Sainthood and Dorothy Day

     Quite honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about the concept of sainthood at all. I think the fact that it elevates humans to almost God-like levels is problematic. And inevitable, with such a stringent process to ordain "saints" exemplary and devout people will be passed over. I think the Church would be better suited by paying special honor to individuals who deserve it. It is nice, after all, for us to have concrete, relatable examples of people whose lives we should emulate. But having such a complex process to achieve a title as holy as "saint" is, in my opinion, too much.
   
      It is somewhat surprising, though refreshing, that a conservative Cardinal would champion the campaign to canonize Dorothy Day. However, I have a lot of respect for the fact that Cardinal Dolan can look past the negative in her life and focus on all of the good she did. It makes sense that he sees her work as particularly relevant in the political and social climate of today. For many, Dorothy Day might bridge the gap that the article references between the social justice leftists and the pro-life conservatives.

     Being a Catholic "saint" means simply living out Christ's mission in the best way you know how. It doesn't mean you has to move to India and build orphanages or join a cloistered monastery (although some people are certainly called to do so) to live a holy life. Dorothy Day lived this idea fully, doing everything she could to help those around her and spread the message of Catholic Social Teachings throughout her community.

Obama and Romney on Circles of Protection

Obama and Romney took very different approaches to responding to Circles of Protection and the poverty issue in America.

Governor Romney addressed the issue from a very political perspective. At the start of the clip, he quoted some rather jarring statistics about the number of poor and jobless in our country today. He referenced the economy, saying that under his leadership and his 5-point economic plan, the economy would be revitalized. A healthy economy, he says, means more jobs, and more opportunities for more people. Governor Romney said that the government is a safety-net for the poor. At the end of the video, he promised to work with faith-based organizations to improve the standards of living for those below the poverty line in this country.

President Obama took a very different approach. He had to, of course. Unlike Governor Romney, President Obama couldn't very well quote statistics that would reflect badly upon his administration. That would be bad politics. So instead he took much more of a moral standpoint, stating that "poverty is a moral issue." He briefly touched on economics by stating that the lower and middle classes could not be taxed heavily so that the upper class could receive tax cuts. This he said, was not only bad economics, but morally wrong. Predominantly however, Mr. Obama focused on the idea of "one American family," and idea that the people, more so than the government, are the ones who must work together to help each other. Oftentimes the most effective solutions to poverty are those born out of basic human goodness--the kindness of neighbors and the devotion of parents were two personal examples he used.

 Romney's statement was, in my opinion, a bit too political. While he begins the video by thanking all of the Americans who "have already dedicated themselves to improving the lives of the less fortunate" and referencing the "good heart of America," this seemed like an in-genuine, ingratiating plug for votes, instead of an inspiring compliment to the American people. The rest of the video was extremely political and government focused, rather than moral and focused on the people. Obama had his faults as well.  Though he spoke passionately about everyone working together to help their fellow Americans in need, many of his statements were a bit too vague to be impactful. Especially in contrast with Romney's very politically-oriented video, President Obama was perhaps a bit too obviously asserting that the government was not fully responsible for fixing poverty (not a surprising move, since his administration is not currently doing a great job with this).

Beyond the Swoosh

I think boycotts and petitions are an excellent way to send a message to a particular company. Of course, this message won't be heard, or even noticed, if only delivered by a few hundred voices. To truly make an impact on company's such as Nike and Urban Outfitters, the American people will have to take a stand. Christian values teach us that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and inhuman companies are disregarding this completely. Even for those who don't subscribe to Christian beliefs, the moral dilemma should in fact not be a dilemma at all. It's not difficult to NOT buy Nike shoes or NOT shop at Urban, or NOT by chocolate that was produced by slave labor. Living in a consumerist culture, we have many many options other than those that do not align themselves with basic morality.

Church and Scripture

The beginning pages of the textbook focuses on stories and ideas that I have learned about since practically the first grade. However, I can't say that I've experienced the Church's "salvation" much in a context that is relevant to the injustices of the world today. Obviously, though, that does not mean that the Church is not doing anything about homelessness, or other social justice issues. The fact is that many Catholics work tirelessly as advocates for the voiceless. For some reason though, these people and their work never seem to be at the forefront of the Church. Instead, the public hears about child sex abuse scandals and harsh stances on issues such as homosexuality and abortion. Those within the Church don't seem to be aware of the social justice work either. I think it's interesting that in 12 years of Catholic education this is the first time I've formally learned about Catholic social justice. However, the Paschal mystery, the Fall, Original Sin, and other such elements of Catholiscism, I have heard about over and over and over again. I wonder why the church chooses to emphasize such theological points when the extensive advocacy work of Catholics would be more appealing to the majority of people.

