"Deliver us from evil."  Which sin in our society do you think we most need to be delivered from?  Please give your reasons.
In my opinion, I believe that our society really needs to be delivered from sins that stem from bullying. Even though we did not really mention this topic in class, I could not help but think about it when we were talking about societal sins. Particularly among the younger sect, bullying is a major issue in schools and online. Bullying has often been linked to suicides and school shootings among teens. However, bullying is not limited to just teenagers. It exists among adults as well, in the forms of nonconstructive criticism and intimidation. Cruelty like this is unwanted and creates evil in the world at the hand of human beings. I consider bullying to be a lack of respect for God's creations. He created each one of us in His own image and loves us wholeheartedly. Jesus exists in every being created on Earth and in bullying someone, we are bullying God. In delivering us from this evil, God could free us of harsh judgement and criticism. We would no longer have to live in fear that people will judge us if we want to try out for the musical or play a new sport. Additionally, deliverance from this evil would unite the human race because there would be no room left for hateful remarks; rather, there would be even more room to compliment someone and raise them up instead of tear them down.

For each of the three temptations Jesus experienced in the desert, write a brief explanation of how a similar temptation might be experienced by a young person today.
1. Devil tells him to turn stones into bread.
A friend tells you to steal from the school cafeteria because you don't have enough money to buy lunch. Similarly to Jesus, you are very hungry, but in order to eat, you would have to disobey someone else's trust. Jesus would have to disobey his promise to God to fast. You would be disobeying the trust of the cafeteria workers and your school.
2. Devil tells him to jump off the highest point of the temple.
Someone tells you that if you smoke it won't hurt you; it will just make you more popular. To a teenager today, smoking might as well be jumping off the highest point of the temple because of how dangerous it can be to a young person's health. The devil promises Jesus that angels will catch him as he falls. This implies that there is no danger in jumping off, because angels will be there to save him. Your friend promises that smoking is completely safe, and in fact, it will make you more popular! That friend is challenging you to do something dangerous to receive some recognition. The devil does the same to Jesus when he says, "If you are the Son of God..."
3. Devil promises Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world if he bows down to him.
 Your boss offers you a major raise if you quit school and come work for him full-time. This may be a little bit of a stretch, but it could happen. Besides, it is practically the exact same situation. You really want that money but you know you should go to college so you can eventually make money at a job you are really passionate about. However, this full-time position is available right now. How do you know you will be able to get a better job even if you do go to college? Jesus has a very similar situation on his hands. All of the kingdoms in the world could be his if he betrays God and bows down to the devil. Just like that raise could be yours if you don't go to college and go work full-time for your boss.

Sister Dorothy Stang

I found the story of Sister Dorothy Stang to be remarkable. I was inspired by her dedication and love for the Brazillian Amazon. She was a true activist for the destitute area until her death in 2005. I was moved by her murder and how tragic it was. A woman who was just trying to do God's work was treated with such disrespect. She died a martyr but the Church remembers her as more than that. We regard her as a modern-day example how to live as Jesus did.

Thoughts on Kony 2012

I felt really inspired by the Kony 2012 video. It made me want to order one of the action packs and start to help in any way possible. There are poor innocent children suffering under terrifying conditions, yet not many people are aware that this is going on. The creators of the video really empowered me to support the case against Kony with this video.I also really admire the plan that Russell put together to end the horrors that were happening in Africa. They have the right idea to target celebrities in order to get the word out. I know that I first heard about these videos from one of Rihanna's tweets on Twitter. Making him famous will really show the U.S. Government that WE DO CARE and that we want to help capture Kony.

Reflection on the Mother Teresa Documentary

Mother Teresa forbade fundraising and relied solely on "divine providence". Define "divine providence" and give examples for its work in Mother Teresa's life.


Mother Teresa was averse to fundraising and encouraged those around her to rely solely on "divine providence". This "divine providence" can be simply defined as God's care. Mother strongly believed that He will provide whatever is needed. He message reminds me of Jesus' words to his people. He relayed the idea that God would always be present to provide you with your every need, no matter whether you are rich or poor. Mother Teresa bestowed God's care upon many people across the globe. She provided the love and protection that God wanted each and every one of his people to have.  She made no judgement of the sick or the poor and took care of them as though she had the hands of God.

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.


This quote of Mother Teresa's is my favorite because it proves that she was aware of all kinds of hunger. What people are really hungry for is love. Mother Teresa put that idea into words and expressed it in the quote above. She went to New York because she saw that the poverty was much deeper there than it was in India. The "real poor" were not necessarily begging on the streets for dollar bills, but rather they were hidden away in lonely apartments and dead-end jobs. In an effort to be more like God, Mother suggested that we offer a simple smile to one another just to show that everyone is loved and never alone. I found this idea appealing because her words are 100% true. By taking simple actions, we can surely be "carriers of God's love" and make everyone feel wanted, loved, cared for, and remembered.

Thoughts on Praying as We Go

I really enjoy it. I like hearing the reading each day because it gives me a chance to reflect on everything going on in my life. The music is also really relaxing. I can connect to the words that they say at the end and it gives me ideas about what kind of help I can ask God for. I think that Pray as You Go is a good way to meditate and focus on Jesus.