The Grand Finale

This is the end...................... Yes I know it is abrupt, but that is how life is. Everything is constantly changing. For the grand finale, we will address to question of all questions: What is Man Fully Alive? Now I know what you avid readers and fans are thinking....... Didn't they already do a Man Fully Alive blog post? The answer would be, Yes. Yes we did. However we want to bring the question into new light as we have grown in knowledge and understanding in Catholic theology and life in generally. (The other reason is that we were assigned to do this blog post topic again, but let's not dwell on that).

Man Fully Alive.

 

 

If someone asks you what man fully alive is, you might immediately think the answer is simple and objective. However once you start thinking about it, it really is a complex and intriguing question.

One might come up with different versions of what you think man fully alive means. This blog post is dedicated to what I think Man Fully Alive means, based on what I have learned from my theology class and theology teacher, the great C squared.

 

Man Fully Alive is quite simple, complete communion with God. It makes sense. God is the source of all things including life. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. He is the Big Man upstairs. Even though that the ultimate communion with God is the fulfillment  of Man Fully Alive, the destiny is not the full story. It is the journey that creates the fulfilment of the destination(deep huh? Came up with that myself). But what do I mean by the journey? What I mean is that in order to achieve full communion you must accept God and go toward him. Therefore one of the marks of a Man Fully Alive is the humility to accept God and acknowledge you imperfection. In that acceptance of God, one must  also take part in the redemptive action of Christ. Yes it is true that Christ died for each and every one of our sins, but cannot merely do nothing in our part and expect to be Men Fully Alive. We must participate in Christ's redemption through living a virtuous life, led by the guidance of the Church. In the Church we can receive Christ's great divine gifts, the Sacraments. Since the Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, then they are a means in which men can grow in relationship with God, and consequently grow closer to the ultimate goal of being a Man Fully Alive. 

 

Even though the Church is the best way to become a Man Fully Alive, there are simple, everyday things that you can do in order to grow closer to the ultimate goal. These things include prayer, prudence, self sacrifice and responsibility, charity and good works, patience, and finally love. If you treat yourself as a member of the Body of Christ and if you treat your neighbors as brothers and sisters in Christ, I guarantee you are well on your way to be  a Man Fully Alive.  

 

On behalf of my partner and myself, it has been a joy and a privilege writing this blog for you, the readers. I hope that you guys have learned some new things about theology, life, and the world. Hopefully you can take some of our advice and apply it to your life in a positive and meaningful way.

 

To leave this blog in a humorous mood, here are some of the funniest videos of all time.........

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Publishing for the last time..................



-D and G

Conservativism Under Attack

Many of you might have heard about the IRS scandal where conservative groups were unlawfully targeted and discriminated against. Now I have tried to stay away from politics in this blog, but I do believe that this ties into the issue of our secular society in this day. It is evident that traditional, Conservative values and ideals are under attack in America and across the globe. This also ties into a more secular way of thinking in our world which has been a major cause of the rise of atheism. I saw an eye-opening figure on the Internet today that said that 2/3 of teenagers in the U.K. are atheists. Now sure many teenagers tend to be more liberal when it comes to religion, and tend to grow closer to God. However, 2/3 is still a very significant number. I think with the advancement of technology and science in the modern day, many people think that there is no God. People think that humans can play the role of God n the role through their pride. However this is the exact same mistake that Adam and Eve made in the beginning. They chose to deny God, and be God by choosing to eat of the apple. The outcome that wasn't so great huh? An atheistic world will have bad repercussions too just like original sin is a repercussion of the sin of Adam and Eve. But we must remember that God is all powerful, and no situation is too dire to be reperated. Jesus did beat all the odds and died for all of our sins. So too will Christ come again in all of his glory. When that time will be? No one knows but the Father.

Fishers of Men in Our Culture

Priests have served as spiritual leaders to the faithful for millenia. They have served as role models of complete and unconditional service to the Church. They live lives completely focused on God, and also focused on leading the people toward him. Unfortunately in our current times, due to some horrible actions that some priests have committed, Catholic priests are not seen in such positive light as before. This view is truly saddening. Even though the scrutiny toward the priests who molested children is more than deserved, these priests are only an extremely small number compared to the rest of the priests who are completely selfless and dedicate their lives for others. I go to a Jesuit school where we have priests that live on campus and teach and serve us in many different ways. They are true men who live their lives for others. Society must also look at all the other priests who serve their parishes and communities and also those priests risking their lives as missionaries in foreign countries. In our modern society, it seems like there is a shortage of young men who want to become priests. At least that is what the video is saying. However, the article sheds completely different light on the status of seminarians. This article says that there is actually an increase in seminarians. The two therefore seem to contradict each other. The article sights that because of the busy, technologically-driven, secular world we live in, many young men fail to find a sense in fulfillment and join the seminary to become priests. Although this notion makes sense, I think that this rise in seminarians is only specific to the city. I think that overall, there is a shortage of priests. I think that in order for there to be an increase in priests, society must see the priesthood as something positive and fulfilling.



The following is a reflection on this video: http://vimeo.com/9916486 and this article: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/05/12/number-of-young-men-choosing-priesthood-on-the-rise/

Flashback Friday

5/17/13

Flashback Friday

As many of you who posses some form of social media, every day there is some sort of trend. For example one of the most famous is #tbt or #throwbackthursday. There's also the usual #mcm #wcw for #mancrushmonday and #womancrushwednesday. So today, towards the end of our school year and this blog assignment., I'm going to introduce our first trend-day blog post: #flashbackfriday.

To commemorate this great moment, I chose to use this video:

Pretty sweet huh? I wish there was better quality but hey it was the 80's. Just goes to show that even the leader of the Catholic religion on earth can still have some fun. I think this video also shows that the religious figures of the Catholic Faith are not this high and mighty figures that don't meddle with the small people. This also connects with my previous article talking about how priests are normal people like you and me. Even the Pope can have some fun sometimes.

Also as an Astros fan, I'm kinda wishing he was still around because we need all the help we can get.

Reflection of priesthood

5/16/13

Reflection on Priesthood in today's culture

The priesthood and its image has greatly changed since its beginning in the early Church. Even the image of a priest has changed deeply since I was a kid. I used to imagine priests as completely holy people that are born and raised completely different then we were. I always viewed priests were born with that calling and had to go to priest school when they were young. I've only learned through time that my perception of priests was completely wrong.

