Blog Post #8 : 1/30/17

1. I learned a lot about each of the disciples. I learned that most of the disciples were fishermen or farmers and that is where they were called by Jesus. A lot of the disciples were also said to be related to Jesus, mostly brothers of him. The majority of the disciples were also martyred or crucified, having a violent death, except for John who died a peaceful death of old age. A lot of the disciples are buried in Basilicas.
2. I found John the most interesting out of all the disciples. It is really interesting to me that he was the only one who died a peaceful death. It intrigues me to know more about why he was the only one and what he did to not be killed. He was said to be a cousin of Jesus and a fisherman. While he was fishing, Jesus called him to be a disciple.
3. 
   Based on the information I have learned from the disciple projects, people who follow Christ are all very passionate and loyal about their faith and religion. They love to learn about the teachings of Jesus, enough to teach others about them all over the world. They are each strong leaders as well as stubborn. The disciples use these characteristics to stand up for what they believe in.
4. One characteristic that I resemble with the disciples is my stubbornness. I am extremely stubborn and always stick to what I believe in. It takes a lot for me to change my mind about something. The disciples also had this trait because they must always stay strong with their beliefs because of all the nonbelievers that will fight against their teachings.

Blog Post #7 : 11/28/16

1. I learned about the Beatitudes that they all start with "Blessed are..." and they tell you things that you should do. They are ways to live by and rules to follow in order to be a good person.

2. The Beatitude that resonates with me the most is "Blessed are those that are pure of heart, for they should see God." This relates to me not because I should see God, but because every day I try my best to have a pure heart. I have my head screwed on straight and I have good intentions so I believe it is very important to have a pure heart.

3. I learned that I should have mercy for those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness more often. It needs to be a more present issue in my life so that I am more aware of what some people go through for what they believe is right.

4. I can display the Beatitudes a little more in my life by becoming completely selfless. I want my focus to be more about others' happiness instead of mine and make sure everyone is loved and for those who need their spirits lifted, I should help lift them.

Blog Post #6 : 11/21/16

1. I learned about God the Father that he will always love everyone equally and will always be there for you. I learned that God as the Father is just like a dad for all of the world. 

2. I learned about God as the Son that he is in the body of Jesus. He is the Son because he is a teacher in human form and he is just like all of us. He never sins because he is the Son of the Lord and he has no flaws.

3. I learned about God as the Holy Spirit that he represents a dove. The dove symbolizes purity and greatness and justice. God as the Holy Spirit means that God is within us even if sometime we can't see him.

4. I have not personally experienced the Holy Ghost but I know an example of where someone has. An example would be when someone is feeling sad or lost and doesn't know what to do, they feel a sense of love still and guidance when making their decision.

Blog Post #5 : 11/8/16

1. One thing I learned from my group's parable is to always be nice and humble even when no one is watching. Karma will come around eventually and doing good deeds will pay off. I learned that no matter how rich or poor someone is, it's what is inside that really counts.
   https://tvaraj2inspirations.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/lazarus-01.jpg
2. One thing I learned from the parable about the two brothers is that God is always forgiving. I must not dwell on the past or how I have sinned, but to let Him forgive me and do my best to not sin again. One thing I learned from the parable about the landlord was that God loves everyone equally and that in the end he is fair to all.
3. The moral that impacted me the most was the parable, The Rich Man and the Lazarus. The moral of this parable was that your actions will reflect on you as you live your life. You will receive what you put out and be treated how you treated other because God has a plan. If I am nice and aware of others feeling, I will be rewarded in heaven, but if I am selfish and mean I will end up in hell.
4. If Jesus were in society today, he would be an activist and leader helping everyone in the world. He would be nice to everyone and understanding, and a friend to all. He would speak up about the world and how to keep everybody happy and he would have many followers who look up to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0eluU0uDZA 

Blog Post #4 : 10/27/16

Adoration - Amazing God, I adore you because you listen to my prayers and give me opportunity after opportunity to be the best I can be. You believe in me

and help me achieve my goals.

Contrition - I'm sorry for taking things for granted and complaining about my life. I'm sorry that I don't always appreciate everything you do for me.

Thanksgiving - Thank you for the life you have given me and for forgiving me for my sins. Thank you for reminding me to be thankful for everything I have.

Supplication - I want to pray for everyone in my life in that they become grateful too. I pray that my family stays healthy and happy, especially.

Blog Post #3 : 10/14/16

1. I learned a lot about each books of the Gospel from the presentations. I learned when each books were written, what language, and where they were each written. The book of Matthew was written in 50 AD in Greek. The book of Mark was written in 100 AD in Greek. The book of Luke was written in 60-100 AD in Greek. Lastly, the book of John was written in 180 AD in Greek.
2. Even though they are all basically the same story, the Gospels all have some differences. Each Gospel books are worded differently and written by different people. The Book of Matthew was written like it was just stating facts and events that happened. The book of Mark was written with many quotes like people were talking and the reader is actually there. The book of Luke is written more like a story with a plot or like a real book. The book of John was written in more detail and with more description.
   
3. The Gospels are all very similar, though. They are all writing pretty much the same story, just in a different way. They all write about the crucifixion, the death, and the burial of Jesus. They speak of the same events and who did what.
4. Jesus is portrayed, for the most part, the same in each Gospel. Since they are written from different people with different viewpoints the views of Jesus are bound to be somewhat different. In the book of Matthew Jesus is portrayed as the son of God. In the book of Mark he was viewed as The Lord. In the book of Luke and John he is referred to as the King of the Jews. In each Gospel Jesus is talked out being crucified and buried and the reader sees him as weak and they feel bad for him.

Blog Post #2 : 9/28/16

• New Things I have learned about Jesus
• One thing I have learned about Jesus from the presentations in class is that Jesus turned water into wine. This showed that he had a lot of power and abilities and how the people really began to believe in him after this event.
  
• Another thing I learned was that the Three Wise Men went on a journey to find a star of Jesus that took them almost a year to find.

• How What I have learned about the bible archaeology has formed my view on Jesus

• From the presentations, something that has formed my views on Jesus is that he is very loved. In the Joseph of Arimathea and the Three Wise Men presentations, they display that they go to great lengths for him. Joseph courageously asked the Pilate for permission to bury Jesus in his tomb and the Three Wise Men spent a year looking for a star just for Him. This shows that Jesus was very loved by many and still is.

• What I still want to know about Jesus
• Something I still would like to know about Jesus is how he really became known. From the video about Jesus if he had a twitter, it showed that he gained a lot of followers in a very short amount of. What I am still not clear on is what exactly he did or said to make him so popular.
• I would also like to know how exactly he rose from the dead. I have heard the stories but I still do not know the actually evidence about this event. I know that it is hard to know exactly what happened because of all the different stories, rumors, and theories about his resurrection and that we celebrate this day as one of our holidays, but I still want to know what really happened.

• Two people in my life that display similar characteristics as Jesus
• One person in my life that has some of the same characteristics as Jesus is my Grandma. She always wants to help people and lead people to do the right thing. These characteristics are shared by Jesus as well. Jesus is a leader who helps people everyday.
• Another person I know who is alike with Jesus is my sister. She is always friendly and caring and nice to everybody. This is true for Jesus too because since he is such a leading figure in a lot of peoples' lives, he is seen as a caring being that is always there for anyone.