The World Is Messy

     Stories we hear on the news are very predominantly negative. Therefore, especially when it comes to global injustices, I think we become jaded.  We might even go so far as to tune out certain stories.  One can only hear about a car bomb in Iraq, a shooting in Kabul, or rocket fire in Gaza so many times before such news becomes repetitive. We might feel a twinge of sadness for the victims of such occurrences, but in most cases I think it's safe to say that many people don't think about such stories for more than a minute or two, at most. This fact is sad, but true. Some of the worst injustices in the world (specifically, the middle east) occur so frequently, we don't think twice about them.  I only very recently became aware of this fact because I have friends in Israel and Palestine.  So now when I hear about rocket fire and violent hostility across borders, I can put faces to these tragedies. I suppose I am lucky in a way, that I have this very real connection to make me more aware of this particular injustice. Most Americans do not.

      I think it's very difficult to apply Gospel messages to specific social injustices in the world today. I mean yes, obviously the Gospel gives us the basic rules about justness, serving others, loving ones neighbor, etc. It does not however, tell us exactly how we can respond to the tragedies we see and hear about.  How are we supposed to affect change in a war-torn or poverty-stricken nation? That thought is daunting. The Gospels offer us values to live by, but frankly they offer us absolutely no concrete advice on which to act. Granted, they were written 2,000 years ago, but that doesn't change the fact that they're  now unhelpful in the issues we face today.

    

     Andy Otto, the author of the Busted Halo article, offers a solution for the apathy that plagues American culture. He suggests that we place ourselves and our families in the place of the victims of these killings and attacks. I can certainly see how this would be an answer to the desensitization. It could certainly impassion many people and help them feel more connected to certain injustices. However, while it's a start, feeling the pain of injustice does not solve the problem.  Concrete actions solve problems. This is where Christians may turn to the Gospel. However, I think they would be better suited educating themselves and looking towards peace and advocacy organizations. it should be noted of course, that many of these organizations are likely based on Gospel values.

Justice Through Project Home

     Project Home exemplifies working towards justice for the homeless. The program offers homeless men, women and children not only what the need to survive (charity), but what they deserve as human beings. In contrast to conventional soup kitchens and homeless shelters, the kind that seem to be most prevalent, Project Home provides its residents with transitional assistant, medical care, job opportunities, and educational opportunities. Operating such an expansive program such as Project Home must take great amounts of time, dedication, and money. Its aid is much more expansive than that of a traditional homeless shelters. 

     Additionally, Project Home incorporates advocacy into its work. Their ultimate goal, therefore, is not to put as many people through their program as possible, but rather to eliminate the need for Project Home altogether.  In other words, their advocacy work strives to end homelessness. In emphasizing the advocacy aspect of Project Home, the organization reminds us that homeless shelters and transitional organizations such as Project Home are not the ultimate solution. Establishing as many soup kitchens as possible should not be the goal towards which we work. Instead, Project Home should simply be a step along the road to eliminating homelessness altogether. While many of Project Home's programs are unique and essential, I think it is this advocacy work that is most important. In the fight against homelessness, I don't think people are aware of/contribute to the advocacy aspect enough. As we discussed, the majority of individuals will dole out mashed potatoes at a shelter and feel satisfied that they've done their part. And while it's wonderful that those homeless men, women  and children have a meal and a place to sleep that night, that is not ideal. Project Home's advocacy truly tries to end homelessness. Not just put a "band-aid" on it.

What I've Learned

VHS was proabbly one of the most relevant and relatable theology courses I have taken at the Mount. Everything we learned about is extremely pertinent in today's society, but also applicable to our everyday lives.  One of the first topics we covered was the four levels of Greek love: storge, eros, philia, and agape. Though I had been aware of these before, I had never learned about them in-depth. There are so many different types of love in the world[1] it is impossible to classify them all. But these Greek descriptions do an excellent job of breaking love into four smaller areas. I could relate to them all.  Similarly, when we learned about levels of intimacy, I could easily identify how the various levels were applicable to my relationships. Additionally, we covered Church teachings on certain issues regarding sexual morality. Though I may not agree with the Church's stance in all of the matters, it was interesting to hear the reasoning behind them.

     Finally, I was really inspired by the Camino. I had never heard of this journey before, but it sounds incredible. Of course traveling to Europe and walking the Camino would be immensely powerful, but I also like that the walk was related to our own life journeys. In the same way people build relationships and make discoveries about themselves on the Camino, we must grow similarly as we advance in everyday life. Not even kidding, walking the Camino is now absolutely on my list of things to do before I die. So if I do someday walk the Camino and have some incredible revelation[2] it'll be because of this class.

---

[1] Eskimos have 32 different ways to say “I love you.”

[2] Or meet and subsequently marry an exotic European guy in one of those small towns, or die in a storm, or decide to move to Spain