DIVINA PASTORA COLLEGE

Basic Education Department (2021-2022)

SELF-LEARNING PACKET (SLP) in EsP/CL 10

QUARTER 1, WEEK 3 (CONCEPT NOTES)
*This will remain with you when you submit the Activity Sheet.

NAME: _____________________________________________________________
GRADE & SEC: ___________________________ DATE:_________________

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has
overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be
tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out
so that you can endure it.
- 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Upon completion of this SLP, you are expected to:

1. explain the meaning of the evangelical counsels and relate them to your own life;
2. compose your own personal vows based on the three evangelical counsels; and
3. share your observation about the things that are happening around you.

Let us start our lesson by writing down on the activity sheet the
problems/struggles you are encountering as a teenager. We will process your answer
during our synchronous class, and let us see how this activity is connected to the
lessons for this week.
(SEE ACTIVITY SHEET.)

There have always been those people who are called by God to find their way to
live a life vowed to only search for what really matters – the search for God. These
chosen people embrace the life of deep love, solitude, silence, prayer, work and their
definitive vocation. When men and women are accepted into a religious community,
they usually profess vows. These vows are meant not only to be a sacrifice, but a full
acceptance of a life dedicated to God. These are the vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience, also known as the evangelical counsels. St. Francis of Assisi wrote in his
rule, “The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own [poverty], and in
chastity. Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to the Lord, Pope Honorius
and his canonically elected successors, and to the Roman Church; and the rest of the
brothers are obliged to obey Francis and his successors.”

Practically speaking, these counsels help and allow the people who chose the
religious life to be free in praising and proclaiming their love for God. Also, as a
Christian, Christ should become your ideal: “be perfect as your heavenly Father is

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perfect.” (Mt. 5:48) As illustrated in the earthly life of Jesus, living out the Almighty
Father’s will is the goal. You should spend time with Jesus in prayer for you to realize
His love for you. By this, you will be able to transcend this love to your fellowmen. It will
be easier for you to know Him and His will so deeply. You should serve Him with full
and undivided heart. Be fully committed to the call of faith.

“By embracing chastity, they make their own the pure love of Christ and proclaim to the
world that he is the Only-Begotten Son who is one with the Father.” (Jn 10:30, 14:11)

By professing a vow of chastity, a person can dedicate his/her full attention to

God. The word “chastity” was derived from the Old French word “chastete” which
means sexual purity. Those who chose a chaste life are morally clean in their thoughts,
words and actions. Those people who chose a consecrated life foreshadow Heaven in
this way, where there is no longer marriage, but a profound union with God and each
other. Chastity also refers to not having any sexual interactions before marriage. This
also means complete fidelity to husband or wife during marriage.

Nowadays, people think that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is acceptable as

long as they love each other but in reality, it is a serious sin. This is what we call
premarital sex. This act is not an expression of love. People who truly love each other
will never do this, but will wait until they get married. Acts such as masturbation, reading
and viewing of pornographic materials, and same-gender attraction are mortal sins that
go against the vow of chastity. Why is that? We have to be morally clean with our
thoughts, words and actions. We have to control our thoughts and try our best to resist
sexual temptations. If we let these impure and evil thoughts dwell, we take the first step
towards immorality. We must ask in prayer to give us strength to resist these
temptations and to be able to control our thoughts.

Physical intimacy between a man and woman that is married is sacred. All sexual
relations outside of marriage violate the law of chastity. If you get married, stay faithful
to your husband or wife. You should promise full fidelity towards him or her. You must
be faithful not just with your actions, but also with your thoughts and words. You must
not do anything outside of marriage that could arouse the emotions that only married
couples expressed. You should stay away from circumstances that could lead you to
commit this act. This is stated in the Sixth Commandment of the Lord, “You shall not
commit adultery.”

If you are single and dating, you should also practice chastity. You must not treat
your boyfriend or girlfriend as a sexual object to be used for lustful desires. Self-control
is the key to avoid sexual immorality. You should not participate in activities that can
arouse emotions or sexual feelings that could lead to acts that only married couples do
such as conversations that trigger sensuality, passionate kissing, lying with or on top of
another person, and touching the private or sacred parts of someone’s body with or
without clothing.

God has given us the law of chastity for our protection. It will grant us inner
peace, personal integrity, strength of character and happiness. That is why it is
important for us to adhere to this vow, so that we could avoid spiritual and emotional
damage.

