Blog Post #1 Who is Jesus?

Who Jesus Is To Me

• Prior to this class, what did you already know about Jesus and where did this information come from?
• Because I attended a private, Catholic k-8 school, I have known Jesus for many years. I know that Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore both truly human and truly man. I know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a stable to the Virgin Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. I also knew that Jesus' love was to pure and strong for us that he died for our sins in order to open the gates of heaven. In doing so, all mankind was saved, and Christianity was born.
• What new insights did you gain about Jesus from this unit? How does this change or confirm what you already thought? Be specific.
• One main idea that gave me new insight was the idea of the Trinity. Although I knew of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy spirit, I did not ever truly conceptualize how they are all the same. When Mrs. Manalo presented the idea of H2O and its forms of water, liquid, and solid, I understood the Trinity better. Water is water, but has the ability to appear differently and serve different purposes for us. However, just like water, God appears to us in different ways. God the Father guides us morally and acts as a father figure, Jesus sympathizes with and helps us to lead faithful lives, and the Holy Spirit is a part of us that directly connects us to God, and acts as our conscience.
• Do you feel that you see Jesus as more of a spiritual figure, a historical figure, and/or both? Why?
• I see Jesus as a historical figure. My own faith tradition believes that Jesus was a man and prophet, and no more. I believe that Jesus existed and brought forth the true words of God, but is not God Himself. Jesus has lived on for so many years. The people on Earth have believed in him for centuries and he has impacted society tremendously through religious beliefs. Therefor, Jesus is a significant historical figure.
• How would you describe your relationship with Jesus?

Ever since I was little, Christmas and Easter were the only days of the year that Jesus' name came up.  My mother's side of our family is Catholic, and so we would celebrate these holidays with them.  Even though I am not Christian, I have always been connected to the stories of Jesus.  For example, my aunt used to have a Nativity scene in her living room during Christmastime.  I would ask her what the scene was for, and she would explain the story of Jesus' birth.  My relationship with Jesus is purely educational, and the stories and parables associated with him have helped me morally as well.   Jesus is still a teacher to me, despite my faith being non Christian.

I chose this image of my aunt's Nativity scene because seeing this at six years old was my first encounter with Jesus, the first time I asked questions about his life, and the first time in my life that I understood part of a religion that was not my own.  This Nativity scene was truly the first time I "met" Jesus.

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