Silence Begets Violence?

The shooting in CT was both shocking and horrific. So many innocent children and adults lost their lives because of violence. This act was so uncalled for and unjustified that it shocked the country. We were all dumbfounded by this horrific act and I know I felt compelled to correct the horrible injustice that occurred. Of course, we can never bring back the people that lost their lives, but we can honor their memory. We can honor them by putting an end to a worldwide culture of death, where violence is okay. As a society, we must work together to promote good and safety. Catholic Social Teaching compels us to spread a message of love. If we create a society of love, instead of hate, maybe violent tragedies like this one will occur less often. Many people are angry and want revenge, but Catholic Social Teaching asks us to love. It will take a long time and a lot of dedication, but hopefully we may one day forgive this man for his crime. One thing we can take from this situation is the great need for love in our world.

Factory Fire

The fire in the Bangladesh factory was truly devastating. 112 people were killed, when many could have been saved if an emergency exit door was available.This fire is making many people focus on the treatment of factory workers. The workers were not allowed to evacuate the building even when fire alarms were sounding. This news is shocking to us in the U.S. because it is so foreign to us. Many factory tragedies happen every year without worldwide knowledge.As a country, we need to be more globally aware. We must pay attention the the factory's that produce our goods. Consumers cannot play a large role in ensuring fair wage in factories, but we can do our part by only buying goods from companies that support fair trade and fair labor. Corporations must be more diligent in their efforts to ensure fair treatment of workers in their factories, even though it is difficult to closely manage factories in other countries. Each corporation must be responsible not only for its suppliers, but also for its factories. I think many workers in factories do not stand up to mistreatment because they are happy to have a job at all. Since workers fear for their jobs, they continue to work in subpar conditions. Factories must provide fair treatment to its workers to protect their dignity as humans. Workers should not be afraid to express their concerns. If corporations and consumers cracked down on factories by refusing to purchase goods made by unfairly treated workers,the factories would be forced to change their ways for the better.

Radical Forgiveness

Pope John Paul II took a revolutionary step when he chose to forgive the man who tried to kill him. It is unfathomable for most people, including myself, to imagine forgiving a man who tried to kill you. Most people would live out their lives were pure hatred toward the attempted murderer; however, Pope John Paul II acted out the true message of Catholicism. He believed that if Jesus could forgive his killers, then we should all forgive those who hurt us, no matter what. Likewise, Immaculee took this important step when she forgave the murderers of her family. Immaculee found extreme difficulty in forgiving the murderers of her family, but she acted as Jesus did and forgave the killers. Immaculee could not even complete the Our Father for a long time because she couldn't admit to forgiving those who hurt her. Eventually, she found the strength, courage, and love within herself to forgive them. I think we all need to act as Immaculee and Pope John II did. We must forgive those who hurt us no matter what.

Messy World

Our world today is a messy place, filled with injustice. When I hear a story of injustice, I am instantly moved with pity.I admit that I, much like most people, feel bad about the situation, but unless it directly affects me, I do not always move to correct it.I think that what leads to some of the messiness is our lack to correct injustice when we hear about it happening.The Gospel messages tell us that we need to act when we see injustice. We must correct it no matter the consequence. We must love and protect each other. According to the article, we must fight to end injustice by the way we vote, how we pray, and the causes we choose to speak out against. We must take action, not only feel sorry for those being persecuted or killed.The article also talks about not becoming "desensitized." I think I am desensitized too and that is why I, along with many people, don't take action to correct injustice that seems distant from us. We live in a world that we hear about it so much that it somehow matters left. i think we need to treat every horrible injustice as it really is: a unique, horrible event that cannot continue. If we all shared that mentality, I think the world would be a less messy place.

