What I've Learned

One of the things that I will take with me from this course is that everyone does things different ways. This course showed us that there are so many different views and ways to approach a subject. One way is not the right way. We read an article and people would make comments about doing the Camino the “right” way. There is no right way and there is no wrong way. You end up in the same place, just with different experiences. That is very important. Just because something is different from what you believe, that does not mean that it is wrong or weird. It just means that it is different. We have to respect different opinions and views because more understanding would make the world a much better place.

We covered a lot of topics throughout this course but one of the things that stuck out for me was when we learned about body image. We watched the documentary about the models and how their industry works. Sometimes we forget that everyone has insecurities that they need to deal with. The beautiful model we followed hated her body and wanted to be prettier because she stopped getting jobs but that isn’t what we saw in her. It’s hard to be happy with yourself when we are bombarded with photo shopped images but we have to accept ourselves and be happy with who we are on the inside as well.

World's Next Genocide

Catholic Social Teaching should be used as a guide to help us make international decisions. The possible genocide in Syria should be quickly dealt with because if this was happening in America, we would have ended it already. CST shows us that just because someone is from another country, race, or gender, that does not make them any less human. We must respond to ALL acts of injustice. I think that it could be possible to use CST as a model for our decisions as individuals because we control ourselves and can control how we respond to situations. However, on a national and even international level, it would be difficult because not everyone has everyone's best interest at heart. It would be hard to get everyone to agree to follow one guide.

Factory Fire

I can't believe that all of these corporations had no idea where their products were being made. If they had wanted to find out where exactly their products were being made, they could have. I think that they didn't want to know where they were being made. I don't know what this means for the US because I am appalled by this but I also know that I won't stop shopping at those stores. I think we are responsible to know where our products are being made, but I'm not sure that it would make a huge difference to most people. People will just shop where it's convenient. The government should be concerned because these factories take away American jobs. The corporations should know where their products are being made because it can affect the quality. While I think it's nice to give jobs in Bangladesh, I think they should at least pay them fair wages, but I would prefer to have the jobs in America.

It is easy to be consumed with hatred for someone, but it is hard to forgive. Why is that? When the Pope forgave his attempted assassin, he raised that question to everyone. What good does it do us to hold on to anger? We touched on this before when we read the article about whether or not we should forgive Osama bin Laden. Immaculée decided to forgive her family's murderers, not so that they may find peace, but so that she could find peace. If we hold on to hatred, how can we ever truly move passed it? Both Immaculée and the Pope's decision should make us open our eyes and see that if they can forgive people who so greatly wronged them, we should be able to forgive people in our own lives. They are great examples of how to live our lives as Catholics and human beings.

Messy World

When I hear stories about tragic events, such as Hurricane Sandy, I feel awful for the people affected. However, for most of the stories, I do not feel very compelled to act. I feel like I, and many others, have the mentality that one person can not make a difference. However, the Gospel teaches that one person can make a big difference. We are all called to help solve the injustices in the world. Sometime, though, we forget that. The article says that we have to sensitize ourselves to the violence and that we have to react to violence in the world. I think that there is so many terrible stories in the news everyday that we don't like to listen to it anymore. I agree with the article that we have to put ourselves in the victim's shoes and imagine if it were us. We may not understand the issue, but we know that it's wrong and should feel called to help.

Global Solidarity

I believe the world is responsible for protecting any citizen of any country because we are all global citizens. Just because a person is not born within the borders of the United States, it does not mean her life is not just as valuable as an American's. Life is a precious gift that should be protected at all costs. These stories of the girl who was beheaded and the girl was shot are just two examples of the abuse of women all over the world.

When there is a natural disaster, like the disaster that occurred in Haiti, people all over the world responded with money, supplies, and volunteers. However, when something like individuals being targeted, it is just a headline. People will say it is sad and then move on with their lives. To me, events like the story I read about are just as important. Money and supplies won't solve these problems, though, which is why people may shy away from actually helping these women. These women need support and for people to lobby their governments to make a real change to protect these women.

Year of Faith

I will strive to learn more about the lives of our Saints. The Saints were people just like who tried to get closer to God. There is so much to learn from the example that these men and women set for us. They lived lives of solidarity and are hope for future generations.

Reading the Bible everyday is something that can seem impossible because our lives are so hectic, but it would really my faith in daily life. The Bible is the closest material we have linking us with the true works of Jesus. It is important to read direct passages to fully understand his Word.

Helping those in need is very important to the Catholic faith. Jesus taught about helping the dear neighbor and giving to those who are less fortunate. In order to be more like Him, we must help those that do not have as much as we do. I hope to volunteer more when I get to college and have more free time to dedicate to service.

Inviting a friend to mass is so simple. I have been invited to mass by others, and it feels nice to have someone want you there with them. Change starts at the local level. I can help the faith of others by simply asking someone to come along with my family and me to church.

Another way to live out the "Year of Faith" is to just really incorporate the teachings and Beatitudes into my everyday life. The Beatitudes offer a guide to how to live your life in a good, Christian way. It would be so easy to incorporate them into my life.