“By imitating Christ’s poverty, they profess that he is the Son who receives everything
from the Father, and gives everything back to the Father in love.” (Jn 17:7,10)

Evangelical poverty is a participation in the poverty of Christ who became poor

for our sake. Without any possession, a poor man or woman can freely have detached
himself or herself from any worldly desires, and spread the Word of God. Poverty
proclaims that God is the real treasure. The poverty that Jesus had has everything to do

ESP/CL10, Q1W3;VICENCIO, J. 2
with His self-emptying service to others. He recognizes what was needed by those he
encountered. He expressed this by giving His body and blood for the life of the world.

Through poverty, we discover that God is our only wealth and we expect
everything from Him. We depend ourselves on Him – God and God alone. Nobody or
nothing can satisfy the hunger of our souls. How can we say that someone is “poor”
when he or she has house, food, car, etc.? It is when he or she is poor in spirit, if he or
she does not treat God as the real wealth and treasure. Evangelical poverty teaches us
generosity. We are expected to be generous towards God and towards our neighbors.
Everything that we are and have now is because of God alone, and we should use
these in His glory and for the greater good of the people.

“By accepting, through the sacrifice of their own freedom, the mystery of Christ’s filial
obedience, they profess that he is infinitely beloved and loving, as the One who delights only in
the will of the Father to whom he is perfectly united and on whom he depends for everything.”
(Jn 4:34)

Obedience is a vow that sees the will of God. This frees humans to put his or her
own will first before God’s will. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, obedience is the chief
of the vows, for liberty or freedom is dearer to human beings than anything else. The
word obedience came from the Latin word, “oboedire” which means, "dutiful compliance
with a command or law” and “to listen intently”. We are called to listen to God when he
calls us and respond to Him with a sense of mission. This requires us to be attentive to
God’s presence.

The simplest meaning of evangelical obedience is listening. It is listening to God

whenever He speaks to us through the Bible, the nature, various events, people around
us and our conscience, etc. It is a difficult vow to adhere to especially in the modern
times, but we have to bear in mind that we should seek and promote the glory of God
rather than our own glory. Through this, we can obey God and His will.

If we are going to look at the big picture of these three evangelical counsels, all
of us are called whatever are vocation in the life is to live a life pleasing to God. Living
such life involves whether your actions and decisions are moral and ethical or the other
way around. What does it take to be called moral or ethical? We will now move to
another lesson for this week: on morality and ethics.

Morality or ethics is a system of principles that establish or measure what is

right or wrong. Through this, we ought to know about the choices we make and fail to
make. We become conscious of our own thoughts and our ability to make intelligent
choices – what we call free will. We also become aware that we take full responsibility
and accountability of all the actions that we carry out, as well as the consequences of
the choices we make. There are certain standards and a rational system of principles
that we unconsciously follow. This is what we call the moral norms. The moral norms
vary on the time and the place you live. Morals change based on preferences and
specific cultures that morality is being expressed in. Practically speaking, norms are
rules and expectations that specify how people should and should not behave in various
social situations.

Here in the Philippines, we also adhere to moral norms and practices. We live up
with our own principles which give us useful guidance in a wide range of situations.
These guiding principles help us with our life choices about relationships, careers,
health, and many more. That is why it is important that we should cultivate our morality,
deepen our humanity and refine our moral sensibilities. The situations that will be
mentioned later on will manifest how people, especially the youth, live up to their moral
norms.

ESP/CL10, Q1W3;VICENCIO, J. 3
 The transition from childhood to adulthood can be daunting. It comes with many
challenges. Some face this period positively, while others face many problems and
difficulties. The age between 13 to 19 years old is the most awkward growth stage.
During this time, teenagers are exposed to internal and external struggles. They face
different issues that the previous generations have never experienced. They go through
overwhelming issues and situations on a daily basis. Aside from this, they also have to
cope with puberty, hormonal changes, social forces, school pressures, confusions and
other unprecedented stresses, all of which make teenagers become prone to insecurity
and desire for validation.
A lot of factors greatly influence and affect how teenagers act today – society,
environment, technology, friends, family and the moral norms they follow. These factors
play vital roles why the teens behaved the way they do. The most common problems
that teens face today are bullying, depression, cyber-addiction, drinking, smoking, drug
addiction, teenage pregnancy, premarital sex, child abuse, peer pressure, and identity
confusion. Apparently, these problems that they experience are connected to one
another, like a chain reaction.
When you are an adolescent, you feel like you have all the energy and freedom
to do the things that you want to do. Teenagers like you tend to live up to “YOLO” (You
Only Live Once) mentality that pushes you to do anything you want, generally just
enjoying life. On the other side of the coin, millennials also struggle with their lives.
Living up to this kind of mentality leads you to situations that you might regret in the
end. Also, during this time of discovery, you are also open to exploration and
experimentation. Your curiosity to seek might lead you to harmful circumstances, since
this is a crucial stage where you are still inadequate to comprehend the gravity of such
certain behaviors.

