•Revolutionized the Catholic Church's approach to Jews and Judaism.

•Stresses the religious bond shared by Jews and Catholics, reaffirms the eternal covenant between God and the People of Israel.

•For the first time in history Nostra Aetate called for Catholics and Jews to engage in friendly dialogue and biblical and theological discussions to better understand each other's faith

•Nostra Aetate also calls for the church to dialogue with other world religions.

–Singled out are tribal peoples, Hindus, Buddhists, Moslems, and Jews.
-Men expect from the various religions answers to the unsolved riddles of the human condition, which today, even as in former times, deeply stir the hearts of men: What is man? What is the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good, what is sin? Whence suffering and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness? What are death, judgment and retribution after death? What, finally, is that ultimate inexpressible mystery which encompasses our existence: whence do we come, and where are we going?
-From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father.
 This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense.
-Christ underwent His passion and death freely, because of the sins of men and out of infinite love, in order that all may reach salvation. It is, therefore, the burden of the Church's preaching to proclaim the cross of Christ as the sign of God's all-embracing love and as the fountain from which every grace flows.

•A number of Eastern religions preach a strict form of asceticism which involves learning to renounce action and will. Renunciation becomes a process, then, of casting off worldly possessions and obligations and proceeding on a quest for nirvana, as the Buddha did. But Hinduism, as dictated by the Gita, urges yoga instead of renunciation. Yoga is literally "skill in action," or the process of using selfless action -- action designed only to unite with the divine -- as the true process to achieving enlightenment. For we cannot help but act, says Krishna. It is our nature -- and because of that, we must learn to act in accordance with the divine, not as the result and in service to our own egos, which are nothing more than destructive illusions.

•Karma vs. Dharma

•The terms dharma and karma often get confused by introductory Hinduism students and with good reason -- they are both products of the samsaric cycle of birth and death, but they have entirely different spheres of purpose. Karma is the accumulation of debt of action in the course of a person's samsaric cycle. Every action has a reaction and over the course of a lifetime, if one is accordance with the divine, he will gradually work off his or her karma. If he is acting selfishly and for ego, then he will accumulate more karma to work off. Reborn, each person finds their "dharma" or duty in order to work off this karma. Some are born to wealthy families, others to poor ones, some to spiritual families, others to evil-doing ones. The question isn't what you are born to, but how you use your life to dissolve as much karma as possible in order to end the samsaric cycle.
•Proof vs. Faith

•One of the more subtle themes in the Gita is the contrast between faith and evidence -- and humanity's inclination to want to "see" something in order to believe it. Indeed, one of the central tenants of Buddhism is that we must believe what we see -- and spend our lives trying to see as clearly as possible. But Arjuna keeps asking for evidence, or practicalities of how to achieve yoga and meditation, and Krishna finally offers him the sight of him in his most powerful form. Why Krishna doesn't demand total faith is an interesting tension in the Gita, and one that requires careful attention.

•Theory vs. Action

•Arjuna is constantly asking Krishna for pragmatic advice of how to put the Gita into concrete action. This emphasis on action is at the core of the entire work. What Krishna gives Arjuna, then, are clear steps and hierarchies for achieving the path of yoga. First off, he says meditation is the most important element, for meditation allows a focus on the divine that will inform every aspect of one's life. Second, there is selfless service, and finally, though not as powerful, one can also turn to blind renunciation. Krishna sees an enlightenment as a process that requires self-control and self-discipline in a series of concrete steps.
•Seen vs. Unseen

•Krishna makes the distinction between the seen world and the unseen world -- both products of his divine lila, or play. The unseen world is the purusha, of which all things are born. It is the spiritually unseen realm that informs everything that comes of prakriti, the material world. As humans, we have a tendency to put a primacy only on what we see instead of believing in a higher realm. Krishna wants Arjuna to have faith in the unseen as the guide of all his actions.

•Jinana vs. Vijanana

•Jinana is knowledge - and Krishna preaches knowledge as the first step towards true nirvana. The self-awareness that comes with understanding the role of the divine in everything we do will help guide a person towards yoga. But this is not enough. Krishna also encourages vijanana, or the act of using jinana in life, as the key to finding spiritual peace. Vijnana is simply yogic action -- or being able to maintain self-awareness at every moment in life -- even at the moment of death.

The encyclical explains that “God is love”. It also explains that we speak of different types of love such as; love of country, love of one’s profession, love between friends, love of work, love between parents and children, love between family members, love of neighbors, love of God, and love between a man and woman. It explains how there are three Greek words for love, eros, philia, and agape. Each meaning something a little different. Philia meaning the love of friendship, eros being the love between man and woman, and agape which is the Christian understanding of love, the highest, selfless form of love.

