Entertaining Angels

     I have recently seen the film, Entertaining Angels. This movie gives us a look at the life of Dorothy Day. Day was an advocate for the poor and a saintly woman. Her life was not always perfect, however. Early on in her life, Day was a troublemaker. She was a communist who wanted to increase workers' rights, but she was not religious. She got pregnant at an early age, and was pushed to have an abortion. Day later said, "Women think with their whole bodies and they see things as a whole more than men do."


     The Catholic Worker would not have been possible if it weren't for the efforts of a man named Peter Maurin. Maurin encouraged Day to start the paper. He also encouraged Day to take action to combat hunger and homelessness. Maurin said, "The world would become better off If people tried to become better.

     After the abortion, Day struggled to find meaning. She moved to Long Island, where she met another man. She got pregnant again, this time keeping the baby and giving birth to a baby girl. During her time on Long Island, Day found the influence of God. She and her daughter were later baptized. She and her daughter later moved to New York City, where Dorothy started the Catholic Worker, a newspaper which turned into a homeless shelter. Day said, "I firmly believe that our salvation depends on the poor." Day combined a newspaper which brought awareness to the issues of workers' rights, with a homeless shelter that took care of the people that no one else would. On this issue, Day said, "Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul."

And people would become better If they stopped trying to become better off."

     Maurin's ideas were not always easy to carry out. Day had very little resources to support not only the shelter and paper but her daughter as well. Maurin believed that anything was possible with God, and that sometimes you need to leave your comfort zone to do what you have to do. Maurin said, "If we are crazy, then it is because we refuse to be crazy in the same way that the world has gone crazy."

     Maurin later suffered a stroke and was not able to help Day morally as much as he used to. Maurin's pre-stroke wisdom still stood with her to carry out her mission, however. He said, "You know what's wrong with the world? People who act don't think, and people who think don't act." Day truly took these words to heart as she both devised a plan and had the willpower to carry it out. Day's love of the poor was inspirational.
     
     Day started a string of homeless shelters known as Houses of Hospitality to care for the most basic and essential needs of the poor. Her precedent is part of the reason why there are such places all around the country. Locally here in Rochester, one similar organization is the Bethany House. Founded in 1978 to respond to ever growing needs for homeless shelters, It is still going strong to this very day. Their mission is to provide every human being with their basic daily needs of food, water, clothing, and shelter. Another local House of Hospitality is St. Joseph's House of Hospitality. They are directly related to the Catholic Worker movement, and they bring Dorothy Day's love for the least of society right here to Rochester. They too try to provide for the poor's every day needs. The love and ideals of Dorothy Day have spread throughout the country, even in our own town.

Honesty is the Best Policy

Honesty. It is one of the best qualities a person can have. In the wise words of my teacher, Mr. La, "No frontin yo. Aight?" Honesty is necessary for healthy relationships with everyone you encounter. In order for a healthy relationship to occur, trust needs to be present. You need to be able to trust other people, so you in turn should be someone other people can trust. 'Christians must be committed to the truth and always on guard against lies and the illusions that are created by these lies.' - Christian Morality

If honesty is not present, people can get hurt. Telling lies is not only harmful to the liar, but harmful to other people as well. 'Well meaning people sometimes lie to avoid confronting people with an unpleasant truth.' - Christian Morality. Other times, people lie to get away with things that they've done, or sometimes to make themselves look better in the eyes of others. No matter what the reason, lies hurt others. They destroy people's relationships. When lies are told, trust disappears. Once trust disappears, it is very difficult to get back, and reparations must be made to repair the trust. It may never be the same.
So how do we avoid a broken relationship with God and others? 'When we fail to be honest, at the very minimum we damage our own personal integrity.' - Christian Morality. We want others to trust us, so we must remember that lies hurt ourselves and others. We must always be truthful to keep our integrity in tact. If we keep our integrity together, then we will be seen as trustworthy, and are capable of healthy relationships. 

