Blogpost #6: The Beatitudes

1. Prior to this unit, I had never heard of The Beatitudes before. They teach to go through life being selfless, rather than caught up in one's own life. In addition, they show that the good people in the world will gain blessings. Through being their for others and conquering life's low points, people will be rewarded. The Beatitudes present eight different categories of people that will be rewarded for their work in the world. Each beatitude is a teaching of Jesus. Through reading The Beatitudes, one can gain the knowledge on how to be the best person possible.

2. The Beatitude that resonates with me the most is, "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted." In my opinion, every person goes through hard times within their life. When going through these hard times, it may seem their is never an end in sight. Through the teaching of the Beatitudes, everyone can realize (myself included), that their is an end to hard times. Those who suffer the pain can and will be comforted. I have reached times within my life where I was so down due to an event, that I did not know if happiness would ever reach my again. I eventually reached a point of happiness again. The Beatitudes show that one should not live a life of fear in these times because comfort will reach them.

3. The "speed dating" activity in class showed me how much each Beatitude relates to daily life. Through the different questions, I was able to evaluate the teachings within my one life. I realized that through different experiences, I have put each of the teachings from The Beatitudes to use, without even knowing what they were. In addition, I was able to see how many people have gone through similar experiences that use qualities from The Beatitudes. The Beatitudes do not specify the steps needed to achieve greatness in life, they teach the qualities of a person who achieves greatness for others within their life. This activity truly allowed me to evaluate the teachings of the Church within my own life.

4. The Beatitudes have strong morals that I need to apply to my life more often. The way I intend to apply The Beatitudes to my daily life is by using each as a guideline in different situations. For example, the one about mourning, for times I am sad. The Beatitude about the people "Pure in Heart" for the times I need to ensure myself I am doing the right thing. I want to apply The Beatitude about being meek in times that I may seem boastful about myself to others. The Beatitude about peace makers can be applied to my life when I fight with my siblings and need to apologize. Overall, through following these guidelines I can became a more self-less person.

I chose this picture because I feel it sums up The Beatitudes really well. The image shows that all who have done good/suffered through harsh times will receive happiness. I feel that is the main message within The Beatitudes.

Admin. Cliparts, www.okclipart.com/Beatitudes-Clip-Art30cqllvwxk/.

Blogpost #5: Parables

1. From my project, I learned a lot through the actions of The Rich Man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a poor man. He had nothing valuable in his life. Yet, he ends up being the one sent to heaven. The rich man, who had everything he wanted in life. Although he had a good life, the Rich Man ended up in hell. This was because he was self-centered and did not care for others. From the story, one can take away that it is important to be kind to others. Living a life revolved around yourself can lead you to bad places later on. Take each action in life carefully, as life is not all about pleasing yourself.

2. Each parable had a special message/lesson within it. The Laborers in the Vineyard captivated the meaning of fairness and promises. In the parable, everyone was paid the same, no matter how long they worked. Some of them were angry, but it taught us a lesson. When one agrees to something, they must stick with their agreement. Not only this, but God will give everyone a fair chance. One must not be jealous of others privileges. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant taught a lesson about kindness. The servant was arrested by his master since he owed him money. In addition, the servant was mad because someone else owed him money (hypocritical). This showed that kindness is important and full circle. The golden rule states "treat others the way you want to be treated." Through this parable, we were able to learn this. Each parable we learned about had an important lesson.

3. From The Prodigal Son, I was able to learn a very important message about forgiveness and jealousy. When one boy received money and the other received an estate, the one who received the estate was jealous. The boy who received the money spent all the money and pleaded for forgiveness. The other boy did not want to grant him forgiveness, but their father explained that forgiveness is key to move on in life. I often hold grudges when someone does something wrong to me. I also am jealous of others at times. It is important to realize you must let go to move forward. Going forward, my goal is to forgive others and be happy with what I have.

