Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Sacramental Vocabulary for Midterm


Anointing of the Sick
1.       Suffering -  to submit to or be forced to endure <suffer martyrdom>
2.       Original sin - Either the sin committed by Adam as the head of the human race, or the sin he passed onto his posterity with which every human being, with the certain exception of Christ and his Mother, is conceived and born
3.       Church - Equivalent to the Roman Catholic Church, an earlier title by which the body of the Christian faithful were identified. It stresses the Church's universality.
4.       Who administers the sacrament – bishop or priest
5.       Who can receive the sacrament – anyone who is gravely in or on the edge of death
6.       Celebration of the sacrament – anointing with oil of the sick
7.       Grace received - including the fortitude to resist temptation in the face of death, when he is weakest; a union with the Passion of Christ, which makes his suffering holy; and the grace to prepare for death, so that he may meet God in hope rather than in fear. If the recipient was not able to receive the Sacrament of Confession, Anointing also provides forgiveness of sins. And, if it will aid in the salvation of his soul, Anointing may restore the recipient's health.
8.       Apostolate - The work of an apostle, not only of the first followers of Christ but of all the faithful who carry on the original mission entrusted by the Savior to the twelve to "make disciples of all nations"
9.       Apocalyptic - The Book of Revelation, commonly attributed to St. John the Apostle. It was written to encourage the persecuted Christians be foretelling the fall of Rome and the final victory of Christ and his church.
10.   Oil of the sick - The olive oil blessed by the bishop of a diocese for use in the sacrament of anointing of the sick.
11.   Stations of the cross - A devotion performed by meditating on the Passion of Christ, successively before fourteen stations of the Cross.
12.   Sacrament - A sensible sign, instituted by Jesus Christ, by which invisible grace and inward sanctification are communicated to the soul
Reconciliation
13.   Penance - The virtue or disposition of heart by which one repents of one's own sins and is converted to God
14.   Confession - The voluntary self-accusation of one's sins to a qualified priest in order to obtain absolution from him
15.   Forgiveness - Pardon or remission of an offense. The Catholic Church believes that sins forgiven are actually removed from the soul (John 20) and not merely covered over by the merits of Christ
16.   Conversion - Any turning or changing from a state of sin to repentance, from a lax to a fervent way of life, from unbelief to faith, and from a non-Christian religion to Christianity
17.   Empathy - A function of the virtue of charity by which a person enters into another's feelings, needs, and sufferings.
18.   Ten commandments - Also called the Decalogue, they are the divinely revealed precepts received by Moses on Mount Sinai. Engrave on two tablets of stone, they occur in two versions in the Bible
19.   Testament - In the Old Testament an agreement between God and Israel in which God promised protection to the Chosen People in return for exclusive loyalty
20.   Examination of conscience - Reflection in God's presence on one's state of soul, e.g., in preparation for the sacrament of penance
21.   Act of contrition - the prayer of the penitent in the sacrament of penance, by which he expresses sorrow for the sins confessed before receiving absolution. In general, an act of repentance for having offended God
22.   Absolution - In the sacrament of penance, the act by which a qualified priest, having the necessary jurisdiction, remits the guilt and penalty due to sin.
23.   Sin -  salutary fear produced in the believing soul by a clear understanding of the nature and malice of sin.  
24.   Mortal sin - An actual sin that destroys sanctifying grace and causes the supernatural death of the soul
25.   Venial sin - An offense against God which does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace.
26.   Moral object - A human act. One performed with knowledge and free will. It is called a moral act because it is always either morally good or bad. Every consciously deliberate action is therefore a moral act.
27.   Original sin - Either the sin committed by Adam as the head of the human race, or the sin he passed onto his posterity with which every human being, with the certain exception of Christ and his Mother, is conceived and born.
28.   Concupiscence - Insubordination of man's desires to the dictates of reason, and the propensity of human nature to sin as a result of original sin. More commonly, it refers to the spontaneous movement of the sensitive appetites toward whatever the imagination portrays as pleasant and away from whatever it portrays as painful.
29.   Apostasy -The total rejection by a baptized person of the Christian faith he once professed
30.   Excommunication - An ecclesiastical censure by which one is more or less excluded from communion with the faithful. It is also called anathema, especially if it is inflicted with formal solemnities on persons notoriously obstinate to reconciliation
31.   Heresy - Commonly refers to a doctrinal belief held in opposition to the recognized standards of an established system of thought.
32.   Schism - A willful separation from the unity of the Christian Church. Although St. Paul used the term to condemn the factions at Corinth, these were not properly schismatical, but petty cliques that favored one or another Apostle
33.   Interior repentance - Conflict within a human person between his or her own desires and the will of God. What naturally pleases is not always good. This is the fight of the spirit versus the flesh -- human will against human passions, whether bodily or spiritual
34.   Grace of reconciliation - graces that help us to live a Christian life
35.   Who forgives sin? – God
36.   What is the role of the priest? – he’s like a bridge between the person and God, like a messenger of sins
37.   How often should one attend confession? – at least once per year.
38.   Who administers the sacrament? – bishop or priest
Matrimony
39.   Abortion - In Catholic morality, abortion is either direct (induced) or indirect. Direct abortion is any destruction of the product of human conception, whether before or after implantation in the womb
40.   Declaration of nullity - The Church's official declaration that an apparently valid marriage is actually null and void because of: an invalidating impediment (such as a previous marriage), lack of due consent (absence of adequate knowledge or freedom), or a defect of required form (prescribed conditions for the actual celebration of marriage).
41.   Contraception - Deliberate interference with marital intercourse in order to prevent conception. It is the performance of the marriage act with the positive frustration of conception
