Values for the Yatra Dec 09

8/9/2019 Values for the Yatra Dec 09

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In this ISSUE

The Joy of Sunrise 1

TeachingJoyfully

2

Super Brains 3

Joy to the World 4

Gift Yourself 5

News and Photos 7

Festive Joy 8

Archdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter December 2009

ValuesValuesValuesfor thefor thefor the YatraYatraYatra

The JOY of Sunrise

My grandfather was in his last days dying with cancer. I came to visit him in thehospital. After a three-hour visit, I called home and said I felt like I needed to spend

the night with him in the hospital room. He was afraid. He felt lonely. Most of all, myG-daddy asked me to spend the night with him. His eyes told me this would be our

last time together.G-daddy was my dads father. He was the little old man in the hat. Thats what he

had always been to me. He took me fishing. He kept cinnamon balls in a bag so

theyd always be there when I came to see him. He taught me how to Bar-BQ andeven told me his secret ingredient. He let me sleep in his den with all his mounted

deer heads on the wall. He had the first color TV I had ever seen. But he was the lit-tle old man in the hat to me. I would always love him. I especially loved him that

long, horrible night.The night lasted forever. G-daddy slept fitfully. He moaned with pain. I called for

more medication. Then he was angry and combative, almost hostile with the nurses.His language was coarse and ugly. He was a man I had never seen, raging in my

grandfathers body. Finally, the medicine slowly began to take effect.

G-daddy calmed and we talked. We remembered the past. We talked about mydad, his son, who had predeceased him. He gradually slipped away in sleep. But his

dreams on the medication were frightening and repeatedly startled him awake. I

would comfort him and talk him back asleep. What sleep I got, was stolen while lyingon two chairs, trying to sort out what was happening. Then ten or fifteen minutes

later, the cycle would begin all over again. It went on all night. My heart rippedapart. I had come for a brief visit and spent the night becoming acquainted with my

grandfathers anguish as cancer stole his life away. The night lasted forever. Finally,

the soft glow of morning light softened the darkness behind the curtain. As the sky litup with the light of a new day, G-daddy calmed and found the sleep that had es-

caped him earlier. Relief arrived. And I began my two-hour drive home, left to con-

template a night I have not shared with anyone, till now.I loved my granddad. I had never seen him like this. I hated it for him. I hated

death and its imposing and impending certainty. I hated that night. There is no wayto describe how important it was for me to see the first rays of sunlight.

But one thing from this horrible night has been a source of hope that has strength-ened and cheered me through the dark hours of sadness. No matter how long, how

deep, and how dark the night, sunrise does eventually come. No, Im not talking

about the temporary sunrise that ends a night of sadness, like I experienced with G-daddys night of anguish. Im talking about a permanent sunrise.

So when G-daddys agony ended a few days after my visit, I was able to let thehorrors of the night slide into the dark closet of memory. Instead, I chose to remem-

ber the soft glow of morning light as it softened the darkness behind the curtain andgave the promise a better day a day without cancer, a day without pain, a day

without darkness, a day without death.

Webster defines Joy as the emotions evoked by well-being, success, or goodfortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. The source of that kind

of joy is things. But the Joy of God is harder to define. The source doesnt comefrom things or feelings. It comes from His Presence. Joy is divinely connected to all of

the things of God. Joy means a source or object of pleasure or satisfaction. It

means to take pleasure and rejoice in that pleasure. It means to fill with joyand to enjoy. It is the latin word gaudium which means gladness or delight and

gaudium comes from the latin word gaudere, and it means to rejoice.

Mr. Rochwyn Fernandes


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ValuesValuesValuesfor thefor thefor the YatraYatraYatraArchdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter December 2009

Joy in Making Learning Psychologically SafeAttend to students psychological comfort by enhancing their self-image and building a relaxing atmosphere

conducive to learning.

First, say and do things that show you respect them and support their studies:

I know this is tough, but I also know you can do it.

