1. Do not break your promise;
you must put your vows that you have made in front of Lord into practice /Do not make false vows, you must give back your vows to Lord!
y The interpretations of the spirit of the Mosaic Law:
“Do not break your promise /Do not make false vows” means people have to tell the truth and put their words into practice faithfully.
y Jesus’ new moral requirements:
If it is yes, say “yes”;
if it is no, say “no”
y The reasons of making new moral
requirements:
If people tell the truth and put their words into practice, it is not necessary to guarantee anything through vows. If people are sincere to each other, vows are not
necessary. People can also fulfill their responsibilities to improve the world.
Friends
The Six Antitheses (2) Teacher’s References Answers Worksheet 1 3-2
2. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
y The interpretations of the spirit of the Mosaic Law:
“Do not break your promise / Do not make false vows” restricts people in taking revenge.
y Jesus’ new moral requirements:
Cannot take revenge on those who have bullied you.
y The reasons of making new moral
requirements:
No matter how people treat you, you should learn to treat others with a heart of no hatred and revenge, or even serve them.
People who bully you
3. Love your friends, hate your enemies/ You should love your close relatives, hate your enemies!
y The interpretations of the spirit of the Mosaic Law:
y “Love your friends, hate your enemies/
You should love your close relatives, hate your enemies”
emphasises the love towards people of the same race.
y Jesus’ new moral
Enemies
The Six Antitheses (2) Teacher’s References Answers Worksheet 1 3-3
y The reasons of making new moral
requirements:
People should love their enemies, just like God/ Lord loving both good and unrighteous people. When we love people as Jesus loves us, we restore the good nature that God has created in us, making our lives perfect.
The Six Antitheses (2) Worksheet 1 2-1
Worksheet 1: New requirements of the Six Antitheses (2)
Complete the second and the third column.Mosaic Law Jesus interprets the spirit of Mosaic Law Concerned human relationships 1. Do not break your
promise; you must put your vows that you have made in front of Lord into practice/ Do not make false vows, you must give back your vows to Lord!
y The interpretations of the spirit of the Mosaic Law:
y Jesus’ new moral requirements:
y The reasons of making new moral requirements:
2. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
y The interpretations of the spirit of the Mosaic Law:
y Jesus’ new moral requirements:
y The reasons of making new moral requirements:
The Six Antitheses (2) Worksheet 1 2-2
3. Love your friends, hate your
enemies. You should love your close relatives, hate your enemies!
y The interpretations of the spirit of the Mosaic Law:
y Jesus’ new moral requirements:
y The reasons of making new moral requirements:
The Six Antitheses (2) Students’ References Material 1
Material 1: The harm brought by revengeful hearts
1. Revenge limits one to think only about bygones so that one does not focus on the present.
It will not benefit our future.
2. Revenge prevents one’s wounds from healing. One cannot enjoy the calmness and peace brought by a healed wound.
3. The action of taking revenge is an imitation of what the offender did. One will be dragged into a vicious circle.
4. A person who chooses to take revenge will continuously be involved in offensive activities. His/Her creativity and personal growth will be hindered.
5. The pleasant feeling obtained by taking revenge will only lead to guilt.
6. If one maliciously blames the offender, one will finally be treated in the same way because the other party will probably ask you pay back.
7. One may think taking revenge is reasonable and tolerable. But it will only bring fear and anxiety to a person because one will worry that the offender will take revenge someday.
8. Taking revenge stimulates hatred, enmity, anger and all kind of stressful feelings. It will attack one’s immune system, causing the person to suffer from illnesses.
Reference:
Monbourquett, John (2000): How to forgive, Cincinnati: Saint Anthony Messenger Press and Franciscan.
The Six Antitheses (2) Students’ References Material 2 2-1
Material 2: The Late Pope John Paul II and the Assassin Mehmet Ali Agca
On the 13th May 1981, former Pope John Paul II went to the St. Peter’s Square to attend an assembly held once a week and meet the audience. He rode on a jeep, went around in the square and addressed the audience. Among the audience, a Turkish assassin named Mehmet Ali Agca shot the Pope within a short distance with a pistol. The Pope was badly hurt in the abdomen with three wounds. He was saved after the surgical treatment in hospital.
The assassin Mehmet Ali Agca was arrested on the spot. After the trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and he served his sentence in Italy. At that time, he was only 23 years old.
Two years before he shot the Pope, he robbed a bank and murdered a newspaper editor in Turkey. He was sent to the prison after the trial. However, he escaped from the jail.
After the Pope had recovered, he forgave the young assassin. He said, “If we cannot seek forgiveness from the Almighty and to offer each other forgiveness, how can we stand in front of the Lord?” He visited Mehmet Ali Agca in the prison and embraced the assassin two days after Christmas. The two talked for 20 minutes. The Pope said, “What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me. I already forgave him and spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.”
The Pope also mentioned in his book: “Ali Agça, as everyone says, is a professional assassin. The shooting was not his initiative, someone else planned it, someone else commissioned him.”
Mehmet Ali Agca served 19 years imprisonment in Italy. He was deported to Turkey to continue serving his sentence till 2000. In the beginning of April 2005, he felt sorrowful as he heard that the former pope was in critical condition. He also prayed for him and wished him good health.
The former pope finally passed away on the 2nd April, at the age of 85. Mehmet Ali Agca was released on parole on the 12th January 2006.
The Six Antitheses (2) Students’ References Material 2 2-2
References:
1. “The shooter Mehmet Ali Agca who assassinated former pope, first gained amnesty by Italy, now released on parole”. Retrieved from Vol. 3230
website of《Kung Kao Po》, http://kkp.catholic.org.hk/gl/gl3230.htm
2. Pope John Paul II: Assassination attempts. Retrieved from WIKIPEDIA, the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II#Assassination_attempts 3. “The assassin who wounded the pope 25 years ago, will be released on parole”
（newspaper cutting on January 10, 2006）. Retrieved from the website of Taichung detention centre : http://www.tcd.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=38193&ctNode=11279
4. “Pope John Paul II is in critical condition, the assassin who shot him, prays in the prison”.
Retrieved from the website of Sing Pao on April 2, 2005
http://news.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/news/show_news_f2.cgi?type=focus&name=20050401
&id=993056
5. “The timetable of assassinating the pope”, imitative picture, website:
http://discoverychannel.com.tw/zerohour/series2/plot_to_kill_a_pope/timeline/index.sht ml
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