Tuesday, June 30

Class today ran from 8:00-9:30. Much discussion on death. If you love, then part of that love will be suffering.
Disciple metaphors --> "salt of the earth", "light of the world". Jesus came to fulfill old laws. The Spirit of the Law is more important than the Letter of the Law. After the Sermon on the Mount, people were SHOCKED because, unlike the scribes and Pharisees, He spoke with authority.
The most popular non-canonical Gospel is the Gospel of Thomas.
We discussed the Holy Days of Obligation and the etymology of "Son of Man".
Class touched on Divine Economy, and how God gives mankind free will. We are all free within our certain limits. Received updated Ch. 4 review sheet. At 9:30, we all drove to Xavier (College Church) for Jake Ritz's funeral.
‡Homework: Finish up chapter 4, test tomorrow! Material in addition to text includes Ruby Bridges, Gospel of MT (esp. Sermon on Mount), and Jesus Christ Superstar.

WEEK THREE - Monday, June 29

In class today, we handed in the hard copies of our Bible Illuminated homework projects. Discussed Friday's tragedy and our reactions to why death happens if God really loves us; how can we deal with death? Talked about Sunday's readings; USCCB stands for United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Contemplation is a way of putting ourselves into the Scripture to pray. The class compared the Christian Eucharist with the Jewish Passover, there are so many similarities! Discussed the Paschal Mystery; Passover recounts how God delivered the ancient Hebrews from slavery and death in Egypt. Eucharist recounts the Last Supper, how Jesus is the "Passover lamb", who saves us from the power of sin and eternal death.
We received three handouts: "Praying With Scripture", Sunday's readings from USCCB, and a Three Level Interpretation of Sunday's readings from Catholic Matters.
Also in class, we determined our schedule for this week: tomorrow (Tuesday) we will arrive at school early and attend class from 8:00-9:30, then proceed to Jake Ritz's funeral. Wednesday we will have normal class, Chapter 4 test that day, including questions about Gospel of Matthew & Jesus Christ Superstar movie. Thursday there will be no class due to the funeral mass for Brendan Langford and his father at Ascension Church in Chesterfield.
Towards the end of class, we began chapter 4, read through the first section of the text & took notes.
‡Homework: Study for Chapter 4 test Wednesday; Chapter 5 test and Witness to Faith homework assignment due Monday.

Friday, June 26

In class today, we had a substitute teacher, Ms. Rush. We handed in our one-page Gospel of Matthew notes. For the majority of class, we watched Jesus Christ Superstar. As the movie played, we took notes on a worksheet. After a short break and once the movie was finished, the class had a discussion on the film. The class analyzed the movie's different portrayals of the main participants in the events of Jesus' life. In looking at Judas, we can see that forgiving others may not always be difficult, but forgiving YOURSELF is the hardest thing. We handed in our worksheets at the end. Although it was a musical, I thought the movie was pretty good as it was my first time seeing it. For the weekend, I believe there is a Ch. 4/Gospel of Matthew test next Tuesday.
ALSO: After class, the SLUH community found out that two members of the Class of 2012 were killed in a plane crash earlier today, [names not listed here-see website] and one other classmate was seriously injured and is currently in critical condition. A Mass was held this evening from 7:00-9:00 for them. Please keep them in your prayers!

Thursday, June 25

When we got into class today, we received back our graded Ch. 3 tests & made corrections to mistakes. At the 1st Council of Jerusalem, Paul says that Gentiles want to be Christians without becoming Jewish first. James proposes a compromise. The question was: Do you need to be a Jew to follow Jesus (be a Christian)?
We read a storybook on Ruby Bridges and how she attended a white school in an empty building. She was a very patient learner and prayed intently for her protesters on her way to school each morning, escorted by US Marshalls.
Fr. Joe Tetlowst said (essentially) that we are encountering God when we read Scripture. Reading the Bible is an excellent method of prayer - getting to know Jesus.
‡Some questions that came up while reading the Gospel of Matthew:
Why weren't women and children counted in Jesus' Feeding of the Five Thousand?
In the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, is Jesus justifying socialism?
Does Jesus have brothers? Why did Jesus angrily call Peter "Satan"? (Matthew 16:23)
We are constantly changing-living in mystery. The Catholic Church does not permit divorce. Also, Jews of the time expected a divine, military king; not someone such as Jesus.
‡Class handouts: Sermon on the Mount worksheet and commentary packet; Jesus Christ Superstar movie worksheet. Matthew notes sheet due tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 24

At the beginning of class, we received our tentative schedule for the next three class days. After taking the Chapter 3 test, the class took a short break and began reading the Gospel of Matthew and working on (a one-sided page of) notes. Learned that Christology is the study of Jesus Christ. In analyzing the Infancy Narrative in Matthew, the three magi gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold symbolized that the infant Jesus was a king; Frankincense (used for worship) emphasized that he was priestly; and myrrh (normally used for burials) foreshadowed Jesus' death- a testimony to his humanity. I think this is very interesting, and have never thought of the symbolism this way before.
‡Why the Incarnation?
      1.) To save us; reconciling us with God.
      2.) So that we might know God's love for us.
      3.) To be our model of holiness.
      4.) To make us partakers of the divine nature.
For tonight's homework: we should finish reading up to Ch. 17:27 in the Gospel of Matthew (parables on the kingdom of Heaven, the disciples' acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah).