On the Fourth Commandment

The fourth commandment tells us to honor our father and mother. It tells us that if we do this, our lives will be long on the earth. So what do we do? What do we do to satisfy this requirement?
It starts off with the definition of a family. The Catechism teaches that a family is a man and a woman united in marriage under God. A family exists for the love of the spouses and the procreation of children. God instituted the human family, creating all persons equal and with inalienable rights, duties, and responsibilities.
With regard to society, the family is the original cell of social life. The family is where children learn moral values, learn to honor God, and begin to use freedom. Family life initiates children into society. Families should be built in such a way that takes care of the young, old, sick, handicapped, and poor. Society in turn has a responsibility to uphold the institution of the family.
Regarding relationships, everyone is a child of God. Therefore, our relationships with our neighbors are personal in character. Every human deserves our respect.
Politicians have the responsibility of upholding the rights and freedoms to have a family and to bring them up in a moral fashion, to protect the marriage bond and the institution of the family, the right to worship, the right to private property and free enterprise, and the right to medical care.
In a family, each member has certain duties. Children are required to respect and honor their parents regardless of their age. Children must be grateful to their parents as well as obedient. When the children get older, obedience is not required, but respect is.
Parents have duties towards their children as well. Parents are responsible for the education of their children. They must respect them as human beings. Parents owe children a moral upbringing.
Civil authorities have duties as well. Those in authority should do so as a service. They should also put the needs of the community ahead of personal interests. They are required to respect human rights.
Citizens in turn have duties. They have the duty to obey those in authority, but have the duty to voice just criticisms. They have the duties to pay taxes, vote, and to defend their country. Citizens have the right to disobey authorities when their laws contradict the moral order.
The political community is required not to infringe upon the practice of religion.
With regard to teachers, students are required to treat them with due respect.

The Type of Dad I Want to Be

When I get older, I would like to start a family of my own. I want to be a dad, I want to have kids. I want to be remembered by a few characteristics:
Respect - I want my kids to respect me, so I in turn will respect them. I won't be a tyrant, I will respectfully listen to my children and treat them how I would want to be treated as a kid.

Dependable - I want to be there for my kids when they need me. My son gets bullied at school? I will be there. My daughter got her heart broken? I will be there. I will help my kids with whatever problems they may face, but no matter what they won't face them alone.

Knowledgeable - I want my kids to look up to me, and one way to do that is being knowledgeable. I want to know what to do in every situation, or at least look like I do. Being knowledgeable will also help me help my kids with whatever they need help with.

Incredibly Funny - I want to make my kids laugh. I want them to be happy around me, and a good way to do that is to be funny. Laughter is the best medicine for any ills.

lastly, the most important...
Lovable - What parents don't want their kids to love them? I want to be the best dad in the world to my kids. I want them to love me as much as I love them. I want them to love me more than anything else in the world.

The Catholic Importance of Sunday

     As Catholics, our goal is to honor God in everything we do. One of the ways we accomplish this is by following the Third Commandment; keep holy the Sabbath day. What does this mean to us? Keeping the Sabbath holy means different things to different people, but the obligations are the same for all. 
     First off, what is the Sabbath? The Sabbath, for Catholics, is every Sunday. It is a day set aside to rest and honor God. God created the world, and then rested on the seventh day, and blessed the seventh day.
 We honor God on the Sabbath through prayer and by attending Mass. Many Catholics do not keep the Sabbath holy, treating it like any other day. This is a violation of the Third Commandment. Sunday especially should be a day centered around God.
 
     Sunday is also a day to commemorate the Resurrection. Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, and resurrected a day later on Easter Sunday. Each Sunday is a little celebration of Easter; of the Resurrection. That is part of the reason why it is so important to honor the Sabbath; we are celebrating the Resurrection. The Resurrection symbolizes new creation ushered in by Christ.

     Another reason for going to Mass each Sunday is for the Eucharist. The Eucharist is important to us as Catholics because celebration of the Eucharist is the center of Church life. You cannot pray at home as you can at church. The fellowship of the congregation, the union of souls, and the prayers of the priests all make the Mass a more complete form of worship. Reception of the Eucharist on the Sabbath honors God and gives us grace.
     In Genesis, God rested on the seventh day after all that He had done. This is a model for us, as Sunday is a day for rest and graces. We are able to rest from our work and labor and spend time with family. We must be mindful of those who cannot take a day of rest because of poverty or illness. Sunday should be a day to relax and worship God.

