Grade 7

Monday, September 16th, 2019

Recall the following assignments:

Consider the imagery, symbolism and metaphor of Psalm 23. Consider the shepherd image used in John 10:11 by Jesus. Illustrate your understanding of Jesus as shepherd through the creation of a drawing. On the reverse side of the drawing explain why Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd.

On touring the Chapel of St. Bonaventure's College, bring to mind the imagery, symbolism and metaphor used to express the reality of God's love expressed in Jesus Christ. Also, recall the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist reserved in the Tabernacle. With this in mind, one of the Jesuit principles is 'finding God in all things'. In the worksheet provided, recall the answers given to the following questions: 1) 'Describe three ways you find God in the world around you?' 2) Draw a picture of one way you find God.'

On being given the Loyola Press Textbook for Grade 7, Finding God, Following Jesus, recall the overview of the text and the synopsis of the unit headings . Recall the reading of p 4-6 on the Trinity and the assignment given: 'In one page, express some of the key principles of your understanding of the Trinity.'

Wednesday, September 18th, 2019

Recall the assignment: Write a reflection on your understanding of the Trinity.

Recall the class discussion based on the Trinity:

Guiding question: How did St. Patrick use the Shamrock as an example of the Trinity?

Guiding questions:

1) What did you find remarkable about the account of creation in Genesis, and the overview of salvation history in John 1? What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Why is it important that God considered that creation was good?

2) How is Catholic social teaching related to God's action in the world? How is L' Arche an example of faith in action?

Assignment: Describe one aspect of Catholic social teaching and give an example of it.

Friday, September 27th, 2019

First of all, thank you for your excellent work this week.

Recall the following:

• What does the name 'Jesus' mean in Hebrew?
• What does the name of God revealed in the burning bush mean?
• What is the significance of the cross and why is it transformed into a symbol of hope?
• Why do we make the sign of the cross? (Page 8)

Recall the quiz completed in class (Page 18)

• Who were the mother and father of John the Baptist?
• Who were the mother and father of Jesus? How was the Holy Spirit involved?
• How was the Holy Spirit involved in the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist?
• What was the Annunciation? What did the Archangel Gabriel do there?
• What was the Visitation? Who was Elizabeth?
• Where in the Bible is the book of Genesis? Where is the book of Revelation?
• What is the Old Testament and what is the New Testament?

What important civilization was on the Nile river?

• What important civilization was in Mesopotamia (recall that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow in Mesopotamia)?
• Recall where the Red Sea is in relation to the Mediterranean Sea.

Tuesday, October 8th, 2019

Create a map of the world, as accurate as possible, marking major points of Biblical significance.

During the Kairos retreat (Tuesday afternoon-Friday) work will be provided for the class to complete.

Thursday, October 17th, 2019

Recall the quiz completed in class.

Recall the in-class discussion:

God can be discovered by reason and also by revelation. Questions like, where did I come from and where did all things come from naturally lead by reason to God. God's main revelation was Jesus Christ.

Recall in the Old Testament:

• The Patriarchs in the Old Testament: Abraham (formerly Abram), Isaac (meaning 'laughter') and Jacob (becoming Israel).
• Jacob's (Israel's) son Joseph, and his coat of many colours. Recall how he was sold by his brothers into slavery, ending up in Egypt and rising up to a position of authority there. His brothers appealed to Joseph while there was a famine in their land. This led the children of Israel to journey to Egypt and eventually to becoming enslaved there. Moses then brought his people out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land.
• The era of Kings and Prophets followed. The people were exiled in Babylon. They returned to the Promised Land again, waiting for the Messiah.

Jesus came in fulfilment of this promise, extending redemption to people of all nations.

Monday, October 28, 2019

After a Government presentation on the dangers of 'vaping', some important points were discussed:

• The importance of virtue and developing good habits in life.
• How science and morality each help us live well. Science gives us innovation, morality helps us to use innovation well [Science measures the inter-relationship of matter, which is part of God's creation; morality ultimately has its roots in our relationship to God, who is love (1 John 4:8); and, therefore, to our neighbour, made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1: 26-27).

