Factory Fire

The factory fire in Bangladesh is an incredible tragedy that is worsened by the fact that it could have been so easily avoided. The working conditions as well as the wages and hours of the people in Bangladesh factories are horrible and ignore the dignity of the human person. For those of us lucky enough to live in the United States, we need to refrain from buying from stores such as Walmart and Sears who abuse their overseas workers. It is important that we are knowledgable as consumers about the companies we buy our products from because otherwise we may be spending our valuable dollars on companies that are comparable to criminals. It is most definitely the governments responsibility to make sure the big business and companies in the United States do not undermine the rights of their foreign workers as well. No matter how "lucky" it is to have a job in Bangladesh, it is unjust to pay such low wages to hard working people that need to support their families. As citizens of the United States, it is our duty to stop buying from companies and corporations that do not respect the rights of every human person.

Radical Forgiveness

Pope John Paul II was an incredible leader of the Church that we are all lucky to have had as Pope in our lifetime. Despite almost being killed, Pope John Paul II forgave the attempted murderer. His strength of character and trust in God led him to forgiving the man who inflicted suffering on him. This story is similar to Immaculee's because she also forgave the man who succeeded in killing her family. These two people exemplify Christian ideals and uphold God's image in modern times. 

How's the World Messy?

      In our world today, we hear tragic and terrible news stories daily, almost to the point that it becomes second nature to expect something bad when we turn on the television. I specifically hear of injustice that occurs in the Middle Eastern countries because our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, but suffering occurs even in our own communities. When I hear these terrible new headlines, I am shocked but do not feel that I can make a difference because they occur so far away. However when I hear of injustice in school or the suffering of a friend, I try to help in any way I can. For example, towards the beginning of high school one of my friends was very sick for an extended period of time. She consistently missed school and felt stressed because of her inability to cure her illness and the immense workload she had to make up. As her best friend, I did my best to keep her on track with fulfilling her course work and also keep her spirits up by visiting her when she was sick.
        I think the Gospel tells us we need to respond to the call of injustice and suffering in our whole world, not just the small world we live in. In stories such as the Good Samaritan, God demonstrates that even strangers need our love and grace. One of the main messages in the Gospel is to care for the dear neighbor and respect everyone's dignity by serving others.
       As the articles suggests, we should not feel guilty because of the pain and suffering in our world. Conversely, we should act on our feelings and be proactive citizens. Many people are shocked by the intolerance in the world, however, very little people act on these feelings. In order to improve our society, we need to be sensitive of the universal needs of humanity.

Solidarity among the Nation

The article about the young Afghani woman who was murdered appalled me. There is no reason someone should be killed at all, nonetheless for refusing to objectify herself. Prostitution is illegal, and human trafficking is a serious issue that should be addressed more in Middle Eastern countries. Just like the world stands together during times of war, disease, or famine, we should practice solidarity against the men who murdered Mah Gul and stop the prositution throughout the globe. Mentioned in the article was the 15-year old girl who was shot in Pakistan for raising her voice. As American evolves and comes to terms with gender roles for women, the Middle East should advance and offer equality and solidarity among women.

Year of Faith

I think the Bishop’s suggestions for living the year of faith are very reasonable and can easily be done for any Catholic or Christian. Of all that he suggested, I think that participating in mass and helping those in need are what I will focus on this year. The Vatican urges Catholics to donate and help the marginalized, and I can easily do that this year as well as attending mass and singing the hymns and praying. Five resolutions I will make for the year are:

1.     Try to visit La Salle Academy at least once a month. I hope I can help tutor the kids and give them a hand in their school work.

2.     I want to raise money to build a senior citizens center in El Salvador with my friends from St. Basils as well as Marley and Fiona. We are planning 5Ks as well as asking big businesses for donations.

3.     I want to spend more time with my family and try to make a habit of going to church on Sundays. It isn’t always easy with my brothers’ and my schedules, but it will be easier if we all go together and plan a family brunch afterwards.

4.     I want to take more time to appreciate my life, my friends, my family, and my opportunities. Along with that, I would like to dedicate more time to God and reflection in my week.

5.     Finally, I want to just live a better life in which I think of others before myself and try to do something positive every day. Sometimes, it is easy to forget the needs of others besides yourself, but I will make it a habit to do at least one good thing for someone else every day.

The Circle of Protection

       The Circle of Protection is an excellent idea because many Americans are struggling financially in our current economy. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has a five part economic plan to create 12 million jobs in office by the end of 2016. He aims to reduce budget deficits and poverty, but to do so he must make budget cuts. Also, he supports means testing, in which money goes to those in need and less goes to those who are well off. He wants to help the sick and elderly, and and the poor and homeless for generations to come. President Barack Obama’s Christian faith guides him to support the Circle of Protection. He believes that everyone should have access to education, food, and a secure retirement. His office of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships has expanded to work with groups around the country to help the needy. Obama intends to pay down the nation’s debt in a responsible way without penalizing those who already have money. He wants to create an economy that works for everyone in America and continues for posterity.

       Compared to the Church, Obama and Romney have similar views because they do not want to take from the rich and give to the poor by simple charity but instead create a long term plan that will provide justice and aid to those impoverished.

       I think that both candidates have strong plans, but the matter of who actually executes their plan will be interesting to see in the coming months.

Project HOME

       Project HOME works to eradicate poverty and homelessness in the Philadelphia region and tries to educate the homeless about how to end the cycle. I believe that in general Project HOME promotes justice rather than charity because they provide information and resources to better the lives of the homeless and rid them from their addictions and illnesses. They give families a house to call home but do not enable the homeless, instead trying to help them find permanent housing on their own.

      Traditional homeless seem to focus on temporary housing rather than a permanent, stable lifestyle for its residents. Therefore, Project HOME is a better model because it looks to improve the entire lives of the families rather than just a short-term solution.

       I think the most important program they provide is the education for addiction. Addiction seems to be a vicious cycle for those who live in poverty because it seems like an easy and temporary escape. People who are addicted waste any money they do have on drugs or alcohol rather than food, so I think it is necessary to educate, especially the youth, about how to avoid that dark path.

September 11

     On September 11, 2001, our entire country was forever changed. Many lost their lives, as well as family members, friends, coworkers, etc. The mourning process lasted many years and is still going on to day, but thanks to the hard work of construction workers and planners, a new building has been erected in honor of September 11^th and the lives lost.

       Osama Bin Laden was the terrorist behind all the destruction and sadness that occurred on September 11. He formulated the plan to destroy the twin towers, and all of the other plane crashes. Despite his malicious intentions, I believe that the American people as a whole should forgive Osama Bin Laden because the more hatred we foster in our hearts, the less we are able to move on and rebuild what was lost. Although his actions should never be forgotten and he will always be remembered as a terrible man, I think that letting go of the stress that comes along with hatred helps the healing process. It is much easier for me to say to forgive him because although I am an American, I was not directly affected by the tragedy. I am sure that those whose families and friends died struggle every day to forgive and put Osama Bin Laden behind them.

      Several examples in the Bible can support the decision to forgive Osama Bin Laden. The Prodigal son is a story of forgiveness in which the son strays off the wrong path and betrays his father, but his father lets him back in. This story relates because although Osama Bin Laden was a terrorist, God may let him back in the Kingdom if he was truly sorry, which I do not believe he was. In Matthew 5:24, it says “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” This verse demonstrates that despite the tragedy, we should forgive Osama Bin Laden for his horrendous deeds, but not forget the repercussions they brought to our world, because he is a child of God even though he disobeyed him.