1)The most important idea that I got out of this section is from the lecture given by Fr. Ralph Huse, S.J. He states that humility is the greatest virtue. This surprised me in a way, because I expected the greatest virtue to be something along the lines of love or charity or faith. I would define a person who has humility as someone who is humble or modest enough that they do not believe that they are better or more important than others. Fr. Huse goes on to describe it as knowing who you are as a person, knowing your gifts and talents and accepting them. I realize that if pride is the ultimate sin and humility is the ultimate virtue, then it is extremely important, especially with all the gifts and talents I have been given, for me to remember this and know what my gifts are but never making myself seem better or more important because I am not. In truth, we are all made in the image and likeness of God so we are all equal.
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3) A key idea from this section that I want to remember is solidarity. Solidarity means that because everyone on Earth was created in the image and likeness of God, then we share a special unity with everyone else, on an individual level as well as internationally. And because of this unity we are obligated to help others who are in need. We should strive to think of all people as our brothers and sisters and the obligations we have towards them as though they were our real brothers and sisters. At SLUH, our idea of solidarity is "Brotherhood." How do we treaty our own brothers and sisters? If they are hungry, we feed them. If they are sick, we nurse them. If they are homeless, we give them shelter. And we should do the same for everyone who needs it. Solidarity means we have to take care of the "least" among us, because ultimately we are unity with them and in the eyes of God if not in our eyes we are all the same.
A second key idea I want to remember from this section is the concepts of the two standards, consolation and desolation. These three terms come from St. Ignatius who described the two standards as two ways we can choose to live our life: under the banner of God and all that is good, or under the banner of Satan and evil. We have to conciously make this choice. This ties into the idea of consolation and desolation. I would define consolation and desolation as a response to our feelings about our actions in the past, present and future. It is a way of reflecting back on what we did or forward on what we are planning to do. In this type of reflection we ask ourselves, "How does this action make me feel?" If the answer is that it fulfilled me and made me feel happy in the long term then it is consolation, however if it left me feeling empty it is desolation. Ultimately those actions that fall under consolation are ideally morally good and those actions that fall under desolation are moral evils. If we reflect on our actions and begin to realize the power of consolation then we find that it is better to live a morally good life. And by living a morally good life we are holding up the standard of God and goodness.
4 ) What has the church done to enhance the role of women?
In my opinion the answer, contrary to the text, is that the church has not enough. Women still have inferior roles in the church community. The main reson for my answer is that women are not allowed to be ordained. For some reason the church sees that men have a superior to women in that they are the only ones capable enough to carry out the sacraments and lead a church. Women are just as capable as men to lead a congregation. Women preachers in other denominations and religions have proved this. What I see is discrimination.