Teens Being Faithful to the Second Commandment

As teenagers, life is not always lived as it should. We break various rules, both human as well as spiritual. Some of the rules we break are listed in the Ten Commandments. One Commandment that teens often break is the Second Commandment. 'You shall not take the name of God in vain'. Teens will often use God's name in vain in regular conversation, saying, 'oh my God' or, 'Jesus Christ!'. We must remember to use God's name with respect. He is the Creator, and we must use reverence when speaking about Him. Sometimes teens will use God's name in an oath, saying, 'I swear to God' when trying to prove a point. When we make a promise, it should always be truthful. We should not need to make an oath, because we should always tell the truth. Another thing teens can fix to be faithful to the second commandment is not to commit blasphemy. Blasphemy is the utterance of hatred towards God's name. Blasphemy is everywhere in the media, on shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy, and that gives a negative example to teens that watch the shows. Blasphemy is the polar opposite of reverence, and it can be avoided if teens just remember to treat the Holy name of God with respect.

The Meaning of the First Commandment

The first commandment tells us, "I am the Lord your God. You shall not have any other gods before me." This may seem initially to be a simple statement, but it actually has more meaning than just the literal translation.

Faith - The Catholic Catechism tells us that our moral life has its source in faith in God who reveals his love to us. St. Paul speaks of the "obedience of faith" as our first obligation. He shows that "ignorance of God" is the principle and explanation of all moral deviations. Our duty toward God is to believe in him and to bear witness to him. We as Catholics must always stay faithful to God. We must never fall into despair, and never lose faith in God. 

Hope - The Catholic Catechism tells us that the first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption:

By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy. We must always believe that God will keep His promises and that he would never desert us. 

Charity - In the Catholic Catechism, it says faith in God's love encompasses the call and the obligation to respond with sincere love to divine charity. The first commandment enjoins us to love God above everything and all creatures for him and because of him. We must love each other with charity, and be free to give ourselves to others. We must give to others and to God. 

Adoration - On adoration, the Catechism says adoration is the first act of the virtue of religion. To adore God is to acknowledge him as God, as the Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything that exists, as infinite and merciful Love. "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve," says Jesus, citing Deuteronomy. We must give God our praise regularly. We owe God our endless adoration and praise.

Prayer - When speaking of prayer, the Catechism says The acts of faith, hope, and charity enjoined by the first commandment are accomplished in prayer. Lifting up the mind toward God is an expression of our adoration of God: prayer of praise and thanksgiving, intercession and petition. Prayer is an indispensable condition for being able to obey God's commandments. "[We] ought always to pray and not lose heart." Prayer is essential to our faith life. It brings us closer to God. It is necessary for us to have a healthy relationship with God. 

Sacrifice - Regarding sacrifice, the Catechism tells us that it is right to offer sacrifice to God as a sign of adoration and gratitude, supplication and communion: "Every action done so as to cling to God in communion of holiness, and thus achieve blessedness, is a true sacrifice." 

Promises and Vows - When speaking of promises and vows, the catechism says in many circumstances, the Christian is called to make promises to God. Baptism and Confirmation, Matrimony and Holy Orders always entail promises. Out of personal devotion, the Christian may also promise to God this action, that prayer, this alms-giving, that pilgrimage, and so forth. Fidelity to promises made to God is a sign of the respect owed to the divine majesty and of love for a faithful God. When we make a promise to God, we must try our best to keep it and to be faithful to Him. God never fails in keeping His promises, so why should we?

The Social Duty of Religion - The Catechism says, "All men are bound to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church, and to embrace it and hold on to it as they come to know it." This duty derives from "the very dignity of the human person." We as Catholics must uphold the dignity of every human person. It is our mission to keep human rights validated.

Superstition - The Catechism teaches that superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition. It places a practice above faith in God. It replaces faith in God with belief in strange supernatural forces. This is a form of idolatry and violates the first commandment. 

Idolatry - The Catechism says the first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of "idols, [of] silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see." These empty idols make their worshippers empty: "Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them." God, however, is the "living God" who gives life and intervenes in history. Idolatry, whether it be worship of false gods, or overvalue of money, drugs, sex, etc., is in direct violation of the first commandment. We must not place anything before God in our lives. He must come before all things.

Divination and Magic - When speaking of divination and magic, the Catechism says God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility. We must not put faith in magic or supernatural forces before faith in God. If faith in anything comes before faith in God, it is a form of idolatry. God will reveal his plan for us in due time. 