You can always come to me when you need help.

Any question is a good question.

The only stupid question is the one not asked.

Im glad youre in this class.

If you want extra help, just call.

Take me as far as you can in the problem until you run into a roadblock.

You are a responsible person. First do these two and.

I was thinking about your question the other day and.

I would like to know how you arrived at that incorrect solution.

Second, do not say things that will make students feel they are unworthy or stupid:

I do not think you can do this, but try it anyway.

You are one of those whom I dont think will make it.

How could you have gotten that answer?

Werent you paying attention?

Oh boy! We have to go back to the start

Why do you bother coming here?

Will you do this if I assign it?

You know that you will have to work to get this done.

This problem is only for the intelligent.

Third, say and do things that make the environment relaxed:

Use naturally occurring humour about your

Before and after class, find out what your students have been doing.

Keep to business but dont be unnecessarily rigid about times and protocol.

Greet students by their names.

Be explicit about what is required on tests and projects.

Assure students that the practice you assign will help them perform well on tests and projects.

Be explicit and timely with feedback.

Fourth, do not make statements.

This test is extremely difficult.

If you had trouble with the homework, this test is going to be a killer.

Only one-third of you should pass this exam.

I may not be able to get the assignment feedback to you before the exam.


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Knowledge has its foundations in trained memory

Memory is not a gift

All possess a supernatural memory

The question is not about a

Good memory or a bad memory

Try the following secrets to develop Super Memory:

Visualization: We remember pictures more than words

Association: Creating links between things we study

Make things outstanding: Creative use with humor and absurdity

Imagination: Imagination creates strong emotions

Color: 50% note taking is improved by color

Rhythm: Rhythm activates your right

brain activity

Holism: Enhances memory to See the

whole picture


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Thoughts for Your Consideration: CHRISTMASChristmas celebrates the birth of a child. Christmas is a celebration of

joy and life. Our social teaching is about joy and life. We affirm the

value of all human life from conception to natural death. We work toput an end to all those things which destroy life and the quality of life

for all.

Christmas calls us to see things in a new way. We are called to see the salvationof God in a homeless child rather than in wealth, consumption, power, honors, or

status of any sort. We are called to create a world based on the values of thischild. The Christmas story lends itself to reflection on many issues of social

justice. The experience of Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus is analogous to theexperience of many people who are poor and powerless today.

1. Mary and Joseph are subject to the whims of the powerful as they have totravel to Bethlehem for the census.

2. The Holy Family is homeless when they arrive in Bethlehem.

3. They become refugees in Egypt to escape the danger of death in Israel.

4. As the child is born, most people are going on with their daily lives and do not

recognize the presence of God.

5. Only the shepherds are able to detect the presence of God in the child that is

born to a homeless family in a stable.

At Christmas time we encounter many temptations. There is the temptation to be

sentimental. There is the temptation to get too involved in elaborate gift

giving. There is the temptation to focus just on our small circle of family andfriends. There is the temptation to make Christmas into a celebration of ourprosperity. There is the temptation to impose too many expectations on this

holiday and forget what we are celebrating.

The fact that Jesus was born poor and homeless calls us to be aware of these

temptations. More than that, the details of Jesus birth challenges us to beengaged with those who are poor and powerless today with those who areliving the human experience of poverty or injustice.

We are invited to see how the experience of those in the Christmas story is notunlike the experience of millions of refugees and displaced people in our worldtoday, of children born into poverty, of agricultural workers who have no land of

their own, of the poor or unemployed in India who are losing their benefits, ofthe those who are homeless, of those who are caught up in the events of war

and terrorist acts, of those who are still among the millions living in some formof slavery, of those denied basic human rights, of those whose

lives are controlled by the power of large corporations and im-

personal governments, of those who go on with their busy liveswithout any significant awareness of the presence and goodness

of God in the ordinary things of life. Merry Christmas



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Another 365 days gone. A New Year ahead with equal opportunities and more. Its time to pick up tpieces, review the past and reset for the future. For some it was getting wiser, for others growing oldChange is in the hair. Christmas is here again. Gifts in plenty for all from tinsel to toys, cakes and carcribs and stars, presents and prayers. But why not gift your self with something new this ChristmaSearching for a gift live CHRISTMAS

