LEARN MORE: Who is Jesus and what did He have to say?
In class, we discussed Jesus: who He is, what He taught, and how He desires us to be happy with Him and His Father in Heaven. He asks us to follow Him and to listen to His teachings because He loves us and wants us to be truly happy. We discussed how Jesus, Who is God Made Man and King of the Universe, appears to us rather differently than the kings we see today. We went over the heart of Jesus’ teaching, the Beatitudes, and how they are attitudes we are meant to embody in order to have a taste of our eternal Life with God on earth.
That’s all well and good, but how can I practically live out? What does it mean that I am ‘blessed’ when I have these attitudes the beatitudes describe? How can it help me focus on Jesus? Take a look at this video from Fr. Mark-Mary on how to keep our focus on Jesus:
How to Keep Your Focus on Jesus #beatitudes
→ MONTHLY LECTIO DIVINA: John 10:11-15
“I am the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. A hired man, who is not the shepherd and whose sheep is not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.”
Questions to Consider:
- A shepherd is someone who tends and takes care of sheep. Shepherds were very common in Jesus’ time, and the Bible uses them often in their analogies to refer to God as a caring and loving Father who takes care of his children like a shepherd takes care of his sheep. Why do you think Jesus is referring to himself like this?
- Have you ever viewed Jesus as “The Good Shepherd,” or as a loving and caring Father/friend? Why or why not?
- Jesus says, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” In your own life, how do you know Jesus? What are ways you can know Jesus better?
→ MONTHLY VISIO DIVINA: Sacred Heart of Jesus by Pompeo Batoni
About the piece
The work depicts Jesus wearing a red tunic, which symbolizes the color of blood, martyrdom and humanity; and a blue mantle which symbolizes the color of heaven and His divinity. He is holding in His left hand an inflamed heart with a crown of thorns and with a cross at the top.
Batoni's artwork became popular for the official image for the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Batoni was motivated in painting the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the supposed apparition of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque under the title of the Sacred Heart. The apparition was said to have occurred when St Margaret prayed to Jesus before the Blessed Sacrament in 1673. This is what St. Margaret Mary had to say: “The Divine Heart was presented to me in a throne of flames, more resplendent than a sun, transparent as crystal, with this adorable wound. And it was surrounded with a crown of thorns, signifying the punctures (wounds) made in it by our sins, and a cross…”
Source: https://www.mdrevelation.org/the-most-famous-image-of-the-sacred-heart/
Questions to Consider:
- What catches your eye about this picture? Describe why it catches your eye. What do you think God is trying to tell you through this? How do you see yourself in this picture?
- When we see a heart, we often think of it being an expression of a person’s innermost being. The phrase, “They wear their heart on their sleeve,” means they are open about who they are in an honest way. Why do you think Jesus’ heart looks like that?
- If you could draw your heart, what do you think it would look like? If someone could take a look into your heart, what would they see?
→ HOMEWORK:
- Write a reflection on Matthew 5:13-16 and Sacred Heart of Jesus, using the questions as guidance (3-5 sentences for each).
- Take a quiz to test yourself on The Beatitudes.
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR HOMEWORK HERE
