Joe Kainz 

Junior Morality

5/9/08

“What I Really Learned in Junior Morality Class”

            I guess the biggest thing I can say about Junior Morality is how much I learned about the whole transforming property of Christian Morality. It really does require a metanoia. We have to have a radical change of mind and soul in order to fulfill what we are called to do. If we carry this out, it will lead to a more fulfilling relationship between God and ourselves. To tell the truth, I thought that to be a good Christian/Catholic, all we had to do was follow the Ten Commandments. I was sorely mistaken. Following the Ten Commandments is the minimum of what we are expected to do.

            The first major idea I want to remember is the first Block Day, where we had to be the jury and try the man who killed a woman in a fit of road rage. Just seeing how many different ways the situation could be interpreted was astounding. This really helped when we came to the section concerning object, intent, circumstance. It really just made this part of the course much easier to understand. Also I liked the idea of the simulated jury. I believe it kind of prepared us for the real world.

            The second major idea I want to remember from the Junior Morality course is the review of the Sermon on the Mount. I read through it in New Testament last year, but I regret that we did not spend more time on it sophomore year. It really opened my eyes to what Jesus is really asking of all of us. Sure, it is all well and good that one follows the Ten Commandments, but like the young rich man, we have to do more. Now we do not have to chop off our right hand if it sins, or gouge out our eye if it sins, but that is a testament to what Jesus is calling us to do. It is radical, and that is how it is similar to a metanoia.

            Junior Morality was very beneficial to me. It was unlike any of the religion or theology courses I had taken before. Previously, I had coasted through these classes: go in, get my “A”, and get out. This one was different. Maybe because the material from this course was immediately useful to me, or because it was not just memorization, either way I thoroughly enjoyed Junior Morality.

Sidenote: still not a fan of the websites, but they were tolerable. Also, I learned how to spell “separate.”