LITTLE FLOWER SCHOOL, INC.

Poblacion, Dumanjug, Cebu

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – EDUKASYON SA PAGPAPAKATAO

GRADE 8
STUDENT’S PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I thank you for the opportunity to study which others may not have. Help me to give my
best in whatever I do. Give me the grace to manage my time well, - to balance “study and play”. Help
me set aside distracting thoughts and to have focus especially during exams. Do not let me fall into
temptations of cheating and making “short cuts” in order to attain my goals. Instead, let me accept
the fact of life that nothing is worth comes easy. Let me value the knowledge and wisdom imparted to
us by our teachers and the Oblates of Notre Dame Sisters, and to appreciate their efforts and
concerns. Teach me to learn the lessons of life that I may not only live for myself but for others.
Amen. That which pleases God, I strive to do always.

Doctrine : Believe that Jesus is a true God and a true man

Moral : Follow the ways of Jesus
Worship : Appreciate the love of Joseph and Mary for Jesus

TEACHER: RYAN C. TAMELIN ( 09970898306)

LESSON 2: BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF JESUS.

I. My Story

WHO IS THE GREATEST

Once there was a king who wanted to be remembered by the people as the
greatest of all kings. He went to a sage who advised him, "If you want to be the
greatest, you have to become the least." "How do I become the least, wise one"
The king asked "Leave the palace, Forsake your wealth and servants. Be with your
people and you will discover how is to be great," the wise man told the king
without hesitation, the king changed his clothes to that of a commoner. He took off
his royal ring and emptied his pockets of any money. He only brought a piece of
bread and filled a small wine skin with water for his journey. He walked out of the
palace looking very much like a destitute man along the road, he saw a beggar,
unkempt and looking severely famished. The king approached the beggar. He was
moved with pity and gave him his bread and gave him water to drink. "Thank you," the beggar said and went
on his way. Before the king reached another town, some bandits attacked him. Finding no money on the king,
the bandits tore off his clothes, beat him, and left him for dead. It was already midnight when the severely
beaten king felt some water touch his parched lips. The king awoke in a cave. His wounds have been dressed
and there was a small fire beside him to keep him warm. The king tried to recognize who his saviour was and
discovered that it was the beggar. "Thank you," the king said. "I will give you a great reward when I return to
the palace. You see my friend, I am the king! The beggar did not say a word. He was not even surprised. The
king was puzzled. He asked the beggar, 'Well, my friend, what is your heart's desire? Tell me and I will give it
to you!" The beggar smiled and said, "Dear king, you have already rewarded me this morning. You gave me
food and water. You came to me without hesitation despite your stature. I am richly rewarded, for my king
became like me and know all my sufferings. I now know that the one who rules this land shall rule with
wisdom. The king wept for joy. He remembered the words of the wise man and told himself that now he
knows how to be the greatest of all.
 II. Activity
1. Why do you think the king wanted to be remembered as the greatest of all kings? What could have
moved him to aspire for such recognition?
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2. Do you think the king expected the answer of the sage on how to be the greatest? Why?
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3. Why do you the king did not hesitate to follow the sage’s advice ?
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4. What does the action of the king toward the beggar say about the character of the king? Does he
really deserve to be a leader ? Why?
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5. Why did the beggar say that he was already rewarded? Why did he put his trust in king?
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III. Linkage to the story
The king sought the way to greatness and the advice of the sage was means to be the servant of all. The king
decided to live like a commoner to experience what his people felt and to know their suffering. In the end, the
experience of the king was instructive to both parties king discovered that one attains greatness through the
service of others. While the beggar learned that the king is not just somebody who lives in the palace but a
ruler who is 'one with them and knows their plight.

Jesus Christ, our Lord and King. emptied himself and became man to be with us. However, as opposed to the
human king in the story above, Jesus Christ become man to show us how to love God and how to love our
neighbors. Jesus Christ suffered and died so that all men will be saved from the depravity of sin. Jesus Christ
is the greatest of all kings for he came with only one purpose in mind: That we come to know God the Father's
great love for us and how we can love our fellowmen.

