My Ecclesial World

The coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI incorporates both papal elements, as well as the elements of the coat of arms he bore as Archbishop of München (Munich) and Freising, and as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Miter. The miter replaces the "beehive" tiara familiar from former papal coats of arms. Benedict XVI has replaced it with the miter, on which is emblazoned three gold bands representing "order, jurisdiction and magisterium."
    These are the symbolic equivalents of the three layers of the tiara. They are connected into a unity by the vertical gold strip, representing the unity of these three kinds of authority in the person of the Supreme Pontiff.

Pallium. The use of the white pallium with black crosses draped below the shield is a new addition to papal coats of arms. It represents episcopal authority, the special kind of jurisdiction that is reserved to metropolitan archbishops in their province and to the pope universally in the Church, what is called the plenitudo pontificalis officii (i.e. the plenitude of pontifical office).

Crossed Keys. The two crossed keys symbolize the powers Christ gave to the Apostle Peter and to his successors. The gold key represents the power to bind in heaven and the silver key spiritual authority on earth. The two keys are united by the cord, again indicating their essential unity in Peter and his successors.

Caput Aethiopum. The Moor’s head, facing left and typically crowned, appeared on the coat of arms of the old principality of Freising as early as 1316, during the reign of the Bishop of Freising, Prince Konrad III, and it remained almost unchanged until the “secularization” of the Church’s estates in that region in 1802-1803. Ever since that time the archbishops of Munich and Freising have included the Caput Aethiopum, the head of an Ethiopian, in their episcopal coat of arms."

Bear of Corbinian. Also present on the coat of arms is a bear with a pack-saddle, the so-called “Bear of Corbinian." The saintly Bishop Corbinian preached the Christian faith in the Duchy of Bavaria in the 8th century and is considered the spiritual father and patron of the archdiocese. A legend states that he traveled to Rome with a bear as his pack-animal, after having commanded it to do so. Once he arrived, he released the bear from his service, and it returned to Bavaria. The implication is that "Christianity tamed and domesticated the ferocity of paganism and thus laid the foundations for a great civilization in the Duchy of Bavaria." At the same time, Corbinian’s Bear, as God’s beast of burden, symbolizes the burden of office.

Scallop Shell. The symbolism of the shell is multiple. St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (354-430 AD), was once walking along the seashore, meditating on the unfathomable mystery of the Holy Trinity. A boy was using a shell to pour seawater into a little hole. When Augustine asked him what he was doing, he replied, “I am emptying the sea into this hole.” Thus did Augustine understand that man would never penetrate to the depths of the mystery of God. Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, in 1953, wrote his doctoral dissertation on “The People of God and the House of God in Augustine’s Teaching about the Church," and therefore has a personal connection with the thought of this great Doctor of the Church. The shell also stands for pilgrimage, for “Jacob’s staff,” a pilgrim’s staff topped with a scallop shell. In Church art it is a symbol of the apostle James the Great, and his sanctuary at Santiago de Compostela in Spain, perhaps the principal place of pilgrimage during the middle ages. This symbol alludes, as well, to “the pilgrim people of God,” a title for the Church which Joseph Ratzinger championed at the Second Vatican Council as peritus (theological adviser) to Cardinals Frings of Köln (Cologne). When he became Archbishop he took the shell in his coat of arms.

- from The Eternal Word Television Network (www.ewtn.com)

May 1, 2005   The Sixth Sunday of Easter (A) - White

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 8:5-8, 14-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66
"Let all the earth cry out to God with joy."
Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:15-18
Gospel: John 14:15-21

"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you"
It is a fact that Jesus will go back to the Father after his earthly mission has been accomplished. He will have to leave his disciples. This is a fact the disciples have to face.

