"Entertaining Angels" Question #6

When Forster said that the church is "sucking all the joy right out or life", he meant that he felt that the Church chastises and criticizes everything he he find fun in life. He thinks that everything that is not very strict "Catholic" and holy is not wanted or accepted by the Church. I think that Forster simply does not recognize all of the good things that the Church really has to offer. Forster does not realize that there is so much more that the Church can offer, such as happiness through helping others, rather than the things that the Church does not accept.

The Theology of Suffering

In "The Mystery of Suffering: How Should I Respond?" Kenneth Overberg shares three important points about Jesus and suffering. These three points were: 1) Jesus rested and eliminated suffering, 2) Jesus rejected suffering as punishment for sin, and 3) Jesus trusted a compassionate, present God. Together, these three points explain how Jesus specifically responded to suffering. The first point, Jesus rested and eliminated suffering, explains that Jesus traveled and tried to eliminate suffering wherever he went. He was brave enought to go to towns where everyone was sick, but he wanted to heal them. By eliminating a person's suffering, Jesus was able to increase the happiness and faith of those around him. The second point, Jesus rejected suffering as punishment for sin, explains that God did not use suffering as a punichment. During Jesus' time, many people thought that suffering was a punishament for their sins. Jesus rejected this notion and proclaimed that bad things do happen to good people and is not a reflection of their sins. The third point, Jesus trusted a compassionate, present God, explains that Jesus truly trusted that God would save those who earned it. Jesus also understood that his suffering and death was part of God's plan and trusted that his suffering would be for the benefit of all people. 

"A Theology of Atonement/Ransom" portrays God as angry, harsh, and even boodthirsty. This was a very common bleief of many people during Jesus' time. The Hebrew people did things such as animal sacrifices in order to please God. The people believed that pouring an animal's blood onto an alter would make those people be and connect more fully to God. "A Theology of Incarnation" has the complet opposite view point. In this article, the people view God as a blessing. The blievers view God as someone who loves everything equally, forgives for sins, and is a devine presense. This is the view that many students, including myself, have grown up being taught. I believe that this is the true God because God gives so many people strength who have none and if He wanted people to suffer, he would not give those men and woman strength. I know many people who have found a devine but 100% present faith and strength in God, so those stories make me believe that God does not want us to suffer but it here for all people to love, forgive, and be present.

Jean Donovan Reflection

Jean Donovan was an American lay missionary who was murdered with three nuns in El Salvador by a military death squad while volunteering to do charity work during the civil war there. Jean is remembered by her close friends and family as being a free spirit, kind, caring, and compassionate. I think that all four of these trait are extremely admirable. Of the four before mentioned, I would most like to embody Jean's compassion. Going to El Salvador myself, I understand, probably more than most, the real conditions that the people there face. I have numerous first hand experiences that can relate to the situations and conditions the Jean Donovan saw and experienced in the 1980's. Although the conditions are much, much better now than ever before, from research, I can imagine how things were like back then. I think that compassion is an extremely powerful trait that can motivate people to do much more than they would normally do. Compassion is defined as "sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others". Compassion for the poor motivated Jean to volunteer in such a risky place. I would like to embody this trait by serving, not only my local and school communities, but also a wider, world community. Experiencing what living in a different country was like opened my eye to world around me. Now I more fully appreciate what I have been so blessed with in my life: my education, my comfortable lifestyle, and, most especially, my family and everything they give to me. All in all, I greatly admire Jean Donovan specifically for her traits of being a free spirit, kind, caring, and compassionate. I would most like to embody Jean's trait of compassion, because I believe that compassion can motivate people to do more than anything would normally do. I hope that one day I would have the compassion and courage to do as much as I could for people who have so little.