Qualities of Friendship

Below is a list of traits one would like to find in a friend:

  1. joyful
  2. helpfulcaring
  3. creative
  4. spontaneous
  5. humble
  6. courageous
  7. fearless
  8. brave
  9. leader
  10. caring
  11. good listener
  12. gentle
  13. merciful
  14. just
  15. honest
  16. faithful
  17. sympathetic
  18. fun
  19. fair
  20. understanding
  21. sensitive
  22. accepting
  23. sensible
  24. responsible
  25. prudent
  26. non-judgmental
  27. generous
  28. giving
  29. sharing
  30. peacemaker
  31. knowledgeable
  32. good-looking
  33. athletic
  34. loving
  35. smart
  36. in control
  37. funny
  38. talkative
  39. soft-spoken
  40. kind
  41. patient
  42. helpful
  43. polite
  44. interesting
  45. nice
  46. self-controlled
  47. energetic
  48. nurturing
  49. supportive
  50. wise

Write a post in your iblog about the 3-5 traits you really look for in a friend. Prioritize your list and explain why you want friends to have certain traits.

Be Just

Theme 1: What keeps us apart?

Outcomes
Students will

  • identify and analyze examples of prejudice
  • suggest ways that they could respond with compassion to situations of injustice
  • demonstrate an understanding of how responding with com- passion leads to peace

Key Concepts

  • Christian justice is rooted in love. It is based not only on fairness, but also on mercy and compassion.
  • Compassion is the ability to feel and act with and for another. It is not pity.
  • Respect for the human person considers the other “another self.” It presupposes respect for the fundamental rights that flow from the dignity intrinsic to the person. (CCC #1944)
  • Peace is the fruit of justice.
  • “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5.6).

Theme 2: How much is enough?

Outcomes
Students will

  • identify social justice issues
  • perceive the challenge of God’s preferential option for the poor
  • use the preferential option for the poor as the criterion for analyzing social injustice issues
  • acknowledge that the love of God for all people demands justice

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5.10).
  • “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6.20).
  • As Christians we are called to see that a wide variety of issues are issues of justice: for example, poverty, unjust labour practices, immigration, refugees, ecology, unemployment, consumer justice, land use.
  • Christian justice challenges individuals and society to work for the kingdom of God. Promoting justice is not an option for Christians – it is an integral part of our mission.
  • The Church informs our judgment of social justice issues.
  • Christians are called to respond to God’s love by making changes to address injustice in the world.
  • The preferential option for the poor colours the Christian understanding of justice.

Theme 3: How can the earth survive?

Outcomes
Students will

  • define justice in terms of respect for the integrity and balance of creation
  • explain how justice is a demand of natural law
  • evaluate their lifestyle in terms of its ecological impact
  • identify the correlation between their relationship with God and their relationship with others and the earth

Key Concepts

  • “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5.5).
  • Justice is both a demand and an outcome of natural law.
  • The earth is ultimately a common heritage, the fruits of which are for the benefit of all.
  • Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle.
  • Contact with nature has deep restorative power that can impart peace and serenity.
  • The commitment of believers to a healthy environment for everyone stems directly from their belief in God the creator.
  • Humanity’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of one’s neighbour, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation (CCC # 2415).

Ecology of the Heart

Throughout Laudato Si, Pope Francis returns to the contrast between dominion and domination, of stewardship andownership. He tells us that our concern for the planet is an empty one if it does not take into account ourr responsibility and obligation to our poorest and least acknowledged neighbor. Our call is not to make things better for us, but for everyone. Since God is creator of all, God loves all. So must we.

Ponder
How can I become selfless enough to call everyone I meet a brother or sister?

Pray
God of creation, it is not always easy to see you in others. When people are downright nasty and hard to help, give me a heart to see through their anger and fear to your grace shining in them.

Creation, Evolution, and Genesis

Judges 2:11-19
1Kings 11:1-13
2Chronicles 36:5-21
Baruch 1:13-2:6

Babylonian: The Enuma Elish

Quote:
It is a disgraceful and a dangerous thing for an unbeliever to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of scripture, talking nonsense on these topics. Many non-Christians are well-versed in Natural knowledge, so they can detect vast ignorance in such a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The danger is obvious– the failure to conform interpretation to demonstrated [“Natural,” or scientific] knowledge opens the interpreter, and by extension, Christianity as a whole, to ridicule for being unlearned.
– St. Augustine

Faithandreason.com

Jewish History: Part 3

The history of the Jews goes back thousands of years. Below are some important evens in that history between 1000 and 1900. Use your knowledge of Judaism and the history of the region to determine their correct order. Number them 1-8, with 1 as the earliest event.

a. Jews from Eastern Europe begin to emigrate to Israel, then called Palestine.
b. One hundred thousand Jews are massacred in Poland.
c. The Crusades, intended to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule, begin; they result in the deaths of many Jews.
d. A series of massacres of Jews, called pogroms, begins in Russia.
e. Much of Europe blames the Black Plague on Jews; hundreds of Jewish communities destroyed.
f. French Jews are granted full citizenship for the first time since the Roman Empire.
g. Russia requires thirty-one years of military service for Jews, beginning at age twelve.
h. Jews of Vienna are forced to move into a ghetto called Leoplodstadt.