Exciting news

Exciting news --the picture that my friend designed to "Frame My Future" was just chosen as one of the finalists in a contest that she entered. There were 10,500 people who entered the contest and she was chosen as one of the 24 finalists. I would love it if you guys could vote for her. There's one vote per email so please pass it on. Thank you!! :-)

P.S. You can vote here: http://www.diplomaframe.com/contests/frame-my-future-scholarship-contest-2012/details.aspx?entryID=38900

P.P.S Voting ends May 3rd

The Question of God

I have a question, do you know why during CCD and other religious formation events, such as retreats, people get flustered when they are asked to prove that God exists. I believe that He exists but have been puzzled by the realization that no one seems to have an answer. However, being at a Catholic college, this point has been brought up. It's come into question and we've been pushed to see new things and to question our beliefs. For me, this has been a good thing because it has made me believe more.

Today we looked at Aquinas' proof of God, earlier in the week we looked at Saint Anselm's proof of God and even earlier in the semester we looked at Descartes proof of God. I am fascinated by these proofs and, because of this, I have continued to research them. After class today, I looked further into these proofs. Upon doing so I went to the Catechism which stated that "The Church teaches that the one true God, our Creator and Lord, can be known with certainty from his works, by the natural light of human reason (cf. Vatican Council I, can. 2 § 1: DS 3026)" (Catechism 47). I found this interesting because it shows that we humans have been given the tools to prove that God exists. However, God is an immaterial being so he does not exist in space and, therefore, He is not tangible. For example, we know that 5 + 3 = 8. We know for certain that this concept exists and holds true but if we were to ask where in space this concept is physically located, we would not be able to give an answer. As a lover of numbers and a lover of faith, this is so fascinating to me.

It puzzles me, though, because I have been Catholic all my life, have attended CCD and other various religiously edifying events but I have never come across this until now. How, if many people question the existence of God, including religious education students, is this information not widely know? We as Catholics say we love our faith. Many would fight to the death for it. Yet, when non-believers and even questioning believers ask us if God exists, we start tripping over our words. In truth, God exists! However, sadly, many of us do not understand this. We believe that be we don't understand it. Believing without understanding is not fully believing. Sadly, this means, we are missing the full truth.

The Church believes that God exists and we believe that God exists. There are at least three proofs for the existence of God. The Church believes that human reason, exemplified in these proofs, can prove the existence of God. How come these bits of information are available but they don't often join together to create a full picture? The proofs are simple and easy to follow but no one, at least that I know, seems to know they exist. The idea and the belief of God is dying but we have all the proof in front of us. We need to use it. Think about it: if faith without works is dead then what happens to faith that is not speckled with bits of understanding?

Smile; It can make a difference.

People often ask me what I think of college. In a way it’s an old question but then again I never grow tired of telling others that I absolutely love college. However, no one ever seems to ask me why I love college. If they were to ask, I would respond with one simple answer: I love the college I attend because on any given day I can look around campus and see at least one person smiling. I know, it sounds crazy but it is true. Even during finals, the most stressful time of the year, I was able to find at least one person smiling.

If you believe me, you might be thinking to yourself, “well that’s nice but it isn’t practical”. However, I disagree. This is because I feel that being surrounded by happy people is beneficial. It is beneficial to me personally because it encourages me to be a happier person but it is also beneficial to every person of every major who attends my college. Don’t believe me? Well, think of this. Happiness is contagious. Because of this, happy people rub off on their boss and their employees. This creates a better environment at work and in turn it creates a better quality of life for the boss and for the employees.

That being said, it all goes back to the smile. At my college, I am challenged every day. Whether it is classes, homework, studying, running, or balancing the student-athlete role, I am being pushed and challenged. But when I get stressed, I know I can leave my dorm, walk out the door, talk a walk around campus, and bump into at least one person who has a big smile on their face. Even if I don’t know them, I can’t help but smile when I see them smiling.  

Personally experiencing the contagiousness of a smile has impacted me. I now realize that a smile can make a difference, especially if you’re a student, tutor, and aspiring teacher, as I am. Now I smile more. And if I can fulfill my duties as a college student with a smile on my face, I feel I have accomplished something. If I can smile while undertaking the current demands of my life, I feel that I can smile through the future demands of my life. A smiling student seems to do better than a content student just like a smiling teacher seems to accomplish more than a content teacher. Because of this, I smile. Most importantly, I smile with thanks to my college who has taught me that smiling is more than an action; it is an investment in the now and in the later. For this and many more reasons, I smile. After all, a smile is contagious. J

This scholarship is sponsored by CenturyLinkQuote.com.