Reflection Paper in Theo
Reflection Paper in Theo
Reflection Paper in Theo
Quinagoran
Level and Section: BSN Level 1-A
The day we had the recollection was really a perfect day for us to unwind, relax, get
stressed free, detoxify our mind and feel God’s presence. It was only a week after the midterm
examination. Recollection was like a cleansing bathe on every soul. Our Lady of Visitation
Seminary was the perfect place for this kind of recreation because of its breath- taking scenery of
the nature. Also, all of us had a great time to enjoy the recollection. I’ve learned so many things
in the one day of staying. I’ve learned a lot in the recollection and it reflects the way I am
communicating to God.
On October 28, 2023 we are scheduled to go to OLVS to have a recollection. Father Von
Alvin Manzano said to us the theme of the recollection which is ‘’ Building better relationship
rooted in Christ’’. It means that, as Christians, it is so important to establish strong roots in Jesus
Christ. If we are going to live out our purpose as followers of Christ, we cannot live the Christian
life and fulfill the mission God has for us without being rooted in Christ. Just like a tree, we are
called to grow and produce fruit as Christians for God’s glory. We are called to grow into mature
Christians, and we are called to raise disciples and glorify God in the work he calls us to do.
Jesus provides all the essential nutrients we need to grow and bear fruit and also provides the
Being rooted in Christ can also be described as establishing your life’s foundation in
Christ. This concept is described in the Bible in Luke 6. “I will show you what it’s like when
someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a
house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break
against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey
is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods
sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” – Luke 6:47-49 NLT. When
you build your life on Christ and his Word, you are building a strong foundation for your life.
Just like a house that is built on a rock, when you build your life on Jesus, you will be able to
stand firm during trials or storms. You will not be tossed around when time get tough because
you have built your life on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ.
Father also discussed to us the rules and regulation of the chapel. First is you need to
listen and reflect to our lives as a student, a friend, a family member, etc. Second is avoid going
outside when Father is about to start talking in front. Third is observe silence. Silence gives
others time to process what you said just then. Silence helps you process your thoughts. Silence
displays confidence in yourself. Silence also signals that you are willing to listen. Fourth is
cleanliness must be observed at all times, do not eat inside the chapel. Lastly is put off or put on
silent mode your gadgets to avoid causing noises and for us to be concentrated about what father
saying to us.
Recollection, as understood in respect to the spiritual life, means attention to the presence
of God in the soul. It includes the withdrawal of the mind from external and earthly affairs in
order to attend to God and Divine things. It is the same as interior solitude in which the soul is
alone with God. It also said that recollection is a stop, look listen, and go in the highway of life,
like a stop - over listen to ourselves the word of God. A moment of silence of prayer and
communicating with God. The first talk that I could really relate to in the recollection was
entitled “Who am I”, it was mostly about what I think of myself or what others think about me
that’s what I thought at first but while our discussion continued realized that it was more than
that. Then after Father Von said to us about recollection, we watched the movie about Mother
Theresa.
Nun and missionary Mother Teresa, known in the Catholic church as Saint Teresa of
Calcutta, devoted her life to caring for the sick and poor. Born in Macedonia to parents of
Albanian-descent and having taught in India for 17 years, Mother Teresa experienced her "call
within a call" in 1946. Her order established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged and disabled;
and a leper colony. In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian
work. She died in September 1997 and was beatified in October 2003. In December 2015, Pope
Francis recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, clearing the way for her to be
I have learnt that Mother Teresa was a very kind-hearted person that helped many people
throughout her life. She taught me that if you set your mind to do something and never give up,
you can achieve anything. After reading about everything she has done for people and the world
really changes your opinion of how you can help because even small things can change a
person’s life, such as giving a homeless person a little bit of spare change from your wallet.
Mother Teresa had very strong views about how to help people, but no matter what she helped
from a young age that she wanted to be in a position with God, but she left working as a nun to
help a lot of other people. Mother Teresa's teachings, values and beliefs can still be followed by
people today. She changed and helped a countless number of peoples life and she should be a
role model to all. By her actions, she has proved that even one person can make a big change,
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According to the Holy Gospel of Saint Matthew 10:17-22 ‘’ Be on your guard; you will
be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will
be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they
arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what
to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through
you.21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against
their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the
Then after we had our lunch, we had our lesson which is ‘’Building your Self- Image’’
and we tackled about the Johari’s Window. The Johari Window is a framework for
understanding conscious and unconscious bias that can help increase self-awareness and our
understanding of others. It is the creation of two psychologists, Joseph Luft and Harrington
they know about themselves and what other people know about them. This results in four areas
of understanding (1) Open area: Anything you know about yourself and are willing to share with
others (2) Blind area: Anything you do not know about yourself, but that others have become
aware of (3) Hidden area: Anything you know about yourself and are not willing to share with
others (4) Unknown area: Any aspect unknown to you or anyone else. We all the possibilities to
change for the better. We can always change to old us. And then we watched a short film entitled
A relationship with God happens most fundamentally by the Spirit through the word.