[Remember the discussion on what an atom was and how it is composed. It consists of a nucleus (protons and neutrons) and an outer shell of electrons. When the outer shell is not full it wants to gain an electron to become stable. The example of hydrogen and oxygen was used. Together they are stable, sharing electrons and filling their outer electron shell. This came up in the context of nicotine in 'vapes', where it is often made to be more bioavailable by manipulating its chemical structure. ]

Recall the following points from class:

• What is etymology (word origin) of Halloween? It is the evening before the Feast of All Hallows (All Saints).
• How does Halloween (evening before the Feast of All Saints) and the Feast of All Saints correspond to the time of year? Remember the terms summer solstice (June), equinox (March and September) and winter solstice (December). Remember how the axis of the earth tilts so that each hemisphere experiences summer and winter.

Recall p. 38 of Finding God, Following Jesus, on the topic of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy:

• Where do we find examples of the corporal works of mercy in St. Bonaventure's School?
• Where do we find examples of the corporal works of mercy in St. John's?

Wednesday, November 6th, 2019

Recall some of the lessons from the past week:

• Our visit to the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist: Remember that ultimately the Church is the relationship of God to God's people. That means that Church is a place of relationship between God and us (each one).
• Our visit to the Chapel in St. Bonaventure's College: Remember the 'altar stone' which contains a relic, and is placed in the altar in the church.
• The assessment we completed and reviewed. Recall some of the key points.

Read 'Saints Respond' on pages 38-39 of Finding God, Following Jesus. After reading about Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Vincent de Paul, consider a saint you would like to focus on.

As a group create a poster describing the life and attributes of a saint. Present the poster to the class.

Monday, November 18th, 2019

Read Luke 2 and create Christmas cards to be given to the people at the Gathering Place on Christmas Day.

Wednesday, November 20th, 2019

Please recall the lessons contained in p. 40-48 in the textbook Finding God, Following Jesus:

p.40-41:

• How does the Church carry out the corporal works of mercy by visiting the sick?
• How does Sunday help us reflect and grow in the Christian life? How can we carry out the spiritual work of mercy of praying for the living and the dead during this time? What is the communion of saints?

p.42

• What does it mean to 'take up your cross'?

p.43-44

• Why do faith and action go together?
• What is gleaning?
• How was gleaning part of the culture of the Old Testament? Consider Leviticus 23:22: "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.'"
• Consider The Gleaners by Jean-Francois Millet and imagine what reaping the remains of the harvest meant to those who gleaned.

p. 45-46

• Who was Saint Marie de l'Incarnation?
• What city in New France did she live in from 1639 onward?
• How is she like St. Paul? How is she a missionary?

p.47-48

• Consider the profound brilliance and illumination provided by John 1:

"The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us." (John 1:14)

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome (understood) it" (John 1:5)

Recall how St. Thérèse of Lisieux spoke of each person in the light of God's love as flowers in a meadow:

"I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy." (Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, The Story of A Soul, Chapter 1)

Friday, November, 29th, 2019

Continue to prepare a Christmas Pageant using the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew.

Monday, December 9th, 2019

Thank you for performing the Pageant.

Recall today's class on Handel's Messiah. On reading through the score, notice how it incorporates messianic prophecies about Jesus including:

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us." (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23)

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and he shall gather the lambs with His arm..." (Isaiah 40:11)

"...Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows!..." (Isaiah 53: 4-5)

"Thou are gone up on high; Thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; yea, even from Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them." (Psalm 68:11)

Thursday, January 9th, 2019

Consider the definition of phenomenology. How does your personal experience of the Christmas holiday relate to the celebration of the birth of Christ? Write a reflection on how you celebrated the Christmas holiday with this in mind.

Who was St. Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)? How does she relate to the study of phenomenology?