The Johannine version of the Gospel presents a lengthy account of thr discourse during the Last Supper. Jesus is presented here once again as a teacher who teaches his discples what to do til the very end. Last week, we heard that Jesus - the only way to the Father who leads us in truth and lives a life surrendered to the Father’s will - will go back to where his disciples cannot fathom. Jesus is ready to go back to the Father. He promises also that he will prepare for them a place to wherever he is going. This Sunday, we are presented an answer to the problem of the disciples. They thought that Jesus will leave them orphans - no one to guide them when he is not around in flesh anymore. But Jesus promises them one thing - a mystery that will be perfected and fully-fathomed during the first Pentecost event.

The mystery of the Spirit takes the centerstage. Jesus promises them the Holy Spirit - the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Lord and Giver of life - who will guide them as they journey to accomplish the mission Jesus has entrusted them. The Holy Spirit , which "the world cannot accept," works in mysterious ways. He works in different people with different personalities. He makes the truth known through varied ways. Not all people believe in the transforming power of the Spirit. But he makes sure that people feel his transforming power through the challenges and problems people face. We have our own Paschal Mystery which we share in Christ’s very own Paschal Mystery. He makes known himself to the world through every individual’s Paschal Mystery. Because of the Spirit’s union with Christ, he continues Christ’s work of leading us the way to the Father, speaking about the truth and living in us the very life pleasing to the Father. Hence, the Spirit of Truth will lead us to all truth.

The apostles were not left orphans. The apostles were sent a mystery which would enable them to feel Christ’s presence more. He is always beside them through the Spirit.

Living as Christians

Christ suffered once to lead us to the Father - both for sinners and righteous. He made this possible through his Paschal death on the cross which climaxed in his triumphant resurrection from the dead. All of us have to face our own Paschal Mysteries however it is better to suffer for doing good rather than for doing bad.

Summary Post for April 25-28

1. Amazing Race 7 Update

After outsmarting Rob in the Jodhpur Airport, married couple Uchenna & Joyce and retired married couple Meredith & Gretchen held a two-hour advantage as Teams made their way to Istanbul, Turkey. While Uchenna & Joyce capitalized on their lead to claim another first-place finish, Meredith & Gretchen faltered, but hung on for second place, their best yet. After a leg of continual fighting, former POW & pageant queen Ron & Kelly stepped on the mat in last place, but remained in the game as this was the second non-elimination leg.

Commentary: I hope Rob and Amber won’t recover from their third place finish. I hope they get eliminated next episode in London. (I’m sorry to all fans of Rob/Amber…they just make me sick!)

2.  Chemistry Class

April 25 - test on electron configuration was returned: I got 36/40, not bad; discussion on the mole concept: Ms. Marie R. taught us how to convert moles to grams to molecules and to the number of particle-ions; she introduced us to Amedeo Avogadro di Quarenga - founder of Avogadro’s number (6.02 x 10 ^23 or 6.02EXP23)

April 26 - discussion and test on mole concept; then she introduced us to the two types of chemical equations: composition and decomposition

April 27 - test on mole concept was returned: i got 7.5/10, not too bad though nearly failing; more on chemical reactions: single replacement and double displacement

April 28 - she scheduled a test today on chemical reactions but she totally forgot it; test on naming and writing chemical equations was returned: i got 20/20, first perfect score for a chem test since first year! we had a discussion on stoichiometry - the art of calculating quantities of substances involved in chemical reactions

3. Geometry class

I felt I was left behind in the lessons this whole week…my classmates were really fast! I really can’t catch-up with some lessons. I need to catch-up this weekend coz we have a scheduled exam on Monday on Chapters 4-6…arrrghhh…anyways, it would be a good review weekend!

April 25 - the week started with an exam, it was kinda’ hard but I managed to go through it!

April 26 - lesson on correspondence and congruence (SSS, SAS, AAS, ASA) and concepts of angle bisector, median and altitude

April 27 - lesson on proving right angles congruent (LL, HL, LA, HA) and Isosceles Triangle Theorem

April 28 - lesson on Properties of Inequalities (add, subt, mult, div, trichotomy) and Inequalities in Triangles

Another thing! Ma-kwento yung teacher nmin, lagi nalang natitigil lessons namin for about 15 minutes sa mga kwento niya! Di lang un, mahirit pa which is actually GUD!