42.   Sterilization - Any action that deprives the body, either temporarily or permanently, of the power either to beget or to bear children
43.   Natural family planning - The controlling of human conception by restricting the marital act to the infertile periods of the wife. This practice is based on the theory that the period of a woman's ovulation can be determined with considerable accuracy.
44.   Nuptial blessing - The formal blessing of the newlywed couple, given at Mass after the Lord's Prayer.
45.   Fidelity - Constancy in allegiance to God or the things of God; steadfastness in fidelity to a person or cause, organization or enterprise. Implicit in loyalty is strong affection based on firm conviction that the object of one's fidelity deserves the allegiance.
46.   Divorce - Legal separation of husband and wife, or the release by civil authority from any one or more of the bonds of matrimony between them. Imperfect divorce is the separation of husband and wife so that the duty of living together, and sometimes the support, is relaxed, but giving them no right to remarry
47.   Polygamy - The status or institution of simultaneous marriage of more than one woman to one man, or of several women to several men. The two forms are polygyny and polyandry. In ordinary use, the term is restricted to polygyny, i.e., where one man is simultaneously married to more than one woman.
48.   Adultery - Sexual intercourse of a married person and another who is not the wife or husband. Forbidden by the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, it was extended in meaning by Christ, who forbade divorce with the right to remarry during the lifetime of one's legitimate spouse
49.   Annulment - Official declaration by competent authority that, for lawful reasons, a previous act or contract was invalid and consequently null and void. In ecclesiastical law, annulments mainly apply to marriage contracts over which the Church has the right to determine their validity
50.   Unity - The condition or state of oneness, especially among persns. What ultimately unites people is their common beliefs or convictions, and their common desires and affections. Union is the state of uniting different people. It is their state of mind agreeingon certain ideas and of will attaching its desires or love to certain objects that unify.
51.   Procreation - Begetting children. It is a formal term for generation and stresses the role of marital intercourse with the intention of producing offspring.
52.   Exchange of vows - A free, deliberate promise made to God to do something that is good and that is more pelasing to God than its ommission would be. The one vowing must realize that a special sin is committed by violating the promise
53.   Grace - In biblical language the condescension or benevolence (Greek charis) shown by God toward the human race; it is also the unmerited gift proceeding from this benevolent disposition. Grace, therefore, is a totally gratuitous gift on which man has absolutely no claim
54.   Family - A group of persons who are related by marriage or blood and who typically include a father, mother, and children. A family is a natural society whose right to existence and support is provided by the divine law
55.   Creation - The production of material and spiritual things in their whole substance, done by God and of nothing.
Holy Orders
56.   Diocese - The territory over which a bishop exercises ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The Pope alone, ultimately, erects dioceses, changes their limits, divides, unites, or suppresses them
57.   Vicar - An ecclesiastic who substitues for another in the exercise of a clerical office and acts in his name and with his authority according to canon law
58.   Episcopal college - A form of assembly in which the bishops of a certain country or region exercise their pastoral office jointly in order to enhance the Church's beneficial influence on all men especially by devising forms of the apostolate and apostolic methods suitably adopted to the circumstances of the times
59.   Synod of bishops - An assembly of bishops, chosen from various parts of the world, that meets in Rome every several years to "render more effective assistance to the supreme pastor of the Church in a consultative body which will be called by the proper name of Synod of Bishops
60.   Ecumenical council - iterally "universal" and commonly used to identify the general councils of the Church. With the rise of the movement for Christian unity, it has become synonymous with "striving for reunification" among the separated Churches of Christendom.
61.   Infallibility - Freedom from error in teaching the universal Church in matters of faith or morals. As defined by the First Vatican Council, "The Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra—that is, when in discharge of the office of pastor and teacher of all Christians
62.   Imprimatur - The Latin term for "let it be printed," which signifies the approval by a bishop of a religious work for publication. Authors are at liberty to obtain the imprimatur either from the bishop where they reside, or where the book is to be published, or where it is printed
63.   Parish - Normally, in a diocese, a definite territorial division that has been assigned its own church, a determined group of the faithful, and its own distinct pastor who is charged with the care of souls
64.   Stole - A liturgical vestment composed of a strip of material, several inches wide, and worn around the neck by priests and bishops; at the left shoulder like a sash by deacons, for the celebration of Mass, administration of the sacraments, and ceremonies of the Blessed Sacrament.
65.   Dogmatic - A truth that, though not revealed by God, nevertheless comes under the infallible teaching authority of the Church. The reason for the Church's competence over dogmatic facts is their close connection with revealed truths.
66.   Presbyters - In the early Church a member of a group (usually of priests) who advised a bishop.
67.   Seminary - A school established for the academic and spiritual training of candidates for the priesthood
68.   Celibacy - The state of being unmarried and, in Church usage, of one who has never been married
69.   Bishops - A successor of the Apostles who has received the fullness of Christ's priesthood.
70.   Pope - title of the visible head of the Catholic Church.
71.   Priest - An authorized mediator who offers a true sacrifice in acknowledgment of God's supreme dominion over human beings and in expiation for their sins. A priest's mediation is the reverse of that of a prophet, who communicates from God to the people. A priest mediates from the people to God.
72.   Deacon - A man specially ordained to the service of the Church's ministry
73.   Cardinal - A high official of the Roman Catholic Church ranking next to the Pope
74.   Clergy - Those specially ordained for Divine Service as deacons, priests, or bishops. In this sense the clergy form the Church's hierarchy. Entrance into the clerical state now takes place when a man is ordained deacon