A priest in training can be anybody. Literally anybody. Now to become an actual priest, it takes a lot of resolve and dedication. But just like this article I read reiterated, the men they get to become priest in training come from all over. They can be college students or 40 year old men who have finally heard their calling. Chances are you know a couple people that will one day hear their calling and take down the path of priesthood even if they show no sign at all right now. The point is that you should not be surprised if one of your friends or somebody you never viewed as much becomes a priest, the call to priesthood has no preferences.

Here's the article: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/05/12/number-of-young-men-choosing-priesthood-on-the-rise/

Ahead of our Times

5/12/13

Ahead of our Times

As time has progressed, so has society. As society has progressed, so has its standards. As society's standards has progressed, the Church's standards and morals haven't. From the Church's standpoint, that is a problem. The morals that the Church had tried to keep tight for centuries and centuries, started to become looser. Bit by bit to a point where if you make a comparison between society a 1000 years ago and now, they are near polar opposites. The effect of this consistent change on society is starting to become noticeable. As teenagers we used to look up to society with admiration. Now, we look up at it with envy. We look at all the fun society is having and say "Hey, why can't we do that?" Even though this question has been asked many times before, by people long gone, now the answer is leaning more towards "I don't see any reason why you can't."

We live in a society ahead of our times. As teenagers and young adults,we are constantly trying to speed up the process. We try to live life a few steps too far ahead of this, we are going too fast. The impatience of this generation grows bigger and bigger every time around.

We live in a society where pre-marital sex has become a fantasy only held by the devout. The almost certain agreement made silently by gentleman once upon a time is now an openly mocked social status. The notion of being a virgin till marriage is one that frightens most. Even the idea of being a virgin before college is something that scares some. The Church preaches to us that sex was something God created for man and woman, after marriage, to reproduce and fill the earth. It can only watch on in horror at what as become of this once "holy" act.

We live in a society where teenagers embrace college life in high school. Drinking, drugs, sex, and wild parties can no longer wait. Our generation had continually complained about it being our turn, there was only so much whining society could take. But even the modern day conception of college life at one point took the same step that high schoolers are taken now. The visible sign of this restlessness to reach the spot in the social pyramid above us is the desire from high school students to look "frat." There is nothing wrong with this particular act, but its the visual indication to the rest of the world that we can no longer wait.

We live in a society where we have to ask "Where does it end?" We already have shows like "16 and Pregnant," and "Teen Mom," because of this acceleration into the life that is ahead of us. If we keep moving this fast, what's to say the drinking, drugs, sex, and wild parties become a norm for middle schoolers? This might be crazy and a bit disturbing to think of but if it got this far, what's going to stop it? That is the sobering question that demands an answer we might be afraid to hear.

We live in a society that is ahead of our times. The saying is: "You can't stand in the way of progress." The Church is losing this game of tug of war with Society, but it will never accept this saying. It never has and never will. Ever since it was established, the Church has expected the same from the People of God. Some people call it stubbornness, others, dedication. As a Catholic you finally ask yourself, "which side should I choose?" That is question that I'm afraid I can't answer, it is ahead of my time. 

Mother's Day

So that day is coming up. The day where you are extra good, and extra nice to your mom. Mother's Day is a great time to show your appreciation for everything your mom has done for you, not to mention going through painful child labor. While it is great to have a special day like this, it is important to be constantly thankful to your mom for all that she does for you and for how much she loves you. Sometimes moms can get your nerves, but that is just part of life and it is inevitable. However, ultimately, your mom truly cares about you and your well-being. So my message for today is to say thanks to your mom once and a while and I'm sure she will appreciate it.

David vs. Goliath

5/11

The term "David vs. Goliath" is used so much in sports. It's a term used when one team seems clearly superior than  the other, and it would take quite a performance for the lesser team to beat them. To remind some readers the actually David vs. Goliath story:

The account of the battle between David and Goliath is told in 1 Samuel, chapter 17.^[3] Saul and the Israelites are facing the Philistines near the Valley of Elah. Twice a day for 40 days, Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, comes out between the lines and challenges the Israelites to send out a champion of their own to decide the outcome in single combat, but Saul and all the Israelites are afraid. David, bringing food for his elder brothers, hears that Saul has promised to reward any man who defeats Goliath, and accepts the challenge. Saul reluctantly agrees and offers his armor, which David declines, taking only his sling and five stones from a brook.
David and Goliath confront each other, Goliath with his armor and shield, David with his staff and sling. "The Philistine cursed David by his gods." but David replies: "This day Jehovah will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that God saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is God’s, and he will give you into our hand."
David hurls a stone from his sling with all his might and hits Goliath in the center of his forehead, Goliath falls on his face to the ground, and David cuts off his head. The Philistines flee and are pursued by the Israelites "as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron". David puts the armor of Goliath in his own tent and takes the head to Jerusalem, and Saul sends Abner to bring the boy to him. The king asks whose son he is, and David answers, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

You may or may not be a soccer fan but today David once again beat Goliath. Wigan Athletic and Manchester City faced off in the FA Cup final. Manchester City are lasted year's premier league champions and this year's second place team, while Wigan Athletic are still fighting to stay in the premier league and not get relegated for next season. The game was deadlocked until the Ben Watson of Wigan scored off a header in the 91st minute of the game, catapulting Wigan to their first FA Cup title.

This game inspired me to list and remember a few of history's greatest "David" victories in sports.

10. NC State beat Hakeem Olajuwan, Clyde Drexler and the Houston Cougars in the 1983 NCAA Men's basketball Championship 54-52.

9. Number 8. seed Nuggets beat the top-seeded Seattle Supersonics in the first round of the 1994 playoffs after being down 2 games to none.

8. Number 8 seed Villanova number  beat number one seed Georgtown in the 1985 NCAA Men's Basketball championship 66-64.

7. Number six seed Juan Martin Del Potro beat world number one Roger Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open.

6. Upset beat lifetime undefeated Man 'o War in the Sanford Memorial Stakes in the 1900's. Upset was given 100-1 odds of victory.

5. Appalachian State beats number five nationally ranked Michigan in 2007 College Football regular season.

4. New York Jets beat the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III.

3. Buster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson with one punch in 1990. He had a 42-1 odd of winning.

2. (As a Patriots fan, this one is painful) The New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots 17-14 in the 2007 Super Bowl, denying the Patriots of a perfect 19-0 season.