4. Youth Cross Activity

Father Superior, ACE DIONISIO, is looking for youth participants (ages 12 to 20) during the Youth Cross Enshrinement at SSJ! Anyone may join! Please, we need your participation badly! It will be on May 27, Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Please, if you are interested, contact me 0917-5359274. Letters will be given out!

This is specially addressed to LA SALLE GREEN HILLS STUDENTS (GS/HS) because we are part of the vicinity of SSJ. Please do come and encourage others also to attend this fulfilling activity!

This weekend is a little bit boring…

April 22 Friday
Just stayed at home…

First, we got my books for the next school year from school. We also got the assessment for next school year, my gash…ang mahal tlga ng tuition sa school…imagine a whopping Php79,000 for the whole school year…pero okie na rin since LSGH gives excellent education naman. After that we went to Greenhills Shopping Center to eat lunch. Then went home. Nothing transpired during the rest of the day.

April 23 Saturday
Just stayed at home AGAIN…

La lang, internet the whole day. Btw, I watched the catch-up episodes of the Amazing Race 7 on AXN. Grabeh…5 sunud-sunod na episodes…angsaya! Then, I reviewed for my exam in Math on Monday about If-then statements until polygons…medyo nkakalito ang formulas, pero okie lng…

April 24 Sunday
Just stayed at home AGAIN and AGAIN…

Siyempre Sunday, so went to mass pero sa Megamall kami nag-mass ngayon. I absented myself from SSJ kasi…ewan…pero the real highlight of today was the Inaugural Mass of the Pontificate of Benedict XVI…I watched it in its entirety, although nka-tulog ako dun sa part ng imposition of pallium, pero nagising ako when the ring was conferred. I was once again touched by his homily, lagi akong natatouch sa homily ng papa na toh…he invoked and echoed once again the words of John Paul the Great, "Do not be afraid! Open the doors to Christ!" These were the words of John Paul the Great during his canonical installation on October 22, 1978. Below is an excerpt from the homily of Benedict XVI.

During these days of great intensity, we have chanted the litany of the saints on three different occasions: at the funeral of our Holy Father John Paul II; as the Cardinals entered the Conclave; and again today, when we sang it with the response: Tu illum adiuva – sustain the new Successor of Saint Peter.  On each occasion, in a particular way, I found great consolation in listening to this prayerful chant.  How alone we all felt after the passing of John Paul II – the Pope who for over twenty-six years had been our shepherd and guide on our journey through life!  He crossed the threshold of the next life, entering into the mystery of God.  But he did not take this step alone.  Those who believe are never alone – neither in life nor in death.  At that moment, we could call upon the Saints from every age – his friends, his brothers and sisters in the faith – knowing that they would form a living procession to accompany him into the next world, into the glory of God.  We knew that his arrival was awaited.  Now we know that he is among his own and is truly at home.  We were also consoled as we made our solemn entrance into Conclave, to elect the one whom the Lord had chosen.

During those sad days of the Pope’s illness and death, it became wonderfully evident to us that the Church is alive.  And the Church is young.  She holds within herself the future of the world and therefore shows each of us the way towards the future.  The Church is alive and we are seeing it: we are experiencing the joy that the Risen Lord promised his followers. 

At this point, my mind goes back to 22 October 1978, when Pope John Paul II began his ministry here in Saint Peter’s Square.  His words on that occasion constantly echo in my ears:  “Do not be afraid!  Open wide the doors for Christ!”  The Pope was addressing the mighty, the powerful of this world, who feared that Christ might take away something of their power if they were to let him in, if they were to allow the faith to be free.  Yes, he would certainly have taken something away from them: the dominion of corruption, the manipulation of law and the freedom to do as they pleased.  But he would not have taken away anything that pertains to human freedom or dignity, or to the building of a just society.  The Pope was also speaking to everyone, especially the young.  Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way?  If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us?  Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful?  Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom?  And once again the Pope said:  No!  If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great.  No!  Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide.  Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed.  Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation.  And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ!  He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything.  When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return.  Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life.  Amen.

