Blessed Are the West Virginians

"Not that others should have relief

while you are burdened, but as a matter of equality,

your abundance at the present time should supply there needs

so their abundance may also supply your needs. "

- 2 Cor 8:13-14

The JusticeWorx Team with Bill and Addie Likens

     It's been one busy month since I've last blogged. Between the end of the school year, Graduation festivities for my students and my Sister, conferences and planning trips and meetings, I've barely had enough time to enjoy the Summer sun and the backyard pool. However, Monday allowed me to sleep in a little bit, go to 8:00 am Mass, come home and make breakfast for me and my Sisters, and hang out after unpacking from my most recent adventure. Summer is finally here, people, and I can finally "relax."

     Last week was the last "official" school-related event for the school year. Yes, I know classes have been over since the first week in June, but still, there were conferences and service trips to be run. This past service trip was to Dunlow, West Virginia, where Bill and Addie run the town. As a part of JusticeWorx Camp, an event run by the Center for Faith Justice in new Jersey, we drove ten mini vans down to the bottom of West Virginia. It took us nine hours and three stops to get there. After our long drive up, down and around the mountain range, we pulled into the stone parking lot of the Dunlow Community Center where we unpacked and set up shop. My girls spread out cots and sleeping bags in every which direction upstairs and I took shelter in a little side room with two other chaperones. There were 20 girls and 28 boys from a brother school in New Jersey (don't worry they stayed somewhere else!). What an adventure it already seemed to be. I could hardly wait for the week. 

     We spent the week in prayer and service in love of the Lord. Ten service groups broke up to go different places including refurbishing a shed into a home for a woman who had been beaten almost to the point of death over a quad and was now living in her parents' backyard because no assisted living was available in the area, putting in brand new windows for a man with MS who had been a huge part of the community for years, shopping, organizing and running the monthly food pantry and clothing donation give away during which we fed 141 families from all over the area (up to 2.5 hours away) and redoing a floor in Miss Mary's bedroom and hallway because her original floor was giving in. We also helped paint and clean up the community center toward the end of the week. My students were faced with my challenges all of which they accepted and accomplished. I watched my students learn how to respectfully speak with people who spoke a different type of English, organize fruits, veggies and foods in so many different ways, utilize teamwork, use power tools and of course, serve the dear neighbor living in rural poverty. 

      My students also were given opportunities to explore various types of justice according to the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. We explored environmental justice, economic justice and so much more. We talked about poverty in urban and rural settings, our carbon footprint, what we could do to change it. We also experienced many different ways to pray. It was a beautiful experience for so many of them and I know we will be coming back, for sure, next year. 

     Often, I see things through the eyes of justice. Fairness and Justice are two different things and so may say, "well that's not fair," but for me, I see things by saying, "that's unjust." Poverty is awful and I think often of all the places I've been so privileged to go because I was financially able. I was able to go to a place, serve and then go home, back to the comfort of my own financial status. One thing I heard so often through the week was, "I'm out of my comfort zone." While that's so good for people, I often wonder how much it sticks when we go back to the comfort zone. I've never felt hunger because I didn't know where my next meal was coming from. I'm willing to bet neither have most of my students. Yet, we were working with people who may not know that. Considering that the nearest store was 45 minutes away, people might not be able to afford getting to the store, either. I saw a lot of injustice in the world last week and I felt so blessed to have experienced that. 

      I teach Catholic Social Teaching at my school and I love it. I love Theology but my favorite thing to teach is ethics. It makes people think about the rights and the wrongs of society. One of the first things my students were told when we arrived in WV was that each day they would be allowed 4 minute showers each. That's it. When they started grumbling, I spoke up and said, "I take about a five minute shower every other day before school. I can still function as a human being. You can do it, too." I believe in practicing what I preach. Like I've said, I have never felt the pinch. But that doesn't mean I can't live in solidarity with the people I serve. So, as much as I teach I try to practice. It's not always easy, but it's certainly possible. I challenge my kids to do the same. 

     What they all saw this week was everything I teach in reality. Everything I tell them about, yes, it really exists. But the most important part the realized was the importance of my first lesson every time I start a new class - the importance of names and stories. People. We are so far away from the poverty and the injustice of society because we fail to recognize that it's OTHER people involved. My students even commented on this many times. I challenged them to get to know as many names and stories as possible. And they certainly rose to the occasion. They sat with so many people at the food pantry, they sat with the owners of the houses on which we worked and they sat with one another. It was beautiful to see God's work at hand. 