75.   Chasuble - A sleeveless outer garment worn by a priest at Mass. It is worn over all other vestments and is made of silk, velvet, or other rich material usually decorated with symbols.
76.   Discern - The ability to distinguish whether a given idea or impulse in the soul comes from the good spirit or from the evil spirit
Baptism
77.   Baptism - The sacrament in which, by water and the word of God, a person is cleansed of all sin and reborn and sanctified in Christ to everlasting life.
78.   Proper matter – flowing water
79.   Correct form – “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” with triple pour of water.
80.   Designated minister – bishop, priest or deacon (in emergency anyone who intends to offer baptism)
81.   Catechumens - A learner, a person being instructed preparatory to receiving baptism and being admitted into the Church.
82.   Baptismal graces - The supernatural effects of the sacrament of baptism. They are: 1. removal of all guilt of sin, original and personal; 2. removal of all punishment due to sin, temporal and eternal; 3. infusion of sanctifying grace along with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit; 4. incorporation into Christ; and 5. entrance into the Mystical Body, which is the Catholic Church; 6. imprinting of the baptismal character, which enables a person to receive the other sacraments, to participate in the priesthood of Christ through the sacred liturgy, and to grow in the likeness of Christ through personal sanctification
83.   Water - Besides the ordinary holy water used in the Church's liturgy, there are several other blessings of water approved by the Church. Each has a history of remarkable favors, spiritual and temporal, granted to those who use such water with faith and devotion
84.   Baptismal name - The name that a person receives at baptism
85.   Concupiscence - Insubordination of man's desires to the dictates of reason, and the propensity of human nature to sin as a result of original sin
Confirmation
86.   Confirmation - The sacrament in which, through the laying on of hands, anointing with chrism, and prayer, those already baptized are strengthened by the Holy Spirit in order that they may steadfastly profess the faith and faithfully live up to their profession
87.   Proper matter – anointing with chrism
88.   Correct words/form – “Be sealed with the gift of the holy spirit” with oil on the forehead in the sign of the cross
89.   Designated minister – Bishop
90.   Seal - To establish or determine irrevocably, in the saacrament of confirmation, when a bishop anoints a person with chrism and says, "[Name], be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit." Thus, by confirmation a baptized Christian becomes permanently marked as a witness of Christ and is enabled to preserve, profess, and communicate the faith even (if need be) with the price of his blood
91.   Holy spirit - he third person of the Holy Trinity, who is distinct from the Father and the Son but one in being, coequal, and coeternal with them, because, like them, he is in the fullest sense God
92.   Fruits of the holy spirit - Supernatural works that, according to St. Paul, manifest the presence of the Holy Spirit.
93.   Gifts of the holy spirit - The seven forms of supernatural initiative conferred with the reception of sanctifying grace.
94.   Age of discretion – 8th grade 12-13 years old
95.   Pentecost - Feast commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. It takes its name form the fact that it comes about fifty days after Easter.
96.   Sponsor - The person who presents a child at baptism and professes the faith in the child's name. A sponsor serves as the official representative of the community of faith and, with the parents, requests baptism for the child.
97.   Confirmation name - The additional name that a person assumes when receiving the sacrament of confirmation. While not strictly required, it is recommended as a sign that the one confirmed has entered on a new way of life, having received a new sacramental character as a witness of Christ.
98.   Community - The new name of the reorganized Sodalities of Our Lady. Groups of men and women, both adults and young people, whose purpose is to develop their Christian vocation in the world.
99.   Chrismation - The act of anointing. Consequently, the use of chrism for anointing in the administration of the sacraments and in the blessing of persons and things.
Eucharist
100.                        Eucharist - The true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, who is really and substantially present under the appearances of bread and wine, in order to offer himself in the sacrifice of the Mass and to be received as spiritual food in Holy Communion. It is called Eucharist, or "thanksgiving," because at its institution at the Last Supper Christ "gave thanks," and by this fact it is the supreme object and act of Christian gratitude to God.
101.                        Transcendence -Supassing excellence, which may be either relative or absolute. It is relative when the excellence surpasses some objects below it, as human nature transcends the irrational creation. It is absolute when the excellence surpasses in being and activity all other beings. Only God is absolutely transcendent; in being because he alone is infinite and perfect Being who cannot change; in activity because he alone has existence of himself as uncreated First Cause on whom all creatures depend for their least operation.
102.                        Consecration - The words of institution of the Eucharist, pronounced at Mass, by which is accomplished the very sacrifice that Christ instituted at the Last Supper.
103.                        Transubstantiation - The complete change of the substance of bread and wine into the substance of Christ's body and blood by a validly ordained priest during the consecration at Mass, so that only the accidents of bread and wine remain.
104.                        Tabernacle - A cupboard or boxlike receptacle for the exclusive reservation of the Blessed Sacrament
105.                        Proper matter – wheat based bread and pure grape wine
106.                        Correct words/form – The words of Institution: “this is my body…this is my blood…”
107.                        Designated minister – bishop or priest
108.                        Liturgy of the word - The second part of the Mass, during which the faithful are instructed in the revealed word of God. It consists of readings from Sacred Scripture and the songs occurring between them. The homily, profession of faith, and the prayer of the faithful develop and conclude the Liturgy of the Word.
109.                        Liturgy of the Eucharist - The most solemn part of the Mass, from the Presentation to the Gifts to the Postcommunion included
110.                        Eucharistic meal - Holy Communion as food of the soul. Implied in Christ's words when he told his followers to eat his body and drink his blood, the Eucharist is the principal source of sustenance of the supernatural life



Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Universal Call to Holiness (Blog Post #15)


The Universal Call to Holiness is the way the Church expresses the exhortation made to all Christians by Christ to "be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48)  There are 4 articles on the handouts page (you were likely given two in class as well).  You must read the articles and write a 500-700 word response to the following prompt on your blog.

Msgr. Luigi Giussani states:  "[T.S. Eliot] asked himself "Has the Church failed mankind, or has mankind failed the Church?" . . . Both, both, because first and foremost it is mankind who failed the Church, because if I need something, I chase after it if it goes away. No one chased after it . . . The Church began to fail mankind, as I see it . . . because she forgot who Christ was, she did not rely on..., she was ashamed of Christ, of saying who Christ is."(Interview, 2004)

What does it mean to say, "if I need something, I chase after it if it goes away"?  How does this relate to the "Universal Call to Holiness"?  What do you think this quote implies for the everyday Catholic?  What do you think it means to "say who Christ is" without shame?

            Msgr. Luigi Giussani states:  "[T.S. Eliot] asked himself "Has the Church failed mankind, or has mankind failed the Church?" . . . Both, both, because first and foremost it is mankind who failed the Church, because if I need something, I chase after it if it goes away. No one chased after it . . . The Church began to fail mankind, as I see it . . . because she forgot who Christ was, she did not rely on..., she was ashamed of Christ, of saying who Christ is"(Interview, 2004).  What does it mean to say, “if I need something, I chase after it if it goes away”? It means that no matter what I will do what it takes to get that something even it means that I must give everything up in my life just to do so.
            This relates to the “Universal Call to Holiness” because as a Catholic we are called to be devout in our faith. We are called to have a close relationship with God. We are supposed to make him number one in our lives. We are supposed to go to church every Sunday, pray every day and thank him for everything we have in our lives because it wasn’t for him we would not be alive today. But at times society likes to dictate what followers of Christ can do and that sometimes taints one’s universal call to holiness putting them on a path of destruction.
            This quote implies for the everyday Catholic that the Church has become a little ashamed of its faith and that as Catholic in today’s society we should not hide our faith. We should display our faith for everyone to see because God is good and that is what he would want us to do. He wants us to spread the good news of the Bible to everyone. Even the Church sometimes loses its true vision and veers away from the path that God wants us to follow. The world has corrupt everyone’s vision of faith and the freedom to practice one’s faith.
            To “say who Christ is” without shame is to proclaim that you believe in him without worrying about what other people will think about you by doing so. It should not matter what someone will think about you if you say that you believe in Christ. If you believe in Christ and trust him then no harm should ever come of you because he will protect you. Believe in God is a good thing, no one should be ashamed of their own religious faith. Has world come to that? It shouldn’t be like that. Being able to believe in Christ is right that should be respected.



Thursday, November 29, 2012

Reading for Comprehension for She Went By Gently by Carroll (Blog Post 14)


A gift of Baptism is the ability to love others as God loves us. How is this ability seen in the woman’s treatment of the girl?
Although the girl may not be seen as accepted in society because she does not care about who uses her body the woman did not really care about that fact. The other men in the room told the woman to not touch her because of how unholy she is but the woman did not pay any mind to them. She helped the girl regardless of her social status. God loves us no matter what we do and forgives us no matter how grave the sin we commit just like the woman in the story did for the girl.
At the end of the story the woman says in regard to the infant “I saved him.” What does she mean by that statement?
                No one wanted to help the girl give birth because she was considered a whore by society. But the woman didn’t care, she wanted to save the baby. A baby is a baby, it doesn’t matter who the mother is. The other people did not want to even to help the girl but the woman did not care. She helped the girl give birth to her baby boy. Soon after the baby was born, she baptized the baby absolving his original sin. So “saving him” was really baptizing him. Saving him spiritually by performing the sacrament of baptism.
The author describes the journey of the woman to her own home. What is the purpose of this section of story? What is he trying to convey about the woman through his descriptions?
                The purpose of this section of the story is to show how calm and spiritual the woman is. The man with her could care less and was just bored. But she was actually thinking about what she did and was praying the rosary as she walked along. At one point they cross over a bridge and she pauses to contemplate over the sound of rushing water. Paralleling the rushing water beneath her with the little baby boy she just saved. 

