Remembering Not Only Our Own This Holiday Season!

The Holiday season is well under way. Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is on the Horizon. What most did you give thanks for? Thanksgiving can truly be a time of good reflection and joyous times, but some people may feel like they have nothing to be thankful for. Someone may not have a family to share with. Someone may not even have a home to eat a warm cooked meal in. While we are giving thanks and breaking bread - lets not forget about those that are less fortunate. Lets not forget about those who may not be as blessed to share with a family.

Even though Thanksgiving is not truly a religious holiday, and has been adopted by the Christian church - we can still attach our loving Christian values so that the peace and love of God people can be spread among the masses. As we are out shopping this season - why not pick up an extra sweater to give to someone in a shelter? While we are baking cookies and making pies - why not make an extra one to share with someone other than our own? Let's not only remember our own this holiday season, but let's have the attitude of Christ and seek the less fortunate so that they too can fell happy and joyous - even in the midst of any sorrow that they may be encountering. Its more to the Holiday than just making our own happy, but our love should expand so that it can leak into the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters as well.

Violence and Suffering: Why must we encounter them?

Amid the ever rising violence that plagues our cities and states, and the ever growing suffering that has always had a place in our societies...questions comes to my mind. If we serve an all powerful and loving God - why does He allow for us to encounter such strife in our lives if we are truly his beloved children? What parent wants to see their child suffering? What parent will not intervene when they see there child suffering and being a victim of violence?

I feel that there is no one concrete answer to these questions. There are no reasons that can speak to a child that is suffering in poverty. There are no reasons that can speak to the senseless killings that have raided the youth of the city of Chicago. You can't just tell a mother that has lost her six year old child to a drunk driver - "that it was just in God's will". But there are a few thoughts that I have that can speak to these situations and help us to keep a faith in God in the midst of our encounters.

Paul asked of God in II Corinthians 12 that the He would remove the infliction that was over his body three times. The Lord said no, but He didn't leave him there. He said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul's response was, "most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." In our times of affliction God is the only one that we can lean on. If we don't put our trust in God...than putting our trust in man will fail us every time. I feel that sometimes we may have to suffer for a positive purpose. In order for one to learn and to get stronger and sharper...sometimes we'll just have to sweat and tear. Its like lifting weights. In order for your muscles to get bigger and stronger they have to go through rigorous trauma. Sometimes we suffer in order for us to attain higher heights and higher knowledges through our experiences. Also, I think one of the maybe most convincing reasons why we suffer is because its just an effect of natural order. We live in an imperfect world...so in an imperfect world that is full of free will...suffering happens.

Whatever the reasons are for ones suffering - we must not let go of our faith in God. Even though He is all powerful - I don't feel he intentionally inflicts violence and suffering all of the time. Its just a part of the free willed imperfect world that we live in. Whatever the infliction is - lets trust God. Violence and suffering is a big deal in society, but God is even bigger. Why not trust and depend on Him? For He is the only one that has the liberating power to assist us in our negative encounters with life.

Health Care Reform

Health care reform in the United States is a concern for both those that are inside and outside of the U.S. government. One group of individuals who feel strongly about voicing their opinion and wanting to have an influence in the shaping of health care reform for the nation are the U.S. Catholic bishops - rightly so. Any religious group, including the Catholic bishops of America, should be given the opportunity to voice opinions to congress about health care reform. I feel that the church has a duty to raise morale concerns and to be the "religious aggressors" that push for the wellness and well being of those subjected to health care.

To me it seems that sometimes the ultimate goal of health care in the United States is to make money. We live in a highly capitalistic society - so making money is always a deciding factor. Let's think about it. If there were no sick people in the world than the pharmaceutical companies wouldn't be in business. Certain epidemics such as cancer, AIDS, influenza, diabetes, and hypertension keep monies rolling in year after year into pharmaceutical "banks". There’s a push to make sure that medicines and care options are at the forefront and available for those that can push money into electing these care options. But what about servicing those that are in poverty, and are poor, and can't afford these medicines and health care options? This is where the church should have an influence. As religious leaders getting involved in the policy making - we should not be pushing "religions" - but rather we should be just practicing the love and care for humanity that our faith so duly charges us with doing through our deliberations.

