Shortly after Moses' birth, Rameses I had ordered the slaying of all firstborn male Hebrews to prevent the prophecy of the Deliverer from coming true. Moses' mother (called "Yoshebel" in the film) had set him adrift on the Nile to escape, with his sister Miriam watching from a hidden spot.
Bithiah discovers the Ark while playing with other young women in the banks of the Nile. She orders them to leave, then shows her servant Memnet the baby. Memnet warned Bithiah that the swaddling cloth was Levite, so the baby was placed there to escape Bithiah's father's edict. But Bithiah declared that this baby would be her son, and remembered when the pyramids were dust, and named "Moses" because she had drawn him from the Nile (the Hebrew name "Moshe" derived from the Hebrew word "Mashu", meaning "to draw"). Despite Memnet's protests about serving a son of Hebrew slaves, Bithiah ordered her to serve him and to swear to secrecy on pain of death. But Memnet hides the cloth under her clothes.
Meanwhile, Moses and Nefretiri are deeply in love; she is the "throne princess", who must marry the next Pharaoh. Rameses wants her for himself, not because of any liking for her but for the throne, but Nefretiri hates him. When Moses assumes control of the project, he rescued an old grease-woman from being left to be crushed; unknown to him it was his birthmother Yoshebel. Moses tells the Egyptian Master Builder Baka, "blood makes poor mortar" and asks "are you a master builder or a master butcher?"
And he frees Joshua the stonecutter who had struck an Egyptian, punishable by death, to try to save Yoshebel whom Joshua didn't know. Moses was impressed with Joshua's bravery and words, and institutes numerous reforms concerning the treatment of the slave workers such as one day in seven to rest and even going so far as to raid temple granaries for necessary food supplies. Moses questions Joshua about his God, and Joshua declares his strong faith but says that God's name is unknown.
Rameses uses these changes as proof that Moses is planning an insurrection by currying the slaves' favor, and points out that the slaves are calling Moses the "Deliverer" of prophecy. However, when Seti confronts Moses, Moses argues he is simply making his workers more productive by making them stronger and happier. He proves his point with such impressive progress on the project that Seti becomes convinced that Rameses falsely accused his foster brother. Seti promises that Moses will get credit for the new city. Rameses, meanwhile, has been charged by his father with the task of finding out if there really is a Hebrew fitting the description of the Deliverer, and is having no luck.
As Nefretiri is joyously preparing for marriage, Memnet informs her that Prince Moses is not a prince at all, but the son of Hebrew slaves. Nefretiri is furious at the accusation, whereupon Memnet produces the Levite cloth and tells Nefretiri to wrap their firstborn in it. Memnet also tells her that a little girl had led her to Yochebel to breastfeed Moses, which she realized must be the real mother. Nefretiri kills Memnet by pushing her over the balcony.
Moses learns of this, so asks Bithiah, who dissembles and reminds him of how he never doubted her when he held his hand as he took his first step. When Moses leaves, promising that no matter what he found, he would always love her. She rushes in a chariot to Yoshebel. Bithiah pleads with her not to reveal anything, since she has put the throne of Egypt within his grasp, and also declares how much she loved and cared for him, and promised to free them and make sure they were well cared for.
But Moses had followed from a distance, and Yoshebel could not look him in the eyes and deny that she was his mother. And her robe matched the pattern of the much more faded Levite cloth Memnet kept. Then Yoshebel's adult children introduce themselves to Moses as, "I am your brother, Aaron," and "I am Miriam, your sister." Bithiah sadly departs.
Declaring he is not ashamed ("Egyptian or Hebrew, I'm still Moses"), but curious, he spends time working among the slaves to learn of their hardship, only to be rescued from the mudpits by Nefretiri. Moses then saves Joshua, a Hebrew stonecutter, from being whipped death at the hands of Baka; he kills Baka who was about to whip Joshua to death. Dathan, the devious and ambitious Hebrew overseer who's been charged by Rameses to help him find the Deliverer, watches from hiding. Moses confesses to Joshua that he himself is Hebrew; Joshua excitedly proclaims
Moses the Deliverer, and although Moses denies it, Dathan has all the proof he needs.
