The Bible Quiz Experience

With a vision that the students/youth will be encouraged to read and study the Bible, the Society of St. Paul held their 2^nd National Bible Quiz elimination round here at Cagayan de Oro City. The Lourdes College auditorium congregated 11 different high schools from Cagayan de Oro and nearby schools from Gingoog City and Malaybalay City. With high hopes to bring home the bacon, 17 teams competed for the top three spots.

After the quiz, emerged the winners. St. Mary’s School, represented by Maria Annabella Tiro, Emmanulle Anne Gozo and Christ Rhea Udang went home with smiles on their faces as they bagged the second spot which will be their ticket for the semi-final round to be held at SM Cebu on August 20, 2011. Liceo de Cagayan University topped and St. Mary’s Academy-Jasaan followed St. Mary’s School on the ranks.  It was indeed a motivating experience as the St. Marian participants made a promise to now read with their whole hearts and minds the very words of God revealed to us through the Sacred Scriptures. 

God’s Learning Plan for Me

It was not my ambition to be a teacher when I was still young, but my ambition to be a priest lead me to become a teacher. It was April last year when I received the information from my Ministry Year director that I will be assigned to teach here on this humble institution, St. Mary’s Academy of Jasaan (SMAJ).  As part of our integral formation as seminarians of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, we are sent to teach in different Catholic High schools after completing our two-year academic formation in the seminary. This program hopes to form us future servant-leaders to integrate ourselves in the real world, to assess how we are to relate with the realities of the world in this field (teaching), and to experience humanity in its real essence as what Jesus did when he was sent by the Father.

                Life is at its best when we experience what “really life is all about.” Experiencing things beyond the seminary walls is the purpose of my being here. Learning is also at its best when we know how to make others learn from us. We may not be able to give solutions to everyone’s problems, but at least we are able to inspire them to work for the solution for their problem. Jesus during his time did not impose that his teachings were the answers to people’s problems or the society’s but He made people realize of their worth and make them do things they never did in their life; of course for the good. I am here not to make intellectual giants out of my students, but to make students realize their worth and what they can do. I am here not to brag about myself but I am here to brag about Jesus whom I wanted to follow.  Life is not really easy at all but my inspiration to move forward springs out from someone who lived life to the extent of giving it up for others – Jesus. He is the best example to all of us of living what “really life is all about.”

                As the end of the school year draws near, it gives me a realization to go back to the objectives of why I am here. There are still many learning plans to make and essential understandings to be answered by life’s essential questions. I have already learned the understanding about this plan that God has made for my life in my Ministry Year here in SMAJ. The strategies that God has used made corrections to some of my prior knowledge. Life here in SMAJ has been a performance task completed that hopefully will be graded by God’s criteria and not of human measure. I thank God for being here, despite the struggles and difficulties (which is very normal to all people) and felt how it is to help students become Marians as this institution wants them to be. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to people who help me be the person I wanted to become.

                It was not my ambition to be a teacher when I was still young, but my ambition to be a priest lead me to become a teacher. Somehow, someday, we will all realize that there is a ‘teacher’ in us.

          ****This article was written for the MARIANETTES, the school paper of my former school St. Mary’s Academy of Jasaan, school year 2010-2011.****