Newtown Shooting: How to Recover

I believe the recent disaster evoked such an emotional response in our nation because the victims were children. Children are often thought of as the most innocent form of human beings. Defenseless, they were taken from this earth. All of us know and love children in our families and therefore, many of us can relate to the families of Newport. We can imagine the pain caused by losing such an important little part of one’s life.

The story is so painful and relatable that many of us feel we are called to action. Every morning on my drive to school, I hear people call into the radios asking how they can help. I think it took such a horrendous act such as killing children for our nation to realize the extensive harm of violence.

As a society, I think it is highly important that we do not evoke fear in other children. School should be a safe place, not a scary one. To prevent other crimes like the Newtown shooting, I believe the key factor is recognizing mental illness before a mentally ill person causes others harm. We need to promote organizations and rehabilitation centers that help those who are mentally ill and get help for our loved ones who are “not acting them selves.” I heard on a news station that Adam’s mom told a friend the week prior that she had begun feeling as if she was “loosing her son.” Imagine how different Friday could have been if Adam’s mom had taken action after noticing her son was acting differently. CST calls us to help our poor and vulnerable. Those who are sick from a mental illness are suffering psychologically and need support from those in their lives. I believe a movement to treat mental illnesses, as well as being there for those in our family during the hard times, may prevent any other horrendous acts such as the Newtown shooting from happening in the future.

Bangladesh Fire

The story of the Bangladesh factory fire is as infuriating as it is sad. The way the factory workers were treated goes completely against our CST beliefs of human rights and workers rights. The poor and vulnerable communities are being taken advantage of by big corporations. I find it incredible that the boss of the factory did not fear for his workers’ lives. Instead, he used them as if they were slaves or robots.

After reading the passage, I believe many people are to blame for the harm caused by the factory fire. However, I also completely agree with Josh Green’s statement that “It’s just not feasible” for big corporation leaders to round-the-clock monitor every factory they purchase from in every company. To blame the head manager of a corporation such as Disney or Sears would be like blaming the cardinal for an incident in the religious department at MSJA. The cardinal, like the leaders of Sears and Disney, are so high-up in the hierarchy that keeping up with the lowest level’s safety regulations may not be “feasible” as Josh Green stated.

I view the fault in this incident to be the immediate government and factory owners who are not ensuring their workers’ rights are respected. These leaders lower down on the totem pole have seen the conditions inside the factory. They needed to take a stand and fix the unlawful conditions. I think corporations such as Sears and Disney should have a system set in place where they train the owners of their factories to respect their workers. Inspections from the local government is another solution that I believe can be feasible in the future.

The article comments that as consumers we pressure for lower prices, which in turn results in lower wages for the workers. Maybe if corporations instead considered how much damage could to their reputation from an incident such as a factory fire, they would not follow the “low-price pressure” trend. As consumers, we also need to back off from pressuring big corporations to lower their prices. Is a $10.00 walmart bathing suit really worth someone’s life?

Forgiving, not Forgetting

Forgiveness in our modern day world is more rare than it is common. The people of our world, including myself, tend to hold grudges against people who hurt us. In my opinion, the rareness of forgiveness in our society is what makes both Pope John Paul II’s and Immaculée’s so shocking. Pope John Paul II and Immaculée were both able to forgive murderers, and we, on the other hand, find it hard to forgive our neighbor who was rude to us last week.

Although their acts of forgiveness are shocking, I believe that the forgiveness they showed is healthy. I DO NOT believe the killers should ever feel their crimes were okay or that they will be forgotten. However, like we discussed in class forgiving is not forgetting. They need to know they are responsible for horrendous, immoral acts. Forgiving, however, can be beneficial to the victim. On our Junior retreat, Mrs. DeStefano shared a story of forgiveness and told our class, “sometimes forgiving is more for the person who was hurt than the person who hurt.” I believe by Pope John Paul II and Immaculée forgiving their enemies, they were able to find peace within themselves. While I am confident their acts of forgiveness must have taken extraordinary strength, I believe their acts are a healthy way of moving on towards a more positive life.

