Arabella's Sophomore Religion Blog

     I found the history of the Sisters of Notre Dame to be very inspiring. Since Julie Billiart had a strong faith in God, I thought it was very inspiring that she shared her faith, at a young age, with other people. Today, I do not see many children being very dedicated towards their religion and wanting to spread it like Julie Billiart. I was not the only person who was impressed with the amount of passion Julie had for her faith. Blin de Bourdon was also inspired by her faith. Since Julie was paralyzed and could not walk, I was inspired because she never lost faith and she eventually gained full mobility of her legs. Through this major challenge in her life, she still managed to make a huge impact on the world, which was creating branches of schools using the title, Notre Dame.      During the Alumnae Panel, a lot of the alumnae's advice was very useful. Many of the visitors said that if there was something they would change in their h...

     I found "The Protestant Reformation and the Break with Catholicism" as one of the most interesting presentations from the Church History textbook. I found this interesting because I learned a small portion of this topic during my freshman year in history class. I found it interesting that the Church started indulgences, which was paying to forgive an individual's sins. During the presentation, I began to think if I would make a difference in the community if I lived during the 1500s. I applaud Martin Luther for creating the famous 95 Theses  that changed the Church's ways and Church History. Since the Catholic Church had a major impact on life in history, because some places integrated Catholicism with government, I would have liked to live during this time period to see other Christian Churches to form and witness the people's reactions.      Saint Thomas Aquinas was, personally, one of the most interesting people that I learned about in the Chu...

     My letter writer was John who advocated for people to put their faith in God, remove hatred in their heart, and to accept and respect everyone. I can see myself sharing these similar lessons with my friends and family. These lessons and topics could benefit my relationships with these people and influence their lives so they can live according to how God wants us to. I also think I can share this message with people around the world, especially the youth who are still learning. If these messages are not shared among the youth, they will grow and learn to have hatred in their hearts, which could lead to depression and social anxiety. Since social media is used by most people on a daily basis, I believe social media is the perfect way to express these lessons to the youth. Eventually, popularity would help continue this advocacy page and others may be inspired to create another account to advocate for a different issue or topic.      Marian Apparitions ...

During this unit, the apostles mostly suffered from the criticism of what they believed in. In the "Apostles Heal Many" (Acts 5:12-41), Peter did not stop teaching even after he was beaten for his religion. The "In Corinth" (Acts 18:1-17) story explains that the apostle, Paul, preached to Jews and Greeks and was constantly opposed. God came in his dream and told him to not give up preaching. Also, in the story "Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard" (Acts 28:17-31), Paul moved to another area to continue preaching about God. Paul is a primary example of an apostle who suffered greatly, trying to spread the Word of God and his beliefs. Even if others opposed of his teachings, he continued to do what he believed in and had strong faith in God. I found the story the "Apostles Heal Many" (Acts 5:12-41) was the most inspiring. Since the High Priest was jealous of the apostles curing others, they were thrown in prison. This shows injustice for those who ...

During each presentation, I have learned something new. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times but said he loved Jesus three time as well. James the Greater was one of three to see Jesus’ Transfiguration ( Catholic Online, director) . James the Lesser was the author of the first Catholic Epistle and was the first Bishop in Jerusalem. John was the only disciple that did not die a violent death, but a natural cause. Andrew passed away  by being crucified in an “X” shake because he felt that he was not worthy of being crucified the same way as Jesus. Bartholomew/Nathanael was known for miracles related to weighted objects. Judas was known for being the disciple that has betrayed Jesus by disclosing Jesus’ whereabouts for 30 pieces of silver. Matthias was not part of the original twelve disciples. Jude was crucified and was shot with arrows and his remains are buried in Rome. Matthew was a tax collector before becoming a disciple, which meant he switched the perspective of his job fro...

     In this unit, I learned the Beatitudes are from the New Testament and is different from the Ten Commandments to an extent. On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples the eight Beatitudes, which are the things and acts individuals should do. In the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments are things an individual should avoid and not follow. The Beatitudes can also be seen as "guidelines for happiness." The Beatitudes is a guideline for people to act and follow. This is a resemblance of what God hoped for us to be. This image represents Jesus teaching the Beatitudes. This shows the origin of how the Beatitudes were taught. (Fairchild, Mary) Labeled for non-commercial reuse      The beatitude that resonates with me is: "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth." This beatitude states that individuals should always be gentle and humbly accept that we need God in everythi...