spirit-filled and reflective Lenten Season!
OUR COVER
Our cover is a dark wooden cross with the sky as background – with which we
associate heaven. Light emerges from the darkness behind the cross.
Presenting this picture to the class, ask the students what they can say about
it. What does it symbolize? What are you reminded of?
Your Turn and Letterspage feature feedback from our readers on how a particular section or
issue touched them in one way or another.
Kind letters
warm the heart. It can somehow lift our spirits, especially of those who
are struggling, such as the missionaries who are far from their families.
It’s time we asked our students to show their generosity by taking part in
Christ’s mission. A simple letter-writing or email activity can go a long
way.
With the help of the articles in this issue (and even with the previous issues)
ask them to write a letter or send an email to the author of their chosen
article or to the editor himself about their reflection on how the article
appealed to them.
You can send
the letters or emails directly to the authors or through Misyon. We will
accommodate the letters that you will send us. We will also use some of
them in the forthcoming issues.
Hearts set
for the service of Christ are deeply challenged. The woman in the
article was challenged of her capacity to serve God through the prisoners. But more than that is the humility to surrender into God’s
loving hand the things that she did not have control over, letting God take over.
Have your
students read the article and reflect on these questions:
a. To which of the different characters in
the story can you compare yourself?
b. What is it trying to tell you?
c. What is God inviting you to do?
Have a little sharing of their reflections. Point out the virtues or
lessons learned. End the session with the Prayer of St Francis.
To God, every
small thing that you do in His name really counts. The youth in our story
share her little effort of expressing her love for and service to others.
Give the
article as example and let the students reflect:
a. What have you done for the good of
others?
b. Name that extra little effort you are willing
to do for others. Write it on a piece of paper and drop it in your class
‘Commitment Box’.
Do a simple rite of commitment. Forming a big circle with the commitment
box at the center, invite the whole class to come into prayer. Let them
pray for the fulfillment of their pledges as they humbly submit themselves for
the glory of God.
‘The object
of the stations is to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of
prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ’s sufferings and
death.’
Have your
students read Good Friday: Stations of the Cross.
a. Divide the class into 14 groups,
assigning each group a station to work on.
b. Ponder on the question that Fr Barry Cairns
asked himself in his article, ‘What message does this scene have for me today?’
Share your reflection in your small groups.
c. Present to the class what transpired from
your small group sharing through a creative presentation.
With the help of the To Search is to Find article on the holy rosary, encourage
your students to pray the rosary with the intentions not only for themselves but
for the whole world.
Father Joeker may be funny but it tells of a truth. Let the students
discover a reality of our faith by reflecting on it.
‘We believe
that without mental health, there is no health.’
Usually we
are afraid to deal with those who are mentally ill. But with the aid of
these articles, hopefully we will be led to analyze, understand and sympathize
with their situation.
In every
situation, it’s how you deal with it that matters. Keeping a positive
outlook amidst difficulties will greatly help us as we go through life.
Ask your
students to find a partner and let them do the following:
a. Face your partner. Look at each
other straight in the eye.
b. Let your partner tell you his/her most
depressing moment in silence but communicating through the eyes. ‘The eye
is the window of the soul.’
c. Allow your partner to express his/her
emotions and listen carefully to what s/he is telling you in silence; no
comment, no talk, just listen.
d. After some time, switch. Let the other
one do the same with his/her partner.
e. Conclude with a gesture of comfort or
concern as you also thank your partner for trusting you in sharing a piece of
his/her life.
Have a little sharing about their experience of the activity.
We cannot
experience everything in this world. It is undeniable that we also learn
from other people’s experiences. Reading stories about the specific
contributions of certain individuals to our Church can somehow inspire us.
Have the
students read the above articles.
a. Identify what the contributions of the
featured personalities are.
b. What were their attitudes and values that
brought them to successfully fulfilling God’s mission?
c. For your assignment, paste a picture of a
known personality on a piece of short bond paper. In three to five
sentences, write what you like most about that person and that makes him or her
somebody to look up to.
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