Social Teachings of the Church
The Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching
Teachings at SLUH
The first Social Teaching that I find most evident at SLUH is the Principal of Solidarity. There has been no better picture of SLUH's solidarity for me than at the 2007 State Championship Volleyball game. Here our school was more united than I have ever seen before. Here we all cheered together, urging our team on in a truly glorious display of dedication. This dedication though goes beyond the sports games to our school hallways. Here, banners are hung up that read "Brotherhood." This represents that are school stays together not only in athletics against a common opponent but in daily school life.
The second teaching I see is the principle of Respect for Human Life. This principle states that every person from conception to death has a right to live. At SLUH, we fight to uphold this idea whether it is traveling to Washington D.C. for a Pro-Life Trip or just discussing such issues in the club Pax Christi. The idea of rights to all in every stages of life is preached in the classrooms at SLUH and it has a profound effect as most students respect this principle.
Teachings Missing from SLUH
One principle I don't see at SLUH is the Principle of Stewardship. SLUH fails to meet this principle when we neglect the care of our building and steal from our fellow classmates. Often, the hallways and grounds of our school are littered with papers and trash left carelessly behind by students and now more than ever student's personal belongings are stolen. While this is not obviously the case, and Mr. Clark still stresses respect for what we have been gifted with, these issues are now problems more than ever.
Another principle that I do not always see at SLUH is the Principle of Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable. While our CSP (Communiyy Service Program) makes great strides in getting our SLUH students to reach out to the poor and needy of our community there is always room for improvement. It is always surprising when I discover how many of my SLUH brothers still choose not to help when they have the opportunity. Beyond helping the poor though is the duty of those who are vulnerable such as those who are different because of their race, sexuality, gender, or economic background. To be honest, it disgusts me when I hear my own classmates making slurs against other kids in our class who are black or girls that I know and personally respect. Our school does make many efforts to right these wrongs though by promoting understanding between students with groups like ACES (Association for Cultural Enrichment at SLUH.)
Two Memorable Things:
The main thing that I want to remember from this section is the case of David Cash and Jeremy Strohmeyer. These two young men made many, bad, and immoral decisions that night but their teaches you too slow down and not immediately make judgments. To fully try and understand what was going on in their heads that night you have to listen to their own testimonies and from that decide if what they did was worth names such as "The Bad Samaritan." This case was also interesting to me because it brought up a very interesting political issue. The issue at hand is whether to make a "Good Samaritan" law, or essentially regulate morality. I for one am undecided on what I truly think of David Cash and Jeremy Strohmeyer but I know for sure that I have no wish to live in a society where they try and control my own morality.
Another idea that I feel is interesting but not particularly one I want to "keep in my thoughts" is the idea of discernment. This idea comes from St. Ignatius, whom, while injured and bed-ridden read two books, The Lives of the Saints and The Life of Christ. Here he gained a sense of consolation or fulfillment because he became more in touch with his feelings and less numb to himself. In becoming more connected to himself he was able to seek God in his life more easily. This feeling was a polar opposite feeling that he had been getting from reading romance novels, a feeling known as desolation. These books left him feeling good right afterwards but empty with time. While this idea of being in touch with myself is very nice, I do not feel that I need terms to classify my own feelings. I don't like thinking about why I feel the way I do only to stick a word like "desolation" on it. I think that "feeling" your way through life is a better way to know oneself and truly get in touch with your own feelings, not having someone else's terms classify them for you.
Pondering...
Should "Good Samaritan" laws be instated in our governments?
While the intention of such a law is true, I do not think that controlling and restricting people's morality is, well, moral. The United States was setup as a government where Church would not play a part in decisions. If we were to limit our moralities with laws we would be encroaching upon our own rights. I do not believe that people would enjoy being told how to feel because many already do enjoy being told how to act.
More on Cash and Strohmeyer:
Article Archive on the Case
Youth Perspective
