Pilgrimages of life

As you go forth from this course focused on "responding to the call of Jesus", we recall the different stories we heard about people learning to love and become who God has created them to be.  Remember the love stories?  Or the video of Jason and Crystalina?  Your own mission statement?  The endless articles from Busted Halo?  Colleen's story of becoming a Sister of Saint Joseph?  And finally, the stories of pilgrims along the journey of the Camino?  I can't leave out one final nod to Busted Halo, so please check out this young woman's story of walking the Camino this past summer.  Her closing words of one post comparing the 'real-life' pilgrimage to the film 'The Way' reminded me of my hopes for and thoughts of each of you: But the movie wasn’t created to show exactly what it’s like to walk the Camino. It was a movie about relationships — the relationships between families, between strangers, with ourselves. And that part was true to the real life Camino. Most of us start alone. We all have people we’re leaving behind to go on this journey. We have our reasons for walking this ancient path. We meet people along the way. We open up to these strangers. We share our pasts, our thoughts, our fears, our dreams. These strangers become like family to us. We share meals, conversations, and blister remedies. They see us in good moods and bad. They celebrate with us when we reach our common destination. We part as friends, knowing that this experience was better having been shared with them.

I hope your life journey is nourishing, enriching and challenging as you continue to find people to share this life with... focusing on a common destination and enjoying each step along the way. 

As you finish this course, please summarize in 2 paragraphs lessons you have learned over the last 8 weeks that you will take with you... they can be specific or general!

Some say love...

Some say love...

Bette Midler's famous song 'The Rose' compares love to a flower, a river, a razor and a hunger.  Love is the topic of many songs, in an attempt to illustrate the emotions and feelings that are evoked when someone is in 'love'.  Oftentimes, stories of heartache and/or unrequited love are lamented... other times the joys of passion and unconditional love are celebrated... seeking one's soulmate is the ideal in some songs, while others encourage finding a fun 'for-now' partner.   
In the Christian world, the ideal love of Agape describes a selfless love that is concerned entirely with the well-being of the other.  This counters our American cultural philosophy of 'me-first', and requires a level of vulnerability and trust that many people fear.  And yet, in its ideal manifestation, agapic love can be fulfilling, exhilarating and sustainable in a loving relationship.  Many sappy love songs describe finding your soul mate, the 'one' who is perfect for you, but many wonder if a person really has a 'soul mate' that is the only one they can be happily in relationship with for the rest of their life.  Please read this article on finding one's 'soul mate' and the weakness that may lie in that search and the assumptions/expectations that go along with it. 
As you reflect on some of your favorite songs, consider the messages about love and relationship that are explicitly or implicitly described in the lyrics.  In your blog post, you should include reference to at least 5 songs (the reference can be in the form of direct quote or general summary of the song's message).  Respond to the following prompts in a cohesive reflection-- not in the format of question1:... question 2...
Prompts:
What are the qualities and characteristics of love that you seek to experience in dating/committed relationships?  Where do you see these illustrated in music?  Do you believe in the quest for soul mates as described in the article?  Why/why not?

The changing face of marriage

Family life is full of major and minor crises — the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce — and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It’s difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul. — Thomas Moore 

 

As the composition of marriage and families continue to change in the twenty-first century, we are reminded of the call from the second Vatican Council:

"The Council further recognized the dignity of marriage by declaring that families were genuinely “Church.” The Council restored the ancient concept of “domestic church” as it declared: “In what might be regarded as the domestic church, the parents are to be the first preachers of the faith for their children by word and example” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, #11).

The early Church began in house churches, where families were the heart of the communities and from which ministers were first called to use their personal gifts to serve the needs of the larger community. The family is the most intimate experience of Church, the place where love, forgiveness and trust should first be encountered. This is the family Church, whose members are called to embody Christ in everyday life. (http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/VAT/aq1004.asp)"

What has been your experience of the 'domestic church'?  Based on what you've experienced in your own life or seen on television/films, what are some pros/cons of the changing structure and composition of marriage and family?  Finally, some good news- a study of marriage and college degree done by the Pew Trust in 2010 suggested that those with a college degree are less likely to experience divorce and multiple marriages than those without a college degree.  Read more here .

