Krishia Hidalgo10/10/12 1-NUR-11TheologyI. Questions about St. Dominic

1. One of the people that influenced St. Dominic was his mother. He saw her giving bread to the starving people and I think it influenced him to be selfless when he grew up. Other people that influenced him were his followers. I think he got inspiration from them and they too got inspiration from him to spread the message of God. This was clearly seen at the near end of the film when they were all forced to disperse to spread Gods message and love.

2. Prayer It was shown in the movie with St. Dominic praying dailyfor the sins of the people and he also did penance for them. He also believed in Gods divine providence.

Study It was shown in the first part of the movie when he was studying at the University of Palencia but he chose to sell his books to give food for the hungry.

Community It was shown in the film when they all helped one another after the some of the people were killed. They were at a lost but they choose to work together to rise from the tragedy.

Preaching It was shown when St. Dominic and the others would travel to different places to preach. It was also shown when St. Dominic was teaching the children about the holy trinity with a metaphor using a wheat stalk.

3. St. Dominic differs in this preaching because he is a man who not only preaches what he believes but he also practice what he believes. He devoted his whole life to God and he consistently wanted to preach his message. The other preachers namely the Cathars believed in two Gods unlike St. Dominic who only believed in one true merciful God.

4. Passion for truthand compassion for humanity was shown in the movie in the scene where St. Dominic was confronted to as to why he was selling everything he had for the sake of the starving people. He said "Would you have me study off these dead skins, when men are dying of hunger? This showed his true compassion for man and his search for moral truthfulness.

5. I think what St. Dominic meant was that he would be able to guide his followers better from heaven since he is with God. I think he also meant that when he was human, he was limited to earthly actions but in heaven he will be able to do a lot more since he is closer to God.

6. Yes, of course St. Dominic serves as an inspiration to all of us because he devoted his whole self to God. He had faith in him and he completely trusted him. He also showed compassion and selflessness towards people. I can relate to St. Dominic in the sense that I care about others and I always try my best to help out someone in need.

7. As a nursing student and a citizen of this country, I address the challenges of our century as a bit embellished because compared to back then, we have it good. Back then St. Dominic and his followers had to walk great distances to get to a place but now we have more convenient ways to travel. Food also isnt as scarce as it was in St. Dominics time.

8. Yes, because we live a country where the poverty level is high so there are a lot of children whose families cant afford to eat meals three times a day. The movie shows relevance to todays time because we tend to think about our own needs or what is important to us rather than helping others out. We should be sensitive to the people out there dying of hunger and thirst.

9. Yes, one of them being that we should be selfless in trying to help others. Another is that we shouldnt be too attached to material things because they wont last. Lastly, is that we should trust and have faith in God because he has a plan for us.

10. After watching the movie, I think that the best Dominican quality is compassion for others. Thinking of others is such a selfless and beautiful act. St. Dominic undoubtedly devoted himself to God and that of others and I think that that is the ultimate selfless act.

II. Life Today

1. Life Today (July 2012) Give thanks alwaysThe theological virtues being faith, hope and love helps us be closer to God. I truly believe in this because those three virtues are important in maintaining our relationship with God. Faith is important because we have to have faith in order to know and believe that God is present. Hope is important because we have to have hope to be able to ask God for help and that he will guide us through our daily lives. Love is the most important virtue because if we dont have love for God then we do not have a real relationship with him. We need love in order to nurture that relationship with him. Gratitude is an important virtue because it shows that we are grateful for the things we have and that we are internally rich or blessed. It is an important virtue because not everything last so we need to be grateful for the time we have and cherish it with the people that matter.

2. Life Today (August 2012) Divorce and ChildrenThe article somewhat hits home because this sort of happened in my family. When I was little, my parents were separated but were not divorce. I would sometimes ask my dad about it but he would just change the topic. I was resentful of my mother because I thought that she was the one who left us but in truth she was just a victim of the situation. I didnt really look for her that much because my father was enough to fill in the love in my mothers absence. It is said in the article that children from divorce suffer in terms of religious practice. That was not the case for my brother and I because we would always attend mass with our dad. Another statistic in the article was that children from divorce are 26% more likely to drop out of a secondary school. This was also not the case for my and my brother. After a few years my parents got back together and have been intake ever since. I am thankful for that and I am thankful that I wasnt part of those statistics.

3. Life Today (September 2012) Are we ready?The article focused on being ready in case an incident strikes. It is true that we sometimes live day by day without thinking about horrible things that can happen. We do this because we dont want the stress and we dont want to worry for nothing. Entering college was a situation that I wasnt that prepared for since everything was so fast paced with moving to the Philippines from the states to enrolling in UST and starting the following week. I was homesick and I wasnt prepared for that. It was the worst feeling missing the people you used to see and talk to everyday. Just like in the article, I used some of the tactics to get back on my feet and to stay strong. I would keep myself busy and think of happy and good things so I will not be sad. I also found comfort in my new friends because they help me get through the day in school. I tried to help people whom needed help in order to feel needed and that I have a purpose. I think the most important tactic that they talk about was that we should always get up and learn from the trials and challenges in our lives. Regarding my situation as being homesick, I just held my head high because I know that it is for the better and I learned a lot from that experience. I think the main message of the article is to never give up and it is better to be safe than sorry.

4. Life Today (October 2012) Welcome the Artist Jaime Tomas Perez DiazI think it is beautiful that the artist in the article believes that his talent is a gift from God and he utilizes it to paint religious subjects. I think it is important that we use the talents given to use because they are blessings. Not everyone can paint and I find it inspiring that he chooses to use his talent this way. It is also stated that he uses some of the money he gets from his artwork to help his friends go to college. I think that that is a selfless act because he couldve chosen to keep the money for himself but instead he chooses to help others with it. In other words, He is sharing his blessings to others instead of keeping it all to himself.

III. Take Home Quiz

1. Myth as a literary genre is an imaginative story that uses symbols to speak about reality. Myths are stories that contain symbols to regard reality and to give a moral message. It can be a good vehicle in exploring and explaining truth because it does not depend on knowing the scientific truth but understanding the inner meaning of what happened and what purpose stands behind the event. One example of a Myth is the story of the fall or the story about Adam and Eve. The story was the myth and the symbols were the tree, Adam and Eve, and the snake. From my childhood experience, myths were used to feed my curiosity. My father would read me myths and I remember those stories and get moral messages from them. Like in the myth of the pineapple, the kid was punished for being bad so she was turned into a pineapple. That myth thought me to be kind to all kinds of living things.

2. Yes, because right after fall, God clothed Adam and Eve, which showed that he still cared for them. The second thing that showed that there was hope was God promise to Adam and Eve that there will be redemption for the fallen humankind. The new fall gave new hope that God still loves mankind unconditionally and that mankind will redeem itself from its mistakes. This serves as the First Gospel or traditionally referred to as the Proto-evangelium.

3. Since Jesus became man, he was the same to humans because he experience hardships and earthly problems but the difference was that he was perfect. He did not sin and he did what God proclaimed. In the Old Testament, Jesus is portrayed as the promised Gospel because he is the revelation of God. As it is said by St. Augustine the Old is unveiled in the New and the New is to be read in the light of the Old.

4. One thing that I will carry, remember, and practice, as person is that I should always have faith in God and Jesus because they love me unconditionally. Jesus died for our sins and proved almighty through his resurrection. He sacrificed himself for our mistakes and we should be forever thankful. I also should be thankful for the blessing that God gives me because so many other people are more deserving of them than me Another thing that I wont forget is the quote from St. Augustine, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you". This means that I should always look for God not only in my mind but also in my heart.

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