Papal Conclave

- Important topics that the new pope should address include poverty, education, and controversial issues such as contraceptives and same sex marriages. -I think that the Pope should be aware of what is happening all over the world and maybe update the Catholic teachings to match the time frame we are living in now. - At my church women are not allowed to be bishops or pastors, they may be ordained as evangelists or chaplains but never a pastor. I know that women can do great things in the church no matter what position or title they hold. It is not about who you are, it is about how you serve God's people. -if I could change one thing in the church it would be some of the older rules that make being a young Christian so difficult. i think if we had a stronger support system for teens and young people in my church, it would be a lot easier to understand what we can or cannot do as Christians. Like a spiritual big sister/brother. -I think there is room for Democracy in the hierarchy of the church. I think that allowing the people to have a say and allowing the Holy Spirit to convict what is moral and right, can equal a successful democracy in the hierarchy of the church.

Dating: What's the point

Unlike the "anti-daters," I do not believe that dating is essentially setting you up for a divorce, instead I believe that if you date enough ,you will find what the things that you value in a husband/wife and vice-versa. I also agree with Freitas and King when they say that anti-daters are probably scared and may have some trust issues. Freitas and King also argue that anti-daters do not date because they oppose non-marital sex; however, that is not always the case. Some people who do date oppose non-marital sex. Dating teaches us to care for each other and show a deeper type of love than philia and storge. i agree with Freitas and King when they say that dating also helps out expand our personality. We may begin to learn and like new things. In 2013 it seems that "hooking-up" is the new norm and dating relationships are decreasing, especially in college.Forty-six percent of the busted Halo respondents said that "two people are most likely to hook up immediately upon meeting." It is almost unbelievable to imagine anyone engaging in sexual activity with basically a complete stranger. Serious dating, I feel, has decreased over the past couple years and will continue to decrease if our society continues to pressure people, especially our youth, to 'hook-up" instead of dating and getting to know someone.

Becoming who you are

During retreat, we were asked to journal about who we are and who we are becoming. For me, it is always hard to answer questions about myself especially the question "who am I?" Besides the obvious answers such as a sister, daughter, friend, granddaughter, cousin etc, I am still trying to figure out who I am. I believe, like the link said that everyone was born for a reason and that everyone has a gift. We may not know what exactly are gift is yet or it may still be developing,but we all still have one. I am still learning and trying to figure out who I am because I am getting older and my opinions and feelings have changed through different life experiences. I hope to be the person that God wants me to be. I want to fulfill my purpose on earth by living God's plan for me. One thing in particularly that stuck with me when I read this article was , "We are disabused of original giftedness in the first half of our lives. Then -- if we are awake, aware, and able to admit our loss -- we spend the second half trying to recover and reclaim the gift we once possessed." Many times we are not eve aware of our gift until we lose it or abuse it. I think it is important that we use our gifts to do good and help other, because we are all on this earth to help one another. I also believe that it is important not to lose sight of who you are. It is so easy to get caught up in the media and what/who society says we should be versus who we really are. Going off to college in the fall is a place where anyone can find themselves or lose themselves. I hope that I remain true to who I am and who God wants me to be so that I can "embody the great commandment to love both my neighbor and myself."