Silence Begets Violence

The recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut is so tragic and will definitely never be forgotten. As terrible as the shooting was, it does say a lot about our community as a whole. So many people are coming forward and asking what they can do to help. This tragedy brings our country together. It is so sad that an event this terrible is one of the only things that can bring us this close. We feel the pain of the families who lost loved ones and the pain of the community of Newtown, as they lost their light.

I believe that this particular event demanded such a direct call to action because a majority of the victims killed were children. Innocent children and teachers were killed. So many of us feel like we can relate to this. We might have siblings, cousins, or neighbors who are the same ages of the kids who were killed. It breaks my heart to think that an innocent child is killed for no reason. But this is so sad because it wasn’t just one child; it was 20 children. The teachers who died, they were truly amazing people. They put their lives before their students. They saved the lives of hundreds of kids.

I think as a society, it is our job to continue to support the community of Newtown. I read a few articles and saw a video about the 26 Acts of Kindness, and I think that if everyone tried to do that, the world would be such a better place. Every little thing that we do can help, no matter how big or small. The families in Newtown need comfort and prayers, so as a society, we should continue to keep them all in our thoughts and prayers.

Catholic Social Teaching tells us that we need to help those who are struggling. So many people are struggling after this shooting, so we need to be there for them. Also, CST tells us that we need to forgive Adam. Like Sister Helen said in Dead Man Walking, although what he did was terrible, he is not defined by that one terrible act. I think from here, we can only go up. We have faced so many tragedies, and we need to bounce back as a stronger community. We will never forget this tragedy or all the people who died, but we will forgive and recover together. 

Factory Fire

The fire in Bangladesh that happened last month is a terrible tragedy. 112 workers died in this fire. The workers were forced to continue to work, despite the fire burning down the building. It surprises me so much how clueless people can be. Why would supervisors force the workers to keep working when there is a fire? It does not make any sense to me. I think that it is definitely the responsibility of the corporations and the government, as well as the consumers. Since we buy the products, we are supporting these companies who are treating workers terribly. I think that the government is responsible because people should not be working in terrible conditions, for the whole day, barely making enough money. The government should make sure that everyone working should have enough money to survive. I think however, that the corporations have the most responsibility for this fire. Walmart, Sears, and Disney, for example, should know where all their supplies is coming from. They should not have suppliers they do not know about. After the news spread about the fire, all three companies tried to deny that they had anything to do with the factory, and when evidence was produced that they were involved, they claimed that they did not know about it. If they did not know, that is not a very good system that they have going. One thing that shocked me in the article was that more than 300 workers in Bangladesh have died in clothing factories since 2006. If this problem keeps happening, why is nothing being done about it? I think that it is our job as Americans to raise awareness of this terrible problem, and hopefully corporations and the government will help make it stop.

Radical Forgiveness

Forgiveness is definitely not easy. Many people would rather end relationships than forgive someone who they got into an argument with. People today, including myself, get upset with someone and the first thing they think of is not how can I forgive them? If someone hurt you, then most likely, you want the person to suffer in some way. Why should they be forgiven for what they did? This is a question that many people ask themselves. We can learn from stories like Pope John Paul and Immaculee that forgiving others is the right thing to do, not only for them, but also for ourselves.

Pope John Paul was shot 6 times by Mehmet Ali Agca. Immaculee lost her family, friends, and neighbors. Both the Pope and Immaculee did not try to inflict harm on these people; they forgave them. It must have taken a huge amount of strength to do this. Sometimes it is hard for me to forgive a friend when we get into a disagreement, but Pope John Paul and Immaculee were able to look into these peoples eyes, the man who tried to kill him and the people who killed her family, and forgive them. I think both these stories are so famous because people today do not forgive as much as they should. Jesus forgave the men who nailed him to the cross. We can forgive those who hurt us, and when we do forgive, we will come closer to God. 

How's the World? Messy...

