Prayer/Reflection/Meditation

Busy Person’s Retreat Day 5: Are You Ready?

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View an illustrated PDF version of this reflection here.

We have come to the end of our week…and to the end of our Busy Person’s Retreat.  Five days of thought and reflection on themes meant to help us find calm in the midst of storms and reassurance when uncertainty overtakes us.  On day one we began by recognizing how busy – or full – our lives are and how, even amidst the bounty of this fullness, we yearn for moments of stillness and pause.  Day two’s reflection reminded us that we thrive when there is a balance between action and inaction – or agitation and serenity – in the lives we lead.  Day three introduced us to multiple forms of meditation as a means of cultivating inner awareness, compassion and calm.  While on day four, we learned about the different types of rest that we need in order to maintain a sense of wellness.

What will we take with us from this week?  What new wisdom or action are we ready to invite into our lives?  Vincent de Paul often reminded his community members that they had to “learn how to free yoursel(ves) and be open to God’s will[1]” in order to live with meaning and purpose.  In other words, to learn how to detach from the distractions, fears, and disturbances that keep us from hearing and going to where we are being called.  Once we have freed ourselves all we need is a “ready heart.[2]”  With this in mind, ask yourself: am I ready?

Pause for Reflection and Action:

As you look back upon the Busy Person’s Retreat, were there moments that stand out for you?  Were there thoughts or images that especially resonated with you?  Pay attention to these moments and these thoughts.  Jot them down in order to remember.  They may help you discern how to introduce new peace and balance into your life.

Consider taking some time and building into your day some of the lessons you learned from this past week. Experiment with different forms of meditation.  Make a plan for how you will pursue multiple types of rest.  Or, simply take time to sit and breathe in quiet stillness.   Be attentive to these experiences and endeavor to continue them.

How does it feel to be part of a community at DePaul whose Vincentian heritage encourages you to grow by participating in things such as reflection, prayer, meditation, service and community?  Are you feeling called to deepen your engagement with our university’s Vincentian mission?

[1] Go, learn how to free yourself and to be open to God’s Will; let that be your lesson. (Volume: 12 | Page#: 197) Indifference, 15 May, 1659

[2] (Volume: 13a | Page#: 36) Sermon on Holy Communion

Busy Person’s Retreat Day 3: Meditation, with a Purpose

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View an illustration PDF version of the reflection here.

What do you think of when you hear the word meditation? I’ll be the first to admit that my thoughts immediately picture a yogi, sitting cross-legged in lotus position, floating a few inches from the ground, blissfully empty of thought, their inner-eye open to the Universe.

Or, perhaps you think of the commercials for meditation apps, promising one minute of calm while a soothing image of a raindrop slowly trickles off a leaf, or a close-up of a parent as they close their eyes on the couch while a chaotic maelstrom of children, pillows, and food swirl around them, their mind the calm center of the storm.

Or, maybe you think of yourself, sitting or standing in prayer, either at home or in a church, mosque, or temple, emptying your buzzing thoughts and nagging worries and trying to offer them up to the Divine for help, relief, and community.

Absolutely none of these are wrong. It seems as long as humans have lived in the world, we have needed a way to take our minds out of the world for reflection, even if for a moment. There is a human need to quiet the mind and not get swept up in life’s constant flow of sensations, thoughts, and noise. Meditation exists in a beautiful kaleidoscope of forms, each adapted to the needs of a particular culture. From Buddhism, Hinduism, and Daoism, to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, most spiritual traditions have a practice of intentional mindfulness, each with their own permutations, perspectives, and techniques. Even outside of religious practice, meditation has become increasingly popular commercially and in the medical community, as its benefits have been clinically proven time and again (from stress, pain, and anxiety reduction to boosted immunity, mental acuity, and psychological wellness).

While we get our English word meditation through the Latin meditari, meaning to think, ponder or contemplate, it’s also been used as a translation for similar practices in Hinduism and Buddhism (dhyai in Sanskrit, later adapted into a form of the Xiu Dao in Chinese Buddhism). So, what is meditation? Generally, meditation is the intentional, trained act of contemplation to cultivate greater awareness, empathy, calm, or compassion. The second part of this is key, especially from a Vincentian point of view. To Saint Vincent, one of the greatest values of meditation is in how it changes you, not just in understanding but also “affections,” making you more receptive to compassionate action.

Thus, the focus that comes during a meditative state is not the goal; instead, it is a calm, compassionate mindfulness that endures after meditation. As the Saint Vincent quote above notes, it is in “actions and behavior” that “show clearly how they have benefitted from it.” Meditation, seen this way, does not lead one away from the world, to live in seclusion on a mountain-top; instead it leads one back into the world, but with greater empathy and calm.