Global Solidarity

It is most definitely the responsibility of the world to protect its inhabiters. We should be protecting each other, not killing each other. When a natural disaster occurs, people from all nations rush to help the nation in need. Of course, it is great that people respond and help the country or city that needs help; however, why don't we rush in to help a family whose daughter was murdered? I think it is because we are scared that the same thing could happen to us. As a people, we are much less likely to help someone else if it puts us in danger. Our common sense leads us to protect ourselves first, which can be good, but not when hundreds of thousands of people are killed each year. It is sad to say, but as a society we are used to hearing about unfortunate, horrific deaths. Natural disasters shock us because they are not so common. It is horrible that we live in a world where it is more common to be murdered than affected by a natural disaster because these disasters are natural. Murder is not. We need to work together to stop this horrible cycle of murder and poor treatment. Every year many women, as well as men, are forced into prostitution. We have people in our world who sell other people for profit. Prostitution is the modern slavery. Many people think prostitution is not very common, but is. Every day innocent people are forced into a dangerous life of prostitution. A 20 year old woman in Afghanistan was killed because she refused to be sold into prostitution by her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law took revenge on the girl by helping to murder her. We need to focus on helping people like this young woman. Her life was cut short because she refused to be sold and used like a slave. It is our responsibility as people to stop this cycle of prostitution and murder. We need to work on passing laws that protect women and punish those who try to sell them. With this, we are upholding the CST theme of Dignity of the Human person. No one deserves to be treated as if he or she is not a person. Mostly, we need to raise awareness about the very real presence of prostitution in the world. We also need to create a new generation focused of peace, not war. This new motto can start with our generation now. If we create a generation that focuses on peace and respect, we will foster a new society where murder does not have to be common. I know this idea is a big one and probably pretty far-fetched; however, I think it is the only way we will see true change. This generation of peace will practice Solidarity. We will protect each other and fight for each other, instead of against each other. The responsibility to protect our fellow human beings lies with each and every one of us and it is time we have stepped up.

a Year of Faith

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Vatican Council, the Pope calls us to celebrate a year of faith. In this year of Faith, he calls us to make resolutions that celebrate catholicism and virtue. This year of faith, I am 5 resolutions of my own. 3 of my resolutions come from suggestion of Bishop Ricken. The first is to live the Beatitudes. I think we should all make a conscious effort to study and practice the Beatitudes to help us make virtuous decisions. Next, I want to focus on volunteer work in the community. I think giving back is one of our most important responsibilities as Catholics. We are called to "serve the dear neighbor." This includes big acts of volunteering such as soup kitchens and homeless shelters, to small acts of service toward one another. In addition to volunteering my time in the community, I am making a resolution of my own that focuses on helping those right around me. I want to focus on helping my peers, friends, and family anyway I can. Helping a classmate understand class material is a small way we can volunteer our time to help those right next to us. I think service involves helping anyone who needs it, even if what they need is very small and seemingly insignificant to you. A fourth resolution, as suggested by Bishop Ricken, is participating in the mass. With many busy schedules, it can be hard to fit in time to dedicate solely to going to mass. When I go to mass, I will make a conscious effort to be fully engaged in the mass. I will focus on thinking only about the mass instead of my growing to-do list. Lastly, I am making my own resolution to try and become my best person. I want to be a person of faith and virtue, who makes decisions that better the world around her. I will spend the next year trying my best to fully grow into this person.

Circle Of Protection

The Circle of Protection is a religious group that works to end poverty. They believe that America needs programs to assist the poor and vulnerable. Both presidential candidates were asked about their views on poverty and programs that work towards its end. Mr. Romney had a chance to speak about his views about poverty and his plans to end it. Romney said that he wishes to work with religious groups to end poverty. He said that he has a 5 year plan to help reduce the poverty rate. He believes that the end of poverty is linked to the health and strength of the economy If elected, he plans to create job programs that will create 12 million new jobs by 2016 to boost the economy. He believes that these jobs will help many people get back on their feet and out of poverty. He also says that he is a proponent of the entitlement programs as long as they are need based. Romney plans to cut budgets in order to be able to afford his plan; however, he believes that the budget cuts will not have a big effect because of the boosted economy. President Obama also had a chance to speak on his views on ending poverty. Mr. Obama promises to continue to create a faith-based administration, if reelected. He also believes we must rebuild our economy to be profitable and get out of poverty, but his vision is slightly different from Mr. Romney's. Obama says that the key to rebuilding the economy is rebuilding the people, slowly. He says that tax breaks for the upper class will only hurt the middle and lower classes, the people who need the most financial support. He proposes a balanced budget that allows America to create jobs with better wages, while still boosting the economy.Obama is different from Romney in this sense because Romney's plan is faster, and possibly more direct. Obama's plan is slower because he believes that his slower plan will benefit those who need financial assistance. Both candidates show great faith and spirituality. Both Romney and Obama are committed to ending poverty and raising up the lowly.In this way, both are committed to upholding Catholic social teachings of charity and justice.Obama speaks of brotherhood and sisterhood and reaching out to help our brothers and sisters, like the Catholic Church teaches. Romney speaks of reaching out to help those who are in need. Both candidates present principles of Catholic Social Teaching, but one cannot help notice the political background of their statements. Romney makes statements more favorable to republicans such as tax cuts and budget cuts. Obama talks about more programs for the poor and keeping taxes low for the middle and lower classes. I think that it is important to realize these political backgrounds while examining candidates and their views.