4. If Jesus was physically in our society, life would be a lot different then it is today. First of all, Jesus was not favored by all people at this time. If he was on earth, Catholics may not worship him, as they do today. This would completely shift the beliefs of the entire world. So many people who believe in this religion would have a completely different belief system. Catholicism would not be formed, and even are school would be completely different since it is based on the teachings of Jesus. We would not go to mass and worship Jesus, as no one would have found his true value yet. Overall, life would be very different if Jesus was physically in our society.



I chose this inspirational quote by Dave Willis. This quote goes along with the message of forgiveness present in The Prodigal Son. It explains how forgiveness can only make you stronger. Forgiveness is something I want to work on as I go forward.

“Best 25+ Forgiveness Ideas on Pinterest | Forgiveness Love Quotes, Faith in God Quotes and Religious Quotes Strength.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/explore/forgiveness/. 

Blog Post #4: Prayer

1. What are new things that you learned about prayer from this unit? Be specific.

Throughout this unit, I learned a lot about prayer and the different ways to pray. First of all, their is not a single way to pray, but many options. Silent prayer, lectio divina, written prayer, recited prayer, and meditation are all ways of praying. Prior to this unit, I did not realize prayer could be done in a casual way. Now I understand, any person can use any available time to pray for the people for the people who they love/who need prayers. In addition, prayer can benefit everyone, even people who are at the top of their religion. Jesus made time in his life to pray, he needed prayer to be courageous and gain strength to go through his daily life. I also learned the steps to prayer, ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication). This shows that prayer can benefit any person. Overall, I learned how prayer can be done in any situation, and how it has helped many people.

2. Can you see yourself implementing any new prayer practices?

I have begun implementing prayer into my life with the 21-day gratitude challenge. Not only do I state something I’m grateful for at this time, but I think of the people who need love and support. This is my way of stating my intentions. Intentions are something I would like to make more time in my life to acknowledge. From now on, I would like to implement prayer into my daily life more often. After taking a moment to state something I am grateful for, I will partake in 60 seconds of meditation. This will allow me to pray for everything in the world, and reflect on my day. I think implementing this prayer practice in my life will allow me to expand my gratitude for the world around me.

3. What were the main messages you got from the movie The Case for Christ?

From the movie, I was able to grasp the importance religion holds to some people. Religion gave Leslie support in times of need, just as it gives ordinary people support in hard times. Not only this but in the movie Lee challenged aspects of Catholicism. Thus showing, people challenge aspects of religion in daily life, it is not certain for everyone. People want proof for ideas in order to believe in them, yet faith may never be provable, which is a main message in the movie. Faith is something that one must take a chance to believe in. Differing opinions on this can break apart relationships, such as the relationship between Leslie and Lee. No matter the ideas proven or unproven about faith, people will have distinct opinions about what they believe in.

4. What new things did you take away about yourself from this unit, perhaps from Lectio Divina, the Gratitude class, the meditation, or the movie?

Throughout this unit, I was able to do a lot of self-reflecting. There is so much in my life to be grateful for. Through the “50 things I’m grateful for” activity I was able to see all the things/people I have in my life that mean so much to me. In addition, the meditation period allowed more time for reflection of how lucky I am to live the life I have. I’ve grown up in an amazing family and have always been surrounded by friends who can make me laugh. Overall, this unit allowed me to look back on my life and realize how lucky I am.

Multimedia Source:

This picture is how I am growing to feel every day. With the 21 day grateful challenge I am able to realize that today, and everyday, I have something to be grateful for.

Source: Elder, Cindi. “Grateful Signs!” Pinterest, 23 Feb. 2017, www.pinterest.com/pin/140807925830975633/.