In the end the government is going to decide what it’s going to decide, but sometimes it takes that little voice far off in the distant to help move one to look at things from a different perspective. As our nation is set up - it’s not the governments’ duty to show love and compassion from a religious perspective. They make and set laws for the land. It's the church's duty to be the religious foundation for the world and to help bring certain cares and concerns through a loving perspective. The church does not have the final say in the government, but it ought to have an influential effect on those that make decisions that effect personal lives on a day to day basis.

Ft. Hood: Religion, Terror, and Education

Within the United States we are infused with many races, creeds, and religious practices. One of the most diverse things about this melting pot - is that against the whole world - we have our very own complex pluralistic society that enables everyone to be able to have the freedom to choose what religion they want to practice. In wake of the most recent shootings at Ft. Hood, I feel that there must be an awakening and a realization that just because we accept one's freedom to choose their religion, we must also be aware of any pending dangers that may come along with it. Since we live in the "land of the free" - we can not simply place a discriminating limitation on ones entrance to the military due to their religious practices, but we've got to be a bit more educated and proactive in staying abreast to the "ins and outs" that one's beliefs may consist of.

Since at this point we do not have 100% assurance that the shooter is connected to any religious extremist group - we can not associate him with any particular group. In wake of September 11th, everyone wants to associate his actions to that of homage to Allah in the name of martyrdom. All individuals who practice in the name of Allah are not religious extremist. But since we do allow for Muslims to join the army - we must stay on top of any dangerous theological perspectives that one may have that may advocate martyrdom. Muslims are not the only religious practice that propagates dangers to society, but Christians and Jews as well. One may not practice them, but their "canons" do suggest it.

Where does America go from here? If this act was truly an act of religious extremism - than terrorism has his American soil again. What makes it worse is that it not only hit American soil, but it’s penetrated into our military services as well. This places a great deal of fear in the hearts of Americans, because if our military can be hit - than our line of defense is weakened. We need to take a situation such as the Ft. Hood shooting as a wake up call. In light of our love and compassion for ones thoughts, beliefs, and decisions, we must still stay aware and educated to any pending dangers that we may be up against. If we do this - than we may be able to prophetically name a danger and offer an alternative outcome before the lives of others are placed in danger. We must stay educated and take the necessary precautions when necessary.

End of Life Counseling

There comes a time in everyone's life where we must come to the realization that our journey here on Earth must come to an end. Coming to this realization - there should be support systems in place that make our last days here as peaceful as possible. My mother is a nurse manager of a hospice unit at a well known hospital in the Chicagoland area. She shares with me all the time the stories of how her and her team provides care and counseling to the patients as well as their families. She tells me that comforting the patient as well as the family is a big part of helping and preparing both for the transition from life to death. It’s a fact that some do to suffer more than others in their dying bed. When one is suffering in a great way - I feel that effective counseling such as the end-of-life counseling should be a great option that is sought out for a dying loved one.

Dr.'s Alexi A. Wright, Baohui Zhang, and Alaka Ray did a study with patients who received end-of-life counseling vs. those who didn't. The results of the study showed that patients who did have end-of-life discussions were admitted to hospice earlier and that a longer stay in hospice adversely gave the patient a better quality of life. Those who did not engage in end-of-life counseling had a worse quality of life in their last days, and not only did the patients suffer more, but their caregivers adversely were effected psychologically as well. Preparation and acceptance are key. Some may say that accepting the imminence of death is giving up on life. I feel that this may not so much be true. It’s a fact that our life begins and ends with the hand of God, but He never promised us an infinite life here on Earth. It’s up to God to make the decision of whether we are to be healed from a disease - or if He will call us home. The best that we can do is to just be prepared.

Our U.S. government is debating rather Medicare should be able to fund such an option - as well as if it should even be apart of Obama’s health-care reform. I feel that it should be. Our country is one of the most difficult when it comes to aiding those that are in need of health care and its benefit. Not including end-of-life counseling in the health-care reform to me is a way of whispering "I don't care". We should be doing everything that we can in our power to make sure those who are suffering - are as comfortable as they can be. Battling with denial can make matter worse, but when you accept something - you can move on and feel free in accepting whatever outcome that will come to pass.