What does that mean for you?  Do you feel compelled to someday establish the domestic church in your home?   

Marriage and Vatican II

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, I'd like you to reflect on the teachings about marriage that were formulated at the council.  These teachings have been influential in formulating Church teaching on marriage and sexuality in the decades since the council.  Please read this reflection from 'For Your Marriage', a website sponsored by the US Catholic Bishops.  In your post, compare and contrast the Church's teachings from Vatican Two on marriage with current trends/perceptions of marriage in society (the media, politics, etc).  Please cite at least 4 points from the article in your response.

Dating: What's the point?

In chapter five of his book "Love, Reason, and God's Story", David Cloutier examines arguments within Christianity in favor of dating and opposed to the practice of dating.  Some of the 'anti-daters' argue that dating in our current social context is 'essentially practice for divorce'.  In your response, share your reaction to this claim, as well as your reaction to the reasons given to justify dating (those by Freitas and King among others).  How does this argument compare with the experience of you/your peers and 'contemporaries'?  Finally, how does this compare to the 'hook-up' culture prevalent in colleges and universities in 2012?  Please refer to this article from none other than BUSTED HALO :), as well as the article we read by Fr. Rick Malloy challenging the culture of 'hooking up'.

Gender and dating relationships

In our society, gender stereotypes are often reinforced in romantic relationships.  Please read this article on the role of gender particularly in engagement/proposal scenarios.  I found one reader's response particularly provocative as well:  Andy, thanks for your thoughtful reflections on the tired traditions of engagements and weddings. I couldn’t help but notice that you focus a lot on how women’s expectations play into these harmful expectations. But it doesn’t quite seem fair to place the burden of the harmful tradition on women alone. Do you have any thoughts about how men’s own expectations (as providers, for instance) play into the traditions as well?

What is your response to both the article and the reader's questions?  How does this compare to your families' experiences and the love story you shared on Friday?  

Wonderful Gift and Awesome Responsibility

Today in class, we began discussing the various messages you have been taught and exposed to during your life about sexuality.  Please read this article about, which summarizes the US Bishop's statement on sexuality, describing it as a 'wonderful gift and awesome responsibility'.  As you read, consider the following questions:  1)  What messages, themes, etc. are familiar to you in this article?  2) What, if any, new messages, themes, etc. did you learn about the Church's teaching on sexuality?  3) What, if any, messages, themes, etc. do you think are missing from this article?  In other words, is there anything you think the Church should adjust or add that is not present in this summary?
Please post your responses to these prompts on your blog.  You do not need to number your responses, just use the questions as a guide as your formulate your post.

Mission Statement

Based on our class discussion and activity around mission statements, please post your own mission statement.  Using this link as inspiration (and you are welcome to do your own research, as well), formulate a 7 sentence (minimum) mission statement.  Your mission statement should describe your passions in life, what is important to you and who you are.  Have fun!  Get inspired!

Who am I?

As we begin our course in Vocations and Human Sexuality, a starting point is to consider the various sources that have informed and developed your identity.  Your task is as follows:

Write a three paragraph blog post that explains three specific factors that have affected your identity.  They might include: family members, friends, a specific experience, music, faith, television or movies, travel, etc.

In each paragraph, explain how the factor has affected you and what you've learned about yourself as a result.  Additionally, create a link to a website or embed a picture that is relevant for each paragraph.  For the sake of practice, please embed at least one website and one photo.

Example:

I remember the feeling when I walked onto the campus at Saint Joseph's University for the first time.  It was February of my junior year of high school, and my mom and I had traveled down the east coast on a college tour during school vacation week.  It was an unseasonably warm day in Philadelphia so throughout the campus, students sat on the grass, played frisbee and wandered around.  It was like I'd walked into one of the school's promotional pamphlets I'd received in the mail.  It was idyllic, and I instantly knew this was where I wanted to spend my four years of college.  Not only was the setting beautiful, but each person I met on that trip was warm and welcoming.  From the people at the hotel on City Line Avenue (today a Target... then the Adam's Mark), to my tour guide, and the teacher whose class I observed, I felt like I was home.  That realization, along with the following four years of college, have formed who I am today.  Saint Joe's sparked my passion for theology and service and challenged me to spend my life discerning how to incorporate that passion into who I am becoming (still today!).