Alex Reich

April 18, 2008

Journal 4Q-2

 

CHAPTER 9: THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH




FromKent.ac.uk



 

  1. Two of the Building Blocks of Catholic social teaching that are very apparent at SLUH are the principle of association and the principle of stewardship. Association has to do with being social and with family relationships, both strongly encouraged by SLUH. We support many social events for students on the weekends so that students can have a social life as well as doing schoolwork. We host dances and mixers so that SLUH can still have a co-ed environment when appropriate. Participation is all around. The best example is that of student council. The kids who lead the school in prayer, spirit, sportsmanship, and everything else show that being actively involved in your school outside of class is not just enjoyable, but beneficial to you in that you help your community, and, in turn, help yourself. I do not think, however, that SLUH follows the building block which states to Protect the Poor and Vulnerable or the Principle of Human Equality. Outcast aren’t really reached out to ever at SLUH. The people who have a lot of friends are generally athletes and student council members who get recognition for what they do. I’m not saying that I find anything wrong with this, I just don’t think that the “geeks” and “nerds” don’t have as good of an experience at SLUH as the jocks and “popular” kids do. The problem with equality is very apparent. Those who have many achievements are praised my faculty and students alike, while those who are not very successful don’t feel as worthwhile as their classmates and, therefore, are not equal in that sense. People don’t see them as equal, so they don’t see themselves as equal.
  2. From
  3. I would like to remember Jesus’ teachings on Divorce and his teachings on Retaliation from the Sermon on the Mount. In today’s society, more than one half of all marriages end in divorce and this deeply disturbs me. I don’t think people know what the point of marriage is anymore. Maybe that’s the problem, they try to find a specific reason to be married other than spending the rest of your life remaining faithful to somebody. They think that if there is fighting that they have a troubled marriage, which isn’t true. Fighting doesn’t mean you are abnormal, I would be more concerned if couples didn’t fight, because it would seem to me like they weren’t being completely honest and open with each other. Jesus teaches that divorce shouldn’t happen because marriages aren’t meant to be ended. Jesus also teaches against retaliation, which is something I’ve always had a problem with. Jesus teaches to not just forgive and forget, but if someone strikes your left cheek, to offer your right as well. This is something I wish I was better and I try to do but it is a struggle for me because I have always followed my own philosophy of using my own judgment to decide whether or not I wanted to get back at the person who harmed me or not.
  4. Why does Jesus give us such high standards that he knows we can’t always live up to?

 

Part of me feels like these aren’t expectations as much as they are guidelines to strive for in hopes of accomplishing some or part of the task. A phrase commonly used that would sum up this answer quickly is ‘shoot for the moon and if you fall you might catch a star’.

 

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