2.     Is Benedict saying that only one form of love is "good"? Or do they work together in our lives?

Benedict is saying all of the types of love work together in our lives. Even though there are many types, he explains that the most important is the love between a man and woman.

3.     Do you see any connections between this encyclical and anything else we have read?

There are many connections between this encyclical and other things we have read such as Matthew, Genesis, and Exodus. 

God needs Moses’s help in order to save the Israelites. He has heard His peoples’ cries for help and has seen the Egyptians oppress them. He reveals himself as “The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” Genesis 3:15. He also explains to Moses that He will be with him throughout his journey to save the Israelites. In this scene, Moses does not truly believe that he can do what God wants him to do, but he has faith in God and His commands and has faith that God will help him with this task. I feel as if this shows that Moses is not sure if he fully believes in God. 

1.     The word “fear” or a word related to it was said over 10 times throughout Canto I of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. This shows how scared Dante the Pilgrim was through his journey climbing the hill. 

2.     Dante, when first trying to climb the hill, is defeated by the 3 beasts, the leopard, the lion, and the she-wolf, all which represent three major divisions of hell. Virgil then comes to guide him, which helps him on his journey to ascent. 

3.     Virgil is the angel that was sent to guide Dante through Hell itself. Virgil was first portrayed as a figure coming toward Dante, whom was sent to guide Dante because he has to overcome the three beasts of his sin, which he could not do alone. 

Canto II

1.     It was to help Dante recall his journey and he does not think he is worthy enough to take the place of his predecessors.

2.     Virgil rebukes his cowardice because he was sent by Beatrice, whom Dante loved very much, to help aid Dante. Virgil is again depicted as a guide. 

3.     The three ladies in heaven were Beatrice, Lucia, and the Virgin Mary. Beatrice’s role was to help save Dante. She is represented as an angel.

Canto III 

1.     “Here sighs and cries and shrieks of lamentation, echoed throughout the starless air of Hell.”

2.     The nature of the sin of the Neutral is their cowardly refusal to make a choice in life. This is particularly related to Dante because he is a coward. 

Canto V

1.     Their punishment consists in being forever whirled about in a dark, stormy wind.

2.     Dante sees Semiramis, Dido, Helen, Achilles, Paris, and Francesca da Rimini and her lover, Paolo. 

3.     Francesca’s speech is about her journey into Hell and also tells about where she currently is. She realizes that she is stuck there with all the others who were lustful throughout their time on Earth. 

Canto XXXIV 

1.     He is depicted as a giant figure who appears in the distance like a windmill seen through the fog. 

2.     The three sinners being punished here are Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, further causing him to freeze in the pit of hell, Brutus killed Caesar and Cassius lead the plan of killing Caesar.

3.     In lines 83-84, Dante is trying to say that the only way they can get away from Hell is by climbing the stairs to heaven.

4.     They never thought of resting while they climbed out of Hell because it is such a horrible place and they were so relieved to be leaving it.

•The path of action and acceptance

•Being able to spread one's religion and proclaim its message to others

•The path of devotion and surrender

•Devoting one's life to religion 

•The path of knowledge and understanding

•Knowing and having faith in one's religion

Matthew 8-20
 6. Select one parable or other teaching device of Jesus and analyze its meaning.

 Matthew 21-25
 7. As Jesus approaches his death and resurrection, what warnings and teachings does he give?

Answers
1. The human details that stand out in this part of Matthew is the geneology of Jesus and his birth.

2. The birth of Jesus the Messiah was a miraculous part of the story because his mother, Mary, was a virgin. This shows that Jesus' birth was not like others, because Mary conceived him through God.

3. The picture of Jesus' resurrection caught my eye the most because it makes be think about how he is in human form and how he is just like everyone else. 

4. Jesus' ministry began when he was baptized by John the baptist. He was later lep up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. he had to fast 40 days and 40 nights in order to continue his ministry.

5. Some important teachings of Jesus was to spread the word of God and to follow the ten commandments and be kind to others. 

6.  One parable of Jesus is the parable of the pearl. It goes on to explain that the Kingdom is like one costly pearl that a merchant would sell all of his belongings to have. This is because you came to this world with nothing, and you leave with nothing, but if you are deserving, you get tpo go to Heaven, the kingdom of God. 

7. As Jesus approaches his death and resurrection, He tells his disciples to believe that he is the one and only Messiah and to not believe others who say they are the Messiah.