January-February 2010 - Teachers' Guide

Dear Teachers,

Greetings of Peace for 2010!

‘Creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works.’ We are just part of God’s whole creation. We co-exist with what is around us, for every small thing is also important.

We let go of the past in order for us to continue. We desire to be refreshed as we face the present. Yet we don’t forget to consider the future generation.

Coupled with this is our move for innovation and creative means of adapting to the rapidly changing world. As teachers, we keep ourselves updated with teaching methods and strategies, maximizing the use of technologies so we can impart the best learning to our students. We consume the resources which we feel we need. But we dare not forget to consider the consequences of our actions… and this we teach them.

‘No need to recall the past, no need to think about what was done before. See, I am doing a new deed’ (Isaiah 43:18-19). May we all move for a new deed that is for the welfare of all, to live anew yet remain in doing what pleases God.

May God, the Creator, generously bless us with a fruitful year.

Our cover captures the lively waterfalls in the hidden paradise of Bauko, Mountain Province, Philippines, waiting to be discovered and to be shared. It is likened to the Word of God that continuously flows in the deepest recesses of our hearts, even in the most barren of souls, also waiting to be discovered, to be recognized and to be shared with others.

The verse from Isaiah 44:3-4, ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty soil, streams on the dry ground… they shall grow like grass where there is plenty of water, like poplars by running streams’ is a promise of new life through the Word of the everlasting God, the supreme Source of all Goodness. Let flow the living water in us so we will never go thirsty.

Looking back on the year that was, what are you thirsty for? What is God’s invitation for you to live by in this new year?

STUDENTS’ WORKSHOP

Your Turn

Your Turn is a reflection on the article What’s in a Photo published in the January-February 2009 issue of Misyon. The writer shares with us how she is reminded of the photo and of how photos, in general, appeal to her.

Photos can speak through different ‘languages’: that of the photographer, that of the subject of the photo itself, and that of the one looking at it. How one is struck by a photo can tell of something that is within.

Introduce to your students the activity on Photo Language. Prepare a variety of photos, more than the number of your students, of different styles and subjects, colored or black and white. As much as possible present photos that they rarely see or haven’t seen at all.

Bring them to a reflective mood. Maybe you can start with a prayer.

Spreading the photos on the floor, form the students into one big circle around them. Ask them to take a look at the pictures and to take note of their first, second and third choice. In groups of five, let them approach the photos by group and ask them to pick their first choice. If someone’s first choice photo was picked by someone else, advise them to make their second choice. If someone else has also chosen that, then let them make their third choice. Do the activity silently.

When everybody has the photo of their choice, let them go to their groups and share the following:

a. What is it in the photo that really struck you?

b. Tell a personal story in which you can see yourself in that photo.

Please note that while someone is sharing, the rest of the members should only listen, no comments, no suggestions.

EPIPHANIES

My Brother Kokong
Blessing Ritual in Brazil

Epiphany is said to be ‘the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something’. In a Christian context, it is the manifestation of the Son of God, Christ himself.

My Brother Kokongis a sequel to Letter to My Brother Kokong published in the November-December 2007 issue of Misyon. The author realizes that when she wrote the first draft of the article it was the feast of St Blaise in February 2007 and she wrote the second draft on the same day of the following year. It sounds a coincidence but who knows what this may really mean.

In this article, the author shares about the family’s adversities – the death of her father and the imprisonment of her brother Kokong. What seemed to be a misfortune was later realized to be a blessing and God’s manifestation as she uttered, ‘We were witnessing the unfolding of God’s divine justice.’

Blessing Ritual in Brazil describes what we call in the Philippines the ‘mano po’ or ‘amen’ by Visayan speakers. What makes the story extraordinary is the affirmation of the blessing granted to a pregnant woman is even felt by the unborn baby. ‘There is no doubt that the value of this blessing begins with the beginning of life.’ God’s presence is manifested even through the culture that we have.

Have your students read the articles.

a. How is God’s presence manifested in the stories?

b. What are your realizations?

c. Think of your epiphanies in life. Is there an invitation for change or conversion?

YOUTH CORNER

Our Hideaway

Our Hideaway tells of an experience that made a twist in the writer’s life which eventually led to a self-discovery. Being placed under disciplinary probation deprived her of the many achievements she used to enjoy. She felt as if she had lost everything. But the following days brought her to many realizations, of the happiness that was more important than achievements.

After reading the article, bring your students into a reflection.

a. Recall a very difficult incident in your life.

b. How did you take it?

c. Thinking about that past right now, there must be a blessing out of it. What do you think it is?

Journalize your reflection.

PRACTICAL FAITH

Father Joeker
Peace by Peace

Motivate your students with items fromFather Joeker and Peace by Peace.

Peace by Peace features a paragraph of Pope Benedict XVI’s message for World Day of Peace on 1 January 2010 with the theme ‘If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.’ With the heightened climate change and other environmental issues, it is recognized that it greatly affects mankind. Peace is claimed not only for humans but for all other creatures and the whole of creation.

You can make your students think a little of how they perceive peace in the context of creation.

THE CALLING

A Pineapple, a Junk and a Spitfire

God calls His people in different, mysterious ways. What works for one might be different from others. But He surely calls according to each person’s uniqueness.

A Pineapple, a Junk and a Spitfire is the vocation story of our dear editor. The title bears the things that led him in finding his way to the Columban missionaries. The fulfillment of his simple desires was the means for the fulfillment of a calling.

Have them read the article.

a. How did simple objects work in helping the author discover his desire? What have you realized from the story?

b. The writer’s very desire was to bring the Good News to people who had not heard it. What about you? What is the desire of your heart?