Silence begets violence?

Time after time, we have heard of terrible mass shootings around our nation. I agree with the author who stated “enough”. Events like these show in our society today, we are not safe anywhere, but we cannot let fear take over our lives. Mass shootings have taken place in malls, theaters and lastly schools, but there was no way to expect it. All of these events, along with the shootings that occur everyday, are horrific and must end. The Connecticut shooting has especially demanded such a call to action. I feel many people have truly seen that enough is enough. The fact that innocent 6 and 7 year olds lost their lives and the amount of people is truly inexplicable and tragic. This specific event demands such a call because school is supposed to be a place of education, innovation, safety and hope. These young children and the teachers should never have to fear for their lives while going to school. This event also shows that shootings can happen anywhere, like it did in a small town in Connecticut. I believe such action must be taken so nothing like this ever happens again. As a society, we must pray and give support to all those affected by the shooting and reach out to them. Action must also be taken. The topic of gun control is controversial to many people, but I believe it is one of the main ways we can respond. I do not think that taking away the right to bear arms will completely diminish the problem, but more gun laws are necessary. I do not believe someone should be allowed to go into a store and buy an assault rifle or many guns. I do not think there is any reason to have a gun like this. What could possibly be the reason? The gun laws must be striker and we also must make sure guns do not get into the wrong hands. Mental health awareness and help must also be improved. Many factors contribute to what we do as a society. We cannot be a culture of violence. Catholic Social Teaching compels us to consider that every life is precious and everyone has the right to live. From here, we must raise awareness and take actions to do anything in our power to prevent future shootings like these. We must also find the light amongst all of the darkness and focus and improve. We must also stop being a culture of violence and aggression.

Factory Fire

When I first heard of the factory fire in Bangladesh I was horrified. I was astonished at how people could be so inconsiderate of human life. The fact that there were no safety measures put in place and the workers were told to sit back down after the alarms sounded is terrible. Although the US companies claim they did not use the factories or stopped at least a year ago, more action must be taken. I think if the US companies are getting their product from these companies, than we are responsible for what took place. Although many people are involved and responsible for the process, whoever is in charge of the large corporation is partly responsible. I do not think this is the American’s government responsibility. I think each individual company must take responsibility. I believe the governments of other countries are somewhat responsible and cannot have their citizens working for such a low wage and in terrible conditions. I do not think it is fair for the workers in Bangladesh, although they are receiving a wage; it is not enough to live on. The people want to work and will do a job well, being paired below a “living wage” is unfair. The thought of being paid such a small wage is almost worse than being paid nothing at all because of the dignity of the people. How can they work so hard and diligently to perform a task and receive almost next to nothing? This idea leads to a never ending cycle. A quote in the article that stood out to me was, “nothing will change unless clothing companies protect workers as vigorously as they do their brands”. I think the large corporations and others need a conscious effort to improve around the world.

Dorothy Day: Saint?

Being raised to the level of sainthood is an honor. Dorothy Day is a controversial person and issue in the Catholic Church. Although she had a past including mistakes and flaws, she changed her life for the better. I think Saints should be determined by a strong investigation by the Church. A person raised to the level of Sainthood should act what they preach and should have an apparent influence on others. I believe an essential part of becoming elevated to Sainthood is the person’s relationship with his or herself internally. I also believe he or she must work with others and they do not necessarily have to come from a perfect background. Like Dorothy Day, her past was not respectable, but she overcame trials and found God. She converted to Catholicism and lived out the mission. I believe a Saint must have a strong, unforgettable impact on people, when they are alive or have died. I believe to be elevated to such a high level of respect and reverence, he or she must be attributed miracles and should leave a lasting legacy from their lives. Although Dorothy Day had an immoral past, she showed her human flaws and eventually had a revelation within herself. When I first read of Dorothy Day, I was surprised the Archbishop had supported her. But then after thinking about it, the Archbishop’s support makes sense. I believe although Day had an immoral past, she changed and found the way of God. This shows how everyone is human and he sees her trying past, but also her work for justice and charity in the end of her life. Lastly, I believe a Catholic Saint is someone who humbly and purely lives out God’s message, while having a lasting impact on others.

Circles of Protection

President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney both appear to be deeply affected and realize poverty is a large issue. I thought both responses to the problem were different, although one was not right or wrong. President Barack Obama said poverty is a moral issue and in his high position he cannot sit idly by and wait for things to change. He said it is our obligation to help others in need. Obama stated the government cannot solve every problem and cannot take the place of a caring neighbor. He said each person must do their part to help those in need since we are “One American Family” and we are all in this together. He wants to protect good jobs, wages, healthcare and retirement. President Barack Obama said through his Christian faith he hopes he has become a better husband, father and president. Governor Mitt Romney took a different stance in poverty, stating we must answer the call for those in need, by providing aid and comfort. There are countless people in America today who are struggling to find work. He believes when the economy is shattered lives become shattered and the American people need better. He believes we must reduce debt and improve economy to truly help those in poverty. He wanted to deliver recovery and jobs for the American people. He spoke of a 5 part economic plan to help create jobs and more opportunity. By doing so, fewer people will be on welfare and more will be on payroll. He also stated that the government provides a safety net for the hungry, homeless, sick and elderly, but it must be kept intact. He had a plan for the nation’s entitlement programs and believed in “Means Testing”. He also stands with Faith based organizations for those who need help to remain in the Circle of Protection. Both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney appear to be in accordance with the Church’s teachings on justice and charity since both say we must help those who are in need. Although both want to achieve a common goal, which is positive, their approaches are very different. President Barack Obama shows his strength in demonstrating his true passion on the issue. The weakness of Barack Obama is he does not state how he plans to execute his thought. Although he wants to help many people, telling everyone to help their neighbor will not work. Governor Mitt Romney shows his strength in that he has plans to carry out his ideas in an overall goal. He shows by creating more jobs, more people will be working. I believe both candidates want to help people, but the videos are just talk and words. When a plan is carried out and executed, the issue becomes helped. President Barack Obama has not proved his plan in his first term, and we will not be able to see Governor Mitt Romney’s plan take affect.

