LESSON 1

Prayer
PRAYER
- a form of communication and communion with God
- an opportunity to express gratitude, seek guidance, make requests, confess
sins, and offer praise
- Catholic teaching emphasizes that prayer involves both speaking to God and
listening to God

FORMS OF PRAYER
Vocal – using words, memorized or spontaneous
Meditative- reflection and pondering on God’s mysteries
Contemplative – deep experience of God
Liturgy of the Hours – Divine Office, structured set of prayers, Psalms and
Scripture Readings
Eucharistic Adoration – Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
Rosary – Meditation and prayer on the Mysteries of Christ
Novena – Nine-days of prayer asking for the intercession of Saints

St. Augustine’s Key Aspects on Prayer

Desire for God God’s Grace , Dialogue with God , Inner Transformation,
Persistence and Patience, Praise and Thanksgiving, Community and Church

HOLY MASS
- Highest form of Prayer
- An encounter of the real presence of Christ

BODILY POSITIONS IN PRAYER

Standing, Kneeling, Sitting, Prostration, Bowing, Genoflecting, Folded/clasped
Hands, Outstrecthed Arms

PARTS OF PRAYER
ADORATION/PRAISE
CONTRITION/CONFESSION
THANKSGIVING
SUPPLICATION
The Lord’s Prayer
- The complete prayer Jesus taught us

ST. EZEKIEL MORENO August 19 Ezekiel (1848-1906) was an Augustinian

Recollect known for his simple and open spirit.
 was deeply devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
 ministered for many years in foreign lands.
 stongly defended the rights of the Church.
 was born in Alfaro, Logrono, Spain, April 9, 1848.
 His family was poor in material goods but committed in faith.
 professed his vows as an Augustinian Recollect in 1865.
 He was ordained a priest in Manila, Philippines in 1871.
 During the next 15 years, he worked at bringing the Gospel of Jesus to the
people of the Philippines. And was called back to Spain in 1885. There he
served as Rector of the College and Novitiate of Monteagudo.
 He then went to Colombia in 1888, where he devoted himself to
missionary activity.
 He also brought renewal to the Augustinian Recollect communities in the
region where he was living and working.
 In 1894 named the first Vicar Apostolic of Casanare, and ordained bishop
of Pasto, where he remained until 1906.
 During this time there was war in Colombia. Ezekiel showed himself a voice
of strength for his people.
 In 1906 a diagnosis of cancer caused him to reluctantly return to Spain for
treatment. There he died August 19, 1906.
 He was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1975 and
 canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1992

LESSON 2
Vision-Mission
Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the
family of believers.

KNOW YOUR SCHOOL

Philosophy
 •UNO-R is an Augustinian Recollect Center of Learning which makes knowledge
(SCIENTIA) a structure of wisdom that leads one to the exercise of love
(CARITAS).

Our Vision
• We are a Catholic University committed to the integral formation of the
human person with passion for excellence and service to the Church and
society.

Our Mission
 We are an Augustinian Recollect University that educates the mind and heart

by providing the climate, the structure, and the means to develop the
vocation, knowledge, skills, talents, and attitude of the community as
permeated by the Gospel values for the service of humanity, love and praise to
the One God.

Objectives
• Spiritually sound individuals who are CHRIST-centered and MARIAN- inspired.
• Intellectually cultured individuals who are able to rationally and eloquently
communicate their ideas and appreciate the arts as reflections of the infinite
beauty of God;
•Morally healthy individuals who can weigh values with great sense of
accountability;
•Physically healthy individuals who give due respect to the body, keeping it fit
as a temple of the HOLY SPIRIT;
• Culturally conscious individuals who value heritage earned by past
generations, enriching it by promoting desirable traditions and rendering
authentic service to the Church and the country for the common good;
• Socially concerned individuals who are sensitive and responsive to the needs
of the marginalized sector of the community and the society;

Motto
Cradle of Excellence and Evangelization

UNO-R
VISSION
EXCELLENCE EVANGELIZATION, INTEGRAL FORMATION

MISSION
ACTION

VALUES FORMATION
COMMUNITY
All communities must live united, despite of the individual differences because
of the strength of love. A true community is the place where a person can have
an experience of the Trinitarian God, from his love and mercy. The community
should also be a place to walk together towards the kingdom of heaven.