      I was sitting in my pew on Sunday, the day after we drove nine hours home in perpetual pouring rain and storms, and thinking about the past week. I heard the above Scripture quotation and took it as a little nod from God - you done good, kid. But not me, my students. They gave from what they had and allowed the poor to become friends with them. I saw so many beautiful things and it was mind-blowing. I told my kids every day how proud I was of them. When I heard that verse, I thought, and this is why I do the things I do. It's in Scripture, number one, but it's God calling me onto holiness through solidarity with my brothers and sisters. Blessed are the poor in spirit...blessed are the West Virginians. 

What's Your Price Tag? - A Story of Chastity

"We must practice modesty, not only in our looks, 

but in our whole deportment, and particularly in our dress, 

our walk, our conversation, and all similar actions."

- St. Alphonsus Ligouri

    If you were to randomly walk in my Catholic Social Teaching class today or yesterday or even last week you would probably have some of the following initial thoughts: where is the rest of the class? are there really that many students out sick? why are the lights off? why are they listening to music during prayer? and many more. The rest of my class does not exist; I have a whopping six this quarter. While many teachers may panic at that thought, I have fallen in love with this notion. Usually all six are present, however, it still makes the class seem small. We usually leave the lights off because the sun shines perfectly through the windows; why use extra energy when natural energy is sufficient? And finally, what better way to pray than by praying twice (St. Augustine)? However, also upon walking into my class these past few days, you would have heard conversations concerning the be C word. That's right Chastity. You would have seen it on the board, on our iPads, in our Google Docs and definitely on our lips. Chastity in Social Justice? But of course. 

      I typically do not post about controversial topics but the Spirit has really been moving me to write about this topic. Besides, I have no qualms preaching the usually unpopular Social Justice views of the Church in my class (maybe it's because they pay me? Just kidding!) so why shouldn't I continue my call to share awareness? Upon first thought, one may not think that Chastity has a place in a Social Justice classroom. One might also think that Humanae Vitae is a Church Document rather suited for college students studying Marriage and Family, not High School students. But each time I assign the 1968 Papal Encyclical written by Pope Paul VI, I am continuously made proud of my students who pull apart the document and summarize and understand it. Today, my students finished reading a part of Humanae Vitae and once again, I was the proud teacher. 

     Without trying to get too heady, Article 2 of Humanae Vitae addresses various issues permeating our society today such as contraception, IVF, responsible parenthood, marriage. It indirectly leads to conversations about abortion, euthanasia, adoption, and other beginning/end of life issues about which Catholic Social Teaching is concerned. So now, you, in brief, understand why I require my students to read this document. A document which, by the way, I have seen college students struggle with understanding. Last week, I introduced our reading of Humanae Vitae by putting the word CHASTITY on the board. After getting a brief definition from a student, I quickly put a slash through the word and asked for results of a negligence to practicing chastity. The conversation quickly filled up the front board and the entire side board (yes, despite technology permeating the hallways of the school, I still used chalk and subsequently fulfilled my teacher dream of getting chalk all over my pants) with Social Justice issues that stem from a negligence to practicing Chastity. Imagine their surprise when such huge Social Justice issues were connected with such a "simple" topic of Chastity. 

     My students are aware of the fact that I am 4-5 years older than they are. While many professors would encourage would be teachers to NOT reveal their ages to their students, especially if there is a small age gap, I feel it is necessary for my students to know that I am a part of their generation. There is a comfort in the classroom when it comes to discussing various topics and also, my "young age" stands as proof that it is possible to live a CATHOLIC life and still be normal (a relative description, of course). My favorite part of teaching CST is the beginning of life issues, because so many start with Chastity, a topic so rarely touched in today's society. Why is it my favorite? Well, because being so young and so close in age to my students, I can see the thinking gears going when I mention that Chastity is possible. 

     As I was preparing for my class today, I was blessed to talk to a good friend's mom on the phone. She is coming to guest speak to my class in two weeks about adoption and we were going over some topics of discussion. I caught her up on what my students will know by the time she comes to visit and somehow, we got to talking about reading Humanae Vitae and practicing Chastity. She mentioned how rare it is that young people hear about the importance of chastity from other young people. We started talking about how women are so much more under attack from the devil because of our vulnerability. While it is true that both man and woman are needed for the creation of a new child, the woman carries the new life. Without her temple, the child could not be born. Eve, a woman (in case you forgot) was targeted before Adam because women are naturally modeled to be more emotionally vulnerable than men. It is a beautiful thing, truly, but the devil knows this to be true and attacks it at any given chance. Today, this is also true. He continues to attack the vulnerability of women. He confuses the minds of young women by falsely showing physical actions as emotional love. He confuses the minds of young women by giving them every "good" reason to neglect the practice of chastity. 