And Now........... For the number one sports upset of all time...........................


Drum roll...........................................................................................................







1. The game forever known as the miracle on ice: U.S.A beats the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics. 'Murica!

Video Reflection

5/8/13

Video Reflection

My reflection of this video is a very humbling one. There is so many items in my life like, a house, meals, electricity, showers, and entertainment that I take for granted. Although I witness this a lot, I have never been able to hear the full story of the life of a homeless person from their perspective  And that's another factor, that just one of the many. When you realize how many people have the same exact story as him, its saddening. This kind of poverty is something in life that you know is impossible to stop all over the world, but you still want to. You feel for these people, people that you have never met. People that you probably wouldn't have the time to listen to their story.

Ronald Davis was just one random homeless person on the streets. Yet once you hear his story, he doesn't sound so random. You begin to feel sad for him, just as if he was somebody you knew. Pity is an odd, yet effective way to relate to somebody. Even though most people reading this will have a very tough time relating to his life (including me), you can relate to him as a human being. A human being who is in obvious pain. The pain of being regarded as less than a human being. There's this objective sense of emotion that everybody will get after hearing his story. The Ronald Davis story isn't supposed to just invoke a sense of admiration and pity at the same time. Its supposed to show how there's millions of people like Ronald Davis out there, fighting for something that should never be taken away from a human being: dignity.

The Homeless and Neglected

5/7

The following is a response to the video above

Unfortunately, living in a big city like Houston, I see many people like Ronald Davis. They are on the streets begging for money, food, clothes, anything that will not only get them back on their feet, but also to survive. Many times we forget about the struggles and the physical and emotion toll homeless people receive because of the fact that it is so customary to see a homeless person on the street. Sometimes we try to remove ourselves from confronting a homeless person because it is so sad, but in the process we lose the adequate amount of sympathy that we should have and also the amount of recognition we should give to these struggling humans.

Ronald shows that he, and other people like him, struggle through everyday life. He also shows that he has the same thoughts and feelings as any other human being. I think this is important because sometimes homeless people are demeaned and seen as worth less than those that are more privileged. I think we should raise more awareness for the homeless. Not only by giving them material things to keep them more comfortable , but also to comfort them and give them much needed emotional help. The soul needs to be nourished just as much as the body.

All Are Welcome! Reflection

5/6/13

Reflection: All Are Welcome!

Click here for the link to the article

After reading this article, I am reminded of the third mark of the Catholic Church: Catholic. Catholic means universal, meaning that all are welcome to Christ's Church. The definition of all is really defined here where the author goes on to list certain groups of people that society might question a bit. He then shows how all of them are welcome, but the entrance comes with rules.

For example, an alcoholic will be welcomed with open arms into the Church. Yet the Church will not condone his drinking habit. To fully become incorporated with the Mystical Body of Christ, or the Church, the alcoholic must seek help from either or within or outside the Church to help cure his problem. 

I believe the point of this article is to clear up how the Church is open to all people. It is open to all people, except it will not condone the actions of those who disobey the laws and commandments sent from God.

Jason Collins

5/5

Jason Collins on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Honestly, about a week ago I had no clue who Jason Collins was. By now, however, you have probably heard that he is the first athlete to come out as gay in a major sport. He has gotten a lot of media attention and a lot of support around the sports world and beyond. I am very happy that he has support and he is not being scrutinized or insulted. Everyone should be treated with a certain degree of respect. I know that we had a post a few weeks ago devoted to gay marriage but I wanted to revive the issue in light of this new story. What I see in society today is that people that come out are seen as heroes and are praised, and maybe their praise is due. Unfortunately gays have lived through tough times of hate and insults and it does take a tremendous amount of courage to come out. However when someone like myself voices their opinion against homosexuality itself(not necessarily the person) then people bash you and insult you, which I find extremely hypocritical. I recently read an article about one ESPN analyst who voiced his opinion against homosexuality, citing his christian faith as a reason, and many Christians share his view. However, the presumably yahoo sports writing turned the article into an opinion blog and he bashed the ESPN analyst. In the article he tried to channel his inner theologian and say that while in the Old Testament the bible says that men should not sleep with other men, that it also says that you shouldn't eat shellfish or where a certain type of fabric. He also says that in the New Testament it says to love thy neighbor. I don't know how many times I have heard this fundamentally flawed argument but it is really getting on my nerves. Taking it from a true theological view, there are very specific rules in the Old Testament because man and God still had a very young and short relationship. Its like a father implementing strict rules to his son to protect him and make him a better person, and when the son asks why, the father just says "because I said so" because the child cannot really comprehend the importance of the rules. In the New Testament, mankind has matured and Jesus comes to talk to us as grown children to explain the rules, maybe lessen restriction, and give us more responsibility to account for our own actions. The Mosaic law of the Old Testament was removed from Christianity because St. Peter, at the Council of Jerusalem, decided that Gentile converts do not need to convert to Judaism first and be circumcised and follow the dietary laws. Now, going back to Jesus. Just because Jesus told us to love everyone, does not mean that everyone can do what they want. In many ways Jesus even challenged us more. He said to not even think lustfully or else we have already committed adultery and also condemned divorce. It is true that Jesus did not explicitly mention homosexuality or gay marriage, but for Catholics, we believe that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit to be in unison with God and his Will. The Catholic Church has been ardently against gay marriage, most notably citing the inability to reproduce in a gay marriage. I am going to take the Church's word for it.


The Catechumenate

5/4

When I first came upon the term catechumenate, I thought that it was some fancy term for some specific and confusing teaching of the Church or position or something like that. Then I actually looked it up and it is not like that at all. The Catechumenate is simply another term for the process of an adult being initiated into the Catholic Church. Another term for this is RCIA, which means The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. This process of initiation usually takes about a year. During that process each catechumen goes to special classes where they learn about the teachings and practices of the Church. They usually go to three hour classes one night of the week. During this time catechumens can decide to not undergo the classes and just leave and not be initiated in the Church. After all of this rigorous study and understanding of the Church, the catechumens are initiated in the Easter Vigil mass. For those who have never been baptised then they can get baptized, and also receive communion and do their confirmation. For those that have already been baptized in a Christian Church, then the Church acknowledges that baptism as valid and they no longer need another baptism, so they can go straight to communion and confirmation. When the catechumens are given the Sacrament of Confirmation, they are addressed by another name that they have chosen, usually one of a saint, that is most like them.