It’s not just sitting and breathing

There is a wide world of meditative options out there to try. A few broad categories are described below. Most of these practices incorporate awareness of breath in their technique, which is simply focusing on each breath that comes in and out. Close your eyes. Breathe in.. and out. Focusing on breathing helps clear the mental clutter.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

Adapted from the Buddhist tradition, mindfulness meditation is the practice of attempting to become a neutral observer of your own thoughts and feelings. After settling into your breathing, if a thought comes, let it visit like a guest, and then let it leave just as freely. The goal is to not become impatient or engaged in any one thought or feeling. Easy to say, hard to do. Mindfulness can often use breath awareness, a repetition of a mantra, or a physical focus like prayer beads or a rosary to help better focus the mind.

MOVEMENT MEDITATION

Rather than trying to sit still and be as unmoving as your thoughts, movement meditation leans into the fact that we are embodied creatures, and engages our physicality so that our minds can become free of noise. This includes yoga and tai chi, but also activities like walking and gardening. If you find the idea of sitting still excruciating, this might be the one for you. The next time you go for a walk or run (weather permitting) try focusing on your breath, and letting your mind empty. Walking through nature can be enormously helpful in attuning your mind not to the past or future, but to the present.

SPIRITUAL MEDITATION

Spiritual meditation really varies by religious tradition, but it can be best thought of generally as a kind of prayer. Spiritual meditation often incorporates the mantras, stories, and reflective practices of a religious tradition. For example, Ignatian meditation is a Christian practice that heavily uses imagination and visualization, rooted in Catholic cosmology, to guide and focus the mind. Alternately, Sufism, Jewish Kabbalah, and other traditions have rich practices that also incorporate movement and mindfulness in their contemplation of God.

PAUSE FOR REFLECTION

I hope that this brief tour through the world of meditation will encourage you to try it, if only for a week. See what happens! Pick a time every day to spend ten minutes in contemplation. Maybe try different forms of meditation to see what works, and what absolutely doesn’t.

Also remember that emptiness of mind is not the goal; it’s the compassionate clarity that follows that matters.

  • What form of meditation seems to come most naturally to you? What form doesn’t?
  • Is there a spiritual tradition that uses meditation that you’d like to learn more about?
  • How can you incorporate meditation into your daily life?

Busy Person’s Retreat Day 1: Take Time and Make Space

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To view or download a PDF copy, click here.

So, you signed up for a Busy Person’s Retreat this week. Something drew you to do so. What was it?

What did you assess was needed or desired in your life to sign up to receive these daily reflections for a week?

Congratulations on taking this step… whether toward self-care, toward reflection and mindfulness, toward deeper meaning and purpose, or toward whatever good and authentic yearning inspired you to do so.

As we begin this week of reflection, let me ask you one more question:  When you consider yourself a “busy person”…why is that so, and what does that describe or mean to you?

When I catch myself thinking or talking about how horribly busy I am, I find it helpful and informative to catch myself, to pause and to do a moment of self-assessment. Why am I feeling so busy? And, what does “busy” describe or mean to me in this moment? How much of this “busy-ness” is, at some level, by habit or choice and how much of it is necessity or imposed upon me?

By taking just a moment to pause and reflect in this way over the years, I have come to see that in our U.S. American culture at large, we tend to put a high value on being busy – or, at least, being seen as one who is busy. Being busy, or feeling rushed while moving from one thing to the next, or having so much to do that we can’t possibly slow down, are at times projected or proclaimed as evidence of our productivity in front of others, or as unspoken justifications of our own importance.

While this tendency certainly has been and remains part of my own erroneous way of thinking, a habit present to me from my early years, I can say fairly confidently that it is also clearly a tendency that we absorb from the broader cultural milieu in which we live. In other words, when I stop to pause and reflect for just a moment about why I am feeling so busy and what the word is describing or means to me in any given moment, I realize that I am at times simply wrapped up in a cultural norm that is assessing my worth in a way that is, quite frankly, just not healthy, meaningful, fair, nor accurate. Assessing our worth based on how busy we are is absurd – yet it is so commonplace.

In speaking of the Jewish/Christian practice of Sabbath as a day of rest each week, author Walter Brueggemann points out the way in which such rest can actually be seen and practiced as a fruitful form of resistance to the dominant culture: “Sabbath is a practical divestment so that neighborly engagement, rather than production and consumption, defines our lives.” [i](18)

At times, being or feeling busy may indeed allow us to see that we have put unrealistic expectations on ourselves, or that impossible expectations have indeed been put on us by others – whether in a job or in our home life – and we are  entangled in them. This insight has the potential to be liberating, if we are able to accept and name it for what it is, to ask for the help of others to alleviate some of the pressure, or to make other changes within our control to bring us back into a more healthy and realistic balance.

