One Building Block that I see today is the Principle of Stewardship . This is the idea that we take care of God's creation whether it be through picking up trash or just simply making sure we respect our environment. Every day as I drive to school, I see countless people wearing bright orange vests picking up trash on the sides of the roads. They are hard at working trying to make our environment cleaner and more beautiful. Even though the trash they are picking up is probably not theirs, they still find the time to clean up after others. The concept of stewardship means that we are expected to use our talents to help benefit and take care of God's creation.

Another Building Block that I see present today, especially here at SLUH, is the Principle of Solidarity . This is the idea that we are all brothers and sisters and we are obligated to take care of and watch over one another. As I walk from class to class, I often look up above the hallways and notice huge signs reading "BROTHERHOOD." These signs serve as a constant reminder to me that I need to serve not only my friends but others that I may not know so well. My experiences at SLUH so far have been filled with the idea that all of us students are brohters to one another and we should treat each other that way.

One Building Block that I often see absent from society and my school is the Principle of Human Dignity . This is the idea that no matter who you are, what kind of clothes you wear, or how much money you have, you are every human being possess dignity and deserves respect. Too many times I have seen kids being made fun of for what they are wearing or the way they present themselves. Often times people fail to look past their own image of themselves and be open to what others may think or feel. I fear that today's world is becoming to concerned about certain materials and looks rather than the quality of the person you are inside.

Another Building Block that I see absent from society is the Principle of Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable. This is the idea that the poor and powerless should be given preferential protection and their needs should be fulfilled by us. Although many people today may be ignorant to the amount of poverty stricken people even just around our city, too many times I have seen people put the needs of themselves before the needs of those less fortunate. Countless times I have seen kids refuse to donate a single dollar to charity because they "need" to buy a soda at lunch. I think that many of us today are so caught up in fulfilling our wants and goals that we forget about the welfare of others.

Two Things I Want to Remember:

One thing that I really want to remember is the quote saying that "It is by what we have done for the poor that Jesus Christ will recognize his chosen ones." This statement is saying that whether the times in our lives is going good or bad, too often we don't even acknowledge the poor. This quote is very similar to the Judgement of Nations where we will be judged by what we did for the least among us. This quote really touched me because it made me think about a time when there was a poor many asking for money on the side of the road and I was too afraid to even make eye contact with him. This is a section that I would like to remember because next time I will give a couple of bucks to the man on the side of the road.


Another thing that I really enjoyed this chapter was reading the section on relations with those who are different. This section talked about the idea of racism and discrimination. Reading this section made me realize the in order for me to truly grow in relationship with God, I must remember to love my neighbor no matter what background of ethnicity they have. Only being free from racist thoughts and ideas can I fully participate and be one with God. For me, I am not necessarily struggling with discrimination based on race but rather unfair judgement of kids because of what they do or how they act. Too many times I catch myself judging people without even getting to know them. Many times when I have actually taken the time to sit down and talk to people I learn a lot about them that I never knew. I would like to keep this section in mind because maybe next time it will influence me into talking to someone I normally wouldn't and maybe I will even find a new friendship in an interesting person.

A Question to Think About:

How can I live a life fulfilled and enriched by the Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching?

I realize that following every single Building Block of Catholic Social Teaching is very difficult. In today's society driven by wealth and materials it is easy to find your self astray from Catholic Social teaching. For me,here and in the future, I think it would be best if I first concentrate on learning the ten building blocks and then put them into practice section by section. I think that it is important for me to have the Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching in the back of my mind because I never know when I will find myself in a situation which they apply to. As long as I put an effort into becoming aware of Catholic Social Teaching, I will gradually become closer to God.


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