Silence begets violence?

I think that we have all been shaken to our core about the Connecticut shooting. Mostly because we all have little children in our lives that we love and adore. For me, I have my sisters who are two and my little cousin who is five. Some of those kids were only six. I know how innocent they are, I know how truly loving they are. Little kids love with all of their hearts, they don't question it, and they don't hide it. This horrific act demands our attention because this cannot happen again. No more families should ever experience the pain of losing such an innocent heart. No lives should be taken from this world before their time.  Those kids haven't even lived. They didn't get a chance. Their lives were taken before they could experience anything that life has to offer. They had so much time, and that time was taken from them. As a society we NEED to respond, there is no other option. We cannot stand by and watch these things happen. We are all called to act because that couldn't have been one of children we love. We are called to act because I always hear that our society is a society of death and violence Well let’s stop it. No one wants these events to happen. No one wants to watch children die. So let’s act. Let’s make sure this never happens again. Let’s get gun control, let’s look warning signs in people. Because at the end of the day it’s not guns that kill people, people kill people. From here, we move forward. This will always be n our hearts, and those children will never be forgotten. We are more aware and conscience now. Let’s not lose that. Let’s all be suspicious, let’s question. Let’s be more aware of the people around us. Killings like this always have warning signs. Always. So it’s important to look out for them. Let’s not let this passion and urgency we feel now die, because with this passion we can get things done.

Factory Fire

I think the biggest issue with the fire, other than the horrific deaths, is that the major companies didn't know they were even involved with this factory. The companies in America need to be more aware and conscience of where they get their products. They need to be more aware of how all of their workers are being treated, even if they are not on US soil. I think this tragedy will make everyone more aware of where our products are coming form, not just the companies but the customers as well. The huge corporations are defiantly at fault here because they should defiantly be aware of all imports for their company. I think the wages is a tricky thing though. The country the product is being produced in is in charge of its own economy. Different economies call for different wages what we consider living wages may not be the same in Bangladesh. That being said working conditions should always abide by human rights and should be the same everywhere. The government in Bangladesh should take immediate action to help the working class in their country. 

Radical Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a hard thing, for anyone. It is difficult forgiving people for piety things such as gossiping about you or stealing the guy you like. To forgive someone who tried to kill you, or to forgive someone who genially wanted you to die seems impossible. Yet, incredible people such as Immaculee and Pope John Paul  II do forgive such people. Pope John Paul II forgave someone for trying to take his life. Someone wanted him gone forever and was willing to commit the ultimate sin to do it. Yet. Pope John Paul could look at him and tell him " I forgive you." Immaculee forgave people who killed her family. Forgiveness is such a difficult thing and these two people command such grace and pose. It takes tremendous amount of courage to face those who have wronged us and these two people are heroes in my eyes.

How's the World.... Messy

The funny thing about human suffering is that everyone hears about it and, unless you’re a psychopath you feel sad, then most times we just put it to the back of our heads. My response to a world use, I must confess is to feel bad and recognize that it is happen but  never act to end it. Whereas with a friend I would do just about anything to help them, and fix whatever problem they are having. I don't just listen and feel bad, I act when  friend is in need, so why don't I act when it is a global issue? We ought to respond to every issue. Those are our brothers and sisters dying and suffering we should help them, but everyone? We are called to help everyone we can. Everyone, in solidarity, is our family. We must look after each other for when we need help ourselves. I help with hurricane sandy when we needed to donate money at school. I drove my friend his keys when he forgot them at a party. I however, never help any of my brothers and sisters in Iraq and Afghanistan. I never help the poor and homeless in my own neighborhood. I think that is what we as population need to work on. Stop stressing about our own lives but worry about the lives of the people around us. Looking at our busy day, and taking a second to help someone who needs it. Who really needs it, because we don't need that one second a day.

Global Solidarity

Throughout this course, and throughout my life right now it seems, Solidarity is a HUGE reoccurring theme. Of course it is our responsibility to care for women who are abused or take advantage of. They are our sisters, they are our family, of course it is our responsibility to protect them. Especially if we see it everyday and continue to do nothing. Protect the dear neighbor. Isn't that part of the mounts mission statement? On a global level, people tend to help more when it is a signification event that effects millions of people at one time. Examples of such events are hurricanes  wars, tsunamis  It is easier to rally around to help one event at one time, especially if it effects our area, example hurricane Katrina. The shock and urgency of such events attract attention and publicity, leading people to be more inclined to help. When really things happen everyday that need to same amount of attention and urgency, but don't get it.

Resolutions

I think the year of faith is a great idea. Personally I'll take that year day by day, but it’s such a great thought that you can look at your life for year and make changes day by day moment by moment. If you make the suggested resolutions and commit to living them every day, they will not only change your life but the lives around you. When I read this and heard about this time of renewal I got excited, because it takes all our old teachings and puts emphasis on the traditions we have known since childhood.

