"Entertaining Angels" Question 6

When Forster accuses the church of "sucking all the joy right out of life",he is referring to his belief that the Catholic Church is imposing on his freedom. Forster believed that the strict rules of the Catholic Church prevented one from enjoying life's pleasures and did not allow one to live life fully. Forster lived by the motto of doing "whatever feels good" , which the Church naturally opposed. Forster disagreed with the Church's views regarding things such as premarital sex and money spending habits. What Forster did not realize, however, is how enriching it can be to follow Church teachings and how much the Church has to offer even though it may be strict about some issues. Forster failed to take notice of all of the things that the Church as a community offered to one's life rather than "sucked away" from one's life.

Jesus' Suffering, Death, and Resurrection

In Kenneth R. Overberg’s article “The Mystery of Suffering: How Should I Respond”, Overberg identifies three important points about Jesus and suffering. Many times, people associate suffering with punishment and think of it as God’s punishment for those who have sinned. From the Gospels, however, we see that Jesus rejected suffering and rejected the notion that suffering is a punishment for sin. In several Gospel stories, we see Jesus alleviating pain and healing the blind and the sick. During his time on earth, Jesus tried to eliminate suffering, not inflict it onto others. Jesus also trusted God and looked to him during times when He himself suffered. Even when he faced crucifixion, Jesus remained faithful to God’s plan for him and trusted that God would heal him in heaven. He even asked God to forgive those who put him to death, out of love for God’s people. The article also explains several tradition interpretations of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. St. Anselm’s 12th century interpretation depicts Jesus’ death as payment for humanity’s infinite debt (because of sin). God is depicted as angry and bloodthirsty. The image of God is very different from the one Jesus expressed in his teachings. The alternative interpretation holds that the purpose of creation is for the Incarnation. God is not pictured as vindictive or demanding, but rather gracious and sharing love in creation. I personally prefer the second interpretation. I have never pictured God as frightening or angry, and I feel that my relationship with God would not be as strong if I did view Him with fear. I have always believed that Jesus suffered and died on the cross because God loved us so deeply and because it was God’s plan to save the world from sin; I have never thought of Jesus’ suffering as punishment for the sins of mankind.

Qualities of Jean Donovan

Jean Donovan was a strong individual who dedicated her life to serving others and searching for something more. She left everything behind to follow her calling to El Salvador and work with the poor and the sick. Jean was courageous, selfless, cheerful, and compassionate. Jean had everything a woman could want; a loving fiancé, a happy family, and a great job and education. She left everything behind to dedicate her life to others. At the time when Jean traveled to El Salvador, very few lay women were doing missionary work in the area. Jean had no idea what lay ahead for her, but that did not stop her. Even when conditions in El Salvador became incredibly dangerous and Jean had the opportunity to leave, she remained in the village she was working in. Jane put everyone before herself. Her selflessness was truly inspirational. Jean was also an incredibly cheerful person. She was always smiling and laughing, and never let difficult times break her spirit. There were many times when Jean could have given up or become depressed in El Salvador, but her relationship with God and the connections she made with those she met kept her happy. Jean was also a very compassionate person. She tried to see the good in everyone she met, especially those in the village in El Salvador. People who knew her said that Jean’s kind and happy spirit was contagious. Someday, I hope to embody Jean’s courage in my own life. I hope that if I am someday faced with a difficult decision or a terrifying experience, I will have the courage to do what is right rather than what is easy. I hope that I would stay in El Salvador like Jean, rather than leave when things got dangerous or difficult.

SOA/WHINSEC

The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly the School of the Americas (SOA), is a combat training school for Latin American Soldiers located at Fort Benning, Georgia. It is an institute of the US Department of Defense, which has trained over 64,000 Latin American soldiers since its establishment in 1946. The United States federal government funds WHINSEC, and soldiers are trained in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, psychological warfare, and interrogation tactics. WHINSEC has received harsh criticism from many Americans and Latin Americans since its establishment. Many feel that WHINSEC graduates use their skills to wage war against their own people. Educators, religious workers, student leaders, and hundreds of thousands of others who work for the rights of the poor have been tortured, raped or assassinated by WHINSEC graduates without consequences. In fact, three of the five El Salvadoran National Guardsmen who murdered Dorothy Kazel, Ita Ford Maura Clarke, and Jean Donovan were trained at WHINSEC (then the SOA). WHINSEC is still in existence today because they claim to be carrying out their mission to provide professional education and training, respect human rights, and promote democratic values. Many organizations are working to have WHINSEC shut down, but efforts have not yet been successful.