Agartu's+Personal+Reflection

Jesus and Dialogues in the Gospels
b) The gospel passage 'The Canaanite Woman's Faith' (Matthew 15:21-28) is a story of a gentile who received a miracle from Jesus when her mother she showed that she had a great deal of faith.

c) Jesus went the district of Tyre and Sidon. Where He was approached by a Canaanite woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon. But Jesus did not answer her. Jesus’ disciples told Him to ignore the women. Jesus said he only helped the Jewish people of Israel. But she came and knelt before Him, asking for his help. Jesus answered in a way that would test her faith. She answered referring to herself as a dog. Jesus believed that the women's faith was great; therefore the Canaanite woman’s daughter received healing from Jesus. The gentile woman who was second priority to Jesus, explained to Jesus that even the 'dogs get thrown scraps from the table.', and although she wasn't a jew, she had great faith in what He was all about, therefore He healed her daughter.

d) This dialogue is an example of a conversation between Jesus and the Canaanite women because it includes questions, statements, listening, answers, and an understanding from each other to help each other learn more and more.

e) Humanity, prayer and faith is shown in the story with examples of the Canaanite women's actions and the responses that Jesus gives to her. When the woman and the disciples find that they have something in common which is the faith that they have in Jesus is when Humanity is shown. Prayer is shown in this story when the gentile begs for help from Jesus, and He decides to help her when He sees that she has great faith in him by saying ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David’.

f) The movement towards peace and goodwill is evident in this story when Jesus decides to help a woman who regardlessly even though the women was a gentile (non Jew) because of the faith, the women showed. The girl who is possessed by a demon changes in this story. The disciples, Jesus and the Canaanite women show peace by having the same faith.

g) I have experienced a major event that dramatically changed my view on many aspects in life and in my own spiritual life. There was the young girl, who was a typical 'normal' teenage girl. She loved hanging out with her friends, shopping, boys and loved to laugh. We were great friends and to this day, still are. We strongly share the same faith (Christianity) and was never afraid to say it. One weekend, our local Ethiopian Christian Church had a conference with a Paster from America, and we decided to go. During 'praise and worship', with my amazement my friendly and loving bestfriend suddenly fell to the floor. I had panicked, i was just standing there staring at her while she was shaking and rolling around the floor. The chaffers quickly went to my bestfriend aid and tried to help her, but she was too powerful. I thought that the Holy Spirit was inside her, but i was then told that is was an evil spirit (the devil). The Paster then prayed for my friend and she was healed. When i spoke to her afterwards, she told me that she had no power over what happened and she felt powerless and she was really happy that the Paster prayed over her. This has changed my attitude towards the way i see the Holy Spirit because i only saw the good side of it when i should have been taught about the bad side of Spirits as well.

**__ REFLECTION ON INCURSION __** On the religious incursion day, the students in year ten had three diffferent speakers come to killester to share their religious experiences. The guest speakers where from the Dandeong Interfaith, JCMA and Boori. Dandeong Interfaith The speakers from the Dandeong Interfaith were the first to share their experiences. They were elders from their churches and it was interesting how there were many different men that represented different religions in the same room and they still managed to hold it in a accept each others decisions and beliefs.. JMCA The second orginistation to share were the people from JCMA (Jewish, Christian and Muslim Assosiation) which was really interesting because what they shared really inspired many of the students. They spoke with truth and loyalty and the way they explained things clicked in many of the students' minds. Boori The last item to share was a aboriginal man named Boori. He had many interesting lifes stories that he shared with the group and to be honest, he was my favorite past of the incursion. He opened up to us in a way that none of the other segments did which gave the day a bit more flexibility and made the day less boring. Many interesting and new facts were learnt on this day such as how in the Muslim faith, women always bow down to pray in the back of the mosk so that other wouldn't get distracted and the women would feel more convertible with what they were doing. This day helped me become more understanding and excepting for other faiths and religions in the world because they deserve to believe in something, even though i might not believe in that specific religion. I also felt really holy and knowlegdable after this problem and believe that it was a great idea to do this every year for the following year tens. __**REFLECTION ON EXCURSION**__ 5 things i learned 4 more questions i have about the religions 3 reflections on my own faith journey (may be comment, statement, question) 2 things i learned about how different religions pray 1 thing i could personally contribute to interfaith relations in my local community
 * Usually in temples you must take your shoes off to show cleanliness and it is also a sign of respect
 * The Burqa is not a religious requirement it is used by choice.
 * Sikhs don't believe in statues
 * In the Sikhs church, it is compolsery for them to give food to the visiters as an offering from Buddah.
 * Even though you might not follow some religions, it is crucial to respect and understand them.
 * Why are there different religions?
 * Why are men and women differently seen in some religions?
 * How did religions begin?
 * Why is religion important?
 * Through my own religious experience i have learnt a lot about other faiths and beliefs whilst growing a greater understanding of my own.
 * I have a further understanding about the way people see other faiths, and the way people act when they 'see' a symbol of their religion.
 * I would like to learn more about the different religions of the world
 * Islamic people pray five times a day,.
 * Buddhists use incense stick to worship Buddha.
 * I could contribute to my local community by taking what i have learnt and telling people about the interesting facts about religions.