Monday, November 26, 2012

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Reflection - Blog Post 13


Please read the handouts (can be found on the handouts page) on Confirmation by Bishop Sheen and James Seghers. In light of the readings, answer the following two questions with a short essay for each.
(Each question must have a response of at least 200 words.)
1. How do you see the Gifts of the Holy Spirit working in your life?
                I see the Gifts of the Holy Spirit working in my life through my faith. I have been practicing the Catholic faith since I was baptized as a baby. I have been attending mass almost every Sunday since then. Of course when one is younger, mass is not really taken all too seriously. Partly because a five year old does not really know what is going on symbolically throughout the mass yet. But through the years of going to mass and attending Catholic school, I came to know the meaning of mass. During Confirmation, the Holy Spirit is working to bring the person being confirmed closer to God and to better understand his ways and works. Every gift is hopefully being explored by the confirmed and is being strengthened and used daily. The Holy Spirit is an important aspect of the trinity, bringing the seven important spiritual gifts one needs to be truly one with God.  My faith has grown stronger by attending mass and it has to be because the work of the Holy Spirit in my life strengthening my faith in God. The Holy Spirit has helped me grow stronger through my prayers and grow closer in my relationship with God.
 2. Which Gift of the Holy Spirit do you think you need the most in your life today?
                The gift of courage is what I need most in my life today. I need to be brave. I need to have courage to face my future which is frighteningly growing closer every day. High school is finally ending and a new chapter of my life is unfolding. I don’t know exactly what is going to happen yet and that is scary. I do not know which college I am going to yet. I am sure of my major but what if I do not like it when I start. I will be living away from my parents for the first time, which does not sound too bad right now but it is still something new that I have never really experienced. My grandmother is possibly moving back to the Philippines in next year or so and that thought is always haunting me, bringing me to tears sometimes. The idea of having to be so independent in basically half a year from now makes me nervous. Courage is a gift of the Holy Spirit that I definitely need right now. Everything in my life is about to break away from a pattern that has pretty much been my life for eighteen years. It sounds over dramatic but it really is different from what I have been experiencing. 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Are Sacraments Narrow? (Distance Learning #3)


Answer the following questions on your blog (be sure to write the questions as well):

Are Sacraments Narrow? By Mark Shea 
1.      What is Ludwig's problem?
Ludwig doesn't know what it means to say grace is imparted through sacraments. He thinks that it’s a narrow way to see grace. Because he’s protestant, he doesn’t understand why grace needs to be shown through the sacraments. To him grace is simply unmerited favor.
2.      Explain what the Church is not thinking about when it comes to “sacramentality”.
The Church does not propose sacraments to deny God’s universal love and will to save. It does not hold that unbaptized people of good will (like the good thief cruicied with Christ) are necessarily denied salvation simple because they missed out on the “magic spell” of baptism.
3.      Explain what Church is thinking about when it comes to “sacramentality”.
a.       Both the universal redemption of Christ and the possibility of salvation for each person is forcefully maintained by the Church against carious Christian sects who assert that Christ has only redeemed a few or that God actively desires the damnation of certain people.
4.      How does God reveal and give to each individual human being his universally offered grace?
a.       The Church refers us to the primal Sacrament of Sacraments, the Incarnate Son of God. For as we shall see, all the Church’s sacraments are simply extensions of his power and work in the world.
5.      Which Christian doctrine is the foundation for the Sacraments?
a.       “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” God revealed himself to us through Jesus. He poured himself into his son and made him human just like us so we can relate and understand him even more.
6.      Explain what the gobs of modern “spirituality” tell us.
a.       For such spirituality oftens speaks as though God is a sort of extended ether in the cosmos that He would never sully himself with the crudeness of matter. To be spiritual is to be more or less disembodied, to well in the realm of intuitions and concepts and secret mindset. It is assign of barbarism.
7.      Explain the Christian repudiation of “such spiritual snobbery”
a.       God likes matter. He not only declared it “good” at the beginning of creation, but he continued to manifest himself through it right up until the time that He took upon himself a real, life physical body of matter and united himself, not only to our spirits but to our whole beings.
8.      “But that was so that he could put this gross body of flesh to death on the Cross and revert back to pure spirituality, wasn’t it?” Answer and explain:
a.       It was so that he could rise from the death bodily. It means not only that we will live again, but that we will do so as human beings, not as disembodied spooks floating in the ether. God gave up his life on earth so that we could live on Earth peacefully. If not we would have all died, it was because of his sacrifice that we are living today.
9.      Explain: “That is why the sacramental worldview sees more than just a symbol in a sacrament.”
a.       They impart grace as the physical hands and breath of Christ imparted healing to the bilnd man and the Holy Spirit to the apostles. For they are the divinity of Christ. They are the physical means of grace that both signify what they do and do what the signify.
10.  Explain what G.K. Charleston said:
a.       Sacramentality comes from the odd nature of Christianity itself with its stubborn insistence that the world was saved when God, who had always been omnipotent and universal, became small and “local” so that he could touch us and call us by name.
11.  What does grace do?
a.       Grace touches us personally and that’s exactly what God did through Jesus Christ. He came to us, person to person, face to face, so that he might touch us spiritually and physically (so that we can fully believe that he is real). 