Don't try to run away from the Bible to find a relationship with God in the woods or in some
kind of aesthetic encounter with nature or with a great piece of art. Those are all supplementary.
Yes, the heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). God does use great art and great
poetry to awaken us. But if we don't center on the Bible where he is speaking authoritatively and
infallibly, then our relationship will become distorted by error and sin. So let the Bible be the
place where God meets you and speaks to you, and let the Bible be the place where you speak
back to him. The relationship is in this communion: him to us, and us to him.
Lesson 2 talks about the other’s life. There 3 types of love, (1) Eros. The word eros was
commonly used in the Greek-speaking world of New Testament times. The word itself is not
found in the pages of the New Testament. The concept of physical love, however expressed in
the context of marriage is found and affirmed in the New Testament (see 1 Cor. 7:5; Heb. 13:4).
(2) Philia means friendly love. Philia was commonly used with reference to friendships or family
relationships. For example, it was used in Matthew 10:37 to indicate love for father and mother
or son and daughter. Philia was the word used of Jesus’ love for His friend Lazarus (John
11:3,36) and His love for His disciple (John 20:2), and (3) Agape means Christian love. In the
New Testament, agapē is the highest form of love. But outside of the New Testament, the word
was rarely used. Prior to New Testament times, agapē did not carry any special significance as a
higher kind of love. Thus, it’s the New Testament understanding of the unique nature of God’s
love—not the word’s usage in the Greek-speaking world of the first century—that gives the
word agapē its special meaning. Agapē is the word that describes God’s love in John 3:16, “God
loved the world in this way …” (CSB). We are commanded to love God (Matt. 22:37) and love
one another (John 13:34) with agapē love. Agapē is the word for love used in 1 Corinthians 13.
There are also 5 elements of love these are respect, openness, trust, care, and
unconditional love. Love is a self-giving. Love is primarily a direction towards the other not
towards the self. 1. Thumb: Family and Friends Your thumb is the finger that is closest to you.
Start by praying for the people in your life who are closest to you. Pray for your family and
friends. Pray for your parents, your grandparents, your sisters and your brothers, your aunts,
uncles, cousins, and closest friends. 2. Index Finger: Teachers The finger next to your thumb is
the index finger. We use this finger for pointing. Pray for the people who point you in the right
direction. Pray for your teachers, coaches, catechists, tutors, priests, and anyone else who teaches
you.
3. Middle Finger: Leaders Your middle finger is the tallest finger. For this finger we pray
for the leaders of our country, our world, and our Church. Pray for the pope and his continued
leadership of the Church. Pray for the leaders of our country to have the wisdom and judgment to
lead us well. 4. Ring Finger: Sick and Poor Our ring finger is our weakest finger. We can’t move
it without the help of our other fingers. For this finger, pray for the sick who need help and
healing. Pray for the poor and suffering who need God’s comfort and help too. 5. The Pinky
Finger: You Finally, for the smallest finger of all, pray for yourself. Jesus taught us to be humble
so we pray for ourselves last with our pinkie finger. Place your greatest needs before God in
prayer.
Last Lesson talks about ‘’God in our Life’’. According to the gospel of Matthew 25:40
‘’In everything we do, we do it for the glory of our God. Our purpose is to give glory to our God
and we sanctify and we become holy to God. Before we end we try to confessed our sins.
Confession is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ in his love and mercy to offer sinners
forgiveness for offenses against God and against your sisters and brothers. Confession brings
reconciliation between God and the penitent, between the penitent and others, and to the
individual penitent. One goes to Confession privately behind a screen or face-to-face with the
priest. Preparation for the Sacrament of Penance consists of a good examination of conscience.
This examination, guided by the Ten Commandments, prepares one to confess sins to the priest.
Confession presumes the penitent is truly sorry with a firm resolve not to sin again.
Confession begins with the (1) Sign of the Cross and the penitent greeting the priest with
the words, (2) “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was ….” (weeks, months,
years). The penitent (3) confesses sins to the priest, who stands in the name of Christ and the
Church. The priest will help you make a good confession. If you are unsure or uneasy, ask the
priest to help. Place your trust in God, a merciful Father who wants to forgive you. Following the
confession of sins, say, (4) “This is all I can remember. I am sorry for these and all my sins.”
The priest will assign you a (5) penance. The penance takes into account your personal situation
and supports your spiritual good. It may be a prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service, or
sacrifice; whatever the penance, the individual is joined in some way to Christ and the cross.
The penitent will then pray an (6) Act of Contrition. This prayer expresses true sorrow for the
sins confessed. This prayer may be expressed in one’s own words or one may use one of the
formal prayers of sorrow. The priest, acting in the person of Christ, will absolve you from your
sins by saying the prayer of (7) Absolution. As the prayer is ending, the penitent makes the (8)
Sign of the Cross and responds, “Amen.” The priest will express some (9) words of praise and