Revealing what he knows to Rameses, Dathan bargains for Baka's house, a post as
Governor of Goshen and the ownership of Joshua's betrothed Lilia.
Moses is arrested and brought in chains before Seti, who begs him to say he is not the Deliverer. Moses does so, but avows that he would free the slaves if he could. Bithiah confesses to her brother Seti that she took Moses from the Nile knowing by the design on his blankets that he was Hebrew
In a short, impassioned speech, Moses says that it is evil to enslave or oppress people, "to be stripped of spirit, and hope and faith, all because they are of another race, another creed. If there is a God, He did not mean this to be so!" Seti is grievously hurt, since he said that he had always loved him as a son, more than his own real son Rameses.
So Seti imprisons him and orders his name stricken from all records and monuments, to be unspoken in Egypt forever thereafter. Rameses banishes Moses to the desert, fearing to execute him lest he create a martyr. Meanwhile, Seti proclaims Rameses to be the next Pharoah. Nefretiri as the Throne Princess is required to marry the arrogant prince, to her great distress. Moses makes his way across the desert, nearly dying of hunger and thirst. Moses finds a home in Midian with Jethro, a Bedouin sheik, with seven daughters . Jethro reveals that he is a follower of "He who has no name", which Moses recognized as the God of Abraham.
Herding sheep in the desert, Moses finds Joshua, who has escaped from hard labor in the copper mines. Moses sees the Burning Bush on the summit of Mount Sinai; climbing up to investigate, he hears the voice of God. Naming himself "I Am That I Am", God charges Moses to return to Egypt and free His chosen people.
At Pharaoh's court, Moses comes before Rameses to win the slaves' freedom, turning his staff into a snake to show Rameses the power of God. Jannes and another magician do the same, but Moses's snake eats the others).
But the Pharaoh decrees that the Hebrews be given no straw to make their bricks, but to make the same tally as before on pain of death. As the Hebrews prepare to stone Moses in anger, Nefretiri's retinue rescues him; but when she attempts to resume their relationship, he spurns her, reminding her that not only is he on a mission, having been touched by God, but that he is also married.
As Moses continues to challenge Pharaoh's hold over his people, Egypt is beset by divine plagues. We see the water turned into blood, the red colour starting from where Aaron's stick touched the river and moving away, or the water in pitchers turning red as it was poured
So Moses predicts hot hail and three days of darkness; the hot hail comes shortly after and bursts into flame on the ground. Moses warns that the next plague would come from his own lips.
Enraged at the plagues and Moses' continuous demands, and at his generals and advisers telling him to give in. Rameses orders all first-born Hebrews to die, but just as Moses had foretold, this intention backfires. Although Nefretiri warns Sephora (wife of Moses) to escape with Gershom (Moses'son) on a passing caravan to Midian, Moses tells her sadly that it is her own son who will die, and he cannot
save him. In an eerily quiet scene, the Angel of Death creeps into Egyptian streets in a glowing green cloud, killing all the firstborn of Egypt, including the adult son of
Pharaoh's top general, and Pharaoh's own child. Meanwhile, Bithiah is released to Moses.
Broken and despondent, Pharaoh orders Moses to take "your people, your cattle, your God and your pestilence" and go. Dathan is also ordered out when the Egyptian guards sees the sacrifice lamb's blood on the sides of his door frame, his position as an overseer counting for nothing with the Egyptians, the Hebrews resentful of him and refusing him the privileges he expects. The Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt begins.
Behold His mighty hand! Goaded into rage by Nefretiri in her grief and anger at Moses, the Pharaoh arms himself and gathers his armies to chase the former slaves to the shore of the Red Sea. Held back by a pillar of fire, the Egyptian forces can only watch as Moses parts the waters ("Behold His mighty hand!") to provide his people an escape route.
As the Hebrews race over the seabed, the pillar of fire dies down and the army rides in hot pursuit. The Hebrews make it to the far shore just in time to witness God's closing of the waters on the Egyptian army, drowning every man and horse.
Rameses looks on in despair. All he can do is return to Nefretiri, confessing to her, "His god is God."
