Pilgrims on the Journey

Throughout the class of VHS, I have learned more about controversial issues in today's society such as abortion, same sex marriage, cohabitation, and IVF. I have learned the full meaning of vocation and becoming who you are. I will carry my understanding of the 'hook-up' culture to college with me and instead take time to find a suitable companion. I have learned more about the domestic church and maybe someday I will establish this way of life in my future home. Reading the horrific article about Kermit Gosnell, I think the topic of abortion should be taken more seriously in our society. Also, the process of IVF was a topic I did not know much about so it was interesting to look at the positives, negatives, and the morality behind it.
I think watching 'The Way' was a perfect end to this class because it shows the relationships between others and ourselves. I have learned from this movie and from this class to never judge a person because you do not know what they are struggling with. I will carry this lesson with me for the rest of my life because everyone is different and each person struggles along the way.

IVF

IVF is a controversial issue in the Catholic Church, and it is very difficult to discover the right decision morally with this process. A positive factor of IVF includes: it is the best chance for many couples struggling with infertility to have biological children. Also, another pro is that it enables people to choose an embryo that does not have an inherited condition. Negative factors include that it costs a massive amount of money, it can be very dangerous for the mother, and it can result in spare eggs that can be destroyed if they aren't donated. I agree with the church when they state that the killing of these embryos is the unnatural ending of human life. Although, I believe the process of IVF is procreation of human life so I am unsure why the Church does not support it for that aspect. I do think that the financial cost of IVF affects my opinion on the morality of the practice because the creation of a child should be a process that does not involve money. Overall, I believe that IVF is a good option along with adoption if a couple is struggling with infertility, but I am not completely for or against IVF.

Abortion: Why isn't this a national outrage?

My reactions to the actions of Kermit Gosnell are shocked and horrified. Kermit Gosnell taking the lives of seven babies is just horrific. Having an untrained staff perform abortions for some of the patients is absurd. I can not believe Kermit Gosnell let his untrained assistant perform abortions on the patients of other races while he took care of the white patients. I had only heard about this case in Catholic Social Teaching prior to our class discussions. Besides that, I would not have heard of the case because it has basically been hidden from the news. I think that this has not been a large, national story because abortion is such a touchy subject in today's society. Today, everyone has different opinions on abortion and it can be difficult for someone to voice their own opinion without getting condemned. I think because these horrible events occurred in the city, it was less vocal compared to if something like this occurred on the Main Line. It is sad to say, but I think events like this are more likely to occur in the city and are less recognized. If these events occurred on the Main Line, someone would report it immediately and it would be on the news because it would be something that does not commonly occur there.

The Changing Face of Marriage

My experience of the "domestic church" has been fully active in mine and my family's life. My brother and I have attended Catholic schools all of our lives. Our family always attends mass every Sunday together no matter how busy our schedule is. My parents were both raised Catholic so they have made sure to teach my brother and I to follow important Catholic teachings such as the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. My parents also believe in sharing quality time together such as family dinners or family vacations. This shows that our family exhibits a strong sense of closeness and happiness even outside of the church.
There are pros and cons of the changing structure and composition of marriage and family. Television shows that marriage is taken lightly and that it is more common to get divorced, which society has started to mimic lately. This is definitely a con of the changing structure of marriage because marriage should be taken more seriously in our society. A pro of the changing structure and composition of marriage is that some wives are starting to have greater income salary compared to their husbands. This shows women's ability to play an important authoritative role in marriages today.
I believe that I will someday establish the domestic church in my future home because of how successful it has turned out for my family and other families in my community.

Dating: What's the Point?

I do not agree with dating being practice for divorce. Dating is essential because it teaches you to commit yourself fully to another person. Dating helps you fully understand another person on a personal and intimate level. I think the college life promotes the "hook-up" culture among most students. Just hooking-up prevents college students from getting into a committed relationship. College students think that just hooking-up is a quicker approach than actually going out on a date with someone else and getting to know who they really are. The college hook-up lifestyle can cause relationship and marriage problems in the future because you are not use to settling down with just one person. I think that in order to have a successful marriage, people should do less "hooking-up" and more dating on a reasonable level so that they understand what it means to get to know someone else without hooking-up with them first. I think this will create more long-lasting, successful marriages.

