Quiz on the Gospel of Matthew

July 30, 2014 selvam Youth Animation, Youth Ministry Resources

100 Questions on the Gospel According to Matthew (Mt)
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The level is meant for secondary school students; selected questions could be used for lower ages.
The answers are accompanied by citation of verses wherever applicable. In quiz competitions, to make the exercise more challenging it would be interesting to require citations.
The quotations are from RSV.

How are the readings during Sunday liturgy arranged in the Catholic Church? The readings are arranged in three-year cycle: Year A – The Gospel of Matthew, Year B -Gospel of Mark, Year C – Gospel of Luke.
How do you determine on a given year which cycle of readings to use on a Sunday? Divide the year by 3 and pay attention to the remainder (ex. 2014/3, the remainder will be 1). If the remainder is […]

Das Gleichnis vom Sämann – Mt 13, 1-9

July 12, 2014 selvam German Entries

Das GlDas Gleichnis vom Sämann – Mt 13, 1-9
Vor ein paar Jahren durfte ich das Heilige Land besuchen. Ich erinnere mich, wie unser Bus vom See von Galiläa hinauf auf den so genannten ‘Berg der Seligpreisungen’ fuhr und wie der Franziskaner, der uns begleitete, begann, uns das Gleichnis vom Sämann vorzulesen (Mt 13, 1-9) – unser heutiger Evangeliumstext.Dabei lud er uns ein, die umgebende Landschaft zu betrachten: Es gab felsigen Grund, man erkannte Fußwege durch dorniges Gestrüpp und es gab fruchtbares Land. Als ich dieses sah, wurde das Wort Gottes für mich lebendig! Unser Begleiter bemerkte. „Jesus hatte keine Power-Point Präsentation, um seine Lehre zu illustrieren. Er nahm, was ihm und seinen Hörern zugänglich war – die Landschaft!“
Als ich mit dieser Szene vor Augen Jesu Worte hörte, wurde mir die Paradoxie des heutigen Evangeliumstextes machtvoll bewusst. Der Sämann des Evangeliums muss doch ein wahrer Amateur von einem Landwirt gewesen sein, […]

What is Scaffolding?

July 9, 2014January 3, 2015 selvam Scaffoldings

• It is a Training Programme for Building Christian Life Skills among the Young People of Africa.
• The title Scaffoldings alludes to the concept that at the beginning of learning, learners need a great deal of support; gradually, this support is taken away to allow the young people to try their independence.
• It is the same in the growth process of a young person as a Christian. Scaffoldings translates the Catechism into life-skills, and accompanies them in the process of life-skills building.
• According to UNICEF, life-skills refer to a large group of psycho-social and interpersonal skills which can help people make informed decisions, communicate effectively, and develop coping and self-management skills that may help them lead a healthy and productive life. Life-skills may be directed toward personal actions and actions toward others, as well as actions to change the surrounding environment to make it conducive to healthy life. Scaffoldings training […]

Do We Need Walls to Celebrate Development?

July 6, 2014October 15, 2014 selvam Africa

Do We Need Walls to Celebrate Development?
Sahaya G. Selvam, sdb
(2 July 2014)
It used to be said that the Great Wall of China is the only human artefact seen from the moon. Even if this legend has been debunked by astronauts, the wall is indeed great. It stretches an extensive distance of 7,200 kilometres. The Chinese have something to be proud of marking how developed they were even in the pre-Christian era.
These days I am on an academic writing break in Moshi, a cosy little down at the foothills of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I am not staying at the town though, which is crowded these days with the wazungu visitors, who pretend to be enthusiastic Kilimanjaro climbers. Some parade it in their T-shirts: “I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.” Of course, these T-shirts are not sold at the Kibo peak nor does it need any ID of sorts to buy […]