The former slaves camp at the foot of Sinai and wait as Moses again ascends the mountain. When Moses delays coming down from Sinai, the Hebrews lose faith and, urged on by the evil Dathan, build a golden calf as an idol to bear before them back to Egypt, hoping to win Rameses' forgiveness. Aaron is forced to help fashion the gold plating. He also orders Lilia to be sacrificed. The people proceed to indulge their most wanton desires in an orgy of sinfulness. Sephora, now re-united with Moses, tells the people that he has gone to receive God's Law, and Bithiah asks, "Would the God who's shown you such wonders let Moses die before his work his done?
Meanwhile, high atop the mountain, Moses witnesses God's creation of the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. When he finally climbs down, Moses beholds his people's iniquity and hurls the tablets at the idol in a rage. The idol explodes, and Dathan and his followers (such as Korah) are killed, a burning crevasse swallows all who do not join Moses at his side. After God forces them to endure forty years' exile in the desert wandering lost to prove their loyalty, the Hebrews finally are on the eve of arriving in the land of Israel. An elderly Moses then appoints Joshua to succeed him as leader (with Lilia by Joshua's side), says a final good bye to his devoted wife Sephora, and goes forth out of Israel to
his destiny.
The Hero's Journey : Its stages are:
I. The hero is introduced in his/her ORDINARY WORLD :Moses
Pharaoh Rameses I of Egypt has ordered the death of all firstborn Hebrew males after hearing the prophecy of the Deliverer. The Pharoah had commanded that all sons born to Hebrews be "cast into the Nile." This is done to prevent the Hebrew slaves from becoming too powerful and possibly joining the enemies of the Egyptians. A The Pharoah had commanded that all sons born to Hebrews be "cast into the Nile." A Hebrew woman named Yochabel saves her infant son by setting him adrift in a basket on the Nile. Bithiah, the Pharaoh's daughter, who had recently lost her husband and the hope of ever having children of her own, finds the basket and decides to adopt the boy even though her servant, Memnet, recognizes the child is Hebrew and protests.
He was named Moses born to a lowly Hebrew yet gets to live and grow in the house of the Pharoah.
II. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE: MOSES
· An incident occurs when an elderly woman is almost crushed to death when her sash gets caught under the slab of stone, prompting Moses to scold overseer Baka. Moses frees the elderly woman, not realizing that she is his natural mother, Yochabel.
• Moses institutes numerous reforms concerning the treatment of the slaves on the project, and eventually Prince Rameses, Moses's "brother", charges him with planning an insurrection, pointing out that the slaves are calling him the "Deliverer".
• Moses defends himself against the charges, arguing that he is simply making his workers more productive by making them stronger and happier and proves his point with the impressive progress he is making.
• Rameses had earlier been ordered by Sethi with finding out whether there really is a Hebrew fitting the description of the Deliverer.
•
III. REFUSAL OF THE CALL: MOSES
• Moses makes it clear to God that he is incapable to speak to such a man as the Pharoah.
• He says to God that he is "slow of speech and of tongue." Then miraculously, God suggests that Moses's brother, Aaron, speak in the eloquent fashion needed when speaking the Pharoah.
• God informs Moses that Aaron is already on his way. Moses never questions anything that God says such as, why is Aaron already on his way? Not only is this surprising , but one might think that the chosen messiah would be a strong and confident man, all of which Moses, thus far, is not. Moses actually asks God to choose someone else.
IV. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR: MOSES
• Consequently, he finds himself in the land of Midian. One day he tends to "the flock of his father-in-law," on Mount Sinai, when suddenly God speaks to him in the burning bush
• God charges Moses to return to Egypt and free His chosen people.
• In Exodus 3:12 God reassures Moses' faith by stating he will be with him at all times. This shows that Yahweh will assist in the deliverance of his people. He does this by "striking Egypt with all [his] wonders" (Exodus 3.20). These "wonders" show God's majestic powers by bringing plagues upon Egypt (Exodus 3.20).
• For Moses, the Lord bestows him a staff to perform miraculous events. This staff symbolizes the hand of God so that Israelites and Egyptians believe in the word of Moses. The components of supernatural help and use of a special weapon are present in Moses story of the Ten Commandments. The
• mentorship and special weapon Moses receive identify him as the hero.
V. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD : MOSES
· Moses makes his way across the desert, nearly dying of hunger and thirst. Moses finds a home in Midian with Jethro, a Bedouin sheik, with seven daughters . Jethro reveals that he is a follower of "He who has no name", which Moses recognized as the God of Abraham.
VI. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES: MOSES
• At Pharaoh's court, Moses comes before Rameses to win the slaves' freedom, turning his staff into a cobra. Jannes does the same with his staves, but Moses' snake devours his.
• Rameses decrees that the Hebrews be given no straw to make their bricks, but to make the same tally as before on pain of death.
• As the Hebrews prepare to stone Moses in anger, Nefretiri's retinue rescues him. He spurns her when she attempts to renew her relationship with him by saying that he is on a mission and is also married.
• As Moses continues to challenge Pharaoh's hold over his people, Egypt is beset by divine plagues.
• Moses turns the river Nile to blood at a festival of Khnum and brings burning hail down upon Pharaoh's palace.
• Moses warns him the next plague to fall upon Egypt will be summoned by Pharaoh himself.
• Enraged at the plagues and Moses' continuous demands, as well as his generals and advisers telling him to give in, Rameses orders all first-born Hebrews to die.
• Nefretiri warns Sephora to escape with her son Gershom on a passing caravan to Midian, and Moses tells the Queen that it is her own son who will die. In an eerily quiet scene, the Angel of Death creeps into Egyptian streets in a glowing green mist, killing all the firstborn of Egypt, including the adult son of Pharaoh's top general, and Pharaoh's own child.
• The Hebrews who have marked their doorposts and lintels with lamb's blood are eating a hasty meal and preparing to depart.
• Bithiah reunites with Moses and decides to go with him and his people when they leave.
• Broken and despondent, Pharaoh orders Moses to leave with the Hebrews.
• In the following day, the Hebrews, now homeless and uprooted, begin their exodus from Egypt with Dathan, reluctantly, also among them.
VI. APPROACH: MOSES
• For instance, Moses performs many miracles to free his people from Egypt as well as help them survive the desert and reach Canaan.
• Rameses spends the next three days begging Seker to call life back into the body of his son. Nefretiri goads him into such a rage that he arms himself and gathers the elite Egyptian forces and pursues the former slaves to the shore of the Red Sea. When the people see the Egyptian troops heading for them, they beg Moses to save them.
• With God's help, he puts out a pillar of fire. Held back by this pillar, the Egyptian forces helplessly watch as Moses parts the waters. As the Hebrews race over the seabed, the pillar of fire then dies down and the army follows them in hot pursuit. The Hebrews make it to the far shore as the waters close on the Egyptian army, drowning every man and horse, except Rameses, who looks on in despair. All he can do is return to Nefretiri, confessing to her, "His god is God".
VII. THE ORDEAL: MOSES
· With God's help, he puts out a pillar of fire. Held back by this pillar, the Egyptian forces helplessly watch as Moses parts the waters. As the Hebrews race over the seabed, the pillar of fire then dies down and the army follows them in hot pursuit. The Hebrews make it to the far shore as the waters close on the Egyptian army, drowning every man and horse, except Rameses, who looks on in despair. All he can do is return to Nefretiri, confessing to her, "His god is God".
VIII> THE REWARD: MOSES
• High atop the mountain, Moses witnesses God's creation of the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. When Moses finally climbs down and meets Joshua, they both behold their people's iniquity. Moses hurls the tablets at the idol in a rage. The idol explodes, and Dathan and his followers are killed.
IX. THE ROAD BACK: MOSES
· After God forces them to endure forty years' exile in the desert wandering lost to prove their loyalty, the Hebrews finally are on the eve of arriving in the land of Israel
X. THE RESURRECTION: MOSES
· An elderly Moses then appoints Joshua to succeed him as leader (with Lilia by Joshua's side), says a final good bye to his devoted wife Sephora, and goes forth out of Israel to his destiny.