Project Home

The vision of project H.O.M.E is "None of us are home until all of us are home." This statement really exemplifies the true mission of Project H.O.M.E. Project H.O.M.E works toward ending worldwide homelessness. Project H.O.M.E works for justice by ensuring that everyone has a place to call home. In addition to a physical house, project H.O.M.E gives homeless men, women, and children health care and addiction counseling.Project H.O.M.E also provides works of charity such as food from their cafe or clothes from their thrift store; however, even their acts of charity work toward justice because they provide more than temporary fixes. Project H.O.M.E offers many different programs to help people get back on their feet. They are unlike most shelters because they offer more than a place to sleep and a couple of meals. Project H.O.M.E focuses on ending homelessness. In order to accomplish this, they help people from start to finish. They offer entry level to permanent, affordable housing. They also treat homeless people with addiction and/or mental illnesses. Project H.O.M.E also offers job training and hires homeless men and women to work at its cafe and thrift store. All of these aspects allow homeless men, women, and children to break out of the cycle of homelessness and become self sufficient. I think there most important program is job training. By offering job training and jobs, project H.O.M.E teaches people to become self-sufficient. It offers these people opportunities they didn't have before. It also gives homeless people a sense of empowerment and confidence because they are earning their money and supporting themselves. This confidence is essential to creating a better future for themselves. Project H.O.M.E is truly working for justice

9/11

All people are called to forgiveness. It has been said time after time that one should not hold a grudge. After the horrible tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001, many people felt that they would never been able to forgive and many did not want to. As a nation, we wanted the terrorists to pay for everything they did to our friends, families, and neighbors. We wanted them to feel the pain we felt in losing our loved ones; however, eleven years later, some people are starting to have a different perspective. It has also been said that time heals all wounds, but 1 year, 11 years, or 100 years won't heal this wound. Losing our brothers and sisters in the tragedies of 9/11 was horrifying. Many people refuse to forgive Osama Bin Laden because they are so horrified by his actions; however, hating him will not bring our loved ones back. There is nothing we can do to go back to September 10, 2001 and prevent this from happening. All we can do now is move on. Forgiving Osama is part of moving on. Jesus calls us to forgive "70 times 7" which means to forgive always. God forgives us for every sin even when we don't say we are sorry. In order to emulate God, we are called to forgive Osama even though as far as we know, he felt no guilt for the rest of his life. We must forgive him even though, as far as we know, he was never sorry.God's forgiveness knows no limits and neither should ours. Forgiving Osama may be the most difficult feat of the lives of the people in our nation. I believe we are called to forgive, but not forget. We must never forget what happened on 9/11, but our remembrance from this day forward should not be the acts of Osama. We need to remember the people who perished and the lives they led. We need to remember the families that suffered and the children who grew up without parents. Lastly, we need to remember those who risked their lives to save others. We should honor all of the firemen and women, police officers, and doctors that went headfirst into burning buildings to rescue people. We should be proud to have these heroes in our midst. We will never forget those who died and those who sacrificed their lives to save others. Like them, we must put the needs of other above our own. We must focus on the unity we felt as a nation after 9/11. We will never forget what happened or the people who died, but we can learn to forgive the man who was responsible. Forgiveness is the only way to move on.