Five resolutions I would make is:

1. Read the Bible everyday- okay. Maybe not every day but really try to read it and understand it. Take in the words interpret them for what they mean to me, not what someone told me the words meant. Really let the words change me.
2. Learn about the lives of saints- I believe studying the lives of faith filled people, will help me live my life in a fulfilling way. Kind of like WWJD, but using the actions of saints to guide my thinking in some situations.
3. Help those in need- Just stop thinking about myself. I think of this in two ways. One, care for the homeless and poor, and just the strangers who need my help. Two, The people I love who need my help. My family and my friends need me, and sometimes I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing I forget about the people need me to be there for them.
4. Incorporate Beatitudes in everyday life- This is the part of the year I think I will take with me the rest of my life, not that the rest won’t change me forever, I just think this one will change me the most. If I really live the way the beatitudes teach, my life will never be the same, because I know I’m not living by the beatitudes right now.
5. Last, I just want to make a revolution to talk to God at least once a day and not just begging him to help me on my AP Calc test. I want to talk to him like a friend and pray. Pray all throughout my day. I want God to become my friend over the next year.

Circle of Protection

Barack Obama talks about poverty as a moral issue. As a leader he doesn't want to stand by, as Christian calling, he wants to act in works of justice and charity. As far as budget wants to not take from poor and middle class because he thinks it is morally wrong. Rather he promotes sharing the wealth. He also believes education is a huge gateway to community improvement. He also says, which I LOVE, we are one people one American family, one nation. We must each do our part and work as a dear neighbor, to better the generation to come.

Mitt Romney wants to take a different approach. He wants to improve the economy and get out of this economic recession. He believes in coming to aid of those in need and lift each other up, but he wants to do this by reducing the national debt. He thinks creating jobs will help those in poverty. He also wants to support other catholic programs for helping with this national issue.

I think both of these are good approaches to the issue. Romney takes more of government efforts will trickle down and long term help to poor. He thinks by making the whole nation a better place those in need to reap the benefits. Whereas, Obama's approach is more for the community and community improvement. He sees this as more of a moral issue, and will help with government action, but believes this is a "caring for the dear neighbor" issue.

Charity and Justice

Project H.O.M.E. defiantly works for justice. It helps people in the community by not giving a short term solution, but rather giving a long term solution for those in need. Though they do acts of charity, the main objective is to give long term solutions to the community problems at hand. After all, the name says it all H for housing, O for opportunities, M for medical care, and E for education. H.O.M.E. is all about bettering people's lives not only right now, but for the future. This is one of the many ways that project home differs from other homeless shelters. Homeless shelters are a great idea and they give people shelter for the night, which is most needed. However, homeless shelters only offer "housing" for a short period of time. They cannot accommodate everyone at one time, for long periods of time. Project home tries to give people permanent homes and many more opportunities. The similarity between the two is that they are both working to help people and get people off of the streets. They are just taking different approaches project home form a justice platform and homeless shelters from a charity platform. Though project home is more complicated, I believe it will have a greater impact on the community and better long term effects.

 Every program will have flaws and room to improve. I also am not very educated on the ideal as far as charity and justice. But from what I have seen project H.O.M.E. does seem like the best. It seems to me that the best way to solve, not just poverty, but all problems are to work on a long term solution. These people are trying to better people not for today but for generations that will fallow. This program seems to be taking the best approach to the issue, in my opinion. However, I must point out the expression that you can lead it to the water but that does not mean it will drink. I think the best part of this program is the individual responsibility that must be taken. They offer all these things but the people themselves actually have to use the programs offered to their fullest. That is why this program seems most important to me.

It's About... forgiveness?

Are we supposed to forgive Osama Bin Laden? The obvious answer to this question is for all of us to forgive him. After all, isn’t the center of Jesus' teaching, to forgive? Forgiveness is one of the most important concepts in Christian teachings. However, Bin Laden changed a country forever. He uprooted peoples lives, destroyed families, and killed huge numbers of people. He left a huge hole in American history, that has to go in textbooks and we have to remember every year. The devastation this small group of men can leave behind is incredible. So forgiving is what we are supposed to do but it is not quite that easy. Forgiveness, to me, is recognizing what happened, letting go (of grudges), and moving forward. However, moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting. Personally, I find it very easy to forgive. My thought process is that it happened, its time to move on, people make mistakes, the world keeps on going. But with an event like 9/11 it is not that easy. Even as eleven years went by that day is still heavy in American’s hearts across the country. Though I wasn’t “personally” affected by 9/11 it still has affected me. It affected everyone across the U.S.. That’s how widespread 9/11 was (and still is today). Yet, we have to forgive such devastation. We need to move on as a country, move forward with forgiveness. After all, ever since we were little kids we were taught that God would forgive our sins, if we repented, we have to work on forgiving others like God forgives us. There are many instances in the bible were forgiveness is seen. In Matthew’s gospel, he talks about loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you. We have to forgive all of those who have wronged us. Matthew also shows Jesus as an example of forgiveness at the last supper when the disciples drag his blood so their sins would be forgiven. We still today see the act of forgiveness at Sunday mass. The huge example of forgiveness is when Jesus was being crucified he said to the lord, “forgive them father for the know not what they are doing.” That was the ultimate act of forgiveness, as they were killing him, Jesus was forgiving the people. If Jesus can forgive us our sins, we should forgive other’s sins.