2010 Catholic Schools Week Supplement

Tough question, good answers: Teacher asks, ‘If Jesus came to Earth, what would he find?’

In her religion class at St. Monica School in Indianapolis, third-grade student Taylor Wentland wrote that Jesus is happy when we use our talents, take care of nature and love one another. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

Lynn Henning’s question about Jesus and how we live our faith would challenge anyone.

So just imagine what it must have been like for the third-grade students in Henning’s religion class when she asked them to write an answer to this question:

“If Jesus came down to Earth today and walked into our room, what would he find that is good and bad in our world?”

The answers that Henning received from her third-grade class at St. Monica School in Indianapolis impressed her.

Here is a selection of those answers:

Hilton Sanchez— “One day, Jesus came to Earth and this is what he saw. Jesus was very happy because he saw families going to church. He was also sad because he saw friends fighting. Jesus could see that people were respecting nature and protecting endangered animals.

“As he walked along the Earth, he saw countries at war and divorced families. So Jesus continued walking and he saw all the pollution. Sometimes, he saw people performing good services and also people taking part in the sacraments. Jesus said, ‘With prayer, the world can be a better place.’ ”

Anna George—“If Jesus came to Earth, he would find lots of good things. He would like that people are giving and sharing. He would like that we are still going to church and praying on Sunday. He would find lots of bad things, too. He would not like that people are smoking or that people are littering. He would not like to see people robbing houses and banks.”

Taylor Wentland—“I think that Jesus would like our Earth because of our art. Using our talents such as music and sports would please him, too. Jesus is happy when we take care of nature. Loving others is one of the best ways to make him happy.”

Parker Gianoli—“I think that Jesus would not be pleased with the wars, immigration issues and the endangered animals. He would be disappointed in the broken commandments. He would be sad at seeing children in pain. He would like that the Bible is still being used today.”

Cecilia Seufert—“Jesus would find that people care about the environment. Recycling is one of the ways that people are doing their part. Planting trees is a tradition many communities have adopted. These are just a few of the ways that Jesus would see that we are taking care of the Earth.”

For Henning, the answers the students gave reflected her hope for the class.

“My hope for the third-grade students this year is for them to connect what we learn from our books to their everyday lives,” she said. “We talk quite a bit about how God wants us to live and what that means to them. They learn about the sacraments, Scripture and prayer. But more importantly, I want them to know how those things can help make a difference. How can they be the change in our world?”

She believes her students are headed in the right direction.

“I wasn’t at all sure what to expect since this was our first try at a journal question that required them to write this much,” Henning said. “I was hoping for some simple writings. I was very impressed by the depth of their thinking. They were able to take their faith and apply it to other areas that they are studying, like social studies, science and language. They really are understanding how their faith connects to the world.” †