Allow me to share with you a small Christmas reflection to make this a meaningful one

C: Christ-Centered not Crisis-CorneredOn your journey of life, change depends on where you set focus. You can be PRINCIPLED-CENTEREor you can choose to be PROBLEM-CORNERED. The kings focused on the star rising. Herod fthreatened by the rising star. Thaddeus Galas rightly said, Your daily life is nothing else but expression of your spiritual condition. Cornered people find no way out with no light at the end of ttunnel. Centred people journey with enthusiasm from crib to cross to crown. Centre you life on Christ.

H: Holiness of Hope not Horror of Hopelessness

P. J Barley once said, It matters not how long you live, but how. The HOW reflects the quality of youlife. He was like us in all things but sin the babe who threatened a king, a learner-boy who astonisheddoctors in the temple, the carpenter turned shepherd carrying the broken back to the Father. DominicSavios life could be summed up in these words; the older he grew, the better he became.

R: Repent and Respond not React to RevengeJohn the Baptist ushered in a new era of repentance and reconciliation unlike Herod who sought to reaWe have the choice to respond to live the quality of life. In a rat race even if you win, you are still a rGift yourself with quality me time. Nothing is more energizing than living a life of peace throureconciliation. The New Year must find you energised and alive, not stale and burnt-out with reactiand revenge.

I: Inside-Out dont Intrude-InDoors are labelled Push and Pull. It all depends on which side of the door you are. People are ndoors and neither are hearts. Relations are built on your own approach to others. People with an INVIIN approach build bridges of love and friendship. Those with an intrude-in approach cut the branch which they sit. Incarnation is simply God allowing himself to be invited into the hearts of humanity.

S: Sacred-Silence not Secular-soundsAn Irish proverb goes thus, There is always something wrong with people, as there is with a motowhen it knocks continually. Gift yourself with moments of silence. If we really stopped to think mowe would definitely stop to thank more. Only in silence do we discover the rich treasures of inner pea

joy, happiness and forgiveness. Silent night echoes the mood of Christmas all is calm, all is brig

Solitude is the soul of genius.



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T: Touch to Transform dont Transact to TrickIt is very hard for an empty sack to stand upright, said Benjamin Franklin. The global awakening

can only happen from a spiritual awakening that is of global dimensions. You can be the touchthat heals the world; you can be the touch that brings peace to people of good will. He laid his handson them and they were healed. He raised his hands and blessed them. Without Jesus inside us we willbe empty sacks, loveless hearts and closed-fisted hands. Take Jesus with you to touch and transformthe world.

M: Miracle of Metaphors not Misery of MediocrityYour life is determined by your metaphors. If your life is a battle; then everyone is your enemy, everystep a death trap, every sound a bomb shell. If life is a banquet; then everyone is a friend, every step a

celebration, and every sound a drum beat. Change your negative metaphors and experience themiracles of abundance and change.

A: Anchor on Acceptance not Anger & ArroganceChange happens when one anchors in deep prayer, discernment and courage. In the midst of trouble,conflict and anger one can only spark chaos not change. G.W. Lyon said, Worry is the interest paid tothose who borrow trouble. Let not the sun set on your anger. Angry people never changed theworld. Spirit-linked people anchor in the port of transformation and send ripples of change.