Irreligion - The Catechism states that God's first commandment condemns the main sins of irreligion: tempting God, in words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony. We must not put God to the test. We must not make unholy what is holy, or offend God. That is in direct violation of the first commandment. We also must not misuse sacred objects for superstitious purposes. Holy objects are holy, but they are still only objects and we must not place too much importance on them. 

Atheism - On atheism, the Catechism says since it rejects or denies the existence of God, atheism is a sin against the virtue of religion. If we don't acknowledge God's existence, then that violates the first commandment gravely (I am the Lord your God). When we recognize the existence of God we can love Him and serve Him through others. 

Agnosticism - When speaking of agnosticism, the Catechism says agnosticism can sometimes include a certain search for God, but it can equally express indifferentism, a flight from the ultimate question of existence, and a sluggish moral conscience. Agnosticism is all too often equivalent to practical atheism. If we are unsure of the existence of God, then we cannot put complete faith in Him, which violates the first commandment. We must also acknowledge his existence to be able to love Him with all our hearts. 

The first commandment might seem simple, but it actually covers a wide variety of issues, all pointing to the same major duty for us as Christians: we must love God and put Him above all things. 

My Five Christmas Wishes for the World

      Normally Thanksgiving is the main holiday in our society to think about what we have to be thankful for. I think Christmas should be, too. So many things distract us from the true meaning of Christmas; it has become heavily commercialized, and the current mindset is that the measure of the holiday is based on how flashy or exciting the gifts people get or receive are. The true meaning of Christmas is Jesus. It is a time to be thankful and be with the ones you love, because aren't they the greatest gift in our possessions? On that note, I have five Christmas wishes for the world on this basis of gifts that we have that many people take for granted.
     My first wish for the world is that violence would end. All types. Street violence, wars both foreign and domestic, government brutality, and any other kind I've overlooked. People should not have to live in constant fear for their life. Everyone has the right to life, and freedom from fear. Violence is caused by ill intention, and ill intention can be caused by a lack of perspective. If everyone took the time to see things from others' point of view, the world would be a better place.

     My second wish for the world is that everyone will be well fed. Food is in such great abundance in our country. We waste so much as a nation when in other parts of the world people would gladly go through our dumpsters for the copious waste that goes uneaten. In our country, it is thought that the greatest gifts have to cost a fortune, when to some people a simple meal would mean more than jewelry or cars. Every person has the right not to starve.

     My third wish for the world is that everyone has the opportunity to succeed. This too is a simple right that not everyone that should have it does have it. In other parts of the world, women, gays, the elderly, and certain races are all denied the same opportunities as others. Everyone deserves a chance.

     My fourth wish for the world is that everyone would be free from persecution. Whether it be Christians and Jews in the middle east, or even the unborn in our own nation, everyone deserves to be free from persecution. Persecution goes hand in hand with prejudice, which is caused by a lack of perspective. If the persecutors could see their own people persecuted like the people they persecute, it would never happen. If everyone just had pure intentions for everyone to be happy, the world would be a better place. This is highly unrealistic, but one can always wish, right?

     My last wish for the world is that everyone will be loved and that no one will be alone this Christmas. This is the most important of my wishes, because no one should feel alone. Rich or poor, black or white, Christian or Muslim, everyone should be loved. The feeling of being alone is something that no amount of money can fix. Cars, clothes, houses, possessions can never fill the holes inside. The only way to feel complete is with something money can't buy; the warmth of the love of others and our God. That's the true meaning of Christmas.