Beyond the Swoosh

The stories of justice and charity in the New Testament must be related to society today. The condition and mistreatment of factory workers around the world must stop. The conditions the factory workers are forced to live in is horrific and they cannot meet basic needs with the salary given. Adults and children are taken from their daily lives and forced to work countless hours a day for so little pay. These huge corporations do not care about their factory workers and basically treat them less than human causing the workers’ loss of dignity. Jim and Leslie seeking justice for these workers by trying to provide a voice and raise awareness. Society today challenges us because so many of the companies we know do not support fair labor. It is difficult in today’s society, but we must try to raise awareness. In an ideal world, boycotting a company would solve a problem. I think if a large group raises awareness and boycotts a company, people could start to take notice. One person boycotting and raising awareness is not too realistic, but if many people begin to take action media awareness could be increased. The media must show people all over the United States and the world to raise awareness. I believe the Christian faith tells us to stand up for human rights and people deserve to have their basic needs fulfilled. We must all see this as a large global problem and take action to stop the mistreatment of workers.

Church and Scripture

Coming from a Catholic grade school and moving onto a Catholic high school, I have definitely experienced the Church for many years. When I was younger, I always was taught the stories of Noah and Abraham, the Paschal mystery, the trinity and many more. With my experience, I may have learned a little about Social justice and the church’s view, but not much. As time has gone on, I have learned more in depth about Social Justice. I have learned God’s plan of salvation is not only personal, but also communal. I realize that a single person’s salvation is based on his or her personal actions and decisions. As a Church community we also rely on others for support. “Through God’s grace the Church is a true communion of persons, a community of love truth and justice” (Catholic Social Teaching: Christian Life in Society 25). I feel through my experiences that the Church is a community of love and truth, but sometimes does not share social justice ideas. The Church many times does not speak openly about their social justice views as they do other topics. I feel that Catholic Social Teaching is a little bit unfamiliar and unknown territory, but is definitely interesting and can be used to benefit others.

How's the World? Messy...

The article on Busted Halo with an interview of the former UN Secretary General describing the world as "messy" is an interesting statement. When I see stories on the news about terrible tragedies around the world, I feel confused and almost helpless. The world is a complex place and actions must be taken to stop the terrible suffering and injustice. When I see tragedies and injustice around the world I do not comprehend why humans cannot live together in peace. During the summer when I heard of the movie-theatre shooting in Colorado, my mind almost went blank. I still do not understand how someone could kill and harm that many people. What would possess a person to think what he was doing was okay. When I see starving children around the world, or people forced to live the life their government requires, I feel as if I need to be much more grateful for my life. I cannot complain I don't like what my family is having for dinner when people around the world cannot access food or clean water. I realize I have to be more grateful for what I have and try to stand up for justice. I cannot let such inhumane, merciless news stories just pass me by. As Catholics, it is our duty to stand up for justice. While reading the article, I feel as if we cannot just let horrific suffering be a normal situation. The article states that 16,000 children die each day from hunger and 11,000 people have been killed in the Syrian Civil War. We must recognize that situations like these are happening around the world everyday and action must be taken. We must acknowledge the existence of suffering like the article says since society has become desensitized to violence. We can not let suffering go on like this with out recognizing, taking action and raising awareness for what is evident. I realize in my own life I must take action and not be so caught up in my own life. I hope by living by the Gospel I can encourage others to do the same to help end injustice around the world.

Justice and Charity

Project HOME works for justice through their vision stating, "None of us are home until all of us are home". Project HOME wants to stop homelessness, which embodies the entire life of a person, not just an immediate fix. Project HOME strives to fight the cycle of homelessness by lifting up individuals and giving them the confidence to move forward. I believe Project HOME does some works of charity, but that is not their main goal. They may work on Charity in the very beginning of the process, but then they work on a new ideal including, education, employment, healthcare and housing. Project HOME differs from traditional homeless shelters because they work on helping the full person. Project HOME encourages and reassures people while helping them gain self-esteem. Instead of a temporary fix, like a normal homeless shelter, Project HOME helps people get their lives going in the right direction. I believe although this model may take more work and could be more complicated, Project HOME has the right idea. Every person has the right to justice and should be given an opportunity. Although Project HOME offers a multiple step process with programs such as, housing, education, employment and healthcare, I believe housing is the most important. Through the housing service, multiple options are offered. I believe when a person must work for their house and to keep it, a lesson of self-sufficiency is learned. I think once people have a property they can call their own, they will work harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Project HOME is a great organization that works to empower the entire person by breaking the cycle of homelessness.