For saving space, I have introduced the course and the first task together (after task 1 of self-introductions)
Required Texts:The two required texts for this course are:
Klein, Peter (Rev). (2007). The Catholic Source Book – 4th Edition. BROWN-ROA Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0-15-950653-0.
Knox, Ian. (1999). Theology for Teachers. Novalis Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-2-89507-020-2
New Revised Standard Version Bible – Catholic Edition, 1999, St. Jerome Press
(For the purposes of studying Scripture, any Bible may be used as long as it does not contradict the teachings of the Catholic Church)
The Bible can also be accessed through the Vatican Website – www.vatican.va
As per course introduction and overview,
The purpose of Religious Education Part I is to enhance the professional practice of teachers and extend their knowledge and skills through critical reflection and inquiry. The areas of exploration are The Bible as Sacred Scripture; Spiritual Sacramental and Liturgical Life; The Church: Past, Present and Future; Ethics and Morality; Faith in Action; Pedagogical Practices within Catholic Education; The Faith Journey.
The program will assist teachers in their ability to evangelize students and enable them to see the world around them through a critical Catholic lens in hopes of meeting the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations.
The course will also promote ongoing commitment to religious formation and learning, integrates teaching practice into religious knowledge, builds faith communities through personal and communal renewal, and develops skills that enhance school programs and student learning in Catholic schools.
The Additional Qualification Course: Religious Education, Part I employs a critical pedagogical lens to explore in a holistic and integrated manner the following:
-mission of Catholic schools
-sacred scriptures
-spiritual, sacramental and liturgical life
-the Church and a post-modern world
-faith in action
-ethics and morality
-pedagogical practices for religious education
-school ministry
-the faith journey related to teaching and learning across the divisions.
As per module discussion post,
"Timothy 3: 14-17 … continue in what you have learned and firmly believe, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
Understanding the Bible
Read the excerpt from Language of the Heart by Noel Cooper. What ideas resonated with you from the reading. How does this affect your understanding of scripture, specifically, the New Testament? How could these ideas be integrated into the curriculum? "
My response,
"
Notes:
Jesus as "the working man"; life of servitude; of North African/Mediterranean descent; Not a professional spiritualist, but someone who was travelling as a spiritual preacher on his own accord in the name of God; Jesus grew up and lived in the district of Galilee which ultimately was shadow to the City of Jerusalem and Temple Mountain;
Jesus as a victim of cultural prejudice/racism-him and Peter with thick accents as a result of their first language roots (Aramaic) but some language abilities in Hebrew and potentially limited amounts in Greek as Romans were occupying the area at that time.
Jesus as a martyr and social outcast-Most of the generation of Jesus' time, were already grandparents as he was also an elder in his community at the age of 30, he left his home to preach in determination to preach how to live a more religiously fuelled existence than the professional rabbis in the synagogues of Jerusalem.
Theory holds up that because of what is/what is not said (contextual reading) Mary actually had seven children grow into adulthood.
Source:
Language of the Heart (2003)
After reading the character sketch excerpt from Cooper Neil's "Language of the Heart" of Jesus, I don't feel much more of a different than I held prior to reading only because of interests in literature that explored aspects of faith from a more critical point of view. This is crucial point of consideration because prior to the internet and accessibility to the understanding of what constitutes a "credible source", there were many discussions and theories that would influence one to sometimes be more literal of a reader in matter of just keeping it simple for themselves in understanding that its easy enough for one to argue it as true than simply unveiling a thesis in regards to why they believe it is true and then argue the semantics/viewpoints of various gospels (presumably). I think one image that doesn't sit well with me as a Catholic is that children are misguided into what they believe Jesus would have looked like. No, your right its not how he looks that matters on a level as long as one is a believer, however as a teacher when we discuss the application of religion in curriculum there is an argument to be made for cultural appropriation. To quote Noel Cooper, "None of the gospels offers us a physical description of Jesus. We know only that he was Jewish, a native of the district of Galilee, so most likely he resembled people who are native to north Africa and the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, rather than modern Jewish people of northern European heritage." Language of the Heart. (2003) To be clear, I think sometimes it makes it easier to deduce believable facts from what isn't said (rather than theorised inferences made from viewpoints recorded in different ways) and in this case, what he looks like isn't talked about. Telling me one of two things, they didn't have the words to describe him, or he was of average physical character. The gospels in the new testament tend to focus mostly on the more marginalizing attributes of Jesus and his life than the more uneventful or "everyday" portions. In this regard it is interesting to discuss the discrepancies between the gospels (as an example) as a means of making the New Testament "proclaim the identity of Jesus as truly God and truly human and to show how Jesus is linked to and fulfils the Hebrew Scriptures. Brown states that each infancy narrative is, in fact, the whole Gospel in miniature: The full identity of Jesus (divine and human) is revealed" (Finding the Heart of Jesus’ Life, Looking at Jesus in the Gospels, 2003). In this, the ideas of Jesus as more human than a human, but as divine creates the discussion that splinters into many subject areas, "Social Activism", "Rhetoric", potentially even into the study of "Psychological Motivations and Behaviours". In conclusion, I find that although the New Testament is recorded and told like that of a flashback of the same person over a long period of time, it is stylistically a read that presents a picture of the same person who ultimately achieved the same goal in all regards and this character, Jesus-presents people with most important philosophy, believe because you want to-not because you have to.
Sources:
Catholic Update: Finding the Heart of Jesus’ Life, Looking at Jesus in the Gospels, December 2003 "
No comments:
Post a Comment