Mary Mother of the Good Shepherd, pray for us.

Jesus, You are my Lord, my happiness lies in You alone.

 Barnes, A. (1908). Evangelical Counsels. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton
Company. Retrieved September 8, 2020 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04435a.htm.
 http://psychmatters.co.za/newsletters/teen-21st-century.
 https://palawanboard.com/being-a-teenager-in-the-21st-century-comes-with-many-challenges.
 https://www.modernghana.com/lifestyle/5465/the-most-common-problems-teenagers-face-today.html.
 https://www.verywellfamily.com/startling-facts-about-todays-teenagers-2608914.
 SCOFMC and SKOFMC (2000, August 24). Evangelical Counsels. Catholicpreaching.Com.
http://www.catholicpreaching.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/EvangCounsels.pdf.

Visit your Schoology account and the following links for further information on the topic:
 Matthew 19: 1-30 (Holy Bible)
 https://aaublog.com/challenges-21st-century-teens-facing-deal.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oWd0pguWQo.

ESP/CL10, Q1W3;VICENCIO, J. 4
DIVINA PASTORA COLLEGE
Basic Education Department (2021-2022)

SELF-LEARNING PACKET (SLP) in EsP/CL 10

QUARTER 1, WEEK 3 (ACTIVITY SHEET)
*The Concept Notes will remain with you when you submit this Activity Sheet.

NAME: ________________________________ SCORE:_________/80

GRADE & SEC: ___________________________ DATE:____________

(On my honor I pledge that I completed this task without giving or

receiving any unauthorized assistance.)

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

____________________ ___________________
Signature of Student Signature of Parents

NOTE: Accomplish this part after you have accomplished all the activities in this Activity Sheet.

If there is something on your mind that you want to share regarding our lesson,
do not hesitate to write.

To the Student To the Parents To the Teacher

NOTE: Accomplish this part after you have accomplished all the activities in this Activity Sheet.

As instructed in your concept notes, you will write down the problems and
struggles of a teenager like you nowadays. List down your answers on space provided.
(5 points)

ESP/CL10, Q1W3;VICENCIO, J. 5
 1. Depression
2. anxiety
3. school
4. addiction
5. health

As a teenager, looking at the evangelical counsels and following them must be

challenging for you. Based from your own understanding of the topic, write your own
meaning of the following Christian vows. Afterwards, give a situation that you have
experienced following these vows and explain how challenging these vows are.
(8 points each = 4 points – content; 4 points – organization)

CHASTITY – chastity is the practice of refraining from sexual activity outside of their
marriage or before getting married

POVERTY - poverty is not caring about worldy possesions or not focusing on

material wealth

OBEDIENCE - obedience is to follow what god teaches us and live according to the
evangelical counsel

Compose your own personal vow. Include the three evangelical counsels and
share your promise and commitment of following these vows. Also, share your ways on
how to keep from all temptations around you. (30 points = 10 points for content, 10
points for organization of ideas, and 10 points for grammar and mechanics) Use the
space provided on the next page.

ESP/CL10, Q1W3;VICENCIO, J. 6
 My Personal Vow

My personal vow would be believing in myself. Because I always second guess my

abilities and that leads to laziness and sadness but if I believed in my self like how God
believes in me I think I can be much better

Answer the following questions based on your observation of the things around
you. (8 points each = 5 points for content; 3 points for organization of ideas)
1. Why do you think people have these lifestyles that go against the counsels?
I think people have these lifestyles that go against the counsels because they have
different understandings and want something that can only be done by going against
the counsels

2. As a teenager, what ways can you suggest to your fellow teenagers in order to enjoy
and explore life without compromising their adherence to moral norms and ethical
standards?
As a teenager I can suggest that if you follow the counsels it would not make your
life more boring and less fun but it would make your life more fun because you’re
doing whats good

Share with sincerity and honesty your answer to this question: Are you living in a
“moral and ethical” environment? Why do you say so?
I think I am because were not doing anything wrong or putting anyone in danger

ESP/CL10, Q1W3;VICENCIO, J. 7