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Man Without a Face Essay (Homework Assignment #9)


Write a 750 word blog post on the following topic: "How does Norstadt arrive at the moral certainty that he can trust McLeod despite the fear and doubt that is raised in him by the rumors? Why is it so important for McLeod that Norstadt not "cheat" on the problem of using his freedom to decide on his own whether the rumors are true?" In addition, you may also write about any other interesting questions or thoughts that you had on the movie.
                At the beginning of the movie, Man without a Face, Norstadt and his family are on ferry that is taking them to their summer vacation home. On this ferry boat is where Norstadt has his first encounter with McLeod. Norstadt was angry that his mother would not let him go to military school so in revenge he goes down to the lower deck and slashes his mother’s car’s tires. Norstadt did not even realize that McLeod was watching him but felt an eerie stare on his back after his anger towards his mother subside. He looked back and there was McLeod. Norstadt was scared then, he only knew McLeod by the rumors and false accusations that were said by everyone who lived in that town.
                When at their vacation home, Norstadt opts out to join his family going to the beach and decides to study for the entrance exam for the military academy.  He can’t focus on his books and decides to join his friends when they go out to the other side of the town where McLeod’s house is located and maybe get some studying down out there instead. His buddies are making fun of McLeod but Norstadt doesn’t join in. Norstadt actually defends him and says that they don’t really know for sure if he’s that. That he saw him on the ferry boat and seemed like he was just lonely. The boys make fun of him and talk about going to see some girls when McLeod’s vicious dog arrives and barks them off the shore. The quickly scurry to the boat when Norstadt forget his books on the shore. He asks the boys to turn around but refused. When they got back to the main part of town, Norstadt grabs his bike and gets over to McLeod’s as quickly as he can. This is when his relationship with McLeod really begins.
                Norstadt starts talking to McLeod and finds out that he’s a teacher. A teacher/tutor that can help him pass the entrance exam for the military academy. At first, McLeod is weary about teaching him again and tells Norstadt no, that he needs to find someone else. But after a few days of Norstadt’s persistent prodding, McLeod agrees. This first initial spark is how their relationship starts. Norstadt doesn’t want to believe the accusations against McLeod and makes it a point to judge himself if all the rumors were true. And he really needs a teacher if he wants to get into the military academy so he had no choice but to trust him a little. After a few weeks of Norstadt going to McLeod’s for tutoring, their relationship begins to get stronger and stronger. They begin to share quality time together thus strengthening Norstadt’s moral certainty about McLeod. That he’s not the bad man that everyone thinks he is, he’s actually a nice and dependable guy. Norstadt took that risk of him actually being the molester and murdered that everyone else in town thought he was. Norstadt wasn’t afraid of him, he treated him like a human being and didn’t let the rumors get in the way. Their teacher-student relationship took off and soon Norstadt enjoyed the lessons McLeod taught him and would rather spend his days with him then his family at home. They became good friends near the end of the movie and throughout the whole movie, Norstadt never doubted McLeod’s innocence. He let their relationship freely grow and bond together. It was never forced on either side of the relationship. Their relationship started like any long-lasting friendship would. That’s why it was important for Norstadt to figure out if McLeod was who everyone thought he was for himself, their relationship would have never have been strong and McLeod wanted to know if Norstadt truly wanted to know the real McLeod. Through the good and the bad, Norstadt managed to look past all of the negativity associated with McLeod and see the true person that he really is. 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

What does it mean to know something? (Homework Assignment #8)

To know something means to be able to say able to say what you know about that thing and be able to prove that you do. You are able to say absolutely everything you know on the subject and can back yourself up with evidence either from your own experience or just prior knowledge. The definition of knowledge is the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. It is impossible to say that you know everything about everything on the planet. You cannot truly know everything unless by the definition that you have experienced it. Like a man cannot say that he knows about being pregnant, he may know what his wife tells him about it but he does not truly know what it feels like himself and never will. He can read books about pregnancy and interview pregnant women and he cannot deny that he knows about pregnancy through those sources but by definition he does not truly have the knowledge about it. It’s hard to define what knowledge or the act of knowing really is but you just have to have the experience with the subject matter. That is what makes knowing something real, experience.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Cathedral Questions (Homework Assignment #7)