Personally, I really look forward to attending the Easter Vigil mass every year because not only is it really special and heartwarming to see the people being instituted into the Church, but also because my brother-in-law went through the RCIA process and converted to Catholicism.

Carpe Diem

5/2/13

Carpe Diem

For those of you who haven't heard of this phrase before, you're wrong. Because you have. If you have ever heard of "YOLO" or "#yolo2k13noregretzzzzz." then in a way you have heard of Carpe Diem. Carpe Diem is Latin (with a big l) for "Seize the day." So you see, yolo is actually a pretty bad cliche. But I mean did you expect much from Drake (zing). So it's time to go into detail in the more original, and much more classy way to try to act like an idiot.

Point 1: Don't try to act like an idiot. It is true, there's some stuff you want to do before you die that are pretty idiotic, so CADI (Carpe Diem) right? No. It is true that you only live once, but you alone decide how long it is you live. I'm not saying go full out everything around me is going to kill me, no I want you to still have fun. But how fun are dumpster babies? I don't know how about you ask June Shannon (if you're counting that's zing #2). So the point is have fun, but don't do anything that will probably kill you in the moments after or anything that will land you a show on TLC.

Point 2: When deciding on whether to use CADI or YOLO, it shouldn't be that hard. First, the term yolo was created by a guy named AUBREY GRAHAM (Drake). CADI was first coined by a fella named Quintus Horatius Flaccus. Look me straight in the computer screen and tell me you would choose Aubrey over Quintus (My apologies to anybody named Aubrey reading this). Second, if you read both literary pieces where the terms came from, "The Motto" for yolo and "Odes 1.11" for cadi, it's pretty easy to pick a winner:

 "I mean maybe she won’t, Then again maybe she will,"or "I’m in the building and I’m feeling myself" are examples of why you shouldn't choose yolo. 

Now lets look at cadi:
"-be wise, be truthful, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes to a short period," and "While we speak, envious time will have fled: seize the day, trusting as little as possible." 

But I mean hey Drake got to rhyme "wrist blang" and "Biscayne" together...

Point 3: To be honest that's all I had to say, but it doesn't sound cool just have three points and three is a holy number in the bible so its a no-brainer.

In conclusion, the next time you're thinking about going to a party or just having fun, use cadi. You can still use yolo, just save it for the trashy things like MTV and TLC shows.

Since, it would be inappropriate to post the video to "The Motto," the best I can do is post the Lonely Island Parody to it:

S/O to Kendrick Lamar in this one.

Service Paper

4/28

Just like my blog partner, I too wrote a paper about my experience of service during this year:

My Sophomore Service

This year for my sophomore service hours I had the privilege of going to two great organizations working for great causes. The first organization that I went to was Open Door Mission. Open Door Mission is located in the second ward area and works to help alcoholics get rid of their problem and be normal citizens in society. They also have a school at their facilities to teach the children of these recovering alcoholics. At this mission I did not directly work with the patients, but I did work in the kitchen. The first time I went, I was assigned to make sandwiches for a group of patients going on a field trip. The second day everyone was on the field trip so I cleaned the kitchen and helped organize plates and other items. The second organization I went to was the Houston Food Bank. At the Food Bank I was able to work with a large group, including many of my classmates, to package boxes filled with food. These specific packages were to go out to pregnant women that need food.

I found the most fulfilling time during my service when I was making sandwiches, the conclave was going on and they had just chosen the pope. It was very special that they had chosen a Jesuit pope who took on the name of St. Francis, while I was serving others. This motivated me to work even harder while representing Jesuit, and continue being on my path toward becoming a Man For Others. Not only was the service fulfilling but I think that it truly brought me closer to God by thinking of Jesus, our God, and remembering that he himself was a servant to the people and we must follow his example. Even though the jobs that I was doing were not dealing with the recipients directly, I envisioned those benefiting from my service and got a real sense of satisfaction thinking about the joy that my work will give to them. The service then became something that I truly enjoyed and looked forward to rather than something that was required and had to be done. One of my other favorite moments from the service experience was working alongside my dad, an SJ alum, and my brother, doing the service as a family. Neither of them got any service credit or reward from doing this, but they showed me that we have to stick together and help others as a family. Ultimately working together to serve others helps build our relationships between each other and the family itself. My dad, by his eagerness to help, showed that the SJ motto and attitude of serving others truly sticks for your whole life, and it inspired me to do the same come time I have kids of my own.

At the end of the day, while I was doing service in order to help others, my family and I also got something invaluable form this experience which is the gift of unity, and the gift of gratitude.



Perseverance

4/28

Its the end of April, almost the beginning of May. Most of you know what that means. IT IS ALMOST SUMMER. For those of you in school, myself included, you know that summer is the most coveted and highly anticipated time of the year. 3 straight months of no worries, hanging out with friends, going on a vacation, being lazy, or maybe making some money with a summer job. We have been going through a long, grueling, and tiring school year and we cannot wait until it is over. We are on a marathon, and have reached the last mile. These last few weeks of school can sometimes seem longer than usually and we might get lazier than usually and just kind of give up since the school year is almost over. For many students, grades start to fall a little bit because of this laziness. This is where the importance of being perseverance comes in. Perseverance is key. The official definition of perseverance is a "steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, as state, etc., especially in spite of of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement." The key to perseverance is the difficulties one faces. In this case it is the anticipation of summer. If we are perseverant during these last few weeks and sustain our grades or even bump our grades up, even though it might be painful, I guarantee that when the school year end you will be satisfied even more and grateful that you were perseverant, and the summer experience will be even better knowing that you truly did your best during the school year and now you have a much deserved break. Perseverance is not only important in school, but in jobs and in life in general. In terms of theolgy and everday life, perseverance is key in order to be focuse on being virtuous and not being led astray from the ultimate goal of being with God. In the way to this goal there are many temptations in life, like being lazy, and we must fight these temptations in order to succeed. By practicing perseverance now, it will be a habit later and will help you succeed in all facets of life.

