I've decided to keep blogging, just as a way to document my thoughts and share them with anyone who may care. I may eventually go back and tell about the rest of my summer, but for now I'd like to start in a much different place: South Bend, IN. I returned to school a few weeks ago (Go Irish!), and am very happy to be back. Along with my classes, I also have the opportunity to work with an amazing professor, Dr. Connie Mick, this year as her student assistant.
Today, my first official day of work at Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns, I find myself facing a wall with the following quote by Bishop Ken Untener: "We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own."
This quote really hits me for many reasons, and one in particular. It is a call for everyone to recognize their limitations, but continue their humble work despite them. We are neither masters nor messiahs, we will not taste the fruit of our labor or see the work of our hands. It is not in our power to manipulate the present, but it is our responsibility to create the future. We cannot escape this burden, as it seems to be the very core of our humanity—that we have the choice to act or watch, but both choices result in consequences reaching beyond our own short lives.
After doing a bit of research on the Bishop, I learned that his past is one filled with controversy over a variety of issues. But one prominent aspect of his life is that he focused on serving poor, underrepresented and minority individuals and communities.
It is with this attitude that I look forward to beginning my work at the CSC. Bishop Untener may have been unorthodox (in many senses of the word), but there was a unifying goal in all of his actions: creating a socially just society for all. If we all strive to unify under the principle that all persons deserve to be recognized for their humanity, not their poverty, then it is possible to bridge whatever differences currently separate us.
We should not shy away from controversy, but openly and honestly address the issues it presents and attempt to resolve them in a way that displays respect, understanding and love.
Today, my first official day of work at Notre Dame's Center for Social Concerns, I find myself facing a wall with the following quote by Bishop Ken Untener: "We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own."
This quote really hits me for many reasons, and one in particular. It is a call for everyone to recognize their limitations, but continue their humble work despite them. We are neither masters nor messiahs, we will not taste the fruit of our labor or see the work of our hands. It is not in our power to manipulate the present, but it is our responsibility to create the future. We cannot escape this burden, as it seems to be the very core of our humanity—that we have the choice to act or watch, but both choices result in consequences reaching beyond our own short lives.
After doing a bit of research on the Bishop, I learned that his past is one filled with controversy over a variety of issues. But one prominent aspect of his life is that he focused on serving poor, underrepresented and minority individuals and communities.
It is with this attitude that I look forward to beginning my work at the CSC. Bishop Untener may have been unorthodox (in many senses of the word), but there was a unifying goal in all of his actions: creating a socially just society for all. If we all strive to unify under the principle that all persons deserve to be recognized for their humanity, not their poverty, then it is possible to bridge whatever differences currently separate us.
We should not shy away from controversy, but openly and honestly address the issues it presents and attempt to resolve them in a way that displays respect, understanding and love.