Very often, we may find that the fullness of our life and who we are may in fact be harmed or lessened to some degree by our being overly or constantly “busy.” Our “busy-ness” does not allow the time and space for new growth, for the flowering of seeds planted, for the fire within us to breath in the fresh air needed to fuel our authentic creativity and passion. It also doesn’t allow us room to reflect, an essential behavior or practice necessary to look objectively at our life experiences and to learn from them. Being overly busy doesn’t allow time and space for rest and relaxation, for friendships to be nurtured, or for us to be fully and truly present to the people in our lives and to the realities before us. When we are busy, we are rarely “mindful” and certainly not “soul-full.”

What is hurt by your taking a few minutes now and regularly in your life to pause, to breathe deeply, and to slow down just a bit? Answer:  Probably nothing and no one at all.

What is gained by doing so?  Answer:  The fullness of who you are. And, that is a very good thing for you, for others around you and for the world. Your wholeness is not only healthy for you, but is also a gift to others. Taking a few minutes each day – maybe several times a day – simply to pause, breathe and reflect will help you to be happier, more at peace, more creative and effective… and in the end, if you and others around you need to know… it will probably help you to be more productive as well!

One little life hack that I have found helpful is to catch myself when I use the word “busy” and – if it makes sense to do so – to describe my life situation instead as “full.” My life is very full has a different ring to it, a different meaning.  I like the idea of my cup overflowing with the life that I am receiving – not something I am doing or accomplishing, but something that I am choosing to fully embrace and engage in the best way I can.

May this week’s reflections allow you the space and nourishment you need to grow into a new and more fruitful fullness!

[i] Walter Brueggemann. Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now (2014). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press. P. 18

Pausing and Acting

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I recall someone coming to me years ago and sharing the laments of their heart. They had spent long, excruciating months dealing with one tragedy after another. They were broken, devastated, and exhausted. And then, in the midst of their pain, I had the audacity to say, “I’ll pray for you … It’s the least I can do.” I heard myself say those words and was shocked! After all of that pain sharing, I wanted to offer my least? And what does it say about caring for others if prayer is the least we can offer?

That was one of the epiphanies I had as a young pastor that changed my entire attitude toward prayer. It is a great gift that moves one toward action.

The work of Saints Vincent and Louise, and Vincentians through the ages, has been grounded in prayer. Consider that, like Vincent, time and again Louise urged her own community to “pray to the divine … for one another that His mercy may pour out on us His blessings of grace and light.”[1]

This tradition of prayer continues at DePaul University today. The Division of Mission and Ministry constantly encourages prayer as well as reflection and meditation. These are all tools that encourage us to dig more deeply into our souls as we seek clarity, grounding, peace, and wholeness, especially in difficult times.

After months of our own difficulties and brokenness caused by a pandemic and life in general, we are reminded by our Vincentian community to pause and find moments of prayer or meditation. Today we are encouraged to offer our best to ourselves and others by entering into contemplative moments with the self or the divine, hopefully finding inspiration to move such holy conversations into a call for action. Perhaps the best we can offer is a moment of quiet and reflection in our own lives followed by a moment of service and caring for others who, like us, are devastated by many long and difficult months. As this year continues, with so many uncertainties unfolding, may we all be inspired to pause for prayer, reflection, or meditation and then move forward in acts of love and kindness toward one another.

Reflection by: Rev. Dr. Diane Dardón, Director, Office of Religious Diversity and Pastoral Care, Division of Mission and Ministry

[1] L. 217, “To My Very Dear Sister Anne Hardemont,” August 29 [1648], Spiritual Writings of Louise de Marillac, 261. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/ldm/16/.

 

Interested in more faith-sharing and reflection? During Lent this year, the Division of Mission and Ministry will be facilitating weekly online faith-sharing groups for faculty and staff. Every week, we will provide a Vincentian reflection that focuses on a theme from that week’s Christian liturgical readings. We will then gather in community over Zoom to share, reflect, and discern together where our Lenten paths may be leading us with Vincent as our guide. Learn more and register here.

Are “Thoughts and Prayers” Enough?

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“Pray as you can, not as you can’t,” said my professor as we students felt torn between different methods, none of which seemed to fit.

“I’ll pray for you and your girls,” I told my friend last week after she was hospitalized with four aneurisms.