                The narrator’s wife was anticipating a visit from an old friend named Robert who is blind. Her husband, the narrator, is jealous that Robert is getting all of the attention of his wife. He makes it his duty when Robert comes to visit to let his wife know that he’s jealous and that he doesn’t appreciate her doing that to him. But during Robert’s visit, the narrator begins to have sympathy for him and actually befriends him.
1.       Why was the narrator not looking forward to the visit of the blind man? What do his feelings reveal about his character?
a.       The Narrator was not looking forward to the visit of the blind man because he knew how much his wife liked his company over his own and began to feel jealous about that. His feelings about Robert reveal that his character isn’t very open-minded and is selfish. He doesn’t want any of the attention of his wife to go anywhere but him and notices that Robert makes her happy and he doesn’t want him to. The narrator wants to be the only one in his wife’s life that makes her happy.
2.       Is it possible to read the experience the narrator’s wife had of Robert touching her face as an experience of being “seen” by him? How is her writing of poetry related to her desire to be seen? How does her attempted suicide also relate to her desire to be seen?
a.       It is possible to read the experience the narrator’s wife had of Robert touching her face as an experience of being “seen” by him. Since Robert couldn’t physically see, feeling the texture and shape of objects is the next best thing for him to sort of visualize an image in his head of what it could look like based on how it felt. Her writing of poetry is related to her desire to be seen because poetry is a way of expressing herself. Her attempted suicide is cry for help, a cry for everyone to pay attention to her because she feels like no one cares.
3.       What does it mean to receive another’s friend? Consider: “‘If you love me,’ she said, ‘you can do this for me. If you don’t love me, okay. But if you had a friend, any friend, and the friend came to visit, I’d make him feel comfortable’” (359).
a.       To receive another’s friend is to be friendly and accepting towards them. Don’t push them over and ignore them because you don’t want to be friends with them when you don’t even know the person. In the story, the narrator’s wife just wants her husband to be accepting of Robert because he means a lot to her.
4.       Consider page 360. Contrary to the narrator’s response of pity and disgust, do you think that Robert “saw” Beulah? What does it mean, more deeply, to see and be seen?
a.       Robert did “see” Beulah. Beulah was everything to him and because he couldn’t really base his love off of looks. He truly loved her for who she was as a person. He understood her like no one else could have because he didn’t have the distraction of how she looked to get in the way of his love for her. That is what it means to be truly see someone, to be able to connect with them because how they think and what their personality is like. Vice versa to be truly seen by another person.
5.       Why do the characters smoke pot? What does it reveal of their desire?
a.       The characters smoke pot because there was a lull in the conversation and one of them suggested they do. It reveals that their desire is based on how happy they feel because of the pot they smoked. The drug provides them with a temporary high and they feed off that high to feel happy because they think that’s the only way they can ever feel happy.
6.       “In the olden days, God was an important part of everyone’s life. You could tell this from their cathedral-building” (372). What do churches reveal about what the culture thinks about God? Why?
a.       Churches tell us especially in homilies that the media is controlling everything, controlling what everyone wants and needs because of commercials and advertisements that are plastered everywhere we look. The church tells us that the media is getting God out of the picture completely because it’s true and we sometimes look past that and put our faith in God on the back burner.
7.       Why does the narrator have difficulty describing a cathedral? What does he see with his eyes closed at the close of the story? Why?  
a.       The narrator has difficultly describing a cathedral because he doesn’t know exactly what to say to Robert because he’s blind and hasn’t ever seen a cathedral before in his life. So how could the narrator be descriptive of a building to person who has never seen what one in reality. When he closes his eyes at the end of the story he sees what Robert is seeing. He is finally understand the true meaning of life and opens his eyes to the world that surrounds him.
                

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Wonder (Homework Assignment #6)

            Wonder is all the possibilities that the purpose of an object can have. I chose a pencil. A pencil is used for writing. But it can be used for so many other things like, I can take two of them and use them as chopsticks. I can use a bunch of them and play a game of pick-up sticks. If I was 6 when I did this assignment, I’m pretty sure I would have much more creative outcomes for the pencil rather than practical.
            As we get older, we take everything much more seriously because unlike when we were young we now know more about life. Since we know more about reality and care more about the here and now, we’re less likely to imagine in it otherwise. When we’re young, it doesn’t really matter the true purpose of an object not because we didn’t care but we didn’t really need to know. It’s just like that, we’re much more ignorant to life when we’re younger.
            “Concepts creates idols, only wonder knows” means that practicality and knowledge makes a person smarter but having curiosity allows us to really know. Like, are we learning in class because we want to satisfy our need for knowledge because we want to get a good grade in the end or because we truly want to know more about the subject. 

Kenyon Commencement Speech (Homework Assignment #5)


I really enjoyed reading Wallace’s speech. Everything he said made total sense. I especially liked the section where he mentions nearly unlikely reasons for people cutting him off on the freeway or an unhappy experience at grocery store but not impossible like he said. It made me really think about all the unhappy experiences I have had at different places and then blamed others for my unhappiness. I know for me, that I want things to happen a certain way because that’s just how I want it and when I don’t get it, I blame others.
Near the beginning of his speech, he spoke about thinking that the world revolved around us. Everything happened in our life because we were involved in some sort of way. “We rarely talk about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness, because it's so socially repulsive, but it's pretty much the same for all of us, deep down. It is our default-setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth. Think about it: There is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute center of” (Wallace).  It’s so true that we all think that world revolves around us to some extent. It’s just in my nature; the idea that we are the center of our universe is engrained in our brains. Wallace was so correct when he said that
David Foster Wallace’s idea that life consists of fundamental choices that lie entirely with the human person and allow them to engage is complete credible in my opinion. If you let life control you then that’s exactly what you’re doing. You can be the one who decides what affects you and to what extent. I totally agree with him when he said, if you're aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look differently” (Wallace). He’s saying don’t let one point of view be the only one you choose to look through. Consider everything when making a decision.
            I would like to engage in this choice whenever I could. I never really took a look at my thought process like that in depth. Wallace’s commencement speech really opened up my eyes to the idea that there isn’t always a bad connotation on everything. It’s good to give people the benefit of the doubt; which is something that I should definitely do much more often to become a much happier person. I can be more open to other’s opinion and not take everything so personally.
            I think that the audience clapped when David Foster Wallace was pretty much insulting them because they agreed with what he was saying. They didn’t really realize that they were being made fun of at the exact moment but they agreed with him to an extent. People clap during a speech when they strongly agree with whatever the speaker has just said. Sometimes people clap just because other people in the audience are clapping though they didn’t fully understand what was just said but clap anyway.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Caligula Act 1 by Albert Camus (Homework Assignment #4)


