Romero Reflection

In Lasallian schools the core principle of concern for the poor and social justice invites students and staff to be in solidarity with the poor and advocate for those suffering injustices. This means that people should have awareness of the poor and those who are victims of injustices and respond to their needs by means of community service and advocacy. This core principle is illustrated in the novella, “Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr” by Miguel de Unamuno. The main character, Don Emmanuel is the parson of the city of Valverde. The congregation of this parish look up to Don Emmanuel, admire him, and are overtaken by his words in mass. However, the narrator reveals that Don Emmanuel was not a man of faith. “Metamorphosis” by Kafka, presents a story of a young man who one day wakes up and is transformed into a bug. As a result of this transformation, he is mistreated by his family and considered useless in society. In the case of Saint Emmanuel the Good Martyr, there is a character that does not believe in God, yet practices concern for the poor and social justice on a daily basis. On the other hand, we have a character that yearns what Don Emmanuel gives to the citizens in Valverde, care and concern.

As Oscar Romero had said, “History will not fail; God sustains it.” In the speech The Last Sermon, Oscar Romero the Archbishop, is trying to get the men with more power to listen to what he has to say about the deaths they are casting upon the civilians. Oscar needs these men to obey the laws of god, otherwise they are ignoring higher authority.

This film made me think about how relevant this theme is to the society we live in today as it is hard for poorer people to have the same opportunities and experiences as wealthier people because they can't afford it. Instead of everyone being equal, there is still imbalance within our society as money separates us. John Key, who is the New Zealand prime minister is a good example of this as he only caters to the needs of the wealthy people which he instead should be catering to the needs of poorer people. Poverty is a huge issue in New Zealand, which can be a result of not having enough money to buy food. Children go to school hungry and don't have the brain food to focus and work to the best of their abilities. Because of this they are likely to get a lower paid job and it is like a circle like in the film of the rich people staying rich and the poor people staying poor. John Key recently invested 26 million

Many movie companies and industries have made millions of dollars off of movies that portray poor people, because many individuals prefer to relive the times when they were either poor, or disliked by the society as a whole. There are many movies such as Pretty Woman which “is a perfect example of a film that made huge sums of money portraying the poor in this light” (Hooks, 486). Hooks perceives this as a very good way of making profit, but does mention that the poor should not be devalued by the society this way, and should be treated differently with respect. The way the companies portray the poor in the movies is the way the higher and middle class

It is obvious that Romero sees the issues found in the government, just as the rest of the people, but he chooses to not act upon it. Whether he thinks this is best or not he states multiple times, “I am not bringing politics in this, it is simple my job to run the church (Romero 20:00).” When Father Grande gets murdered, Romero decides to shut down all masses except 1 to raise awareness for the people murdered. When he is accused of trying to make a political statement he denies it by stating, “I want to gather people to mourn the deaths and to express their outrage (Romero 34:30).” Romero doesn't start showing signs of prudence until later in the film. He enters the church to a room full of soldiers and asks to take care of the Eucharist that was still placed there. The soldiers refuse and end up shooting at the altar, which can be interpreted as shooting at Jesus. This is the scene that really opens Romero’s eyes. After this he begins to act prudently by taking action. He sends a letter to the US asking that they discontinue the sending of weapons because, as quoted by Romero, “They are only being used to kill our own people (Romero 1:10:00).” Romero shows a great amount of prudence in the end when he asks God for help. He is asking God to show him the best course of action in order to keep his people

In her piece, Dowd spoke against Pope Francis’ lack of support for a group of American nuns who had publically endorsed liberal legislation (such as contraception, gay rights and abortion as well as a feminization of God) that contradicted long-held church teachings. Dowd questioned how Pope Francis could confess to believe in social justice and helping the poor when he failed to prevent orthodox clergy from chastising nuns who held beliefs that would seemingly align with the Pope’s own motto of “Who am I to judge”. Her article linked this instance on non-action to another instance of non-action in Argentinia’s Dirty war