The Mess of Our World

Our world is truly a suffering mess. Turning on the news can even be depressing at times. Each news broadcast seems to talk of yet another murder in the city or bombing in a foreign country. I cannot go a day without hearing word of the injustice in our ailing world. This morning, for example, I woke up to my mom’s news that a student at the University of Delaware had been killed.

When I hear stories of immense suffering, my heart hurts for those who have been affected. I find it unfair that some of the world’s greatest, most hardworking people, such as those in Syria, are the ones suffering the most. People in Middle Eastern countries are working long hours at factories with little pay, and getting more and more suffering in return. When a friend tells me a story of hurt, I try my best to lend a helping hand in any way I can. However, it is hard sometimes to lend a helping hand to global issues. Sometimes we need to take help to the next step and seek out a charity that works to solve a certain “mess” in our world.

Gospel messages teach us that even just a small step can make a big impact. For example, just donating five to ten dollars to hurricane sandy relief fund will make a bigger difference than you could imagine. The gospel messages remind us that sometimes the material things, such as donating to a charity, are not the only ways to help. Just listening to a friend who is dealing with personal issues may be extremely beneficial.

The article calls us to take the hurt and make it our own. “Make it personal” it encourages. If each of us feels suffering for those in need, our world could be a changed planet. People are drowning in the “mess” and it is time for us to reach out. Whether by forming our own charity, listening to a friend, or just donating our time, we can together solve every problem.

Global Solidarity

After reading the article summarizing the murder crime, I instantly thought how similar this situation was to Lauren Marconi’s story of Edna’s Maternity hospital. In both situations, women are being left behind and abused in their culture. Women are forced to commit prostitution against their will – violating a common CST theme of human dignity and right. These cultures, to me, seem to be sexist. They treat women as objects or property rather than human beings.

Here in Chestnut Hill, PA we are truly living the good life, receiving an education in a school where we are encouraged to be leaders of society. We need to fight for others’ rights and share our gifts with the poor & vulnerable. I see it as especially our responsibility as an all-girl school to aid hurt women. As CST’s solidarity theme teaches us, we need to feel compassion for these women as if they were our own MSJ sisters. If a girl was killed in Chestnut hill for not agreeing to prostitution, I know our community would be outraged and come together as one to honor her life. Just because Afghanistan is not our home should not change our feelings towards this issue. Women nationwide need to come together as one.

I feel that hurricanes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters attract more attention to the public because we can, in some way, relate to these people. We too hear news of a bad storm heading our way and may become scared. Although we have never experienced a tsunami here, we share some perspective of how frightening and sad that must be. On the other hand, I have never walked through my neighborhood and feared being stabbed because I did not agree to prostitution. A tsunami also kills a multitude of people at once, and is such a natural phenomenon that people draw interest to it. I feel like we just see Afghanistan as a “different culture,” see their practices as their practices, and let them be.

To begin helping, we need to grasp and imagine the terrifying lives and dangers these girls face every day. The first step is to show compassion for them, and spread awareness. Just like a tsunami gets huge coverage, we need to have unjust female murders and discrimination shown on national television.

My 5 Resolutions

5 Resolutions I would make for my year of faith:

1) Attend Mass – When I was younger, I would go to mass weekly, but now high school, I often find my weekends to be so busy that I often do not make time to go. I can make this year more faithful by setting apart time in my day to attend mass, and even bring my sisters so we can all strengthen our faith again.

2) Tutor others about faith – One of my goals is to tutor more this year at LaSalle Academy or Face to Face. I can be charitable, and also help the children with their religion homework.

3) Spread holiday cheer – I have always wanted to participate in CSC Operation Santa Clause, and this year I finally signed up. I believe it will be a great way to celebrate Jesus’ birth and allow families in need to have a brighter holiday.