Slavery in the Modern Day

In London, British law enforcement has detained a couple for holding three 'extremely traumatized' women captive for more than 30 years. Online, a computer generated little girl attracted 20,000 men, 1,000 of them offering payment for sexual acts. What does this reveal about the world we live in?
Slavery is a big problem. It may not be as open as it was in the 17-19th centuries, but it is still a prominent problem even in the present day. This may come as a shock to some, but there are 20-30 million, yes, MILLION slaves in the world today. Human trafficking is an incredibly lucrative industry, yielding over 15 million dollars each year. How can we as a people come together to end slavery?
As a start, President Obama proclaimed January to be anti-trafficking month. I think it is a good idea, but in my opinion EVERY month should be anti-trafficking month.
Some people may misunderstand the term slavery. Slavery means the state of being bound in servitude in the ownership of another. People being owned by other people. God created all to be equal; slavery is in direct violation of basic human rights. Chattel is a similar term meaning a movable piece of human property. If people fully understood the definitions and just thought of how terrible they are, the awareness for this evil would increase greatly.
Do you happen to like chocolate? Do you like the taste of children's tears? The two are closely associated with each other. Most of American chocolate has been produced with some form of child labor. In Africa, children are either hired or stolen from their families to harvest cocoa. They work grueling tasks for as long as 18 hours a day. Many children are beaten, or get seriously injured on the job, and the children rarely see their families.
The three most important facts about slavery are that at least 14500 slaves are trafficked into the US every year (this is important because the impact of slavery hits close to home on this fact, because the evils of slavery could be right outside your door), the average cost of a slave today is $90 (this is important because it is revealing about just how easy it can be to own a slave), and that slavery can be ended completely in 25 years (this fact gives hope to people that slavery can in fact be ended for good).

Freedom Writers

The movie Freedom Writers is a stirring movie about a group of troubled kids growing up in the volatile environment of Long Beach in the midst of relentless violence. Against all odds and with the help of their caring English teacher, Ms. Gruwell, they turn away from violence and take a turn down the right path, finishing high school and some moving on to college. This movie is perfect for showing in a Catholic Morality class because some difficult moral decisions had to be made. Eva, one of the main characters, is faced with the difficult decision of defending 'one of her own' and doing the right thing when testifying in court. Ms. Gruwell is forced to choose between teaching the kids that she has grown close to and her husband. These are examples of the tough moral decisions made in the movie.
In the movie, Miep Gies comes to the school and talks to the kids. She says two very profound things, the first of which being 'I did what I had to do, because it was the right thing to do." She says this when one of the kids told her that she was his hero. She insists that she wasn't, saying that she only did what she had to, and that she had to because it was right.
The second profound thing Gies says is 'Even a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.' She says this after denying that she was a hero, and saying that all of the kids were her heroes. They all fight to survive, and that anyone, even them, can make the world a better place.

Response to Bullying

Does being mean make you a bully? Some people would say so, but I for one disagree. There are key differences between being mean and being a bully. 

Being mean is not something you want to be known for, but it is not as bad as bullying. Sometimes people can be mean because of their mood, or things that are going on in their lives. It could be an outlet of frustrations. People that bully are mean, but not all mean people are bullies. Being mean is isolated and not necessarily malicious. It is not done for entertainment or for personal gain.

Bullying is much different. When you constantly pick on the same person(s), it becomes bullying. When you are mean to make yourself look cooler or better, that is bullying. When you are mean to make someone's life miserable to their breaking point, that is bullying. Bullying is purely malicious, whereas being mean is not necessarily so. You can be mean without being a bully, but just don't go too far.

Miss America Thoughts

Nina Davuluri, 24, was recently crowned Miss America in the annual Miss America pageant. She was born in Syracuse, NY, and has since lived in Oklahoma, Michigan, and now resides back in Syracuse. She went to college at the University of Michigan, and received various accolades for merit (Dean's List, Michigan Merit Award, National Honor Society Award). She is an aspiring cardiologist. Before winning the Miss America pageant, she also was the runner up in Miss Teen America.
Because Davuluri is not a white American, it has spurred racist comments on social media sites. Comments were made accusing her of being a terrorist, a member of al Qaeda. Some people dreaded the fact that Miss USA was not white. Despite all of the negative comments, even more were made in support of Davuluri. Many people told her to stay strong, and that no matter what people said about her she was beautiful.
I for one agree with the people who support Davuluri. The people who accused her of being a terrorist are ignorant and hateful. Davuluri is beautiful no matter how many hateful comments are made. To all those who think it's okay to spew hateful words over the internet should think twice. They only made her stronger.

Post Introduction

My name is Joe. I am a junior at Bishop Kearney High School. I run Cross Country and I play hockey. My favorite things to do are lift weights, eat, and write poetry. I want to pursue a career in engineering, and I enjoy traveling. My favorite subjects in school are Physics and Pre-Calculus. I believe in hard work, perseverance, and determination. I am Roman Catholic.