XI. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR: MOSES
· Unfortunately, the hero experiences a low point in his journey that scars him for life. Moses' doubt in the word of God causes him to suffer (Exodus 17.4; Numbers 20.12). Instead of believing that God will provide a means of survival, Moses and the Israelites complain time after time. For this reason, Moses is denied entrance into the Promised Land.
· An elderly Moses, who is not allowed to enter the promised land, because of his disobedience to God at the waters of Strife, appoints Joshua to succeed him as leader, says a final good bye to Sephora, and goes forth to his destiny.
MY JOURNEY
I. The hero is introduced in his/her ORDINARY WORLD
v I was born out of love and novena prayer of my father who longed to have a daughter after 3 sons were born . My father had novena prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes and when blessed with a daughter will name her Ma. Lourdes. Our family is like any ordinary family who earns a living which could afford basic needs only. The other important part of the family's expenses was education
II. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE: MOSES
v 1993 President of the Angeles University Foundation, Atty Emmanuel Y. Angeles ( fondly named EYA) talked to me and offered me to take over as the Head of the Department of Pediatrics which my husband and I politely declined as we were just starting our family and our medical career.
v 1995 Appointment as the Head of the Department of Pediatrics, AUF College of Medicine and AUF Medical Center for 10 years.
v 2005 there were rumors of changes in the administration of the AUF Medical Center which I didn't t give any attention. I was very busy with my practice and my family. It was also during this time that I was considering to take a weekday off from my practice as all our children are in their College in Manila. The AUF President called me at his office and my intuition was right. The President offered me to become the Medical Director of AUFMC. I was reluctant to accept the position.
III. REFUSAL OF THE CALL
v I was reluctant to accept the position.
v Even during the early years of teaching ,I always wanted to be only a teacher with no administrative positions. It' s always with a heavy heart when I miss attending to my patients for faculty meetings. And here is the top position of a Medical Director which demands much time and effort. I cannot give up my clinic time. i was so committed to serve my patients with all my best.
IV. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR
v During all the time the President was talking to me I was just listening. I was not given a second to say anything. The President ( whom I consider my Mentor) was narrating to me practically the humble beginnings of then the Angeles Academy , with wooden buildings and his mother as a teacher. For the whole month of May 2005 every Tuesday, the President continued to talk to me and by the time I notice everything was place , I was announced the
Medical Director.
V. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
v I took the call for the position. All the time I always pray to St. Therese the Little Flower of Jesus, who has answered my prayers during the most difficult time of our family. i have so much faith in St Therese and I feel all the very important decisions I make as a Medical Director were all guided by St. Therese.
Vi. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES:
v I knew it will be very difficult to take the position of the former medical Director of 13 years who has loyalty of the employees and most Medical Consultants.
v The former Medical Director brought her friends in the Administration to work with her.
v I met so much resistance to changes instituted. I had to take the challenge of my colleagues who took issues personally. The former Medical Director was appointed for the same position then at the Philippine International Hospital (PIH) .
v There was always comparison comparing he hospitals we worked for. I could feel the loyalty of the senior consultants during the first 2-3 years until PIH closed.
VII APPROACH
v I took so much effort to fill up gaps and build relationships to my colleagues.
v I remained focused and continue to have faith in God and continue to say my novena prayers to St Therese who continue to guide and inspire me.
v There were 2 occasions I tendered my resignation as one of my co worker bullies me even to the point of embarrassment. This co worker was previously an ally even maybe a best friend I considered. He would always apologized for his behavior and emphasized he is not interested in the position of the Medical Director.
v I had to seek my mentor's advice during moments when I was weak.
VIII. THE ORDEAL
v My co worker who always bullied resigned for reasons I did not want to know. I was able to work and focus better during this time, though I felt a relationship broken.
IX . REWARD
v The President signs my appointment for the Fiscal year 2015-2016
X. RESURRECTION
v I continue to serve AUFMC
v I continue to encounter challenges especially with our colleagues.
XI. ROADBACK
· I was able to go through the 10 years of service as the Medical Director
XII. ELIXIR
v I always seek the advise and support of the President in very critical decision making .
Thank you.
Dr. Ma. Lourdes G. Lagunilla
Servant Leader , AUFMC
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