IV. DEEPEN ( We Believe)

Matthew lists the ancestors of Jesus to show that he is the long-awaited Messiah. He comes from the
lineage of King David, as prophesied in the Old Testament. Samuel 7:12-15 says, "I will raise up you heir after
you...I will make his kingdom firm...I will make his royal throne firm forever...I will be a father to him and he
shall be a son to me. The prophet Samuel shows that Jesus descended from King David through Joseph, his
adoptive father. Adoption was a common occurrence in the time of Joseph and less legally, was his son. Luke
on the other hand, traces the lineage of Jesus from Joseph ("Jesus... was known as the son of Joseph, whose
father and forefathers were and he goes back even further, listing the ancestors of Joseph up to ... Adam-who
was from God" (Lk 3:23-38). Luke points out the fact that Jesus, the Messiah, was bom, not only for the
salvation of the Jews, but for all the descendants of Adam.
A. PATTERN OF BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS IN SCRIPTURE
The infancy narratives follow the pattern of birth announcements of important persons in the Old
Testament (for example, the birth of Isaac in Gen 17, and Samson in Jd 13). The pattern goes like this
1. Appearance of an angel who announces the message
2. The recipient of the message reacts with fear and apprehension
3. The angel calms the fear of the recipient and announces the birth
4. The recipient raises questions about the message
5. The angel assures the recipient that a sign will be given to confirm the message

B. DIFFERENCES IN THE NARRATIVES ON THE BIRTH OF JESUS

Matthew 1:18-24 and Luke 1:26-38. Why are the narratives of Matthew and Luke different! Why is
Matthew's account so full of drama and tension while that of Luke is more peaceful and serene? Again,
let us remember that the Bible is not a journalist's account of events. The gospels were shaped by
different communities of believers. They chose what elements they wish to include in the gospel they
were shaping and set aside other details. What is important is the message being communicated in the
infancy narratives and the themes such as Messiah and Lord, Son of the Most High, Savior) which will
later be developed as the gospel unfolds. However, both gospels have the following elements in
common 1. The conception of Jesus occurred before Mary and Joseph lived together as husband and
wife.
2. The angel declared that the conception will be through the power of the Holy Spirit, for Mary is a
virgin 3. The child shall be called "Jesus” (meaning "savior').
4. Jesus is born in Bethlehem.
God became man, at a particular time and place in history, (more than 2000 years ago in a place called
Bethlehem), through a miraculous birth of a human mother named Mary, a virgin who conceived.
by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church has consistently taught us that Mary is perpetually a Virgin
The Catechism for Filipino Catholics (521) says: Mary, Virgin and Mother manifests God's perfectly free
initiative in the Incarnation (God's Word/Son becoming flesh. Jnt:14) Mary's perpetual virginity is not
simply attention from sexual intercourse, but the positive value of perfect personal integrity in her total
gift of self to God. Mary's Virginity flowered into maternity not only for Jesus ,
the first-born of all creation of Rom 8 29. Col 115.18), but also for all who
would be born again to new life in him (of Jn 3:3; 1 Jn 5:11 LG 57; CCC 499-
501) The Virgin Birth, then, is not a privilege affecting only Jesus and Mary,
but a positive sign of the Father's gracious saving love which adopts us all in
sending His Son, and the Spirit's building a new People of God, the Body of
Christ, the Church
C. THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS
What do the gospels tell us about the childhood of Jesus? Luke tells us, "When the parents had fulfilled
all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee. There the
child grew in stature and strength, and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon him" (Lk
2:39-40). We have no knowledge of the specific acts of Jesus when he was a child. However, we can
be sure that Jesus was brought up well by Joseph and Mary. If
we look back at the Old Testament, the Wisdom Writings
speak of the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. The
fear of the Lord is understood as true reverence for Yahweh
and following His laws. If the young Jesus was filled with
wisdom' then we can confidently say that Joseph and Mary
taught Jesus how to faithfully follow God's commands.
JOSEPH, THE FOSTER FATHER OF JESUS, A BRAVE
AND UPRIGHT MAN
Little is said of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, in the gospels. Only in the infancy passages of
Matthew do we have a glimpse of what he was like. He is here described as an "upright man", a silent
figure but one who acted quickly and faithfully to carry out God's directions. He had great respect for
Mary and when he learned she was pregnant, although he had no relations with her yet, his first
thought was to protect her from the punishment of Jewish law. He was present through all the events
mentioned in the birth and childhood of Jesus. He travelled with the pregnant Mary to Bethlehem and
 found a place where she could give birth. He witnessed the visit of the wise men, heard the story of
the shepherds that angels appeared to announce Jesus' birth to them. He speedily travelled with his
family to Egypt to escape the persecution of Herod, and brought them back years later to settle
Nazareth and there practiced his trade as a carpenter was with Mary when they searched for Jesus
who was found preaching in the temple at a young age. After this incident, there is no further mention
of his presence, What are the virtues of Joseph that we can follow? He trusted God's word and obeyed
God's will. Joseph constantly manifested his loving presence to Mary and Jesus. He protected his family
and was deeply concerned with them. Perhaps we should also follow
God more instead of succumbing to our personal desires. Whenever
we are with our family members, let us be a source of joy and
consolation for them. We are called to show deep concern too, for
our younger brothers and sisters and guide them back to God in case
they get 'lost' along the way.