    I brought this up to my students in class after we finished reading and summarizing Humanae Vitae. Of course, teaching in an all girl school usually means that students are chopping at the bit to discuss feminism at any given chance. Isn't it a feminist argument in talking about being under attack by the devil? I think so. I took advantage of our class today (a true teachable moment) to talk gently about Chastity. Many Catholics grow up with the belief that "sex is bad;" a very Puritan take on relationships. However, the Church believes quite the opposite. Humanae Vitae clearly says that the marital acts between a man and woman are good; procreative and unitive yielding a beautiful marriage. With very logistical reasons, I explained to my students why the Church believes in Chastity and the thinking gears were turning as they began to understand that sex within marriage is a beautiful thing, especially after a life of Chastity is pursued before marriage. 

     The truth is this: a life of chastity pursued before marriage yields fidelity in a marriage. By one's physical action of waiting for marriage, one proclaims, by his or her body, that the physical gift of self belongs only to the spouse. It proclaims, "I will wait until I verbally give my whole self to you, to give my whole self physically." A practice of chastity before marriage yields greater, more wholesome marriages and families. A practice of chastity leads to true, loving sexual relationships with the purpose of being unitive and procreative. Of course, all of this can be found in Church Documents and Encyclicals. But where is Chastity in society?

     Having sex is so often regarded as a right of passage of sorts in relationships. For example, if two people have been in a relationship for six or nine months (or any given amount of time) and not yet have had sex, then something must be wrong, right? Wrong. There is the familiar concept of getting to second and third base and scoring a home run. But why? Does it grind my gears when people ask I've "done anything yet" in my current relationship? Yes. Because quite honestly, yes I've done some things....some things like watch Netflix, go ice skating, hold hands, go out to dinner, go for walks in the snow with my dog, go on wholesome double dates with my ten-year old Sister and her 8 year old boy best friend. But "done anything yet" is said with the indication that is the question is not "what type of dates?" but rather "what level of sexual achievement have you reached?" Why is it so hard to believe that chastity is practiced? Because the devil permeates society by saying that sex is the only way to express love. 

     My students know how much chastity permeates my heart. It is not only by my personal witness and story telling, but rather my passion in classroom instruction, that they understand the importance of chastity in my own life. In the beginning of the quarter, I start the course by explaining to them that we are Princesses because we share in the royalty of God both because we are made in His image and because He has made use with such great price. God intends us each to be a pearl of great price, not fake gold. (Trust me when I say, pearl earrings cost way more than gold plated sterling silver). God's intent was to make us so beautiful and for each of us to recognize the beauty in each other. I am a pearl and my students are pearls; I am not to treat them like cheap gifts. I am not to treat them less than their true value of Imago Dei and vice versa. The same is implied when it comes to chastity. My students are young women to be treated by young men as the pearls of great price. They are to be treated as true gifts. 

       I tell my students often that "what you wear and how you act is what you advertise." By their actions and attire they proclaim a price tag. They are pearls of great price but society so often encourages us to cheapen ourselves to a "lesser price." That is the devil after us. He puts false advertisement on sex; there is no disclaimer about the negative effects. The devil falsely proclaims that sex empowers whereas the reality is that chastity empowers. My virginity is a gift I am saving. We wouldn't give a strand of pearls to just anyone, right? If I am called to marriage, that gift is reserved for my husband and it is a gift he will receive only after we say "I do." If I am called to religious life, it is a gift I offer to Jesus and I ask Him to make me fruitful in spiritual ways. 

      Practicing chastity is not easy and it is a daily prayer of mine. I pray for the ability to remain chaste and for my students to find the beauty in remaining chaste. I tell my students every day that we must be women who, "when we wake up in the morning, the devil says, 'oh crap, she's up.'" By my very prayers for chastity, I am already stomping all over the devil's plan to lessen my price tag. By practicing chastity, we ruin the plans of the devil. If that is not empowering for women, I don't know what is. 

