Mr. Linney

Week of February 25, 2008

We are up and running in the 3rd and final trimester of the 2007-08 school year at Durham Nativity School.  This week we are jumping in with both feet into some new and exciting subject areas.  The sixth graders will study Population Dynamics and the Book of Isaiah.  The 7th graders are engaging Paul’s Letter to the Philippians.  The 8th graders are studying connections among Evolution, Chemistry, and Cellular Biology.  We will also begin some in-depth work in Christian literature.  It should be an exciting trimester if each student brings his best work every day.  Let’s have some fun gentlemen!

The New Testament class will be studying some of Paul’s letters.  Check out the serious and contemplative Paul below:

From: http://www.abcgallery.com/R/rembrandt/rembrandt187.html

“This somber portrait by Rembrandt (1606-1669) shows Paul in a deeply reflective mood and stresses the apostle’s consciousness of the enormous burden he bears–the task of communicating his unique vision of Christ to the Gentiles.  In his letters, Paul expresses a wide variety of emotions–joy, anger, bitter sarcasm–but Rembrandt captures here the sense of melancholy and isolation that typcially characterizes this great missionary.”  Description above is from p.307, The New Testament: A Student’s Edition, ed. by Stephen L. Harris, McGraw-Hill, 2002.

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Martin Luther King, Jr.-Rule of Life King had a certain way of acting in the world and he expected those who demonstrated during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s to behave in a certain manner.  He modeled this concept of a Rule of Life after Saint Benedict’s Rule of Life for the monastic order that Benedict founded, the Benedictines, which understood that Brothers who pray together and share their life with one another are doing the work of Christ. Here was Martin Luther King’s Rule of Life for every demonstrator before they could participate: Ø    Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.Ø    Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory.Ø    Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.Ø    Pray daily to be used by God in order that all might be free.Ø    Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all might be free.Ø    Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.Ø    Seek to perform regular service for others and the world.Ø    Refrain from violence of fist, tongue, and heart.Ø    Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.Ø    Follow the directions of the movement and the captains of a demonstration. 

Do you have a Rule of Life? 

What are the most important rules that you follow in your daily life?  Be as specific as possible.

What else might you include in a Rule of Life?  Name at least three possible things you could add to your Rule of Life?

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