April 24, 2005   The Fifth Sunday of Easter (A) - White

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33
"Lord, let your mercy be on us as we place our trust in you."
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-9
Gospel: John 14:1-12

"Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"
Our gospel for this Sunday focuses on Jesus’ discourse with his apostles at the Last Supper table. Jesus will leave them physically in a matter of hours. But Jesus will stay with them in spirit. The apostles wanted to know where Jesus will go so that they too may follow him. But they have to understand that Jesus’ time to go back to the Father has already come. But for Jesus, he will stay with them in their hearts forever. Jesus makes their hearts calm when he tells them that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. This is a very poetical statement Jesus made. Jesus as the Way will lead them to the Father, preparing a place for them in heaven as he promised. Jesus as the Truth will speak through them, prefiguring their importance in the growth of the Church. Jesus as the Life will restore everything in them through his Paschal Mystery-his passion, death and resurrection. He will change their hearts and make them grow in his love through the Holy Spirit especially when he’s not physically with them anymore.

This is seen clearly in the recent events in our Church. The Most Holy Father, John Paul II, who passed away, left the Church with his message of tender care and love. He did leave us physically but he’s always present spiritually. We were orphans then. We have no leader. Then came the time wherein the Cardinals have to break the Papal Interregnum and enthrone a new leader to the Seat of Peter. Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, worked hard during this sacred event. Jesus opened the minds of the Cardinal Electors and showed them the WAY to the Father. They elected the Most Reverend Cardinal Ratzinger for the Papal Seat. In return, Jesus spoke the TRUTH through Cardinal Ratzinger when he accepted his canonical election as Pontiff of the Church. And now, Jesus is preparing Cardinal Ratzinger, now called Pope Bendict XVI, to transform our lives and make us live in the LIFE of Jesus. With the election of Benedict XVI, we are no longer orphans but we are once again living in the warmth of the embrace of a leader which will lead us to the Father.

In our life today, we sometimes do not know where to go. We also have a hard time finding Jesus in our lives. We should always remember that Jesus works in mysterious ways. Let us make ourselves agents of prayer. Prayer is the most effective way to contact Christ. For in prayer, we will see and feel Jesus’ presence in us. And when we see Jesus, he will surely guide us to where we are supposed to go. And time will coem that he will accompany us to the place he prepared for us in heaven. Amen.

Living as Christians
Prayer is the most effective way to contact Christ. Find time each day to pray and contact Christ. Pray anytime, anywhere. He is just waiting for you!

April 21 Thursday
Last School day for the Week

Chem Class
Aba! Maaga dumating c Ms. Marie Reyes ngayon. Himala, coz she always arrives mag 10 minutes late. Anyways, we review our lesson the previous day on Ionic and Covalent bonds. Tapos, she reinforced our lesson by discussing to us binary and ternary chemical reactions. Then, she also taught chemical reactions between metals, nonmetals and metalloids. To our surprise, we had a test! Then seatwork about the new lesson. It was easy naman, pina-opn notes niya ulit! Mabait tlga sya! I hope she’s really our teacher next year!!!