Blog Post #3: The 4 Gospel Writers

1. Throughout the presentations, I learned a lot about the four different writers of the Gospel. First off, each writer wrote to a different group of people (Mark-Gentiles, Matthew- Jewish and Christian communities, Luke- Jesus' followers, John-Christians/Disciples). The original language of all four Gospels is Greek. In addition, the Gospels were written in different time periods, each time period reflected the writer's knowledge about Jesus. Mark and John wrote their Gospels before 70 AD, they both were considered eye witnesses of Jesus. On the other hand, Luke and Matthew wrote around the 80/90s, making them second hand sources. Luke and Mark's Gospels have inspiration from the other two writers since they were not their to witness Jesus themselves. The writers each had a purpose in their writing as well. Mark and Luke chronicled the order of events in Jesus' lifetime. Overall, each presentation taught me a lot about the Gospels.

2.  The Gospel readings from class showed the same story written by different authors (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John). Each Gospel followed the same basic story and ended with a closing line about Jesus. Although the closing messages weren't the same in every story, they showed how the Jesus appeared to the author. Matthews Gospel is heavily inspired by Mark's Gospel. The two men agreed that the revolutionaries mocked and abused Jesus. Luke and John's Gospels were very detailed oriented and both with with the closing line "it is finished." The Gospel's all hold similar stories within them. 

3. Although in the readings, the Gospel are telling the same story, each author interpreted the story differently. Luke's Gospel mentions the blood and water that flowed out of Jesus' body, none of the other Gospels mention this. In addition, Luke's Gospel mentions Jesus is the Son of God by mentioning the Old Testament. The other Gospels do this is a more direct manner. In Matthew's Gospel he mentions that during Jesus' crucifixion, the tombs were open. The other Gospel do not go in depth on this topic. Being that the Gospels weren't all written in the same time period with the same background knowledge, it makes sense that the writing's each follow a slightly different storyline. 

4. I would prefer to read Mark's Gospel. I would most likely believe a first hand source, rather than a second hand source that gathered information from other places. This left me with two options, Mark or John. The reason I chose John's Gospel is because is most closely aligns with the other Gospel's, making it believable. Where as, John's story has many details not stated in the other Gospels, making it possible that these details were made up. In addition, his purpose was to order the events from Jesus' life which I would want to know more about. The one reason Mark's Gospel would be hard for me to read, is because it is meant for people who are unfamiliar with the Jewish religion. I have grown up learning a lot about Judiasim. In total, Mark's Gospel would be the best option for me.

Multimedia Source: 

This video explains the reasoning behind each of the Gospels. It explains why we have four, instead of just one. In addition, it is very information about each of the authors. Overall, this video is a good source to learn about the Gospel and it's writers.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggIXPM8syhI

Blog Post #2: Bible Archaeology

What are some new historical facts related to Jesus that you learned from your own group presentation? Be specific.

Through researching Bible Archeology, I was able to learn new things about Jesus. The main thing I grasped about Jesus from my own presentation was that Jesus was crucified. Previously, I thought Jesus was solely praised by his people as he was today. Yet, Jesus was not loved by everyone at the time. The people of Jerusalem wanted Jesus crucified. Pontius Pilate had the grueling tasks of deciding whether Jesus should be crucified. Ultimately, he decided to do this and Joseph of Arimathea took on the controversial role of burying Jesus.

What are some new historical facts related to Jesus that you learned from the other group presentations? Be specific.

The presentations given were full of knowledge about Jesus I had never learned before. First off, I learned Jesus could have been killed as a child by King Herod, when King Herod was killing young boys so he could have the power to himself. If Jesus would have been killed at this point in time, the Catholic faith would have been altered forever. In addition, Jesus was said to be crucified in Golgotha (said to be near current day Jerusalem). Good Friday signifies the day that Jesus was crucified. When Pontius Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified, he thought he was crucifying Jesus to the advantage of his own people. Overall, the presentations expanded my knowledge of Jesus.

Which topic related to Jesus’ life did you find to be most fascinating and why?

