43-45. Attach take home. Give three things you have really learned in this class. State significant learning from content, study skills learned. These should be important. State the idea and show how it has been important and real to you.(Add this to your website.)
Throughout this summer sophmore theology course I have gone through a subtle metanoia. I have learned countless details of New Testament scripture, relating to the life and teachings of Jesus, and I have learned new study skills and website skills that will assist me in further academics. However the three most significant things I learned in the course are relationship, Jesus' message of love and humility and website skills.
Relationship is described as being the foundation of Jesus teachings. Jesus was seen hundreds of times praying quietly in the presence of only himslef or in large groups of hundreds if not thousands. Jesus strengthed us and challenged us to be called into a relationship with God, the community and yourself. He exclaimed that God was reaching his arms out to you and all you have to say is "yes" to him through words and actions. Through this relationship with God, we become part of a larger community, the church. This loving and compassionate group of Christians bind us closer to Jesus heart. In class, we stressed the community of the church as the Body of Christ, one body many parts and without all the parts the body cannot function. Prayer is our strength and our courage to communicate with the Lord. In fact, Jesus taught us how to pray by giving us the Lord's prayer. Through hearing how to pray, I now add the Lord's prayer to my prayer every night because I want that relationship with God to be insanely close. I also hope to grow in unity with the community through prayer and relationship with Jesus. When Jesus invited the poor, sick and sinners to dinner it opened my eyes to realize the diversenesss of the community we belong to. People don't have to be well off to be a follower of Christ, in fact Jesus calls us to be humble and life a simple life such as the poor do. This idea of relationship also called me to accept all people as my brothers and sisters under God. Relationship throughout the teaching of this course has brought me through a metanoia. I have changed my prayers from wordy and to prayers where I listen to God and what he is calling me to do. My actions have changed to accept those least of me and simply smile to everyone that I meet to spread Jesus message of love.
To reflect Jesus' exclamation of relationship, I want to stress the ideal of love and how this idea has truly changed me. Love can be defined simply as strong affection for another. However Jesus calls us to really explore this word and how its message found in Jesus' teachings can change the world. Jesus taught us that God is pure love. Many asked how this is possible. Jesus responded through parables, teachings, and miracles. Parables such as the Prodigal Son showed the Father as a loving caring parent waiting for his people to come to him. Jesus message of love began in simple terms, but eventually began making desperate leaps. Jesus called us to love our God and our neighbor. However, little did Jesus followers realize that their neighbor wasn't just their fellow Jew, but the poor, sinners, and sick. Jesus was seen eating and bringing up conversation with sinners and the poor. This message of love really began grabbing hold of his followers in the true compassion we are called to show. Jesus told the story of the Samaritan woman in which he told her his identity. In Jesus' time, speaking to women and Samaritan were strictly forbidden. Jesus broke these taboos showing that love has no barriers. However, Jesus was not over yet. He announced that our neighbors are also our enemies. People then and people today have difficulty accepting this extreme message of love now introduced. Loving someone that hurt us emotionally or physically can be almost unthinkable and thought to be impossible. Jesus says that it is good to be angry, but express love through your words, thoughts, and actions, not revenge. To prove how Jesus taught his teaching by example, I will show the extreme love Jesus showed through his passion, death and ressurrection. Jesus died for us through one of the most painful forms of capital punishment in history. Although he pleaded with God to allow a way out of this, he humbley took up his cross and our sins so that we could live. Jesus exclaimed on the cross, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!" This teaching of loving your enemy is brought out. The true change that has occured in me through the emphasis on love is truly amazing. When Mr. Sciuto showed us his sacramental of a rock with the word "always" I immediately thought of God's love. God always loves me and Jesus showed his eternal love through his death. Love is the most powerful source. As seen in the ressurrection, love conquers evil. Jesus calls me to love in my words and actions. He calls me to love the lowest of my brothers and the bitterest of my enemies. To your message of love Jesus, I say yes!
The final topic that I have truly valued being taught in Mr. Sciuto's summer theology course is the use of websites. Truthfully, when he first told us that our website would be a major part of the course, I was stressed. I tried thinking back the the html I had learned the last summer but I had no recollection. When I approached Mr. Sciuto's website for the first time and I saw all the links and information, I was in awe. The internet webpage can be such a beautiful constructive teaching tool. When I went to the links he posted that helped us with html, I became more comfortable. After I completed the assignments, I became fascinated with personalizing my webpage, which I thought wouldn't even be an option at the begining of the course. On our website, we had to include our journals, which were basically a personal response to questions and ideas of the message of the chapter. We also included web assignments which were on the topics of the Gospel of Matthew, who is Jesus or a parable, and the creation of a sacramental. The web assignments were a type of unique project where students got to show their creativity especially on the final assignment. I have come to value our webpages because of the skills I learned, the quantity and quality of information shown, the easy communication factor through email or postings on individual web pages, and the creativity and ideas of students, past students and teachers. The webpages have helped me when I had trouble on the journals. Especially, on the personal question. If I looked at a student's question on their webpage, I could begin seeing what to look for when asking questions. Looking at students web assignments and links on their pages were fun and interesting too. I learned about students and teachers concerning the hobbies and creativity. The sole true reason I came to value the web page was so I can express my creativity to the community, classmates and teachers. I value uniqueness and I believe web pages and the Internet are a wonderful way to express creativity.
In conclusion, I have come to value many ideals and teachings/skills in this summer theology course. However, the most valuable that I found were relationship with God, the community, and yourself; the message of love, and the web page skills and creativity.
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