Consider the thought experiment which relates to perception of experience: "If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?"

Recall what St. Augustine said in The Confessions at Chapter 8:

"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering."

Consider the definition of hermeneutics. What hermeneutic flows from the celebration of Christmas?

Thursday, January 9th, 2019

Read p. 48-49 and complete the exercise on the divinity and humanity of Jesus.

Monday, January 13th, 2019

Continue the exercise on the divinity and humanity of Jesus. Recall in the Gospel of John where "Jesus wept" and Jesus said, "I thirst."

Beside the image of the Shroud of Turin draw the image of the face of another person. Consider how God has come close to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Message from the school administration:

I would ask ALL teachers to personally remind parents of these messages via your homework page for your students:

1. We have had over 10 complaints this year about unsafe driving on the parking lot.
2. The posted speed limit on the parking lot is 10 km/hr. Please ensure anyone who is dropping off your child is obeying this speed limit.
3. Our most important priority is the safety and well-being of the students entrusted in our care, however we can only ensure this safety with your cooperation, please.

Monday, February 3rd, 2020

Thank you for having completed the readings, quizzes and activities in Finding God, Following Jesus:

• Page 49: "The Divinity and Humanity of Jesus" activity.
• Page 54: "Jesus Became One of Us" quiz.
• Page 62: "Jesus is 'God With Us' (Emmanuel)" quiz.
• Page 70: "Jesus is For All People" quiz.
• Page 78: "Jesus Grew in Wisdom, Age and Grace" quiz.

Recall the excerpt of the book The Giver by Lois Lowry and its message about human freedom and responsibility.

Thank you for reviewing the booklet, Praying the Mass and for completing the sticker activity. Remember the two main parts of the Mass. Recall the Nicene Creed.

Monday, February 10th, 2020

Thank you for having created Saint Valentine's Day cards with text from 1 Corinthians 13:7 for residents of a local nursing home:

"Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Cor 13:7)

Recall reading the entire passage at 1 Corinthians 13, often recited at weddings:

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Recall that Saint Valentine's Day commemorates an early martyr for the faith who, according to some accounts, was punished for celebrating marriages.

Thank you for completing the assignment on page 86 of Finding God, Following Jesus.

Consider the milieu into which Jesus was born: The Pax Romana of the Mediterranean region and the prevalence of Temple Judaism. Some of Jesus' disciples were expecting a great military leader as Messiah; however, Jesus caused an interior revolution founded on relationship with Himself, and based on the love commandment (love God and love neighbour).

Recall John 1: 5: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome (understood) it."

Recall the discussion of Matthew 5: 13, 14: "You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world..." What would salt and light have meant to Jesus' listeners? Recall that the etymology of 'salary' refers to the amount of salt allotted to Roman soldiers as part of their pay.

Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

Recall the visit to the Basilica Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist and the statues of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In our discussion of the four Gospels, consider the association Saint Irenaeus makes in Adversus Haereses (written in the late 100s AD) between Matthew and the man, Luke and the ox, Mark and the lion, and John and the eagle. The association derives from Revelation 4: 7 and Ezekiel 1:10.

Recall the Prologue to the Gospel of Saint Luke, where the author explains why he is writing the Gospel:

"Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught."

Recall the discussion about the upcoming season of Lent.

• Why is the day before Ash Wednesday called Mardi Gras? How do they celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana? What people settled in both Canada and Louisiana?
• What happens on Ash Wednesday? What is it the start of? What does it mean when we receive ashes and hear the words "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3: 19), or "repent and believe in the Gospel?" How does the victory of God's love on the cross overcome even death (1 Corinthians 15: 54-57: "...Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?...But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.")?
• Which two days are days of fasting (for those between the ages of 18-59)? What does this mean and what does it commemorate?
• What do people (over 14) commemorate by abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the Fridays of Lent? What does this mean?
• Since Christians are people "not under law, but under grace," (Romans 6:14) how do these prescriptions help and encourage us to commemorate God's love expressed in the cross and resurrection of Jesus?
• What happens on Good Friday? What happens on Easter Sunday?
• Recall our reading of Luke 2:39-3:20: What does Jesus' preaching in the Temple, as a youth, say about his relationship to God the Father? Who was John the Baptist?
• What empire ruled Jesus' homeland during his early life? How did the Empire relate to the Temple at the time?