Directions: Read Act 1 of Albert Camus' play Caligula. On your blog, answering the following questions as best you can and as thoroughly as you can:

1. We have spoken about the 4 truths of the “I” which make up our innate human experience. In classical terms, this was referred to as the "heart" of man. How does Camus demonstrate Caligula’s heart? What is the implication of this for Caligula?
                Caligula wants the impossible. He says, “I want the moon, or happiness or eternal life—something, in fact, that may sound crazy, but which isn’t of this world” (Camus 8). Caligula is searching for what he doesn’t have and doesn’t have the ability to achieve no matter how hard he tries. He knows it’s impossible but he tried to search for it anyways. His sister dies and he doesn’t know how to handle it so he runs away from the palace in search of answer and while away, he began to think about what his life really meant and what he really wanted. Caligula says that he knows what to do to help his kingdom find meaning to life, “For I know what they need and haven’t got. They’re without understanding and they need a teacher; someone who knows what he’s talking about” (Camus 9). The death of his sister opened the doorway for him to find the truth he has been searching for, the answers to his impossible questions.
2. How do those in power (the patricians, etc.) view Caligula, and his "heart"? Do you agree with their view? Why or why not? (Give examples from the text to support your answers to both questions.)
                The patricians view Caligula is an immature man who doesn’t know how to handle grief. They expect him to just get suck up the pain and get over it because it’s not worth the time. “Is there anyone capable of mourning a loss for more than a year on end?” (Camus 4).  They don’t have any sympathy for him and wish that he will just come back to the palace so they can speak to him. “Oh, he’s a mere boy; we’ll make him see reason” (Camus 6). The First Patrician sees Caligula as malleable and doesn’t think that he will be able to stand up for himself. He thinks he can change whatever Caligula has mind set to when he returns.
                I do not agree with their view. Caligula may be still young but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know about life. Caligula is the emperor and the patricians can’t even trust him. All that Caligula wants is the truth about his sister’s death and the impossible. He wants what he can’t have and that’s just how human minds work. Humans want the impossible just because they need something they can hold on to, something they can believe in. 

Friday, September 7, 2012

The Random Object (Homework Assignment #3)


A candle holder:



This object is used for holding a candle in place. It collects all of the melted wax at the bottom for an easy clean up. It keeps the candle in place while being moved around. It provides a place to keep any of your favorite candles safely lit and away from flammable substances and materials. Since it has high sides enclosing the candle, the ember would not go out easily from a stray draft and kids are not likely to try to touch it. It is very decorative due to its stained glass design and serves another purpose in that manner. Is it really important? Does one really need a decorative candle holder just to burn a candle? The answer is no. The candle holder is a very nice piece and very useful in serving its purpose. It holds a candle in place while it is burning. 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

What will make me happy? (Homework Assignment #2)


            Honestly, I’m not happy. Everything in my life recently has taken a turn in the wrong direction. I know I shouldn’t dwell on the past but right now I feel like I can’t do anything but. From betrayal to stress to sadness, that’s what I feel right now. I know I have my family and that’s enough.  If I were to make myself happy right now, I would have the ideal teenager life. I would have friends I can trust, great grades, happy parents who don’t nag me, and just whatever I wanted.
            My family is an extremely important influence on my overall happiness in life. Family will always be there for me when my friends could care less. They know everything about me and how I tick. They love and care for unconditionally. They support me in everything I want to do and are always there for me in times of need. Without them, I don’t know how I could go on in my life.
            A life without stress and worries would make me really happy too. Not having to worry about grades, SAT scores, and getting into college. No pressure and stress from almost everyone about everything I do would be good. I know I need to keep up with school. I don’t need anyone to stress me about it. Yes, some pressure is okay but in excess, I just can’t handle it. For my happiness, I would just love to have a break from all of this chaos and have time for myself with not an ounce of worry to bring me down.
            I would have friends I can trust and count on. They would care for me just as much as I care for them. I wouldn’t have to doubt their decisions or worry that they’re one day going to stab me in the back. I would be happy to finally be able to trust the people I know. I don’t want to live my life alone. I want to have people around me who make me happy. Having this be true is one worry in my life that I wish I didn’t have.
            All of these things would make me happy. A stress-free, worry-free life would make anyone happy I would assume. If I didn’t have to worry about grades or getting accepted into college, a huge burden would be lifted off my shoulders. I wish I did have friends I could trust; I need support from other people besides my family. My family is my number one in my life and without them I don’t know how I could cope. They ground me and keep me steady. This would be an ideal life for me and would provide me with true happiness.