Papal Conclave

The next pope needs to address controversial issues in today's society such as abortion, same sex marriage, and the death penalty. The pope also needs to be aware of economic issues all over the world.

The future of the Church needs change. Most people do not agree with the strict views that the Catholic Church still holds. This will be a challenge for the future pope because people may continue to turn against him if his views and the Catholic Church's views do not start to become more lenient.

Being a woman in the Church can be very frustrating because we do not get as many opportunities as men. All of the social and economic issues in the Church have been decided by men and women do not even get a chance to state their opinion. Perhaps the views in the Church would be more lenient if women have a say in things. Women in the Church need more of a voice and an equal opportunity as men for positions in the church such as becoming priests or popes.

If I could change one thing in the Church it would be their strict traditional views. If the Church modernized their views, they would hopefully let women have more of a voice. Also, the Church would re-think their views on the controversial issues in society. This would make the Church a more welcoming and accepting environment.

Yes, there is room for democracy within the hierarchy of the Church and hopefully they will reveal more viewpoints and suggestions of dealing with social and economic issues. The Holy Spirit works through the hierarchy by helping them decide what they believe is best for the future of the Church.

Becoming Who You Are

Parker Palmer writes about the theme of "becoming who you are". Parker says, "The idea that vocation, or calling, comes from a voice external to ourselves. Vocation comes from a voice 'in here' calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfill the original self-hood given me at birth by God." Palmer says the deepest vocational questions are, "Who am I? What is my nature?" He says that our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be.

In today's society, we feel that we must pretend to be someone we are not in order to fit in. Instead, we should follow the voice inside our head calling us toward our vocation and the person we were born to be. I agree with what Palmer says about our deepest calling is growing in our own self-hood, whether or not it conforms to who we ought to be. Today, most people are worried about how much money they need to make, the most prestigious college they should attend, the nicest car to drive, or the biggest house they can live in. These desire take us away from following our vocation and discovering who we truly are. I think success is only possible if you are willing to accept yourself for who you truly are and for what you are capable of achieving. I fully agree with Parker Palmer's assertions about vocation.

Mission Statement

I will always be accepting of all people I encounter throughout my lifetime. I will always accept myself for the unique person God made me and try not to compare myself to others or pretend to be someone I'm not. I want to keep a strong faith as I grow older and continue to move closer to God. I want to make other people happy. I will continue to stay motivated academically and athletically. I will always keep a strong bond with my family and close friends. I will never give up on the people I love or the things that I am passionate about. I will always keep a strong work ethic. I want to find a profession that I love and that will make me truly happy. Overall, happiness is the biggest necessity I need in my life in order to fulfill my mission
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Sources of My Identity

Three specific factors that have shaped my identity are my family, my decision to attend the Mount, and athletics.

I have a small immediate family including my mom, dad, and older brother, Robert. My parents support me in anything I am passionate about. They are also understanding and have always been there for me. My brother taught me how to play basketball when I was young, which is now a major part of my life today. He also supports me with basketball today and attends most of my Mount or AAU games. My parents have established a sense of confidence in me with their compliments of me as a player and an individual. I would not be where I am today without the support of my parents and brother.

My decision to attend the Mount has shaped my identity because I have learned more about myself and what I am capable of. The Mount has taught me to strive to reach my fullest potential academically. I have also gained lifelong friendships and have learned how important each of these friendships are and how they impact my life. Knowing I will get to see my friends everyday makes the Mount experience that much more enjoyable. My work ethic has also excelled since I have entered the Mount, and I know this will help me as I venture to college and into the real world. Going on Unitas retreat has also helped me realize how each Mount student has their own story and how comfortable I feel with each student after this amazing experience.

Lastly, athletics have shaped me into the person I am today. My three sports include: cross country, basketball, and track and field. I have been playing basketball ever since I was 6 years old. I started running in 6th grade but did not fully dedicate myself to it until high school. Cross country and track have taught me the importance of perseverance and motivation. It can be difficult to run long distances but self-motivation to beat a previous time helps me through each race. My favorite sport, basketball, is something that I have been passionate about my whole life. I play for Mount and for an AAU team called Fencor. As a captain on my AAU team and on the Mount, I have learned the importance of leadership and will carry this quality with me into my future journey. I have chosen to play basketball at the college level at Ursinus College because it has greatly impacted me throughout my life.