Making Time For God

4/28

In this day and age, we live in a world where there is a lot going on. We have school, sports, homework, band, choir, and other activities throughout the week. At many times our schedules can be hectic, at least for me, and sometimes we find ourselves consumed with our daily lives that we do not stop and think about God. It is extremely important to sustain a consistent and meaningful relationship with God throughout our daily lives. Many times we are blessed with certain things in our lives and we do not give God thanks for these blessings. Many times we forgot about God in our thoughts and in our deeds during the week and only remember the give God thanks on Sundays. While going to Church is not only extremely fulfilling but the best way to grow in relationship with God, if do not sustain that growth throughout our ordinary daily lives, that growth decreases and is ultimately irrelevant. It is important to set a specific time of the day to reflect and communicate with God. Whether it be prayer, reading of scripture, or just calm silence and meditation, those exercises will bring you closer to God and closer to peace from the busy ambiance of life. This lesson ties perfectly with the title of this blog "A Teenager's Answer to the Call of Holiness". Our call is to be great people of God and to grow closer to Him as that is our ultimate goal in life. Therfore we must answer this call by thinking of God first and regard Him as our utmost importance in daily life.

Service Project Essay

4/27/13

The school I attend requires sophomores to complete at least 15 hours of community service and then write a reflection paper on it. The following is said paper:

Service Project Essay

For my sophomore service project, I had the great opportunity to complete most of my hours at the Houston Food Bank, an organization dedicated to feeding the homeless of Houston. I also completed a small part of my project with the SEARCH program, another homeless organization, by making daily hygiene kits.

I have to say, the work done my freshman year for the service project was a lot easier than this year. Instead of senior assisted living work, the Houston Food Bank operates under 4 hour shifts of food preparation. This could mean anything like; chopping onions, serving peas, opening boxes, or making ham and cheese sandwiches. The work was not exactly difficult, but the repetitive nature of it wore you out. It really helped me though to think of it as each individual item I prepared, would be a meal for somebody that probably hasn’t had one in a while. The SEARCH project on the other hand was much more free in the sense of the choice of work. Me and my dad went to target and bought several hygiene supplies we take for granted like toothbrushes, deodorant, nail clippers and other items. We then assembled them all in kits and visited the shelter to drop them off.

I do believe this service project brings me closer to God. One of Jesus’ main messages was to serve those below you. By working to feed and help the homeless this year, I do believe I was able to continue to fulfill His mission for us. To me, someone who is able to continually fulfill this mission is the definition of a man for others. I believe becoming a man for others should be a long term goal for most if not all people. Doing these service projects have just strengthened my view on the values of service. Something that I once viewed as troublesome or more work, I now view as my part in the Christian society. This service project I believe has made it clear that I will continue this Christian responsibility well into my year after Strake Jesuit.

I believe I can speak for my family (who also matched every single one of my hours) when I say that this a great family bonding experience. Helping as a family those who are less fortunate as us, is a great way to strengthen that family’s Christian morals.

Patience is a Virtue

4/27/13

Patience is a Virtue

For somebody who isn't very patient, this is probably the most annoying phrase you have ever heard. And yet you tend to be told it repeatedly until you wake up in the middle of the night shouting it. Here's a fact though that is going to blow the average impatient person's mind: patience is a virtue from God.

If you've had some beginner catholic classes, something you will also hear a lot is that God has a plan for everything. You hear it a lot because only few truer words have been spoken. When something bad happens to you, you tend to always look at the negative of the situation. You will sometimes fail to realize though that if it happened that way, God intended it to happen. The best example I can think about is a very sensitive one. Seth MacFarlane is most famous for his creation of the shows; Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, and for directing the comedy, Ted. On September 11, 2001, Seth was on his way to California from Newark on flight 93. He missed the flight, it was pretty unfortunate at the time. The following events that transpired made him a very fortunate man. The point is that God has a plan for everybody. To ask why those innocent lives had to be sacrificed that terrible day, reference the article before this one.

The current event that reiterated in my mind this phrase is watching one Geno Smith during the first day of the 2013 NFL Draft. 

 It was pretty tough I think for everybody, including Geno to see somebody who was almost sure to be drafted in the top 20, fall to the second round. The broadcast also made it a point to notice his dismay. He eventually got drafted by the New York Jets, home of the most outspoken Christian Tim Tebow. The only thing I can really say to Geno is that God has a plan for everybody. What if you had got drafted by the Buffalo Bills and something bad happened? What if you were walking through the streets of Buffalo one day and you slipped on that Buffalo ice and broke your back?
These are all what ifs that can never be proven but I'm just saying, what if that could happen but God came in with some little divine intervention and saved. From his interviews, he seemed as a pretty religious guy so I wouldn't be surprised if that was God helping him. Yet there's a flip side to this too. What if Geno Smith is a faker? What if he is one of the people that falsely self-proclaims himself as a devout Christian? He might of had a hall of fame career at Buffalo, but in that case God made sure that he received justice for his wrongdoings.

At the end of the day though, you always have to stay patient, God has a plan for everybody.

Bombings in Boston: Why Does God Let Suffering Happen?

4/21
After such a horrific incident such as the Boston Marathon bombings one might ask themselves, why does God let this happen? Why would God let incident people suffer and even die at such a joyous event such as a marathon? Why would God let that little 8 year old boy die?

All of these questions are natural to ponder about. Many people, Christians alike, struggle with this question and how to address it. I believe that this question can this question through the theological understanding of free will.

First we need to understand that God gave humans, the first being Adam and Eve, free will. Free will is a gift that only humans have out of God's entire creation and it is given to us because of God's love for us in order to be the pinnacle of creation. In the beginning man lived in perfect harmony with God and there was no death, pain, or suffering. All of that changed when Adam and Eve ate of the apple of the forbidden tree. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and sin against him. Therefore from the free will of man, suffering, pain, and death entered the world. Out of eternal love for man God must let that happen out of respect of free will. Therefore terrible acts such as the Boston bombings exist because of the actions of others that cannot be stopped because of free will, and the fact that death and suffering is a part of this world due to the sin of our first parents.

The Rites of the Catholic Church

4/18/13

 The Rites of the Catholic Church

When we pray the Nicene Creed, towards the end of the prayer we recited the Four Marks of the Catholic Church: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Most of you know that the definition of Catholic is universal, meaning it is open to the world. When the Apostles first left Rome after the establishing of the first Church, they went to evangelize and make disciples of all nations. To make Churches in these different countries, the Apostles needed to understand the customs of the local area. This is where rites come in.