We have new lessons next week…then ice-cream making lab activity on our last week…

Break time!!!
As usual, after Chem class, nagutom na classmates ko. So they went to Zaide to eat. Natira sa classroom ako, si Mick-Mick, Erik, Larry, Tippy, Patricia W., Fatima and Rexie. Si Erik, Larry and the other guy were talking about sumthin on the other end of the room. Ako namn, nakipag-usap sa mga gurls. We talked about the lessons, how they went to SAP, tapos naging textbooks, etc. Na-center yung attention dun sa pinaka-silent na gurl sa class - si Fatima. I found out na ganun pala sa SPCQC - they take geom and algebra in second year; just as biology and sumthin in second year too…although mahirap, it would be very challenging nman…hehe…Tapos nun interview and all those stuff…

Geom class
She introduced us to polygons…andaming formulas…but first, nagkwento muna cya for about 10 minutes about Ateneo and La Salle. Siyempre, humirit c Dominique. Grabbeh…andaming oras na nasayang! Pero okie lng…we had this formula on Sin (sum of interior angles)=(n-2)180 and Sex (sum of exterior angles)=360. Kaya pala tawa ng tawa si Christian U. dahil pala sa formula na yun (Sex). Anyways, okie lng rin. D nga pala tumabi si Kevin Dizon, one chair away siya. Naguguluhan kasi ako eh, kumakanta siya kapag naglelesson ung tcher.

I found out na mabilis ang pacing nmin sa geom class…d ako masyado makahabol…and we have our Second Quarter Test on Monday about lessons starting from If-Then statements until polygons…sana I make good in this test!!!

Reflection time
I cried…I was touched by the message of Benedict XVI…He is being guided by John Paul II and upon his election, he heard John Paul saying to him, "Be Not Afraid!" Sabi ko na nga ba eh, tama ang decision ng Holy Spirit na c Cardinal ratzinger ang ating maging Pope…kahit for transitional years lang…He really has touched me at the start of his pontificate palang.

Lola also called up. Napag-usapan namin si Benedict XVI. She was also asking some questions regarding the thesis I wrote about the Papal Interregnum. Then yun, umabot usapan nmin mga 30 minutes.

April 20 Wednesday
Amazing Race Day

Wednesday is the middle of the week…ibig sabihin malapit nnman matapos ang isang buong linggo. Anyways, for me, it is Amazing Race Day. I really am addicted to Amazing Race - I don’t know why - cguro dahil nakaka-aliw panoorin yung teams na mag-backstabban! Anyways, let’s look at my day first.

Its easy!
As usual, morning routine - wake-up, breakfast, take a bath, dress-up and then go to school. Ako una hinatid - nagpahuli sa tiger cub eh. Tapos, maaga nnman ako sa school! Yay!!! First part of the chemistry class was an evaluation (actually, a test) on electron configuration and quantum numbers. It was easy! Asteeeg!!! Tapos, after the test, we started with Ionic and Covalent Bonds…yung Lewis dot electron model nnman…one of the hardest lessons in first year!!! Then, we went to Geom class nman. Cyempre, break muna kmi from 9:40-10:00am. I made kwento with Dominique, Tippy, Rexie and the other girls. Iniwan ako ng classmates ko eh, nagutom cla. Then I borrowed this newspaper (PDI) kasi nakita ko na headline yung election of Pope Benedict XVI. What I know kc is they release the paper at 11:00pm the night before the issue. Tapos, yun pala to find out that they printed out a new and released the issue a little later after the Papal announcement and they disregarded the first paper released. Tapos, yun I made kwento about the white smoke and the tolling of bells. Tapos they said their insights etc. Then Ms. Marie Santos came in nah. Tumabi sakin this time c Kevin Dizon. We reviewed the lesson on parallel lines, then we started with triangles. I can’t concentrate much kasi Kevin was singing the same time the teacher is discussing. Mah gash! Nahilo tlga ako! D ako multi-listener eh…Anyways, yun, then class ended…Tapos, nung naghihintay ako ng sundo, I was with Ogie and Kevin Supetran. We talked. Then, una umalis c Ogie, eto nmang c Kevin, kausap si babyboo sa fne… haha…la lng…then i went home narin.