S: Sailors, Ships, Seas, Storms and ShoresThe world is not interested in the storms you encountered, but did you bring the ship to shore? How

you captained the ship is all that matters in the storm. Following the road map, hitching your wagonto a star, beginning with the end in mind, seeking first the kingdom are all but the same. Difficultiesand storms will always be there. When you bring your ship to harbour there is always the celebration.The secret is in changing course at times, ready to take a new path, knowing always that the STARstill guides and the port is there to be reached.CHRISTMAS IS ALWAYS A ROAD UNDER CONSTRUCTION. HAPPY BUILDING!! Make straightthe PATH through Values for the Yatra!!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010

Fr. Glenford Lowe sdb

AVEC E-Letter Values for the Yatra is an initiative to provideAnimation Resources for Teachers involved in Value Education in the ABE schools/ Jr. Colleges .

Values for the Yatrawill be published every month and is forprivate circulation.Your valuable suggestions are most welcome to assist us in makingValues for the Yatra a useful

tool of animation and bonding among the teachers and students of the ABE schools.

CONTACT:Fr. Glenford Lowe, SDB / Natasha Almeida / Rochwyn Fernandes

AVECDon Bosco Youth Services

Matunga 400019 , MUMBAI Ph: 24154477 e-mail: [email protected]



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CAMPION SCHOOL: 60 Students of Std IX

ST. JOSEPHS SCHOOL, JUHU: 390 students of Std VIII and IX

ST. ISABELS SCHOOL:: 250 Students of Std IX and X

ST. JOSEPHS SCHOOL, JUHU: 150 students of Std X

ST. STEPHENS, CUMBALA HILL: 60 Students of Std VI & VII

The

AVEC

TEAM is

Available

To

Conduct

Training

Programs

ForTEACHERS,

STUDENTS,

and

LEADERS.

Please contact the

AVEC Office for

further details.


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ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, (1506-1552)He was born in the family castle of Xavier, near Pamplona in the Basque area of

Spanish Navarre on Apr. 7, he was sent to the University ofParis 1525, secured hislicentiate in 1528, met Ignatius Loyola and became one of the seven who in 1534, at

Montmartre founded the Society of Jesus. In 1536 he left Paris to join Ignatius inVenice, was ordained there in 1537, went to Rome in 1538, and in 1540, when the

pope formally recognized the Society, was ordered, with Fr. Simon Rodriguez, to theFar East as the first Jesuit missionaries. King John III kept Fr. Simon in Lisbon, but

Francis, after a year's voyage, six months of which were spent at Mozambique where

he preached and gave aid to the sick eventually arrived in Goa, India in 1542. There hebegan preaching to the natives and attempted to reform his fellow Europeans, living among

the natives and adopting their customs on his travels. During the next decade he converted

tens of thousands to Christianity. He visited the Paravas at the tip of India near Cape Co-morin, Tuticorin , Malacca , the Moluccas near New Guinea and Morotai near the Philippines

and Japan .

In 1551, India and the East were set up as a separate province and Ignatius madeFrancis its first provincial. In 1552 he set out for China, landed on the island of Sancian

within sight of his goal, but died before he reached the mainland. Working against great

difficulties, language problems, inadequate funds, and lack of cooperation, often actualresistance, from European officials, he left the mark of his missionary zeal and energy on

areas which clung to Christianity for centuries. His body brought in 1554 to Goa, is kept inthe Basilica of Bom Jesus. The sacred relic of St. Francis Xavier normally housed in a silver

casket in the Bom Jesus church, is brought in a ceremonious procession by several prieststo the SE cathedral every 10 years for an exposition He was canonized in 1622 and

proclaimed patron of all foreign missions by Pope Pius X. F. D. Dec. 3.


AVEC wishes all its Readers

Merry Christmas

&

Happy New Year 2010
http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=4568http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8933http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8352http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8987http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=10913http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8987http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=10148http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1046http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8244http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6084http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=7427http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8417http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6269http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6084http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=48http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=12534http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=2927http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=2927http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=12534http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=48http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6084http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6269http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8417http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=7427http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=6084http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8244http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1046http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=10148http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8987http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=10913http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8987http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8352http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=8933http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=4568

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Values for the Yatra Dec 09