A Rite of the Catholic Church is a just the same as the Catholic Church, just their liturgies and traditions are different. A Catholic can participate in any mass and receive the Eucharist in any rite, they just will not be accustomed to their procedure and prayers since that Catholic is used to his/her own rite. The most famous rite is the Roman Catholic Rite, the main rite used in the United States. There are many rites spread across the world and here they are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Catholic_rites_and_churches

What is Truly Important in Life?

5/5

Ok...... so maybe I've run out of ideas for blog posts this week, but seriously, what ultimately matters in life? This is a very interesting question, one that I ponder about. It is a good question to ask yourself when making important decisions, or even in everyday life. Sometimes we get caught up in the struggles of everyday life that we lose site of whats important. We will all die some day, it is inevitable. So what at that moment will be important? I think what will be important is your relationship with God, how you view yourself, and your imprint in other's lives. Clearly the most important thing is your  relationship with God as it is our ultimate goal to be in full communion with him in heaven. The other important things, like the way you view yourself and your imprint in others lives is more worldly. I think that if you have a good view of yourself, then you can die in peace with no regrets. I also think it is important to impact others in your life so that you still survive, even in your death, with the actions that you did during your life and the legacy you left behind. Now that I have contemplated about myself, I ask for you to take time to reflect. What is truly important in YOUR life?

Sacraments: Related to Human Nature

4/29/13

Sacraments:Related Nature

The sacraments. Pretty big stuff. Kinda sorta really important to the Catholic Religion. They are efficacious signs of grace instituted by Christ himself entrusted to His Church. But how do this oh so powerful sacraments relate to us as humans? That is a great question. You ask great questions. I will now explain one by one, how these relate to our human nature.

1. Baptism- Baptism directly relates to our human nature in that it cleanses the body from original stain that is natural to use as humans. It opens our human nature to all other sacraments.
2. Confirmation- Confirmation confirms these gifts we received at baptism and strengthens that grace we received, helping our human nature out even more. (We only have one nature, until death).
3. Eucharist-  This one is easy to relate because we can physically intake the bread and wine that represent the blood and body of Christ.
4. Reconciliation- This reconciles us from our human sins
5. Anointing of the Sick- This sacrament is given before death to anoint one's human nature one more time before death
6. Holy Orders- These are only for those who intend to join the Catholic ministry. This is the physical, so human, acknowledgement of a position in the Church.
7. Matrimony- This is the physical communion of two humans, binding their two natures.

Misconceptions About Mary and the Saints

Growing up with a lot of people with diverse beliefs, mainly protestant, I have heard many misconceptions about how the Catholic Church, most especially about the role of Mary and the Saints in the Church. What I used to here from my protestant friends is that the Catholic Church holds Mary to an equal stature as Jesus and that Catholics worship the saints as some sort of mini gods.

I am here to say that these two things are not true. First, while Catholics do hold Mary to a very high regard as the mother of God, she is not equal to Jesus. Since Jesus is fully God, no one, including Mary, can be greater. Instead of worshiping Mary we venerate her with the respect that the mother of God deserves.

Likewise, Saints are not worshiped. Saints are also held to high regard. Many protestants think that when we address saints in prayer that we are praying to the saints as mini gods. Instead we are asking for their prayers because we believe that they are in an especially close place with God. The same applies with Mary when we ask for her intercessions.

Abortion

4//13

Our stance on Abortion

Abortion is the termination of a female pregnancy by killing the fetus. The legality of abortions is one of the most debated social subject in the United States today. Currently, any women living in the United States is legally allowed to have an abortion without any punishment.

Opinion 1

Not only is abortion one of the most controversial issues in our times, but it is also the social issue that I am personally most passionate about.
As a Catholic I hold on to my belief that human life begins at the moment of conception, something science agrees with, and that human life is the most precious gift that God gives us. However these reasons alone are not the only reason that I am very passionate about the issue, but because I know of two instances within my family that are instances that way too many times end in the death of a baby.
The first is the instance of a teenage girl becoming pregnant, but having to raise the child by herself. This is the case for my mother. She became pregnant when she was a teenager and she had to be a single mom. She decided to keep her baby, which is my older sister. Being a single mom for her was no easy task whatsoever and the prospect of the tough life of being a single mom is why many women choose to abort. Many teenage girls think that once they have the baby, their lives are ruined. Although hard, it is not impossible to be a single mother. My mom was in college so she had to be a single mother while getting her degree. Many would see this to be impossible but it is possible. At the end of the day, my mom came through and all is good, and I cannot imagine my life without my sister. She is truly the best sister I could ever ask for is like my second mom. I am truly grateful to my mom for keeping sister and raising her to be the great person she is. (I get teary eyed every time I think about this). The second is the horrible instance when a women gets raped. However in the process she becomes pregnant. This is the story of my grandmother. Again many times women choose to abort in this situation, and it is hard to talk about because rape is such a heinous and horrible action. My grandmother, with the help of my grandfather, chose to keep the child and to take care of it. To the day of her death my grandmother was scarred from that incident, but an abortion would not have healed that wound at all. Instead she took that horrible incident and chose to come out with some good. My aunt was born and she became my Godmother. She has played a very influential role in my life and again, I cannot imagine life without her. She went on to become very successful in the education field and is going to receive her third doctorate.

Ultimately what I am trying to stress is that life is sacred, and the practice of terminating one should be illegal. I believe that abortion should be illegal under the terms that everyone is created equal, with the certain inalienable right of life. The only time that I would be ok with abortion is with the life of the mother being in danger because at that point its a life for a life. We need to be loving to those teenage mothers that find themselves in that situation and comfort them and be there for them. We need to stress that keeping the baby will no doubt be the best decision they ever made.

 

Opinion 2

This will probably be an opinion less decisive than you might want it to be. The problem with my opinion is that I'm almost half and half when it comes to abortion. 

For example, when it comes to the abortion of a child who:

1. Would not cause any harm to the mother in the carriage of the baby or birth

2. Would be born to mother or family that can afford the pregnancy and birth and

3. Would be born to a woman not viewed ready for raising a child (girls with teen at the end of their age), 

I am against it. But there are cases that I am for it:

1. Pregnancy or delivery might be fatal for the mother

2. Born to a family or mother so poor that in some case the pregnancy and delivery would be more expensive than to abort.

