LasalleVille 9: Living B.E.C.

BASIC ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY
(Curriculum Innovation)


Introduction

Many of Level 9 students today would admit they do not have a profound and sufficient knowledge about the Christian faith in its personal and communal nature. Most of them got their simple knowledge of Christian life from the Christian Living classes and ceremonies which are connected to family celebrations and practices such baptism, marriage ceremony and funerals. Only those who are members of Youth for Christ and Search-inners have experienced faith as personal relationship with Jesus the Lord. Furthermore, not many of them recognize the social and communitarian nature of faith. They are not in any way involved in various issues on faith and morals. What they do most of the time is focused on gadgets, not on people.

These situations imply the need to make the faith understands and accepts Jesus’ teachings, to develop faith which is something personal, and to make the faith more active in community involvement. This can be done through the implementation of the program called BEC or Basic Ecclesial Community.

Basic Ecclesial Community is basically a parish-based program which seeks to form small communities in the parish to address the urgent call of informing, forming, and transforming individual’s faith. This program helps the parish priest to facilitate the spiritual, communal, and social formation of the people in the context of community living.

The said program is adopted and modified to fit the Christian Living Curriculum of De La Salle Lipa Integrated School. Its primary goal is to lessen the academic or intellectual nature of Christian Living subject and make its objectives focus on God’s purpose for man, that is, to serve Him faithfully, to worship Him fully, and to love Him more dearly.

It also aims to provide venue for the students to (a) develop a personal relationship with Jesus, (b) experience a new way of being in the Church, (c) share their faith experiences with the group in the context of fellowship prayer services, (d) and to translate into actions the values they have learned from the different activities of this program. To turn these goals into reality, each class is divided into seven small groupings which we may call “Cell groups”.

Methodology

1. Procedure of Implementation

A. Classes were divided into seven groups with 5-6 members each. The servant leader, tapped by the CL teacher, facilitated the choosing of a secretary of the group who documents all the results of sharing and other related activities of this program.
B. All appointed servant leaders served as members of the Core Group of the class. They assisted one another in the implementation of regular activities of the groups.
C. The three meetings in Christian Living subject were spent for each activity.

C1. First Meeting

The class spends the 15 minutes for reflection writing using the Gospel Reflection Book. Then the remaining time is for transacting God’s business, that is, for sharing reflections, thinking of 1 ARK 1, monitoring spiritual growth, and deciding what group intensification activity or G.I.A. will they have for the week.

C2. Second Meeting

The teacher takes the lead in discussing to students the topic of the week taken from the CL syllabus-based work text. He integrates all the elements of the program with the lesson of the week.

C3. Third Meeting

It is spent for prayer service or praying of the rosary which is facilitated by the assigned group. Through this fellowship in the context of prayerful atmosphere the students are able to experience the presence of God in a new way.

LasalleVille: Sowing time for the Aged

When Tom Sawyer was told to work outside to paint the fence, he did not feel to do the work, what he wanted was to play with his friends. Instead of complaining and be negative about it he decided to make the most of the activity. He painted the fence with excitement and enthusiasm. When his friends came, they saw his positive attitude of working with joy. So they asked Tom if they could help to do the work simply because he was working with great joy in his heart. As what the story told us, Tom was just sitting back watching his friends do the work.

Similarly, when our Curriculum Coordinator reminded us of our exposure trip to Sagip Buhay Home for the Aged in Bauan, Batangas I was not disposed to go because I was tired of proctoring for three days, checking papers of my students, making reviewers for my two kids, and encoding grades. Aside from that, the weather was not good, it was raining hard. However, instead of complaining and be negative about it, I decided to go out and meet the elderly there. I wanted to give a little of my time to make them happy. So I prepared myself, put on the best get up, and went to the loading area ahead of time.

When we arrived in the place, I helped my coworkers bring the boxes inside the house. I put a smile on face, put a spring in my steps and approached two of the elderly women with excitement and enthusiasm; I really felt their happiness shown on their faces. I initiated the conversation and told them that we were there for a visit. I called other coworkers to meet other elderly longing for love, care and compassion. When other teachers were already entertaining the elderly, I just took my rest, had my merienda while watching them enjoying the moments in this place called Sagip Buhay.

I realized that I need to do my work with enthusiasm and excitement so that by doing so others would surely help and be there to assist me simply because I approached my work with positive attitude. Meeting the elderly at the Home gave me an opportunity to sow my time with them believing that whatever I sow, I will reap.