THE "YES" OF MARY

An important highlight of the Annunciation is Mary's response to the
angel's announcement that she is to be the Mother of God. Though
she was mystified, she freely cooperated and accepted the role God
was asking her to take. She humbly answered: "I am the servant of
the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said." Much has been
written about her "fiat" or her humble acceptance and total
conformity to God's will. Mary and Jesus were both fully dedicated to doing God's will throughout their
lives, and by so doing, fulfilled God's plan for humanity. Mary is a model of perfect service and total
submission to God. Every day we are faced with decisions, big and small, where we will be given a
choice to do God's will or follow our own, to choose to do what is good or allow ourselves to drift to
what is bad for us. Mary's "yes" paved the way for the God of all creation to become man, like one of
us, and forever changed the destiny of all men and women. Our day-to-day decisions too will slowly
but surely shape the direction of our lives, for good or ill. Let us always choose prayerfully and wisely.
THE 'YESOF MARY. Our Blessed Mother is our model of perfect service and total submission to God.
God said "Honor your father and mother and what better way to honor them than to say a cheerful
Yes' to their commands. Tomorrow morning until Sunday, try your best to always say 'yes' to what
your parents request you to do. If they ask you to finish your homework and not go to the party, say
"Yes, po!' and follow them. If they tell you to be kind to your brother or sister, say, "Yes, po!' and do it.
On Sunday, write a one page reflection paper about your experience. Did the relationship between you
and your parents improve or was strengthened? Share your story.

V. Things to remember
 Why did Matthew list the ancestors of Jesus?
To show that Jesus is the Messiah who comes from the lineage of David as prophesied in the Old Testament.
 How come there are differences in the infancy narratives among the synaptic gospels?
The gospels were shaped by different communities of believers. They chose what elements they wished to
include in the gospel they were shaping and set aside other details. What is important is the message being
communicated in the infancy narratives and the themes.
 What are the similarities in the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke?
 The conception of Jesus occurred before Mary and Joseph lived together as husband and wife.
 The angel declared that the conception will be through the power of the Holy Spirit, for Mary is a virgin
 The child shall be called "Jesus" (meaning "savior").
 Jesus is born in Bethlehem.
 What do we know of the childhood of Jesus?
The child Jesus grew in stature and strength, and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon him (Lk
2:39-40).
 What does wisdom mean?
True reverence for God and following his laws.
 What are the virtues of Joseph that we can follow?
He trusted God's word and obeyed God's will. Joseph constantly manifested his loving presence to Mary and
Jesus. He protected his family and was deeply concerned with them.
 Why is Mary our model of perfect service and total submission to God?
Though Mary was mystified, she freely cooperated and accepted the role God was asking her to take. She
humbly answered: "I am the servant of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said."
 What is the Church's teaching on the "perpetual virginity of Mary?
" CFC 521 says "Mary's perpetual virginity is not simply abstention from sexual intercourse, but the positive
value of perfect personal integrity in her total gift of self to God. Mary's virginity flowered into maternity not
only for Jesus, the first-born of all creation (cf. Rom 8:29; Col 1:15,18), but also for all who would be born
again to new life in him" (cf. In 3:3; 1 Jn 5:11; LG 57; CCC 499-501).

VI. EVALUATION
I. Identification. Identify the following

__________1. This refers to true reverence for God and following his laws

__________2. This refers to our model of obedience to God.

__________3. This refers to the evangelist who list the ancestors of Jesus to prove that He is Messiah

__________4. This refers to Mary’s response to God when the angel told her that she will bear a son

__________5. This refers to the place where Jesus grew up.

__________6. This refers to Jesus legal adoptive father

__________7. This refers to the place where Jesus was born.

__________8. This refers to oldest ancestors of Jesus according to Luke.

__________9. This refers to the first teacher of Jesus when he was a Child.

__________10. This refers to Mary’s humble acceptance and total conformity to God’s will.

II. Describe why there are inconsistencies among the infancy narratives. Does this diminish their
value and importance? How do these inconsistences point us instead to the individuals themes
of the narratives?

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Ako si _____________________ nga ginikanan ni _________________nagapamatuod nga akong gihagit

ug gi-agni ang akong anak sa pagtuon ug pagtubag sa iyang module sa REED 8. Ako usab siyang
gihatagan ug tabang sa mga butang nga dili niya masabtan. Ako nagapirma sa ubos isip pagpamatuod
sa akong gibuhat.
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Ngalan ug Pirma sa Ginikanan / Petsa sa Pagpirma