Entertaining Angels #6

Forster is quoted saying they the church is "sucking all of the joy right our of life." He is specifically talking about his want to live his life the way he wants. He thinks the church is hindering his freedom to partake is activities such as drinking and partying. He also disagrees with their standing on premarital sex. The church teaches to not be excessive and he sees that as holding himself back. The church does offer other "joys". Dorothy finds joy in helping others. They help the needed and provide support for others.

Theology of Suffering

What is suffering? That is the question that many of us struggle to answer daily. Kenneth R. Overberg identifies 3 important points about Jesus and suffering. 1: Jesus resisted and eliminated suffering- Jesus lived as we all do. He experienced suffering in the same human way that we do today. Jesus did not like the experience and would not want us to go through it as well. 2: Jesus rejected suffering as punishment for sin- As we suffer, God suffers. God does not send evil upon his people. Jesus spoke about how God could draw closer to those who were suffering, but was not causing them the pain. 3: Jesus trusted a compassionate, present God- Jesus was suffering through the most human of pains, both physically and emotionally. Yet, he still had faith in his Father. Jesus wants us to have faith in God that he will forgive us. 
Theology of Atonement portrays an all powerful God who is always wanting more from us. Our sins can never be repaid.  The Theology of Incarnation is God giving us life and love. God sent Jesus so that even through our sins, we can find reconciliation. Jesus was sent in human form to show God's love and forgiveness. I like this portrayal more because is is less overbearing and scary.

And Now...

I have learned that as long as you can stand up and behind your beliefs and you have a reason for doing so, you will be making a solid decision. I realized that unconscious role media plays in our life and that we have to be aware of the true reasons when purchasing products. As I move forward from this class, I will make sure that I keep educated on situations in the news. I will take the time to formulate my opinions on the Church teachings and social norms. I have learned that it is okay to have my own opinion that may be different.  I through my blogs I have seen my opinions grouped into one place. Just as Maddie and Tara say relationships should be self-sacrificing and self-fulfilling, I want to be in a relationship where I can help him to grow while also growing myself.

My religion is a very important part of my life and I have learned to use it to my advantage. I take the time out of my day to calm down and reflect. However, I do not always agree with everything the Church says or does. Holy Saturday is a period of calm waiting. It gives us a chance to reflect on our hectic lives. As we wait together for Christ, we are drawn closer together as a community. We are all waiting for the same person, but we wait for different reasons and in our own ways.
In this stressful time of waiting and anticipation, I will know that God is always with me and that his plan for me will be fulfilled. I need to put my trust in Him and wait it out. At this point in the college search, all my hard work is done. Now it is left up to Him. I must make the choice that is best for me from the choices given to me. I will being to live in the moment for because as Drake says, "YOLO." I am happy to be where I am in life and thankful for all the opportunities that have been given to me. 

Religious Freedom

I think the Church is right in standing up for what it believes in and teaches. The Church also knows and understands the laws of this country and hope that religious freedom will not be hindered. I am also in AP Gov at this time and many discussion have come up about this issue. Does the federal government have the right to force a religion to pay for something it does not believe in or is that unconstitutional? When the first letter came out for our Archbishop, the priest at my church was very emotional when it came to his homily that Sunday. He said that it was the most powerful and important letter he had ever read. I personally feel that the way he went about addressing the letter may have turned more people off because he was banging on the lectern and almost yelling at the parishioners, but I remember this so maybe it did work. I believe that the Church should have the right to religious freedom as long as it is not getting in the way of providing health care to all people. That should be the main concern in our community and country today. 

Love is the Love of Being Loving

I thought everything that the article said was very accurate. Most people just want to be with the person they love. People are truly happy when they can share their everyday simple life with someone who makes it exciting. Just as Norm put his comfort before his wife's on that freezing morning, love brings out an emotion that overtakes all others. Love units people forever, even in death. A relationship is much more than just physical.

The Domestic Church

My parents, from the beginning of my life, have instilled in me a faith that I can build the rest of my life confidently on. As a family, we are always supportive of each other and I can depend on my entire family for love. Last year, my dad decided it was time to change jobs. He took as job in Staten Island. He commutes every day and this means that we do not see him nearly as much as we used to. It reminded my sister and me how important our time with him is. We became much closer even though we spend less time together. Life is changing and marriage is changing right along with it. Before, many people had the same job their entire life. No many families have one parent traveling often or the whole family moving because of new jobs. This can put a major stress on all parts of those relationships.  Like Parenthood illustrated life can be difficult to handle if you do not have people there to support you. Luckily for me, I know my family will always be there for me and that in hard situations I can always turn to prayer. I see how much my parents love each other and truly want the best for us as a family and because of the knowledge and beliefs they have passed on to me, I want to eventually establish the domestic church in my own home.

Dating and Marriage

In relationships, I think that it is essential to look for a person that does have your best interests in mind, otherwise, the situation may turn out poorly. However, relationships are two sided. Both people need to be fully committed and equally engaged. Relationships need to be formed on solid ground and not have high unrealistic intentions of the outcome. I would want someone that would do anything for me, and I in return would want to do anything for him. There has to be respect and openness to allow the relationship to flourish.  I want to be able to just hang out, but also have intelligent conversations with. We both have to realize that relationships help people grow and that we need to accept the opportunity to change for the better. I think my view of a successful relationship includes parts from both modern and Catholic teachings. As individuals you willingly enter, but you last as a whole.