Sin

     I think violence is a sin that our society needs to be delivered from the most because so many innocent people are affected by our world's cruelty. Almost every night on the news there is a report for murder or violence of some sort and it is hard to hear about the innocent families and victims affected by one selfish act. It is terrible to see that men and women take it upon themselves to "protect" or "defend" by carrying weapons and using them to injure or kill others. If our society could learn to live without weapon use then I believe that the sin of violence would not be so prominent. When I hear that a child, teenager, or even an adult dies for no reason in the cross road of gunfire, I feel pain for those who have lost a significant figure in their lives. Thinking about this violence is also scary because these unfortunate events could happen to anyone, including those that I care about. It is hard to believe that some people actually think that the violence they are creating is valid, which is why the level of this cruelty is higher in our society than it has ever been in previous years. Whether this brutality is something as simple as a sibling fight or as extreme as someone being beaten to death, violence is a sin that will continue to hurt our society in many ways. Therefore, I think that if our society was delivered from unnecessary violence, then the world could potentially be one step closer to reaching the Kingdom of God.

Three Temptations in the Desert

The three temptations that Jesus experienced in the desert have a correlation to temptations in today's society. The devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, throw himself from the Temple and have God catch him in order to prove his relationship with God, and worship the devil and he will receive all the kingdoms in the world. A temptation similar in today's society to turning stones into bread is the pressure to drink, do drugs, smoke, or cheat. From a teenager's perspective, there is temptation to fall under peer pressures to do bad things in order to fit in or seem "cool." If Jesus gave into this temptation it would be to prove his powers and that he is truly the Son of God. Today, we, as teenagers, have the temptation to try our relationships with our parents and their trust, by lying to them about what we're doing or where we're going. This relates to Jesus' temptations because He would've been testing His relationship with His father to justify the bond between them. If Jesus were to worship the devil, like he said, then He would've been putting false gods before His father, the one, true God. Everyone in today's society has probably taken material things in a higher esteem than the Lord. As teenage girls, we could be tempted to go shopping or hang out with friends rather than to go to church on a regular basis. We could also think that other get-togethers or parties are more important than taking a few minutes to connect to God. Luckily, Jesus set the example of resisting these temptations and today we all, hopefully, try our best to follow in Jesus' footsteps.

Saint Charbel

I really enjoyed hearing about all of the "modern-day" saints and their stories. However, the one that stood out to me was St. Charbel. His story did not only interest me because of his ministry work with the sick and the poor or because of the bleeding and perspiring he experienced after death, but because I can relate to him. I occasionally attend a Maronite church, where I witnessed my uncle dedicate many long days and nights as a temporary pastor to build the community of the church. In this church, there is a picture of St. Charbel, but I never knew who it was until Fabienne's presentation. Also, I was able to make a connection, which is the former pastor of my Maronite church and this saint share a name. When listening to St. Charbel's story, I could not help but think if there was a specific reason why Msgr. Charbel, the former pastor, chose or had that name. Now, I not only know about the saint, whose picture hangs in St. Maron's church, but I also have some questions to ask the people about their former pastor. Hopefully, I will get some intriguing answers, but even if I do not, I am still able to connect to St. Charbel in my life today.

Kony 2012

I was completely inspired by the Kony video we watched in class today. I was really moved by the determination in stopping the cruelty of Joseph Kony. I thought it was amazing how someone decided to make a promise of justice to an emotionally broken child that could be hard to fulfill, but did it anyway. Personally, I think that is an amazing thing to do because the road to fulfilling a promise could be difficult. However, this video has shown me that with the right motivation and dedication, anyone can make a difference.
The aspect that inspired me the most and had the greatest impact on me was seeing this group of people that are against Kony, refuse to give up their mission. Even when they approached an authority as great as those in the White House and were told that their cause was not important enough to support, they did not give up. This was a point in the video that put tears in my eyes because I could not understand how those in the White House did not have a heart to fight for these poor children that constantly live in fear.
The fear that these children in Uganda feel every day makes me realize that I am extremely lucky that I do not have to come face to face with this fear in my country, which makes me want to help stop this catastrophe also. I am not sure that simply hearing about this issue in Uganda would have made an impact on me; however, watching this video did. Now, I am inspired and ready to support this cause and make Kony famous.

Mother Teresa Reflection

Loneliness is the greatest poverty of rich countries means there may be poor, homeless people in rich countries or obviously in destitute countries; however, there are many people, rich or poor, who are lonely. They could be lonely because they are neglected by their society or peers, such as family members, friends, or work colleagues. I, personally, think this statement is a great way of showing or saying that all people are poor, even those who seem like they have all aspects of their life tied together. These people are really some of the poorest of the poor, which is revealed in this statement. Also, this statement has helped me realize that those in our own lives who have great jobs, families, or opportunities could be missing a major necessity, love. These lonely people in rich countries are different from the lonely people from poor countries in one way. It is that the lonely people of rich countries have the basic necessities in order to live healthily, but the lonely people of poor countries do not have these luxuries. Therefore, this statement has proven to me that poverty is everywhere in one form or another, even if you cannot see it at a first glance. Everyone deserves someone to care and love them.


My favorite quote from Mother Teresa is “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” This quote struck me because it shows that Mother Teresa could possibly think about why God is giving her so much responsibility of taking care of so many poor people. However, this is not just a responsibility that we, teenagers, have today like cleaning our room or taking out the trash, it is a responsibility that involves incredible heart break and pain. When I read this quote, it reminded me of how true it is that God truly would not give me anything I could not handle either. Sometimes I forget this or sell myself short and when things get tough in my life, I cannot help but think or ask God why he is doing this to me. As much as I hate to admit that, it is the truth. Seeing how Mother Teresa lived her life and knowing that she felt this way shows me that sometimes it was difficult for her to accept everything God had planned for her. However, she accepted it because she knew God would be there for her and she could handle her great responsibility. Although at this time in my life I will not have a responsibility so extreme, I can step back when confusing situations are thrown into my life and realize that God will not give me anything I cannot handle.

Praying as we go

I, personally, really enjoy the prayer we do in the beginning of class because it gives me a chance to take a breath and relax. Even after first block, I get extremely stressed and the prayer allows me to reflect on ways to make my day better and successful. Also, I can think about aspects of my life that don't involve school that I need to improve or deal with. Every day I look forward to this reflection and prayer because it helps me build my spiritual life, as well as give me an opportunity to relax and meditate.

First Blog

First Blog