3. Victims of rape

Although many pro-life people argue that when a man and a woman have unprotected sex they should face the consequences, that's a terrible thing to say to some people. To me, the whole situation should be handled differently.  First, as long as pro-life supporters and regular people keep antagonizing young girls who have babies, calling them names like "slut" or whore," there will be abortions. The pressure will be too much for 16 year old girls who made a bad mistake, but mistakes can never be wished back. So for one, lay off the poor girls. They themselves know well enough the error they made, they don't need people, maybe even their own friends, rubbing it in because that probably will tip the iceberg to one side when deciding on keeping the baby.

Secondly, seeing that it's not a point made a lot, it is probably a faulty one but what about adoption? If you don't want the baby that much to a point where you would want to kill it, give him/her away (I'm not going to get into the argument of when a baby should be considered a baby because there is never a clear winner). The problems I might see with it is that maybe this could create an incredible over crowding in foster homes. There is also the argument on how the child will feel being raised as an adopted son. I have a friend who was adopted and I have heard his story, it is a sad one. The child will always have a voice in the back of his/her head telling him/her "you weren't good enough'' and 'you're parents never loved you." It's a terrible voice to have in your head. As a non-adopted person though, I believe that the child would appreciated being let to live and adopted than death before birth. But that's a non-adopted person, one truly cannot understand the demons another deals with personally unless they have dealt with them before. Sometimes those demons are so strong they cause a person to take their own life. Then it turns into an argument of which is worse, abortion or possible suicide. That is an argument though that I would never feel comfortable participating in.

So where is the line drawn? Where do we decide that it is right or wrong to have an abortion? Could we ever have halfway abortion law in this country? I don't know, that's why this opinion isn't as bold and decisive as most.

The 5 worst heresies of all time

4/9/13

THE 5 WORST HERESIES OF ALL TIME

As you can imagine, with such a huge and global religion like Catholicism, there are a lot of haters, I mean heretics. Heretics by their definition are those who dissent from a certain religion and its dogmas, or truths. It is also used to define those who are baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church who reject an accepted truth and promote their own false teaching, or heresy. So I decided to create a list of the top 5 most ludacris heresies of all time

5.Adoptionisim- Says that Jesus wasn't born divine, but was adopted by God after he was born

4.Word of Faith-  Heresy that states that God will make all your financial dreams come true if you follow his commandments.

3.Sedevacantism-  Says that the current Pope and any Popes since 1914 aren't real Popes and shouldn't be able to have the papacy

2.Albigensian- Heresy that states God created Heaven but Satan created the Earth.

1.Calvinism - Religion created from separated from the Catholic Church, one of its doctrines is that Christ  suffered in Hell

Man Fully Alive

4/8/13

MAN FULLY ALIVE

Man Fully Alive, or MFA, is not a phrase, nor just three simple words, but a lifestyle. A lifestyle that far exceeds any other lifestyle. It is the Michael Jordan of lifestyles. A MFA, or WFA (we don't discriminate), is one rivaled by none. I could make MFA jokes that make Chuck Norris jokes seem as funny as those knock knock jokes that you just can't put up with anymore. The Most Interesting Man in the World is actually a MFA trying to attract social media. And yes, you guessed it, a MFA uses Old Spice deodorant. Except not the swagger one. Never the swagger one.

A MFA is a special description. You know why it is a special description? Because there is none. No matter how hard you or Mr. Cole's theology class tries, a definition can never be made. Some closes guesses include:

1. A human who dedicates his/her life to the service of others and prayer
2. The lolololol man
3. Someone who is able to worship and praise God in everything they do
4. That one guy who answers all the questions on Yahoo Answers 
5. Mother Teresa
6. Brian Scalabrine
7. Christopher Cole (In our opinion at least)

Oh you noticed it too? Yeah that list had 7 items. 7 is a perfect number according to the bible. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

Anyways. A MFA is the ultimate reach of a devout Christian. You may actually know a MFA that is in your life, yet it's hard to know. It's hard to know because they just don't have those nametags that say "Hello my name is MFA." MFA's are quite the opposite. They are very humble people as you can imagine. MFA's are not pronounced to the world, but discovered by it.  Becoming a true MFA is probably one of the hardest things to do though  besides resisting clicking on the 50/50 tweet pictures. Once reached though, you are almost guaranteed a life of happiness, love, and awesomeness.

Also, when walking up the steps  to the Pearly Gates of Heaven, it doesn't hurt to have "Official MFA" on your resumé.

The Crisis of our Culture of Death

4/6/13

The Crisis of our Culture of Death

In society today, death is all around us, even though it may not necessarily always be seen. There are many secular forces in our culture that advocate for things like abortion, and birth control pills citing that it is a "woman's right". Many times they express their views in lighter language like "pro-choice" or "pro reproductive rights" to hide the ultimate travesty of what is caused.  Even though our country is divided 50-50 on this issue, both with males and females, the truth of the matter is that since roe v. wade, about 50 million babies have been aborted in the United States. That would be about one in every six people in the U.S. population who would not be alive.

I was compelled to right this blog because of two legislative situations that have occurred this week regarding this issue.

1. A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York ordered the US Food and Drug Administration to make the morning-after birth control pill available to people of any age without a prescription. This order overturned the 2011 decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to require a prescription for girls under 17. Many who agree say that this gives women a better range of effective birth control and therefore better dictate their health. Many who are against are outraged that parents now have no say in this issue regarding their children, and of course there are medical concerns. What if a young teenager misuses this drug, which will happen. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights had a great quote about the importance of parental rights and how this ruling is truly appalling: "A 12-year-old girl in a New York City school cannot be given an aspirin by her teacher, even if she has a fever. The same girl cannot buy a large soda during lunchtime because Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decreed that it is not good for her. But she can be given a pill, unbeknownst to her parents, that could arguably abort her baby"

2. A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman made some controversial remarks to say the least when questioned on Florida legislation that would require baby's born alive during a botched abortion to receive medical care. Alisa LaPolt Snow, a lobbyist with the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates was asked what Planned Parenthood's stance was on baby's that survived botched abortions. She said that the decision of what to do to that baby should be between the women, her family, and physician. This is supporting something called post-birth abortion. One lawmaker made a good point that at that point not only would the woman be a patient, but the baby as well. The spokeswoman had no response to that. So there you have it. Planned Parenthood supports murder, there is no denying it. It is a baby outside the womb and unquestionably alive. How can millions of tax payer dollars be given to an organization that supports these practices. I would like to bring up this point: if the mother has the right the kill her baby after it survives an abortion, on the terms that it never wanted the baby, then what stops a mother killing her 5, 10, or 15 year old child on the basis that she never wanted her child? This is truly horrific.

