Sermon on the Mount Journal
Initial Reflection
Personally, the primary reading of the Sermon on the Mount was what I basically expected it to be. Within the confines of SLUH's chapel with nothing to do but read the Sermon on the Mount and reflect on it I came to some immediate surprises but nothing substantial so soon into the activity. The surprises, were in particular, specific lines from the Gospels that I had been attentive to before. One distinct line was, "No, man can have two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be attentive to one and despise the other," ( Matthew 6:24)This passage seemed foreign to me for I did not recognize the stark contrast that it paints and how you almost have to choose between what might be two goods. Upon getting back to the classroom I thought more on this quote, and like a lot of my deeper revelations this year, my connections to this quote sprang up during our class discussions. The discussion made me think of grade school and how much trouble I had with Christianity whenever my grade school teachers said that I should love God above all else, even over my family. This revelation may have been brought upon or at least fueled by what we did before the discussion which was fill out our "Morality of Jesus" worksheet.
This "Morality of Jesus" worksheet was far and away my favorite part of this activity. While the answers that I got from the sheet were not life changing or even particularly shocking it was nice to take a step back and "look" at what I already knew about myself. I found that when I answered the presented questions with actual situations that I have been in, I realized that my morality was commonly playing a part in my decisions, which is deeply comforting. I noticed that in many of my situations such as the last time I was angry with a person or the last time I witnessed a fight I distinctly remember myself being effected by my morality. I have always thought of myself as a moral person for I have a strong sense of others feelings and this thought was only backed up by this worksheet. It was also not entirely surprising to find that I do not always act like a Christian person and this I am okay with. Some of the questions asked I disagreed with the Christian viewpoint but still saw myself as a moral person so I am satisfied.
Two Things
If I want to remember anything from this section, if I want to remember anything from this year it would be Randy Pausch. Pausch had a profound effect on my because of my recent life changing experience on the SLUH Mission Mexico Trip. In Mexico every day there would be something there that astounded me not only from the locals in the Reynosa, Mexico but from my own classmates and teachers. Never had I ever felt so high on life as I did during that week. To feel yourself truly make a difference for people is more rewarding than you can imagine. So, in a time where am beginning to decide what I want to do with my life Randy Pausch put it all in perspective for me. Basically, Pausch's message is to do in life what moves not your mind, not your heart, not your soul, but all three at once. He calls us to try for lives that move our entire beings each and every day, for him it his family and his teaching. While I do not know if going to Mexico and working there the rest of my life is liable, I now know the true feeling of my entire being living to its fullest. Pausch said one thing in particular that was awesome which was, "It is better to fail greatly than succeed mediocrely." I love this because it shows that getting something out of what your doing is more important than doing it right all the time, for in the end what is really going to matter more?
The second thing I want to take from this section is the story about Julio Diaz courtesy of STORYCORPS. What I admire most about Diaz is his patience. I know that myself like most people would have reacted either in fear, anger, or in some other way irrationally. I admire him for thinking not about himself in what would seem like a dangerous moment but about the man who could possibly be doing him harm. With his patience he not only managed to slow down his own life but also the life of the would-be-robber. He got the robber to stop and think about his choices. I am sure that man felt trapped and desperate which is why he was turning to towards such desperate measures in the first place. Diaz in a way served as a doorman for the man, opening a door out of the trap and allowing for him to walk out, turn around and change. This just shows to me that you can do this any time and your service does always have to be great in how it appears.
A Penny for Your Thoughts:
Why is some of Jesus' Morality so hard to follow and comprehend?
The Morality of Jesus is very fluid. For some reason though it is always seems to be one of the things that all different Christian faiths agree upon. What is universal and always stays the same when referring to his morality is it's mission and universal message of kindness. It seems no matter when it was always accepted that Jesus came to fulfill the old law and bring a message where you "offered the other cheek." So no matter what religion you follow or in what year you do it is always seen that Jesus' Morality is one of peace. This message of peace is often difficult to grasp for it goes against what we learn in our culture and daily lives. It was hard then to imagine that you are not supposed to fight back without just cause or love God above all things, and it still is today. The universality of the morality is both helpful and burdensome.
Extras:
NPR: STORYCORPS
Article on Julio Diaz
Monty Python's Take on Sermon
Barack Obama and the Sermon on the Mount
Reynosa:
Poverty
Homes for the Homeless
SLUH Mission Video 2007