Tuesday, June 23

Class: Got back our tests, discussed, and made corrections. PAY ATTENTION on test questions! The answer may already be there for you! As a class, we prepared a skeletal outline of chapter 3 and talked about study methods. Compared differences in the Gospels of Luke & Matthew.
Matthew used the Sermon on the Mount (Ch.5-7) because he mainly wrote to a Jewish-Christian audience, who would be familiar with Moses and the 10 Commandments. Jesus was the New Moses.
Luke wrote for Gentiles. He presented his Sermon on the Plain (Ch.6) because being on a mount would have no significant meaning to them. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus being linked to Abraham and David (over 2000 years) illustrates Jesus as the Messiah.
Who is Theophilius? A friend or lover of God.
The Greek word for 'word' is "Logos".
The Kingdom of Heaven/God is the gift of salvation, eternal life, and love HERE & NOW; God's rule of justice, peace, and love.
Christian eschatology - "4 Last Things" are: 1) Death 2) Judgment 3) Heaven or 4) Hell.
See Gospel Comparison Chart so far here.
Homework: Finish studying for Ch. 3 Test tomorrow!

WEEK TWO - Monday, June 22

In class today, we first discussed yesterday's Gospel reading, Mark 4:35-41 and interpreted it on three levels. Then we watched a short Deion Sander's video - an example of metanoia in the world today. After taking the Chapter Two test, the class prayed a prayer on p. 29 in the text. We reviewed the chapter goals and learned about the different things we can do when we don't understand a passage in Scripture, such as: looking in a biblical commentary (Collegeville), cross-references in the Bible itself, internet encyclopedias (NewAdvent & Jewish), and concordances. I learned that apocrypha are various types of literature which imitate style and content of Old & New Testament books. We used many different forms of information to research the meaning of 'Son of Man', which is found on Daniel 7:13. Class was concluded by suggesting new ways to make course information/updates available online.
Finished Bible Illuminated Project found here.

Week One Overview (June 15-19)

Introduction & Welcome Into Class
+Took pretest to determine prior NT knowledge. Tests/Quizzes are FOR LEARNING. Quizzes set up tests and tests set up the exam.
+Explored the Course Website.
+Why would it be important for anyone, even an atheist to read, know, and study the Old Testament? How about a Christian? A Catholic?
+What do we need to bring to follow Jesus?
     -Knowledge of God, Scripture, Sacraments, saving works of Jesus, morality, etc. It is a journey! Ignatius called himself the "pilgrim".
+What does it mean to be Christian?
     -One who follows Jesus Christ and truly believes he is the Truth, Light, Messiah, etc.
+What does it mean to be Catholic?
     -One who chooses to belong to this community because we believe this will help us connect with God/Jesus best. "this" being Tradition, Scripture, Sacraments, Prayer & Spirituality, Liturgical Year, Jesus & the Paschal Mystery.
+One unforgivable sin: blasphemy or putting yourself above God.
+Jesus tells the rich young man to FOLLOW THE 10 COMMANDMENTS.
+Most common New Testament (1st person) title for Jesus is "Son of Man".
+Matthew 25 is the Judgment of Nations, Matthew 22 is the Greatest Commandment.
†Misc. Vocabulary†
Dei Verbum: the Word of God
Metanoia: a radical change of mind (think) and heart (feel) away from sin (evil, false values, selfishness) and towards Jesus (love, grace, goodness).
Shema: (Jewish) the first Greatest Commandment; to love God with all your mind, heart, and soul.
Agape: Selfless love. (See link)
‡5 Step Method for truly learning material: Skim, Read, Mark, Notes, & Study!
‡Handouts: "Hearts Large Enough To Hold the World" Prayer booklet, "Jewish Roots of the Eucharist", "Seven Most-Asked Questions about the Bible", "How the Bible Came to Be", & main course packet.
‡Covered intro/chapter one; main ideas: Jesus' Mission, ways to study/interpret Scripture(literary forms), theme of "Journey", and core beliefs/culture of Judaism.