As Catholics and Christians alike, we must be steadfast and strong in our defense of the value of human life. These cases are examples of society undermining this precious gift that God has given us, a gift given at the moment of conception. In order to win this argument and save lives we must not conduct ourselves in a condemning way, but instead lead by the example of love and help out mothers that are in tough situations. Many mothers choose to abort because they think that having a baby would ruin their life, but we need to emphasize that through God, we can all find strength under tough situations and that in the long run, keeping the baby will be the best decision she ever made.

Threats from North Korea

4/4/13

Do Not Fear and Trust in the Lord

Many of you may be aware of the recent threats that Korean leader KimJongUn has made against the United States. He has warned that he is equipped with nuclear missiles that can hit the United States and is seen in videos authorizing attacks on Washington D.C, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. South Korea and Japan have an even greater threat due to their close proximity to North Korea. In Response the US has sent fighter jets to South Korea and the USS McCain equipped with a missile defense system to the Pacific. Even though I believe that North Korea will not attack the United States or South Korea because the United States would surely fight back and that would be certain suicide for North Korea. However, we must be vigilant and cautious. Even though there are these threats and we must stay alert, we must not fear this situation and be consumed by it. We must trust in God for he knows what is best and he has a greater plan for the end. Even though his plan may not be what we think is right, we must trust in God's will. If we trust in God then we will be at peace and no situation will deter us. This trust in the Lord should not only be restricted to this specific situation. We must trust in God everyday and in everything we do. Fear confines our ability to do certain things in life. Therefore with fear we cannot be able to be men and women fully alive.

The Power of Prayer: Kevin Ware

4/3/13

The Kevin Ware Injury

The Louisville vs. Duke elite eight game was shaping up to be a riveting clash between two titans of college basketball. Both teams were coming from successful regular seasons and with aspirations to win the whole tournament. They actually played back in the preseason with Duke coming out as the victor, however this was a different game with different circumstances. The beginning of the game lived up to all of the hype with numerous lead changes and fast-paced play. The score was very tight throughout the first half and an intense ending seemed inevitable, but toward the end of the first half, something occurred that would be the main talking point of the country for days to come. One would think that an event of this magnitude would have great precursor events that would lead up to the result, but that was not the case. Kevin Ware was contesting a three from Duke, a play that happens hundreds of times during basketball games, nothing out of the ordinary. After Duke guard Tyler Thornton made the shot play was about to go on as usual but it seemed apparent that someone was on the floor injured. I thought that this was a customary rolled ankle or crap, but after the cameras showed Louisville players on the floor and crying, it hit to me that this was something serious. I didn't know how something serious could happen from such a common play. When they showed the replay, I was flabbergasted. I had never seen such a gruesome injury in my life. Kevin Ware had broken his leg with his bone protruding his skin. I could barely watch. Everyone in the building and watching the game were shocked at what had transpired. First I thought of Kevin Ware and how his career would be affected by this injury. I also thought about how this injury would effect the game. Would it hurt or help Louisville? Clearly it helped Louisville as they went out and destroyed Duke in the second half beating them by more than twenty points, inspired by their fallen teammate. After the injury there was massive public support for Kevin through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter with a major message being "Pray for Ware". I found this moment very moving as sports can bring out the best of even such a horrific event as this one. I believe that the public support and prayers for Kevin truly helped him in his recovery as I was surprised to see that Kevin is already walking around on crutches after undergoing a successful surgery. Doctors say that it will take him a year to recover and return to the court. He seems to have a positive outlook on his future and is going to play a key role for Louisville in the Final Four. I will keep Kevin in my prayers so that the rest of his recovery goes smoothly and that he may return to his optimal level of performance.

Reaction to Hispanic Jesuit Pope

4/2/13

Reaction to Hispanic Jesuit Pope

My partner and I have an incredible position in being able to observe the reaction to having a Pope that is both Hispanic and a Jesuit. Both of our families are hispanic and we both go to a Jesuit school. So we were able to get two different sides of joy when Pope Francis I was elected Pope.

To celebrate the announcing of the first Jesuit Pope in history, the head priest of our school decided to have a mass to mark such a historic event. After mass, he completely surprised us and decided to give us the rest of the day off. You can only imagine how excited not only we were, (we were really, REALLY excited) but how excited he must of been to let out his students on a Tuesday. Even in the interview conducted by the local news station he expressed his excitement and how ecstatic he was for the first Jesuit Pope. We even got prayer cards. It was a great day. 

As most of you who have followed the Pope know, he has started a papacy mostly dedicated to poverty. When a Pope is elected, he will usually stay in the Apostolic Palace. When Jorge Bergoglio was elected, he decided to stay in the hotel designated for the papal electors. He still hasn't moved. And people say previous Popes lived in modest conditions. Why people ask is Pope Francis still living in the hotel and why is he putting so much attention to the poor (which if you ask me, is something that should be focused on extensively by all Popes)? Because he is a Jesuit, that is their mission: to devote their life to the service of those less fortunate than them.

Mind-blowing huh?

Also as a hispanic, we are able to experience the excitement from our latin families and friends. My family are great friends with an Argentinean family and so I asked them what they thought and what the reaction around the country was when Pope Francis I was elected. They told me that they were very happy and there was a national euphoria around the country, especially in Buenos Aires. For most of the world is was a huge surprise, and for the Argentinean it was not only a huge surprise but a great surprise. 

I also had the privilege to travel to Buenos Aires this past week and witness the joy firsthand. Every billboard you will find there has either Messi's or Pope Francis I's face. Every church I visited and saw had a poster of him congratulating him on his great accomplishment. On the 9 de Julio Avenue in central Buenos Aires, the widest avenue in the world with 10 lanes, there his a huge glass building who has one side completely covered in a poster celebrating the new Pope's election.

Just like it was a huge surprise for the Jesuits in our school, it was a great surprise for the entire country of Argentina. Overall, I believe he will be an EXCELLENT Pope if he keeps his earlier promises to dedicate his office and power to poverty.