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/.