St. Paul the Apostle School

From the desk of Sister Stella

“Lord, grant us merciful and kind hearts. May we be merciful to others because we have known your mercy toward us.”

From the Desk of Sister Stella Maria, Principal:

Advent is the season of God’s mercy. We can re-discover it and immerse ourselves in it. We are the lost sheep the Lord went in search of; we are the recipients of his mercy and love. We, in turn, must be agents of God’s mercy.

December • Sunday
Third Sunday of Advent Matthew 11.2-11

The underlying principle running through today’s Gospel is that in Jesus the promises of scripture are fulfilled. We don’t know what suffering John the Baptist endured as he lay incarcerated in one of Herod’s dungeons. Nor do we know the scale of the enemy’s attack, assailing him with doubt and confusion. He was able to get word to Jesus through his disciples seeking confirmation that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah. John’s understanding was that the Messiah would come in power, glory and judgment. Jesus’ ministry was one of mercy, healing, forgiveness and humility. John’s question Are you the Messiah?’ was a sincere one and the Lord responds in kind.

John the Baptist, like many in Israel, had a partial understanding of the identity and mission of the Messiah. It is as if they honed in on the scriptures about the coming judgment and the crushing of God’s enemies but skimmed over those which speak eloquently and beautifully of God’s mercy, kindness and love. The Lord draws on the prophecy of Isaiah which rejoices that the ‘eyes of the blind shall be opened’, the ‘ears of the deaf unstopped’, the ‘lame man leap like a hart’ and ‘the tongue of the dumb shout for joy’ (Isa. 35:5-6).


    For Jesus, these were the signs of the kingdom, and there was no better sign that the kingdom had come in his person than the miracles he performed, defying nature and overthrowing suffering and sickness (v. 5).

     Jesus came to correct error and lead us into the path of truth and light. Despite John’s moment of confusion and doubt Jesus wants us to be clear about who this great prophet of God was. For Jesus, the Baptist was the last in a long and revered tradition of prophets who served God with their lives, and was one of the greatest men who has ever lived: ‘among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist’ (v. 11). Isn’t that an incredible and amazing affirmation from the Lord himself? However, what is even more amazing is that Jesus said that the least in his kingdom is greater than John. For all his greatness and stature John belongs to the age before Christ whereas we belong to the age of Christ, the age of the Church.

‘Lord Jesus, deepen within me a sense of privilege and blessing in knowing you and having your Holy Spirit With me.’
Isaiah 35:1-6, 10 Psalm 145046):6-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11

Report cards will be sent home on Friday, December 14th. If you have any questions or concerns, please make an appointment with the subject teacher or the homeroom teacher after the Holidays. Please do not try to have a conversation with any teacher at the time of dismissal as they are supervising students at that time.

Yes, we have received the results of the ITBS. They will be sent home to you in early January, as we do not wish for them to get lost in the Christmas mail.

Paulist Choristers

Don‚t miss our spectacular Holiday concert!!

A Ceremony of Carols | Benjamin Britten

and expressions of Christmas from around the world

Amy Shulman, harp

Sinfonia Orchestra

Women of the Chapel Royal

Paulist Choristers of California

Luke McEndarfer, conductor

Saturday, December 15, 2007

7 PM

Saint Paul the Apostle Church

10750 Ohio Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90024

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

Discount Tickets for sale online at <http://www.paulistchoristers.org/>www.paulistchoristers.org

Or call (310) 475-2070

SPA Chess Club

Brentwood School Makes a Fierce Comeback in Chess Rematch, 15.5-5.5

Well we knew that Brentwood School wasn’t happy about losing to St. Paul’s last month but we didn’t anticipate just how determined they would be to claim a victory of their own. Brentwood students scored 15 wins and 1 draw. St. Paul’s scored 5 wins, 1 draw. Now the good news - and there is plenty of that - is that for the first time two Kindergarten students were selected to participate in the chess match! A big Chess Club round of applause goes to Reagan W. and Gus M. - Reagan won her match and Gus tied his match to bring in 1.5 points for the home team. Other SPA winners included 1st Grader Timothy W., 2nd Graders Grant R. and Matthew W., and 3rd Grader Patrick M. Congratulations to all of the students who participated.

Thank you for a great 2007. As St. Paul’s first 20 years of Chess Club comes to an end, we can take pride in knowing that our students are among the best players in all of Los Angeles. Chess is all about making choices after careful consideration of one’s options. So let’s choose to celebrate our history and opt to move forward with pride.

Merry Christmas!

John Walsh, Program Director

Brian Whitney, Treasurer

www.spachess.org

PARENT TRAFFIC RESPONSIBILITIES. Note: Please arrive by 7:20 am or 2:30 pm to complete your assignment. Should you have questions about your duty do not hesitate to contact your room parents or Liane Schirmer.

Student Student Activities

Musical Theatre

Calendar

January 9th - Ensemble Cast with the prisoners, Bidwell,

Prescots, Jennings, Cook and Fergus

January 16th - Principal Cast

January 23rd - Principal Cast

January 30th - Ensemble Cast with Admiral Moore
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AN OASIS IS COMING !!