      Now, I was going to wait until Valentine's Day to share the following with many of you, but I feel this topic lends itself to the story. It is with full understanding that I very much still feel the desire and call to religious life that I was asked out on a date many times my Senior year. It was with that strong desire still permeating my heart that I denied the request for a date. Of course, the pure pursuing continued the summer after graduation until finally, after much prayer, I felt God was asking me to try the dating scene one more time. (I think I will share that story on Valentine's Day...be sure to check back!) Being 22 and 23 years old, there is no question that the sexual "norms and pressures" surround our relationship. But there is nothing more empowering than hearing, "I will wait for you." You see, he waited a whole year (maybe more) for me to simply agree to go on a date. He promises me that waiting longer for the beauty of sex is worth the wait. He tells me that it makes him stronger as a Catholic man. He tells me that I am the pearl of great price and I am beautifully deserving chastity. Of course, what truly melts my heart is when he tells me that he knows religious life is still a viable option for me. He knows that I may very well enter religious life, even after dating him. He knows that our dating relationship is part of the discernment process. It is with this knowledge that he reminds me that there is no way he could ask me to give up my gift prematurely if it is meant to be given to Jesus. 

     Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention this: when I teach CST, I am pray for gentleness. Many Social Justice issues are wake-up calls to my students. However, our Church preaches gentleness and compassion overall. It would not be following the example of Pope Francis if I did not mention compassion toward those who may have read this and felt that it was too late to practice chastity. Statistics say that teenagers and even children are losing their innocence sooner and sooner. It is with much compassion that I address the beginning of life issues formerly mentioned in this post and even greater compassion that I address chastity. I remind my students, especially when the question of "am I going to hell now?" comes up, of the story of Jesus and the woman caught in the act of adultery. Jesus said, "Let the one without sin be the first to cast the stone." My job as teacher is not to condemn but rather to love the sinner not the sin. Pope Francis encourages us to love unconditionally, without judgement. And so I say this, when talking about chastity, I remind my students that there is always a chance for starting over, for reconciliation. When an expensive piece of jewelry gets chipped or upset in some way, we take it to the jeweler to be fixed and refurnished. Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is our jeweler, fixing the dents, cracks and scrapes in our pearls of great price. 

    Living out chastity is so difficult in our society today. Many of our Social Justice issues can be traced back to a negligence to practicing chastity, however, now is the perfect time to start anew. Now is the time to begin living out chastity for ourselves and being that example for our young people. Now is the time to start learning about how we can be Social Justice Advocates simply by living out chastity. And of course, now is the time to start promoting healthy dating relationships that lead to beautiful and wholesome marriages. Now is the time to recognize our worth as the pearl of great price. Now is the time to up the price on our price tag! 

Loving Through The Hurt - A Reflection on Boston

"You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,'

But I say to you, do not resist an evil person;

but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him.

You have hear that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,'

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

- Matthew 5: 38, 39, 43, 44

     Many of you know me as the loud girl, who loves to use her words for everything, but especially advocacy and justice, and who will not be silenced. (Ironically, as I write, "So It Goes" by Billy Joel is playing on my playlist and he is singing about silence...) You know me as a passionate young woman with many advocacies but the truth is, all those advocacies fall under Social Justice. And while I see that our country has a beautiful "justice system," I question the usage of the word "justice." 

    In the last week, I, along with my fellow Americans, watched the Terror befall the streets of Boston during a most prestigious marathon and the fight for what we call justice. One week ago today, I woke up to my phone going off with notifications about the Boston Marathon Bombings. I felt my heart become overwhelmed with sadness and fear, just as it had on the day of the Sandy Hook shootings not too long ago. The first thing I always want to do is hear the voices of my parents and my little sisters, just to make sure they are okay. In both cases, none of my family was near Sandy Hook or Boston, but still there is a panic that goes through my system and I worry about them. These events remind us that we are never sure what could possibly happen. 

    As I watched the news unfold Monday night at work (the motherhouse sisters can attest to the fact that this was the one sole time I ever watched the TV at work), I was struck by the phrase, "We had no inclining that this was going to happen." The Marathon was staffed by numerous first responders in the case that any participant needed help and to keep the running route safe. Not a single one of those first responders expected to go to the Marathon and end up dealing with a triple bombing. Not a single one of those runners expected the ground to shake out beneath them or to be leaving that day a physically changed person. When you run a marathon, you don't expect terror to ensue. When you work a marathon, you don't expect a bomb to go off during the race. It was not expected, it was not planned on, it was not a normal day therefore and will go down in history. 