The first Papal Mass after John Paul II
At around 3pm (10:00 Rome time), I watched the first mass of Benedict XVI at the Sistine Chapel. As always, lahat nnman ng news channels and other stations ay nakatutok sa event na toh. I was really touched by his first Papal message: "Dear Ones, this intimate recognition for a gift of divine mercy prevails in my heart in spite of everything. I consider this a grace obtained for me by my venerated predecessor, John Paul II. It seems I can feel his strong hand squeezing mine; I seem to see his smiling eyes and listen to his words, addressed to me especially at this moment: ‘Do not be afraid!’ Talagang, Benedict XVI was the gift of God, through John Paul II, to humanity. I am really contented nah sya ang na-elect. He’s a man of great courage and intelligence. Sobrang talino niya - imagine, he’s one of the greatest theologians of the age! With him, the Catholic Church won’t go wrong - he’ll follow the footsteps and continue the mission and works of John Paul II. It is really an AMAZING GRACE from God!

We Have A Bad Elephant
This leg started last week. The teams thought that Phil on the mat is the pitstop already, but to their surprise, they were given the next clue which will lead them to another series of racing. They were headed to a train that will lead them to a mystery location - Johdpur, India. Naiinis lng ako, kasi every season nagpupunta clang India (except for seasons 2 and 6). kakasawa na India eh. Anyways, they had a detour either to transfer an elephant to a temple or to tie-dye shirts to get their next clue. After nun, the roadblock made one member race for 2 laps using a camel. Tapos, the pitstop - first were Uchenna and Joyce kasi they used the Fast Forward which forced Joyce to have her head shaved. Ron and Kelly, Rob and Amber and Meredith and Gretchen came in second, third and fourth places respectively. Natanggal si Lynn and Alex kasi they went to a wrong place for a pitstop. Wawa nman, wala nang magpapatawa sa AR7. Sana c Rob and Amber nlng natanggal.Rob is so yabang, kala niya cya may hawak ng buong race! Pootek! Screw him!

For meh, summer should be used productively at the same time making the most out of it. Summer means summer advanced classes where I meet new friends, malling and most of all sleeping and resting and relaxing (staying away from the pressure the school has put on my shoulders). That’s why summer is one of my favorite seasons throughout the year.

April 17 Sunday
The usual routine on Sundays

Sunday means CHURCH DAY. So I’m gonna see my Church-kada. Haha…so I woke up around 9:30am nah. Then took a bath, no breakfast because I’m already late!

Then arrived at Santuario de San Jose (SSJ) at around 11:05am. The mass for 10:15am wasn’t over yet, as usual. So there, when I entered the sacristry, I saw Sam and Nina there waiting for meh. Haha…Jade came later than me. [Btw, the Church-kada is composed of 5 extraordinary people headed by our superior, Ace Dionisio, an incoming sophie at UST. Then the members are: E.J. (thats meh); Sam Ferrer, an incoming freshman at UST, came from St. Paul Pasig; Jade Santiago, my cousin, incoming freshman at SPCP; and the latest addition is Nina Hautea, from Poveda. Common among us all: we all wear eyeglasses!] Ayun, since Ace wasn’t around, I asked Sam to be the commentator for that Sunday, haha, miss ko na cya mag-commentator eh…I did the Prayers of the Faithful where I added supplications for the conclave and the eternal repose of John Paul II’s soul. The priest didn’t know that I added, pero okie lang since friends nman kmi ni Fr. Alex, he’s our chaplain at LSGH 4-5 years ago…

After Church, mami bear (mum) and I were dropped by my dadi bear (dad) and baby tiger cub (my sister) at Robinsons Pioneer. We ate at a Japanese resto that I forgot…food was okie…then went around the mall since first time kami nakapunta dun. After that, nag-grocery kmi…as always mami bear commented jokingly, "Naku! Kaya tumataas grocery natin kapag kasama kah eh!" I bought these ingredients kasi for my New York Cheesecake Project. Well…tapos nun, nag-Ice Monster kmi. Then National Bookstore, I needed to buy stuff for my Summer Advanced Program. Tapos, we waited for dadi bear and tiger cub until mga 5:00pm.