INTERIORITY
The heart is the inner space where the human being can get to know who he is
and what he wants.

SOLIDARITY
We cannot simply remain in the comfort and security of our homes, with all
the gadgets, computers and other high- tech electronic stuff, unmindful of the
sufferings of others.

FRIENDSHIP
The basis of friendship is God and his love, and because of this love, we try to
be gentle and friendly to all.

FREEDOM
We are free to act in one way or another, but we will always be responsible of
what we have done.

TRUTH
To live the Augustinian value of truth means to be able to acknowledge that
there is one Truth, Jesus Christ that shed light in the life of every human being.

LESSON 3
Walking through the New Testament

Who is Jesus?
JESUS KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens
the door, then I will Enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.”
Revelation 3:20 “The study of the Sacred Scriptures must be a door opened to
every believer.” Evangelii Gaudium 175 Opening

The Promised One in the Old Testament

- Jesus, the Messiah

Books in the New Testament

- Hope to encounter Jesus as brother and friend

Encounter with Jesus

- Lead us to follow him and experience salvation

The Old Testament Books

- God’s covenant with Israel
- God’s promise of the New Covenant

The New Testament Books

Birth, Teaching, Passion, Death, Resurrection of Jesus
- Fulfillment of God’s promise in the Old Testament

Classification of Old Testament Books. (46 Books)

1. The Law or Torah
2. The Prophets
3. The Writings

Classification of New Testament Books (27 Books)

1. Gospels
2. Acts of the Apostles
3. Letters
4. Revelation

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

- Announced the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ
- The principal witnesses to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ
- Faith accounts of Jesus by His early followers

The Evangelists Greek word: evangelion

“Announcement of the Good News”
Acts of the Apostles
- About early evangelization and formation of the early Church

Letters
21 Epistles
13-Attributed to St. Paul
8- attributed to the apostles

Letters Addressed to:

1. early Christian communities 2. Individual leaders

Letters of Paul
- advice about Jesus
- offer practical directions or guidelines how to live a Christian life

Letter to the Hebrews

- Presents Jesus in the light of OT. Jesus as Messiah
- Referred to as Biblical sermon

Letters attributed to the apostles

- Express how Christians should apply Jesus’ teachings

The Book of Revelation

- Called Apocalypse refers to a catastrophic or world-changing event, often
with connotations of significant destruction and transformation
- The only prophetic book in the New Testament

LESSON 4
Formation of the GOSPELS

The GOSPELS
- derived from the Greek term ‘eu(good) angelion (message)’ becomes
evangelium (good news)
- Record the life and teaching, the death and resurrection of Jesus, as told to us
through the faith of the Apostles who knew him and loved him.
- The Apostles are telling the story of Jesus in faith and for faith — to inspire us
to believe in Jesus.

Order of the Gospels:

1. Mark (shortest gospel)
2. Matthew
3. Luke (longest gospel)
4. John (last gospel)

3 Stages in the Formation of the Gospels

First Stage - Life of Jesus in Palestine (0-33 CE)
 Birth of Jesus – 6BCE-4BCE (King Herod) – Bethlehem
 Nazareth – grew up & practiced carpentry from his father
 30 – began his public ministry for man’s salvation
 33 – condemned to death by the religious groups and Jewish leaders
(Sanhedrin, Sadducees & pharisees)
After Jesus’ Resurrection – the apostles preached Jesus’ work of salvation as
symbol of God’s great love for mankind
Public Ministry of Jesus:
- Miracles
- Teachings Oral Tradition (33-64 CE)

Second Stage - Oral Tradition (33-64 CE)

Pentecost – after Jesus’ Ascension, the apostles preached the Good News
Kerygma – original proclamation of the Good News by mouth (great
evangelization)

What were the reasons for the delay of writing down the Gospels?
1.People preferred spoken living Word
2.Dependent upon the Apostles
3.Expectation of the coming soon of the Messiah
- The people believe that it is more urgent to preach Jesus’ Good
News than to write them down

