Soldiers of Conscience

I think that it is great that women will be allowed to serve in combat roles. In this day and age, equality between men and women is emphasized. So why were only men allowed to serve in combat? There are plenty of women who strive for military equality and are eager to participate in combat. However, if I were drafted into the military I do not know what I would do. "Soldiers of Conscience" gave me a knew view on what the soldiers go through. They are trained to put all emotions and morality aside to kill. Some of the soldiers talked about how difficult it was for them to see an injured woman or starving child on the side of the road and not be able to help them. For these reasons,as well as my faith and knowing that killing another human being is wrong, I would not be able to serve in combat. At the same time, I would consider the patriotic aspect of serving my country and protecting United States citizens. Overall, if drafted, I do not know at this point if I would be a CO or a soldier.

Hotel Rwanda

In the film Hotel Rwanda, Paul thanks Jack for risking his life and filming the killing. Paul hopes Jack’s bravery will bring help. Jack replies: “If people see this footage, they’ll say ‘Oh, my God, that’s horrible,’ and then they’ll go on eating their dinners.” I believe that Jack hit the nail on the head with this response. Unfortunately, I think that most people turn on the news and watch the crimes occurring in our world then talk about how sad it is and go about their lives. Most people just think that other people will help, or other people will donate money so they don't have to. But if everyone thinks like this, no one will help. Even I, at times, just want to turn off the news and close myself off from everything else happening in the world because I don't want to believe it and I don't want to feel guilty. People who are happy with their lives do not want to think about the misery or misfortune of others because it takes away from their own happiness. If I had seen the Rwanda civil war on the news I would try to help by getting my family and friends eager to help as well, then hopefully these feelings would spread and people would realize the importance of helping.

Can Forgiveness Play a Role in Criminal Justice?

This new concept of “restorative justice” sounds very unusual. In this new type of justice, the victims, the offender, and the community consider the crime committed and try to make amends. I think that this process does keep with Catholic Social teaching; however, I do not agree with it. Upon first hearing about “restorative justice”, it may sound like a good idea. The concept is based off of the belief that everyone deserves a second chance. But one must consider the family and friends of the victim of the crime. If I were the parents of Ann Grosmaire, I would not want Connor McBride to be given a second chance. Giving criminals a new opportunity may simply lead to more crimes. I also believe that this would over complicate the Criminal Justice System.

Conclave 2013

With the recent resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, there is a lot of discussion about the new church leader. I honestly am not very familiar with all of the duties of a pope. However, I am aware that the church is changing. Over the past few weeks in class we have talked about some of the issues that the church is facing. Change is usually good, but we need the right man to carry out these changes. In my opinion, the new Pope should be dedicated to the Catholic church and all of it's people. He must be ready to take on the challenges that have surfaced over the past few years. The new pope should be understanding of the changing world and be aware of ALL of the people affected by the Church's decisions.

Lent

For me, Lent is a time when I can reflect on myself and my relationship with God. It is a time for starting anew. This Lent, I am going to try and make subtle changes in my faith. Throughout grade school, I was very close with God. I would pray every night and go to mass every Sunday. I have recently become more separated from God and the Church. I believe that Lent is the perfect time to reignite my relationship with God. My personal theme for this Lent is going to be involvement in my community. I want to offer my services to those who need them, even if it is just helping my grandparents. I would like to see myself become less involved in electronics and everyday social life, and more involved in service, family, and my community.

Roses in December

Prior to watching the documentary, I knew very little about the four missionary women who traveled to El Salvador. S. Ita Ford, S. Maura Clarke, S. Dorothy Kazel and Jean Donovan were so committed to their mission in El Salvador and fulfilled it with such bravery. One part of the documentary that really struck me was when Jean was in Ireland. She knew that when she returned to El Salvador, she would be killed, but she returned anyway. Even though I do not really understand this decision, I admire her for it. I don't think that I would be able to do what these four women did. They believed so strongly in a cause that they put themselves in a situation where they knew that they would most likely be killed.
In addition, I do agree with the opinion of the writer who thought that every Catholic should be familiar with the stories of S. Ita Ford, S. Maura Clarke, S. Dorothy Kazel and Jean Donovan. I believe that the writer thought this was important because the story shows how four brave women with husbands, friends, and family can leave everything behind to practice what they believe in and serve their mission with courage.

Theology of Suffering

After reading “The Mystery of Suffering: How Should I Respond?”, I have a clearer understanding of how Jesus dealt with the suffering that was present in his life. Kenneth R. Overberg’s first point is “Jesus resisted and eliminated suffering.” In grade school, one of the main topics that we learned about in religion class was the healing power of Jesus. We read countless stories about Jesus helping the sick and suffering, just as Matthew describes in his Gospel. Overberg’s second point is “Jesus rejected suffering as a punishment for sin.” Although the Hebrew tradition teaches that suffering is punishment for sin, Jesus proclaims otherwise. He rejects the idea that people are made to suffer for their sins. As Jesus healed the blind man, he tells everyone that the man had not sinned. The third point, “Jesus trusted a compassionate, present God,” explains how Jesus preached forgiveness in his parables. Even as Jesus experienced suffering himself, he remained faithful, and trusted God.

The two traditional interpretations of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection are very different. The first interpretation comes from Jewish practices about sacrifice and atonement. The Hebrew people poured the blood of a sacrificed animal on the altar as a symbol of people’s desire for reconciliation and union with God. St. Augustine and St. Anselm’s ideas describe atonement for sin. This first interpretation views God as angry and demanding. The alternative interpretation of the life and death of Jesus is orthodox and rooted in the Christian tradition. This view is that the whole purpose of creation is for the Incarnation. God is not thought of as angry, as in the first interpretation, but is gracious and loving of his creation. My personal preference is “A Theology of Incarnation.” I do not view God as angry and demanding, but instead as caring and understanding. I believe that God desires to share his love and watch over everyone.