Catholic Worker Movement

Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist, and devout Catholic convert. She established the Catholic Worker Movement and lived the works of mercy, pacifism, and voluntary poverty. These commitments made by Dorothy Day and other Catholics truly inspire me. At this stage in my life, I do not think I would be able to make these commitments. It seems like it would take unbreakable faith and patience. It definitely makes me rethink my own personal philosophy of life and makes me want to get more involved with the good works of the Catholic Church. The movie, "Entertaining Angels", is an inspiring story and definitely makes me think more about my faith.

Soldiers of Conscience

I believe that the change in policy allowing women to serve in combat is great. This shows how much times are changing and how women are finally gaining the same rights as men. After watching "Soldiers of Conscience", my view on war completely changed. Watching made-up movies about war brings a completely unrealistic side to it. This documentary shows how hard it is for soldiers to be able to kill other human beings. Seeing the soldiers chant about killing others just appalled me. If I was drafted into the military I would definitely be very nervous and not know how to respond. If I had to choose between the two, I would pick conscientious objector because there is no way I would be able to kill an innocent human being. My faith greatly informs this decision because it has been stated in the Ten Commandments "Thou shall not kill". Even though I would not want to be a soldier, I greatly appreciate the American soldiers that fight for our country every day to keep us safe.

Hotel Rwanda

I think Jack is unfortunately right about people seeing horrible footage and moving on with their lives. It seems that watching the news today is just like watching a movie. Sometimes its hard to even convince yourself that the events are real because you believe that something like that could never happen to you. People are so indifferent to the suffering they hear on the evening news because chances are it does not personally involve them. It is harder to bring yourself to do something about the suffering when it does not involve you or the people around you. I think we need to be more aware of this suffering and reach out to those in need, no matter where they live. I would like to get people around me to help just like they reached out and helped the victims of the Boston bombings. It does not need to be a close tragedy in order for us to reach out. I would try to explain this to those around me and have them understand that they would want help if they were ever faced with such a tragedy.

Can Forgiveness Play a role in Criminal Justice?

“Restorative justice” considers harm done and strives for agreement from all concerned — the victims, the offender and the community — on making amends. I feel that restorative justice is a good alternative to the traditional criminal justice system when less serious crimes are being dealt with. Whereas the case of 19 year old Connor McBride shooting and killing his girlfriend Ann Grosmaire is a much more serious offense. I found it shocking that the parents of the girlfriend agreed to restorative justice and wanted to shorten Connor's sentence.The parents must be unbelievably kind and forgiving if they agreed to this process. I would never be able to do something like that. I definitely think the process of restorative justice is closely in line with Catholic Social Teaching because it is more forgiving and less punishing than the traditional criminal justice system.

Conclave 2013

The kind of man that I would like to see elected as pope is someone that has a good understanding of the social and economic issues around the world. I think a younger pope would be better than an older pope because he would better understand changing views in society. The new pope should be open to the changing views in society and realize that we are all God's children and should be treated equally. Lastly, the new pope should be willing to make important decisions that will benefit all members of the Catholic Church.

Lent 2013

Lent is traditionally a season of "prayer, fasting, and service." I am trying to incorporate all three of these aspects in my journey throughout Lent. Instead of giving up something specific such as candy or soda, I am looking to give back to my community. Each day, I am trying to generate an act of kindness for one person. I want to do something that will not only positively affect my life but also the lives of those in my community. Over the next 6 weeks, I want to create a closer relationship with my friends, family, and especially God. I also want to be able to put a smile on other people's faces. My personal theme this Lent is appreciation because I want to appreciate everything God has blessed me with in my life. I also want to appreciate all of the friendships I have created over these past four years because I know I will be moving on to a new life in college soon.

Roses in December

I enjoyed viewing the documentary "Roses in December" because before viewing this film I barely knew anything about these four women. S. Ita Ford, S. Maura Clarke, S. Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donovan were women who devoted their lives to God no matter the circumstances. I admire one woman in particular, Jean Donovan, because she left her entire life behind to follow God's calling or her vocation. If I could ask Jean Donovan two questions, they would be: "How could you go back to El Salvador even when you knew you probably would not return home?" "How did you know you were meant to go back to El Salvador and help others?" I agree that every catholic should be familiar with S. Ita Ford, S. Maura Clarke, S. Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donovan because we should know all those who risked their lives in order to serve God and help others. Following God's calling is one of the most important duties of a catholic.

Theology of Suffering

In the article, "The Mystery of Suffering: How Should I Respond?" Kenneth R. Overberg identifies 3 important points about Jesus and suffering. These points include: Jesus resisted and eliminated suffering, Jesus rejected suffering as punishment for sin, and Jesus trusted a compassionate, present God. Jesus resisted and eliminated suffering and healed those in need of his care. Jesus was not discriminatory and helped any person suffering until they were healed. Jesus rejected suffering as punishment for sin by seeing the good in all people and giving each person an endless amount of chances. Jesus does not want any person to suffer for their sins, but, instead confess the sins and build a stronger relationship with Him. Jesus trusted a compassionate, present God because He knew that God put him on this earth to save our sins, and He knew He needed to follow this mission. Jesus never questioned God's orders because his faith and love for God are insurmountable.

The two traditional interpretations of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection are "A Theology of Atonement/Ransom" and "A Theology of Incarnation". In the practices of sacrifice and atonement, Hebrews believed that the blood of the sacrificed animal symbolized the life of the person or community and pouring the blood on the altar was a symbolic gesture reuniting life with God. The sacrifices were an expression of the people's desire for reconciliation and union with God. This interpretation does not sound like something God would make us do in order to form union and obtain reconciliation from Him. "A Theology of Incarnation" is a more religious approach rooted in the Christian tradition. Incarnation is God's first thought, the original design for all creation and God shares life and love in a unique and definitive way. I agree with "A Theology of Incarnation" because in this God is seen as gracious and sharing life and love in creation and in the incarnation.