Urgent Need to Record Jesus’ Life

1.Eye-witnesses are dying
2.Increase of population
3.Their expectation of Jesus second coming soon did not happen

Third Stage - Written Gospels (65-100 CE)

- Faith testimonies to the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus
Evangelist - Writers of the Gospels_Mathew, Mark, Luke, John
- To share the incredible Good News
Authors of the Gospels -
1. ) Divine
2. ) Human
3. ) Holy Spirit - Biblical Inspiration
Synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke
“Syn” & “optic”- means to see together
Johannine Gospel - John
- Full of long dialogues and poetic form
- Contain account that are not found in the synoptic Gospels

The GOSPELS’ Portrayals of Jesus

Mark ( Jesus as The Suffering Servant )

Matthew (Jesus as The Messiah and King)

 Jewish-Christian audience
- Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham C
- Jesus is the Teacher higher than Moses
- To follow Jesus is to learn His way
- Formation of Church
Christian Community - Ecclesia
Luke (Jesus as The Savior of the World)
 Gentile community
- Jesus is full of mercy and compassion “poor, outcasts, women, and sinners”
- Emphasized the role of Mary “Infancy narratives”

John (Jesus as The Son of God, the Word of God made Man)
- Begins with a prologue “In the beginning was the word, and the Word was
with God and the Word was God.”
- Emphasizes the Divinity of Jesus, symbolic images, The Word of God & Light
of the world
- Jesus as a glorified King
- Jesus is the fullness of God’s revelation of Himself, In His words and deeds

The Gospel Symbols

Mark - A winged Lion
 His Gospel starts with the Baptism of Jesus
Matthew - A winged Man
 His Gospel opens the record of Jesus ancestors
Luke - A winged Ox
 His Gospel opens with Zechariah offering a sacrifice in the temple
John - A winged Eagle
 His Gospel starts with a prologue Praising Jesus who alone can look at the
face of God

ST. ALONZO de OROSCO

 Born on October 17, 1500 in Oropesa, Toledo, Spain
 Died on September 19, 1591
 Beatified by Leo XIII on January 15, 1882
 Canonized on May 19, 2002 by John Paul II
- Born to a deeply Christian parents
Talavera de la Reina - where he received his schooling.
- “At the age of 14 Alonso’s parents sent him to the University of Salamanca
where his brother Francisco was already a student.
- At the time, Thomas of Villanova was preaching in Salamanca and many
were touched by his words, including a number of young people who were
drawn to religious life. Among them were the two Orozco brothers, Francisco
and Alonso, who entered the novitiate together in 1522 at the monastery of
San Agustin.
- On June 9, 1523 Alonso made his profession, but his brother was unable to do
so because of illness.
- He died shortly thereafter, making a deep impression on Alonso who began
to suffer physical and spiritual afflictions that lasted for many years. All of
these served to purify him, however, for he continued to live religious life with
great fidelity.
- Following ordination he was assigned to preach and served, as well, as prior
in various houses of his province.
- Later he volunteered to go as a missionary to Mexico but on the way he
became ill and was ordered to return home.
- In 1554 he was named preacher of the royal court, but lived always as a
simple friar, in absolute poverty and in the humblest of conditions. Ever
attentive to the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned, he became known as ‘the
saint of San Felipe’. Alonso was also a prolific writer, publishing about 50
books, including a commentary on the Rule, works on Saint Augustine and the
saints of the Order, and his own Confessions.
- Moved by a desire for reform within the Order, he founded several friaries
and convents of contemplative nuns. He died on September 19, 1591. His body
is venerated in the church of the Augustinian nuns of Madrid. Alonso was
beatified by Leo XIII on January 15, 1882 and canonized on May 19, 2002 by
John Paul II
- Though called to exercise his ministry among the powerful and wealthy of his
day, Alonso remained steadfastly faithful to the life of simplicity he had
professed. His preference was to serve the poor and the needy, to whom he
always remained available, and to use his talents in instructing the common
people through his preaching and writings. He was one of the first to use the
vernacular in his writings on prayer and contemplation precisely to benefit
ordinary people.