4) Go to confession – The last time I confessed my sins was a while ago, so I think it would feel good to go to confession this year.

5) Pray not just in times of need – I tend to pray more before big tests or when I want God to help me/give me something. I think it would be nice to pray times this year when I am thankful for what I do have.

Circle of Justice

After watching the candidates’ responses to the Circle of Protection, I noted their differing views. Each one emphasizes their belief in the Circe of Protection, yet the candidates differ on how they plan to maintain the charitable circle. Obama definitely has a strong value of God, faith, and prayer (throughout his speech he mentioned these terms many times). He mentions how he prays for those in need and that our nation “is all in this together.” His word sound very supportive and he seems confident that his work thus far as president has helped maintain the Circle of Protection. In my opinion, Obama’s mission seemed to strive for charity. He believes we can help the poor by continually giving to them from our nation’s revenue. He does not want the budget cuts to be targeted at the lower class because they are the ones who need it the most. I definitely agree with the latter statement. However, I think there is a difference between giving to the poor and teaching the poor to help themselves. Romney continually emphasized a mission of justice. Unlike Obama, he did not often mention giving to the suffering. Instead, he promotes his plan to restore our economy. With a recovering economy, more jobs will be available. Less people will be on the welfare payroll and on a salary payroll. Then, the suffering Americans will have a supportive supply of money to work and feed themselves, rather then be fed off our nation’s support system (as Obama is promoting). The weakness in Romney’s plan is that some of his budget cuts may originally hurt the poor. However, after the upper class begins spending again, our growing economy may be back into full swing.

Project H.O.M.E.

Project H.O.M.E. works for justice in Philadelphia by enabling homeless people to get a fresh start. They even provide adult education and employment offices to allow their members to one day get a solid career. They include temporary charitable works as well, such as providing temporary shelter or aiding with medical care. However, their goal planning center and education office paves the way for a long lasting effect. I think the factor that sets this center apart from the “typical homeless shelter” is their employment services. This better model allows the homeless to one day have a new job with a solid income. With a fully staffed team to find Philadelphia job openings, the members of Project H.O.M.E. will have the same opportunities a college or high school student would. They will have a personal counselor to assist them in confusing areas and prepare them for the career world. Without learning proper interview skills, it can be hard to land a job. The suffering can now relearn proper techniques to get the career they’ve always dreamed of. They even provide art classes as part of training. The employment services and education department is the unit that actually ends the homeless cycle. Once people are homeless, they tend to fall into a repressed cycle of being temporarily back on their feet and then falling into old habits again. Project H.O.M.E. truly does justice, not charity, because of their ability to provide the life lasting career effects. Their website shows the many people who have benefited through these services. While medical care and shelter are definitely helpful, I believe the employment/education department is the most important program. Their three employment offices can search for the perfect job matches for individual people. By allowing people to set goals they can strive for, their lives may be changed for good. H.O.M.E gives the suffering people of Philadelphia the boost they need to truly rewrite their life path.

9/11 Reflection

In the bible, there are many accounts of forgiveness. For example in the New Testament, Jesus forgave those persecuting him. Jesus' account is an account of extreme forgiveness. I cannot imagine forgiving those who caused my death. I also think it would be extremely difficult for the victims of 9/11, or their families, to forgive the terrorists who caused their death, as Jesus' forgave his murderers. However, at our Junior retreat, we learned forgiveness can sometimes be more about yourself than who you are forgiving through Mrs. DeStefano's life story. Forgiveness let's you have peace with the tragedy. You can leave the event and the trauma it caused in the past instead of holding on. Therefore, I believe all those who are psychologically suffering from the effects of 9/11 may need to be the ones to forgive. Then they find peace within themselves to live a positive life. All the victims did not want to leave behind mourning families, but families who would live their life happily. So let us not forget the honorable people who died, and live life to its fullest potential in the present.