    I continued to watch the news until it seemed that everything being said was already said. I found myself exploring social media and the internet for more information. I, just like every other single person in the United States, wanted information. Who was hurt? What was being down to help? How many people? Was it an act of terrorism? Was it an accidental explosion? Who was responsible....? In searching the internet, I didn't find any of that information. Instead, I found pictures of the heroes of the day, tweets from the Red Cross telling the world how many runners kept running straight to the hospital to give blood; facebook posts praising the first responders AND the civilian heroes. I was so proud of my country. I am a product of America, an American sweetheart as someone once told me, and seeing the positivity all over social media, made me proud. I was proud of all those who assisted the hurt, the helpless that day. I was so proud and I wished I could have done something more to help than smile and praise them. I felt also, compassion for all of those who were hurt and and killed, especially Martin Richard, the 8-year old boy. His death hit so close to home as my baby sister is eight years old, too. I found myself praying for those hurt, for their strength and for those who helped that day, in thanksgiving for their willingness to selflessly give of themselves. 

      Over the next few days, those stories of heroism continued as did the prayers of so many throughout the country. But as the week progressed, the focus turned from the actual people of the Marathon, the runners and the helpers, to those responsible. So many people were quoted saying that no matter what we will find the people responsible and they will pay. I believe that is the moment when prayer was forgotten. The focus went from "praying for Boston" to finding and serving justice to those responsible. Now, before I go on, I must say that I know how sensitive this subject is to many people all over our country. I understand that justice must be served as a wrong was performed. I am aware of all of this and so, what I may have to say could be hard to understand, it may anger a good amount of people, but under the terms of Social Justice, I am advocate for loving through the hurt.

      By the end of the week, I found myself watching the news with some of the Sisters at home. It was Friday, the morning of the MIT shooting which then progressed in the death of one of the Boston Bombing suspects and the capture of the other. I watched the whole thing unfold from the comfort of the convent community room and surrounded by a few of my sisters. The conversations were flying with every new update. One of my closest sisters was sitting next to me and often, we had found to be on the same thinking wavelength. Just as I was thinking what the nurses would be thinking if Dzhohhar was injured and had to be taken care of, Sister said it. Of course, this began a long justice conversation. In the end, we both decided that ethically, those nurses should take care of him and heal him, as he is suffering. Regardless of what he was responsible, he was first a human being. After that conversation, I realized there was a much, much bigger issue in our hands. 

     I began to see things on Social Media surface about wanting only justice for this man. Many were calling for a death sentence, or three lifetimes worth in jail. Others were stating that they didn't want to know his family history, his life story or even his name. They wanted to know nothing about him because as it seemed, it was only giving attention to an undeserved person. I disagree. I want to know his name. I want to know where he came from, who is family is, what his life was like. I want him to understand that what he did was wrong, but why teach that murder is wrong with murder? Why? Why do I want to know these things? Because for me, regardless of his wrong, he is a person. 

     All my life, I have been taught the lessons from Matthew 5. Turn the other cheek, love your enemies, etc. And yet, where is this present right now in our news and the media? I don't see it, I may not have twenty-twenty vision, but I'm not blind. It's not there. Prayer has been forgotten. When I heard on the news that Dzhokhar's father wanted justice for his son, I didn't at first agree with him radically coming over to the United States and wreaking havoc. I still don't, but he gave us something to really think about. This 19-year old man (if he can really be called that, as he, to me, is still a child) was HIS SON. Yes, he did something so very, very wrong. He so obviously hurt so many people; it was wrong. I cannot deny that. But, why must we hate him for it? Why is there so much hatred, such a calling for "justice," for the death penalty, for such harsh sentencing? Why? 

     What this man, this child, did was wrong. But regardless of this, he first came into this world just as any other human being, and so, he is a human being. Regardless of the wrong, he still shares my humanness. Regardless of the wrong, HE IS MY BROTHER. We must learn that while what happened in Boston was a tragedy and so many people were hurt, this man was obviously hurting, too. For, no one in their right human mind would want to hurt others of their same kind. We must not HATE the MAN, but HATE the HATE WITHIN THE MAN. I want to know his name so I can pray for him, I want to know his family so I can pray for them, I want to know who he was as a person, because HE WAS AND IS A PERSON. I want to love him, love him as a fellow human, love him as a brother. I hate the hate within him, but I love him. And so, perhaps this is a blog post not about social justice, but rather loving through the hurt. 

      I have carried in prayer all of my brothers and sisters who were hurt and killed during the Boston Marathon. I have prayed every single morning and every single night with them and for them and their families. I have carried in prayer all the first responders who were there and who came after to help even more. And now, I pray for Dzhokhar as my brother and sister. Because what makes him less human? Let the first without sin cast the first stone. And yet, we cast stones, despite the sin we carry in our own hearts. Dzhohkar was filled with hurt and pain, which he wrongly projected on so many helpless people. It was sin that he carried, just as we carry every day and so we must love past the sin, love the man within. Just as God loves us.