I feel like I hear stories of immense suffering or injustice in the news almost everyday. I get upset and become sad for the time, but I never really do anything about my feelings. I think that I do not take action for two reasons, the first is that I feel like I am so used to hearing about terrible events, like murder for example, that I have become accustomed to it, which is terrible. When someone is murdered, I should want to try to help, but it happens so often, I have gotten used to hearing the cries of the families in need. The second reason, which relates to the first is that I do not really understand how bad something really is. Like the article said, I cannot relate at all, for example to seeing the murder of a girl who was raped. I have never been in a situation like that and I think that is why I do not know how to react. When a friend shares a personal story, I definitely think it is easier to help them because I know who they are and can comfort them. I need to try to reach out to others who I may not know, but who are suffering.

I think that the Gospel messages tell us that we should respond by helping the person, no matter what. The article suggests that we imagine our own families suffering. If our own family was suffering, we would want to do anything we possibly could to help them. We must do that for those who are suffering, no matter who they are. We are all God’s family, and we should all be treated equally, so when 16,000 children die from hunger in one day, people who have so much food they do not know what to do with it, should help. I agree with the article and think that trying to put myself in someone else’s situation would help me feel more compassionate.

When I was younger, my parents always said that they didn’t need anything for Christmas, and said that there were people in the world that didn’t have anything. They told me and my siblings that we should not buy something that they would not need. We came across the Heifer Organization, and for a few years, we donated to the organization instead of getting my parents gifts. Heifer is just one of thousands of organizations that help others. Next time I hear about a child starving to death, I will really try to put myself in their position, and try to reach out and help.

Global Solidarity

I think that after reading this article, it is obvious that the world must have more responsibilities to take care of women who are abused or are taken advantage of. People in our world care about those who are hurt, but as a community, we can definitely help more. We need to put everything in perspective. If a woman was killed because she refused to be a prostitute in our area, most likely, the news would be everywhere. We would want to help this woman and offer her anything that she might need. We should be doing this for Mah Gul’s family, and any woman who is abused or taken advantage of. Just because these women live in another country does not make it any different, we need to stand up for what is right.

Three themes in Catholic Social Teaching that really relate to this situation are Call to Family, Community, and Participation, Solidarity, and Care for God's Creation. I think that we are all called to help anyone who is hurt, especially women, because as students of the Mount, we can relate to these women in some ways. Although it may seem like we do not have a lot in common with Mah Gul, or any woman from Afghan, we do, we are sisters and we have to stand up for our sisters. We are all God’s creation, so we must take care of, respect, and help one another.

When there is a natural disaster, like a tsunami or hurricane, our world comes together to support everyone who was affected. There is probably a difference in level of concern/reaction/shock because disasters such as hurricanes may seem different to women being taken advantage of because hurricanes can injure thousands of people at a time. However, in places like Afghan, women are being taken advantage of and abused every day. It is not only affecting these women, but also their families and friends. I think that we all, as God’s creations, are called to help women who are abused and taken advantage of, no matter who they are and how far away they live from us.

Year of Faith

I think that the Bishop’s suggestions on how to live this year of faith are all very good and definitely something that all Catholics can work on. 5 resolutions I will make for the year are:

1. Get involved with CSC. I have field hockey practice everyday after school so I cannot do anything with CSC during the fall. I always think that it is too late to join anything after fall but once the winter comes around and field hockey slows down a little, I am sure any of our CSC organizations would be happy to have me help.

2. Go to Church every week. Between school and sports, my life gets so busy at times. Mass is only one hour a week, I definitely need to make time for it. I think if my whole family goes together, it will bring us closer not only to God, but also to each other.

3. Smile more. I really think that a smile can change someone’s day. If someone is having a terrible day, a smile might really pick him or her up and turn his or her day around.

4. Pray more often. I sometimes feel like the only time I pray is when I am in Church or at night. I can pray throughout the day and I do not have to have a special reason to pray, I can just share my feelings with God.

5. Go on a service trip. I really am interested in helping others and I often say that it would be so great to go somewhere to help those in need but I have never really looked into it. This year, I can do some research and hopefully find a service trip that I could go on.