Jesus’s lifetime took a lot of turns that were unexpected. I would not have expected Jesus to endeavor on such an unpractical life path. I think that his struggles are the most fascinating part of his lifetime. He was almost killed as a child, and was crucified as he got older. These are major turns in life that are not ideal for any person. To me, this shows that even the people who are the admired in life, still struggle. No one can go through life without struggle and hardship. Jesus’ lifetime can be used as an example to everyone going through a hard time, life is not going to be easy.

After reflecting on Jesus’ characteristics in the last unit and the events related to his life in this unit, who are two people in your life who display similar qualities as Jesus and why?

Two people that resemble the characteristics of Jesus to me are my parents. Jesus acts as a father figure to all of his followers, he guides them in times of hardship. Just as Jesus guides his followers through life, my parents guide me throughout my life and are there for me when I down and need their help. In addition, Jesus holds the power over all others. My parents hold power over me, and show me what is wrong and right to do. Jesus also sacrifices for his people. Both my mom and dad have sacrificed so much in their life for me. They always put my brothers and I before themselves, which I admire about them. Overall my parents have strong qualities within them that Jesus holds true for his believers.

For my multimedia item for this blog post, I chose the song God Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. It shows how everyone how everyone’s path in life is broken down in some way. No everything is going to be perfect. Jesus went through a hard life, and his followers admire him today. Therefore, it shows that the “broken road” is the path to glory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYodFrBf0BE

Blogpost #1: Who is Jesus?

1. Prior to this class, my knowledge of Jesus was slim to none. I knew he was a very significant figure in the Catholic faith. Jesus served as a savior to all who were apart of this faith. In addition, I observed his actions and guidance made an impact on everyone who believed in him. Due to the fact I was not raised in a religious household, my first teachings of Jesus have been in this class. I look forward to diving in deeper to these teachings to learn who Jesus truly is.

2. I gained a lot from learning about Jesus in the past few weeks. As it states in the textbook, it has been proven that Jesus lived. This was a concept I did not think about before. I saw Jesus as a spiritual figure that had been given the traits of being a great teacher, a savior to all, forgiver of sins, and a prophet to name a few. The concept that his life has been proven changes my perspectives of him. Being that the idea of faith is new to me, it is hard to grasp onto and believe every detail said. Yet, the idea that his life has been proven makes that easier for me, since I know now he has truly made these impacts on people during his lifetime. Learning the names of Jesus taught me a lot this unit. Each name had a greater meaning about Jesus's lifetime. Through developing the meanings of these names, I learned Jesus has the ultimatum amount of power and that he gave sacrificial system to Israel. Overall, this unit has began to develop my thoughts of Jesus's power to all who follow him.

3. To me, I have always seen Jesus as a spiritual figure. I have seen him as a person that one can either choose to believe and follow the path of, or not. He holds true spiritual value. Anyone who can connect with him, has strong beliefs and genuine feelings of him. That is the main reason why I have always seen him as a spiritual figure. As we have gotten deeper into his teachings, I now see the historical value he holds. He lived a life, where he was an important figure to people he had met in his lifetime. He impacted society, just as any figure who one studies in history has done. At this point in time, I still view him as a spiritual figure, yet, as I learn more about him I see how could be seen as a historical figure.

4. My relationship with Jesus is one still in the making. I have never thought about "Who Jesus is to me" before. He holds strong values, many in which I agree with. His idea that holds true to me is that sin takes time to forgive, it is not instant. I have trouble forgiving people as soon as a quick apology has taken place, it takes time for me to establish the feelings of trust again. I like seeing that this is a core value of a person who has made an impact on so many others. As I begin to see more connections between Jesus and I such as this one, my belief on who Jesus is to me will shift. At this moment, Jesus is a person with strong values that relate to some of my values. With time, I believe this can develop and who he is to me can become deeper.

I chose this song because it shows what Jesus can be to people. He has developed in some peoples life to guide them and be their breath of fresh air. It is astonishing to me the impact he has made on the world. It is truly amazing to see a person thought of so highly for the actions they can put forth.
"Jesus" by Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEbQswNB6Wc

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