After that, we went home. Then I prepared salsa for dinner. *Yum* It was good. They liked it naman esp. when used as a dip for tortilla chips. Wala kasi magawa eh. Then the usual habit: check e-mail, friendster, visit my fave sites, research. After that, I prepared myself for Monday’s class.

April 18 Monday
A fresh start

Okie, today is the start of the summer class of tiger cub. So I need to get up early. But what happened? I woke up at 5:45am. Ate breakfast, *Yum*, garlic rice, breakfast sausage and eggs. Ganyan tlga pag kasama c tiger cub. Then tinamad ako maligo…so I did nothing for around 30 minutes. I made ligo at 6:15am. Yun nagalit sa tiger cub kasi malalate daw cya. Hmm…haha…d nman nangyari…

Chem Class
This is the first time I arrived in school early. Record: 7:19am. I usually arrive kasi at around 7:30-7:40 eh. Anyways, Ms. Marie Reyes, our chem teacher went in. She started off by returning our test paper. I was nervous that I would fail kasi I forgot to change some items into their scientific notation. But it turned out just well. I got 16.5/20. It was like pure math test. Pero it was fine. Then we reviewed our test. Afterwhich, we started our new lesson on the historical developement of the Atomic Model. As usualm nagpapatawa nnman c Ms. Marie. Thats why chem is not boring. At least nagpapatawa c Ms. Marie, lumalabas na nkakatawa nman cya. Ayun, pure lecture kmi today. She introduced us more to her secrets: she revealed that her boyfriends were the chemists who explained the atomic models. Pinakatype daw niya c Lord Ernest Rutherford kasi pinaka-gwaping daw. Hehe..eccentric noh? Anyways, class ended with that lesson.

Geometry Class
As usual, astig c Ms. Marie Santos. Shes the best math teacher I’ve ever had. Sayang, she wont be our teacher during the regular class. Math is as easy as 1,2,3 when she’s ur teacher. Wala nang arte arte. Anyways, she doesnt have math friends and adventures. Basta tama sagot mo and u can justify it, okie na. D na kailangan mag-follow nang patters or sequences ekek. We had our first test on lines, segments, rays and angles. Na-mental block tlga ako esp dun sa mga ewang numbers. But its not graded kaya okie lng. Hehe…test kami the whole period then pwede na umalis. As usual, ako and isa sa mga huli with Kevin Supetran and Fatima Briones.

Monday Conclave
Sumabay c Jay sakin. Nagpahatid cya sa Galle. Then I went home. Slept and woke up at 4:00pm because I need to watch the Missa Pro eligendo Romano Pontifice from Vatican. It was Cardinal Ratzinger who presided over the mass. Afterwhich, the usual computer habit. Then at 10:00pm, the procession to the Sistine Chapel started. As usual, Cardinal Ratzinger presided over the Ordo Rituum Conclavis. It finished at around 11:30pm. I’m proud that I saw two historic church events this day.

April 19 Tuesday
The Blessed Day of the Week

Chemistry Class
We had a review on the "boyfriends" of our teacher. Then we started with Electron configuration and quantum numbers (m, l, ml and ms). It was easy pala. I thought it was hard. She made it easy for us, she explained everything well, of course with the usual humor. Dami niyang chismis kaya napagkakamalang "chismistry" class yan eh. Hehe…

Geometry Class
Tumabi ako kay Ogie this time. We reviewed some items in the test. Tapos we started with Parallel lines. Ang bilis nmin, nasa second qtr lessons na kami. It was really fun and enjoyable!!!