“Thoughts and prayers are not enough!” say countless people after preventable tragedies happen and those tweeted words just seem so hollow.

Is prayer not enough? Is there a right way to do it?

I don’t think there is a best way to pray, but in an article on the subject Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M., writes in a clear and practical way about Vincent de Paul’s wisdom on prayer.1 It is very much worth a read, and two things particularly struck me when recently reviewing it.

The first is Maloney’s reminder that “Few things were as important as prayer in St. Vincent’s mind.” Vincent’s Common Rule called for an hour of mental prayer each day, and he spent considerable time giving practical guidance to his contemporaries about praying, much of which is still very timely.

The second point speaks both to those who call themselves Vincentian but don’t have a prayer practice or theistic framework, and to those who pray to connect to God. Four centuries ago, Vincent asserted that (in my interpretation) thoughts and prayers are essential, but indeed are not enough. Maloney relates, “He [Vincent] warns over and over again about regarding prayer as a speculative study. He cautions about its becoming an occasion for vanity or for ‘beautiful thoughts’ that lead nowhere.”

In an article on Vincent and prayer, Vinicius Teixeira Ribeiro, C.M., relates how Vincent cautioned his confreres: “it doesn’t suffice to have good affections, we must go further and be motivated to take resolutions to work seriously in the future.…”2 Ribeiro writes how prayer must be grounded in reality to create “prayerful, thinking and active people.” For Vincent, action was modeled on Jesus as known through the scriptures—serving the poor, leading with humility, working for God’s justice, and acting within a community of others.

I believe that in many ways, as Søren Kierkegaard said, “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” Yes, I pray for others. I pray for my friend in the hospital and for those suffering from Covid in India. I do think prayer matters and that prayers are “effective” in some real way, though I don’t know exactly how. But these days, I’ve been reflecting on prayer as a channel to change me: to strengthen me to do the things I need to do for justice, pay attention to the world as it really is, and to pause for inner wisdom to ensure that the actions I take are the right ones to the best of my understanding.

“Pray as you can, not as you can’t.” For those who feel called to do so—pray!

And, as we approach the National Day of Prayer on May 6th, know that millions of others across many religious and spiritual traditions are praying with you, and dare I hope, preparing themselves through prayer and thoughtful reflection to also take the right action.

1 Robert P. Maloney, C.M., “Mental Prayer: Yesterday and Today – Some Reflections on the Vincentian Tradition,” Vincentiana 39:2 (1995), available online at: Mental Prayer: Yesterday and Today.

2 Vinicius Teixeira Ribeiro, C.M., “Prayer According to Saint Vincent de Paul – Part III,” 19 April 2020, Famvin.org, at: Prayer According to Saint Vincent.

 

Reflection by: Katie Brick, Executive Assistant, Division of Mission and Ministry

Christmas Novena: A Vincentian Tradition

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A “novena” is a form of prayer that dates to the early days of Christianity. Over the last two millennia, several cultures and traditions have created their own unique form of novena. Most often, it consists of reciting, singing, or chanting prayers towards a particular devotion over a period of nine days (or even nine weeks).

In the early eighteenth century, Fr. Carlo Antonio Vacchetta, an Italian Vincentian priest, wrote a Christmas Novena for his parish in Turin. This specific Christmas Novena is recited in anticipation of the joy and wonder of the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day. According to Fr. John Rybolt, the Christmas Novena likely arrived in the United States with the first Vincentians who came here from Italy. Fr. Rybolt also notes, to his surprise, that “the novena is practically unknown outside the United States.”1

In the spirit of the novena, we invite you to devote yourself to meditation or prayer in your own tradition for nine consecutive days. For those who would like to participate specifically in the Christmas Novena, you can click here to listen, pray, and sing along with a version recorded by the Daughters of Charity. Here you will find 15-minute-long recordings for each of the nine days of the Christmas Novena to enjoy.

This is the last week of daily Newsline in 2020, and our last Mission Monday of the year. From all of us at the Division of Mission and Ministry, Happy Holidays!

1 John E. Rybolt, C.M., Ph.D., “The Christmas Novena,” Vincentian Heritage 6:2 (1985), 258. See: Christmas Novena

Reflection by:

Michael Van Dorpe, Program Manager for Faculty and Staff Engagement, Division of Mission & Ministry

The Key to Happiness

bcicirel Life, Peace, Prayer/Reflection/Meditation, Reflection, Uncategorized

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By: Samreen Ahmed

According to Eleanor Roosevelt, “Happiness is not a goal; it is a byproduct of a life well-lived.” So by this definition, it is something that is not a firm emotion but rather it is achieved through action. Now the question I would like to present is– what are you doing to contribute to your happiness?