The concept of compassion and generosity through resource sharing in essence establish themselves onto many of the world’s major religions, political systems, and moral foundations. Most would agree with the Golden Rule, “Do to others what you want them to do to you.” (Matthew 7:12) as a common moral adage suggests, or that “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:7). Although many would agree that compassion and generosity through resource sharing is just, is it realistic? Garrett Hardin in his essay “Lifeboat Ethics” argues that not only is resource sharing is unrealistic, but that it is also unfavorable since it stretches the few limited resources available to the point of ruin. He does this through rhetoric, or the use of logos, ethos, and pathos. In this essay, we will define logos, ethos, and pathos, analyze how Hardin’s uses these rhetorical appeals in his essay, and conclude how effective he was using these appeals to persuade his audience.

Not just any institution, the Catholic church yields power and influence on a global scale. Yet again, we see the presence of both an oppressor as well as the oppressed. The Catholic Church has been viewed as the ‘defender of all that is right and just’ throughout history because it claims that many of its unholy actions were carried out in the name of God. As we study history to make sense of the present, we can often become naïve, accepting ‘facts’ at face value. With that said, we form ‘silences’ just like in the historical narrative

As said in the film Many has always been poor. It is heart wrenching to me to think that there are people our there skipping meals to feed their children. However, it is happening every day. In a way, society enables people to live in poverty. Mary states that if she gets a job she may loose her medical coverage.

Catholic Social Teaching: How does the 40 Hour Famine represent the principles of Catholic Social Teaching?

The author mentions several major incidents that served as catalyst to the uprising of activist who speak out against the aforementioned and the he challenges the church to step up and be the salt and light to the world. He highlights four biblical traits we as a church should display in the face of such circumstances.

Author Edward T. Brett argues that Romero had a very “prophetic approach [that] was a highly effective method of leadership during his three-year tenure of office” (Brett 717). He uses the term “prophetic” to refer to the similar ways in which Romero preached his sermons to the underprivileged campesinos in order to also publically represent them, much like Jesus preached to the poor to represent the persecuted Christians. However, the term itself can be problematic because also like Jesus, Romero was tormented by his fellow bishops for catering to the needs of the poor. Not all bishops and clergymen at the time had captured the essence of liberation theology teachings and feared they were too radical to preach to the campesinos. However, Romero believed that the equality of Salvadorans was more important than their integration into the elite society. He focused many of his preachings on the need to put an end to violence and determine a right from wrong. In Romero’s last sermon, just before “he called for soldiers to refuse to obey orders,” (Wood 27) he gave special attention to the need to reinstall distinct human rights within a country in “its own exodus” (Romero 3) and that both groups alike should call for, “respect for the dignity of the person, hope for humanity’s common good, and the transcendence that look before all to God and only

One important indicator on the Catholic Church’s stance on Liberation Theology and general social activism in Latin America will be to see if Archbishop Oscar Romero is accepted into sainthood. The iconic and controversial religious leader worked tirelessly to help the lower-class in El Salvador. His teachings and beliefs that the marginalized peasants should be treated justly made him a living legend among his countrymen and isolated him from the nation’s corrupt elites. Although he never specifically condoned violence, his sermons played no small part in fomenting a bloody peasant uprising and civil war that raged for over a decade. In the last few years, a strong effort has been made to canonize Romero. Although he is revered not only in his own country but throughout the world, there exist a few issues that could possibly preclude him for becoming a saint. He is still strongly disliked by the vast majority of the wealthy and powerful ruling class of El Salvador, he, indirectly and inadvertently, helped bring about a violent conflict that ravaged his nation and, perhaps most importantly, his canonization may appear to be a carte blanche validation of Liberation Theology and the Marxist uprisings that were often associated with the movement. The canonization of Oscar Romero will redefine the seminal ideal of a modern-day saint and could quite

Poverty is and has been an issue for the majority of human history but that lack of resource and struggle to live where one could even be excused for being selfish is where miracles of humanitarianism and empathy for each others pain is shown. The loss of a family member especially the largest wage earner leads to potential starvation and a sense of hopelessness. In the case of Francie Nolan and her brother Neeley, a close friend of their

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.