After class
Sinamahan namin ni Kevin Dizon ung mga gurls papaunta sa destination classrum nila. Then we went around. Went to work area to talk to Ms. Che about Lazette and we’re having it again before the start of the school year. Then I went home na and prepared for SMOKE-WATCHING DAY 2. Yes, the first ballot was not conclusive. Black smoke ung tumaas. That was like 20:04 Rome time of Monday. Then yun, I reviewed my lessons.

Habemus Papam
At around 9pm, nanood kmi ni tiger cub ng tv. Tapos at around 11:45pm inaantok nako! So nung papatayin ko na, biglang nalipat ung channel sa CNN. This is where I found out na white smoke na yung lumalabas sa chimney. Nawala antok ko. Nakatutok nako sa next series of events. It was like 11:55pm nang lumabas yung white smoke. The problem is wala pang tolling of bells. So baka inconclusive nnman ung ballot. So after 10 minutes, nagstart nang gumalaw yung kampanaryo ng Capella Vaticano. Ayun, it means we have a pope na. Medyo napaiyak ako. Dahil, God is really working in miraculous ways. D ko na tinigilan yung tv. Almost all channels, nkatutok na sa vatican. Then after like 40-45 minutes, lumabas na si Cardinal Esteves, ang proto-deacon ng Holy Roman Church. Then he uttered the name Josephus, so d pa alam kung cno kasi madaming Joseph na cardinal. Then sinabi niya yung surname Cardinal Ratzinger. Thank God! Thank God na c ratzinger ang napili ng Cardinals. Cardinal Ratzinger is one of the best theologians of the age. Matalino rin toh. kaya, panatag ako with our Pope. He’ll be great and he’ll amke a name for himself just as Pope John Paul II did. Well, the Holy Spirit worked nga. Then he chose the name BENEDICTVM XVI. After Pope Benedict XV, the Pope of Reconciliation! Haha…wat an important event in my life! I saw the first Urbi et Orbi! Hehe…Its really a historic event. And Im proud to be a witness to this. Tapos, friends started to text. then I started to text also. I slept mga 1:15am nah.

God’s gift of of faith was given to us when the early Christians rejoiced at the fact that Christ resurrected from dead. The earliest form of this "kerygma" has been handed down to us through God’s gift of a continuous rendition of Christ’s teachings through the apostles. The apostles in turn create one of God’s most precious gifts to mankind: His Church established by Christ when entrusted the keys of the kingdom to Peter, the first pope of the Christian community. God continues to show us his gifts in the Church through the leadership of the Supreme Pontiff whom the Holy Spirit handpicked during the sequestered conclave.

At 17:56 Rome time, the entire world was stunned at the white smoke arising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. At first, reporters from well-known news stations did not announce the election of a pope until, after 20 minutes of waiting, the campanarro of the Vatican’s Patriarchal Basilica tolled. At around 18:45 Rome time, the long wait for the Pope is over. Cardinal Jorge Medina Esteves, the College’s Proto-Deacon (most senior deacon), announced the most endearing words of the Latin formulary:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum;
habemus Papam:

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum Josephum
Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Ratzinger
qui sibi nomen imposuit Benedictum XVI

After that, Most Reverend Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger went out from the Hall of Blessings and made his first public appearance as BENEDICTVM XVI (Latin for Benedict XVI). He was greeted by the universal Church. He was accepted warmly. After that, he gave his first Urbi et Orbi (to the city of Rome and to the World) message:

Dear brothers and sisters,

After our great Pope, John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in God’s vineyard.

I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and how to act, even with insufficient tools, and I especially trust in your prayers.

In the joy of the resurrected Lord, trustful of his permanent help, we go ahead, sure that God will help. And Mary, his most beloved Mother, stands on our side. Thank you.

Then after that, he gave his first apostolic blessing, Urbi et Orbi.

I am proud to say that I AM A WITNESS TO THIS HISTORIC EVENT IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH!

God truly sends us gifts and blessings…and now he sends us BENEDICTVM XVI as a new leader in the Church…

Oremus Pro Papa Benedictvm XVI…Pax Domini Vobis!