Pilgrims on the Journey

During the course of VHS, we have covered a multitude of current topics.  I have learned about love, dating, relationships, love languages, gender roles, same-sex marriages, abortion, IVF, and much more. Each topic that we discussed was a current and relevant issue to our lives.  I think that every lesson that we learned will help us on our journey as we create new relationships in the future.  The prayers and mediations that we did at the beginning of class, especially with Sister Colleen, have made me appreciate the time I have to relax and that you can always make time for prayer and reflection in order to relax.

Moving into the future, especially at college, I will take all the lessons I have learned in VHS with me.  Overall, I think that each topic not only thoroughly discussed the issue, but made me realize how other people view it.  After watching the YouTube video about the young girl who felt out of place because she was straight.  This made me fully realize that everyone deserves the same respect and that is a lesson that I will take with me for the rest of my life.

IVF?

The practice of in vitro fertilization is becoming more common in today's society.  Along with the increase of this practice comes with many pros and cons.  The Catholic church believes that IVF is morally wrong; many couples who use IVF do not consult their church for the fear of being told "no."  However, IVF is a great way for couples to increase their chances of having their own children.  Although the Savage family in the dateline special ultimately gave birth to a child who belonged to someone else, they are a good example of people creating a healthy family through IVF, despite the many obstacles faced during pregnancy.  IVF is a also good alternative to adoption for the couples who desire a child that is biologically theirs.  IVF is a very expensive practice, but I do not believe that it greatly affects my opinion on the morality of it.  It is a very difficult process that can not be done cheaply, and I think that if a couple is willing to pay this much money for IVF, it shows how serious they are about creating a family.

Abortion: Why isn't this a national outrage?

After learning about the acts of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, I was completely disgusted by his outrageous acts. Ultimately, he is illegally taking away the lives of innocent babies who have no way of protecting themselves.  I am shocked that our government did not do anything to stop his dangerous and  unsanitary practices, even with the complaints put forward about his "clinic."  It is unjustifiable that the lives of many women were put into danger, some who had even died, were dismissed.  However, I believe that this has not been a headlining story for many reasons.  Due to the fact that this clinic was in a poor area, with many girls and women coming because of desperation, the situation was probably overlooked.  If this had taken place in the an area such as the Main Line, I believe that it people would have paid more attention to it and his practices would have been stopped immediately.  Another possibility of why this story has not been a large, national story may be because of the issue it focuses on.  In today's society, abortion is an extremely controversial topic that polarizes many groups.  It is possible that the media did not want to take a stand on either side.  Regardless, Dr. Gosnell's practices were extremely horrifying and deserved attention so that it could have been stopped immediately.

The Changing Face of Marriage

In my family, I believe that I have been given a a typical experience of the "domestic church."  I was raised Catholic, and the Catholic values and morals have been instilled in me by my parents and other family members.  My parents were unified through the sacrament of matrimony and together they have been my first and foremost example of faith.  They have taught me how to love, forgive, and trust others.  They have shown and guided me how to follow the Catholic teachings.
Based off of real life and TV shows/movies, I have witnessed many pros and cons of the changing structure and composition of marriage and family.  I believe that it is great that the media today is portraying many same sex couples, considering that is the reality of modern society.  TV shows such as Modern Family are showing same sex couples starting families.  I think that this changing structure and composition of marriage is a great thing; everyone should be treated equally regardless of his or her sexual orientation.  However, I believe that media today is emphasizing too much on teen pregnancies in shows such as Teen Mom.  I think that this factor in society shows the irresponsibility of teenagers in today's society and the children are rarely raised in stable marriages with parents giving the child the proper experience of the "domestic church."
Finally, I think that the study suggesting those with a college degree are less likely to experience divorce and multiple marriages gives hope.  For me, it means that I believe I will have a happy and successful marriage, considering I fully intend to obtain my college degree.  I also believe that people who value good relationships and marriage will feel the need to complete their college education.  In the future, I intend to someday establish the domestic church in my home.  I think that it is important to raise a well-rounded child with a strong faith and morals.

Dating: What's the Point?

In today's world, dating is a very loose term.  Dating has a different meaning for nearly everyone; some consider dating casual (hooking up) and others consider dating to be serious, as if marriage is the next step.  Neither opinion is incorrect; I believe that the difference in opinions is because dating has changed throughout the generations.  People my parents' age would consider dating to be a more serious thing, because that is how they were raised.  However, teenagers are exposed to all different kinds of social media that portray dating as a very sexual thing.  Nearly every TV show shows casual hook-ups between characters that barely know each other.  However, this leads to another question, which is what is considered a hook up?  In this society, hooking up is another vague term; for some it means kissing and for others it means sex.  Many people do consider hook-ups as drunken sex.  Like dating, I think the definition of a hook-up depends on the age of the person defining it.  For example, I know that my mom uses the term "hook-up" to mean "meeting-up."  After a night out with my friends, she will always ask me who I've hooked up with.  I think that for teenagers, hooking-up is less sexual (making-out) but once one advances into college, hooking-up turns into sex.  In the end, I believe that dating and hooking-up are both very vague terms that depend on each individual generation.

Looking Forward in the Church

Although I am not extremely educated in the Pope's affairs, I believe that the upcoming Pope will need to address many new topics in the Church and in the world.  Many things have occurred in the Catholic Church recently, a prime example being the sex abuse scandal.  I think that many people are concerned and that the Pope will need to resolve this issue in order to renew people's faith.

As previously stated, I imagine that the future of the church needs to instill faith in the entire community again.  I think that for some people the Catholic beliefs and morals were slowly starting to decay and the sex abuse scandal quickened the decay for many.  There are also many other future, controversial challenges that the Pope may face in the Church.  Some examples are the economy and idea of giving roles to women.  Personally, being a woman in the Church does not positively or negatively affect me.  However, I still think that the Church should allow women to have vital roles, such as becoming a priest.  Women have been striving for equality and there is no reason that they should not be equal to men in the Church.

If I could change one thing in the Church, I would change their views on abortion and gay marriage.  I think that, like many teenagers, that everyone should be in control of his or her own life.  I think that the strict rules of abortion should be loosened; I feel that if someone wants to have an abortion because of extreme circumstances, such as rape, she should be able to have an abortion without going against her religion.  I also believe that if two people love each other, they should be allowed to be married in the Church.  I believe that whether one is homosexual or heterosexual, everyone is equal and sexual orientation should not matter.

Becoming Who You Are

Due to past experiences, I believe that who you are is who you should be.  You should be the person that you are; the person that you want to be, not the person someone else wants you to be.  However, at times it can be extremely difficult to be yourself.  Everyone wants to be the person who is successful and wants to be with someone successful.  However, I believe that the people who are really successful are the people that do not define success as being wildly rich and famous.  To me, being successful is being happy with what you have and loving what you do.

For the past few months, the main question I have been asked is, "Where are you going to college and what are you majoring in?"  I have absolutely no idea how to answer this question, considering I have not heard back from all the colleges I have applied to and have no clue what I want to pursue as a career.  I could listen to my parents, attend Bucknell, and become a doctor or lawyer.  However, that is not me.  I hate biology and law.  Of course, that path of life would make them beyond happy, but it would not make me happy.  I need to consider the question, "who am I?" not "who should I be?".  I should be the person that I want to be and I have yet to figure that out.  However, I am myself and will always stay true to myself.  I think that Palmer is believes that everyone is different for a reason, and I completely agree with that.  I will choose the path of life that I want, that will make me become who I am.  Why would I try to be something else?