Draw a map on page C46 of the Catholic Youth Bible, listing the Mediterranean Sea, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Dead (Salt) Sea, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. From this map, consider the journeys Jesus undertook in His early life and where He undertook His ministry.

Friday, February 21st, 2020

Thank you for reading through the Temptation of Christ in the Desert in the Gospel of Luke.

Thank you for writing a reflection on the subject of Matthew 25: 34-41:

What does it mean, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me?"

Recall our visit to the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

We started with the Stations of the Cross and discussed Holy Thursday and the Agony in the Garden. We discussed the trial of Jesus, the carrying of the cross, the crucifixion and the placing of Christ in the tomb.

We then went to the cross at the back of the Basilica portraying the crucifixion of Jesus.

We then went to the altar where there is a statue of Christ on Holy Saturday (Christ in the tomb).

We then went to the image of Divine Mercy, which bears the caption "Jesus, I trust in you!" Streams of mercy pour from the side of Christ for us. This is the resurrected Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday.

Friday, February 28th, 2020

Today we discussed the 'four last things' in light of the unfathomable depths of the Divine Mercy: "Jesus, I trust in you!" ("God of unfathomable mercy, embrace the whole world and pour Yourself out upon us through the merciful Heart of Jesus." - Diary of St. Faustina, 1183)

Ash Wednesday helps us to consider what is most important. The words spoken as we receive ash on our foreheads in the sign of the cross are either "repent and believe in the Gospel," or "remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." (Gen. 3:19)

Discussing the encounter between Jesus and the Rich Young Man (Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18), it became evident that Jesus reframes the question 'what must I do to gain eternal life' by showing that an attitude of trust and faith is what is essential: 'Come follow me', realizing that 'all is possible with God'.

Questions about forgiveness and redemption were raised. All can be forgiven by God, but recognizing God's love allows us the freedom to change. Since the core relationship is with God, true repentance changes the nature of that core relationship. (Also consider the importance of freedom: Without freedom what kind of creatures would we be?)

Questions about the First Cause, the First Mover (Aristotle and Aquinas) were raised. God created time and space. God is not finite and is eternal. God is the necessary being. God is 'pure act' (nothing impedes the action of God). God is good by definition: What God is, is good. As creatures (in time and space), we can know something of God, but not the totality of who God is: We can know God according to the full extent of our capacities.

Heaven is 'seeing' God face to face: 'Now we know in part, then we will know fully as we are known'. [Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me. 1 Cor 13:12] To imagine heaven (which does no justice to the 'good things in store', which 'neither ear has heard nor eye seen' [But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor 2:9] ) think of a moment of unexpected generosity and how thankfulness just emerged from one's being: Consider how unending manifestations of the nature of God as love (in complete generosity) might be met by an outpouring of thanksgiving:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, the former things have passed away. And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21: 3-5)

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien was discussed in light of upcoming group projects for the class.

Thursday, March 5th, 2020

"They were speaking about his exodus [ἔξοδον (exodon)] from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem." (Luke 9: 28—the Transfiguration)

Consider the theme of exodus and the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem to His cross and resurrection.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Thank you for completing the quiz on page 106 of Finding God, Following Jesus.

• Describe the meaning of The Wedding at Cana (John 2: 1-12)
• What are Sacraments and how do they connect to Matthew 28:19, Luke 22:19, and John 20:23

Consider the Beatitudes, (Matthew 5: 3-10) which we have begun discussing, on page 108 of Finding God, Following Jesus.