Our society tells us that money and prestige are what we need to be happy. With our money we can buy whatever we want, thus fulfilling all of our needs. And with prestige, nobody will dare doubt our worth because they know that we are above them. But what happens when your money doesn’t satisfy you? And when the people don’t respect you? Surely happiness is the last emotion you will be feeling in those moments of despair. Money and prestige only bring you temporary happiness, but there is a void that is not filled within you if you are not conscious in handling the two. Money should be spent wisely, and given to charity when possible because no matter how much money we spend, we are never satisfied. We spend and spend to make ourselves “happy” on things that contribute to everything but benefiting our hearts. And as for prestige, people respect us and honor us, but oftentimes we do not respect ourselves. The people’s opinions of us serve as a placeholder for our lack of respecting ourselves.

I believe happiness is achieved through our tears, our struggles and how we are truly delivered from our despair. Happiness to me is my mother’s smile. Happiness to me is my best friend’s hug. Happiness to me is the homeless man’s blessings to the people who ignore him. It is that sense of independence and freedom from all things that deter us from love and compassion. It is being grateful to something or someone when times get rough. It is that conviction of faith through your toughest nights and that warm feeling of ecstasy during your good nights. Happiness is not a constant emotion but it is a process. And it truly is a by-product of a life well-lived.

Sinking in Struggles

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By: Olivia Hollman

One of the biggest lessons I’ve been learning this academic year is about struggles and how to deal with them. Between the combination of adding two jobs to the stress of school work, shifting relationships with friends, worry about the future financially, changing dynamics with family, and personal concerns, I’ve had a fair share of struggles this year. During those times, it feels as if I am in an ocean. I go from successfully treading water to starting to sink when the waves swell up, larger and more powerful than before. I try to stay afloat, but I can barely keep my head above the water. Right before I go under, I begin to cry for help and raise my arms in the air. Then I am saved.

In Matthew (Chapter 14), Jesus’ disciples are out in a boat when they see Jesus (they first think it is a ghost) walking on water. Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking towards Jesus, but becomes frightened of how strong the wind is and starts to sink. Peter cries out, ““Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”” (Mt 14:30-31) In my times of struggles, I get scared…I doubt… I lose faith…I start to sink; I forget that there is someone there to save me.

When I cry for help, Jesus pulls me out of the water and saves me. His help manifests itself to me through my community—my friends, coworkers, staff advisors, and family. When what I am going through seems too much for me to handle on my own, when I just don’t know what to do, when I just need someone to lean on, I am reminded that I am never alone in my struggles. The water can never completely pull me down, because I have the out-stretched hand of Jesus in the form of my community to catch me and embrace me.

 

Who Deserves to Live?

bcicirel Buddhism, Prayer/Reflection/Meditation, Reflection

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Interfaith Scholar Melanie Kulatilake shares a Buddhists’ perspective on life and  the struggle our society faces,  on how to branch out of the common notion to find our own truth.

 

Surrounding me is darkness with the shallow lights of the stars and my front porch lamp to guide me into the night. I walk down the steps and toward where my father is standing, looking out into the night sky with his long, cylindrical instrument. Beside my father is my older sister Nadeera. We both wait patiently for him to place the telescope just in the right spot for us to be able to gaze at the moon.

He finally placed the device in the right location so I could observe the moon up close. On my quest to view this magnificent site I was rudely interrupted by a little green creature. I screamed in fear from the unflattering tickle on my leg. My father shushed me and asked “What’s the matter?”

I replied in a whisper “A slimy bug jumped on me! Kill it.” My father looked at me with aggravation. “Stop over reacting! You got this stupid fear of bugs from your mom. They’re a hundred times smaller than you and in this area very unlikely to be dangerous.”

I huffed in frustration. How could my father say I was over reacting when a big green monster attacked me? What made me more infuriated was the fact that he hadn’t squashed this beast yet. “He’s gross and I want him dead!” I whined.

It was obvious he was upset with my tone. “Stop acting so childish! And if you want to kill him that’s your choice. You’ll have to do it yourself.”

That just flabbergasted me. How dare he not kill that bug for me; he was supposed to be my father, the one who protects me from danger. So that left me killing the bug myself. I lifted up my foot and slammed it down as fast as I could with not a hint of regret.

I left not even caring about taking one more peek at the moon. I just couldn’t believe how un-fatherly and stubborn my dad was being. And as I crawled in my bed all I could worry about was more bugs that could crawl on me and terrorize my beauty sleep.

That fear of insects and willingness to kill any of them within hindsight lasted until one day in my Buddhist class. I was sitting in class in my usual spot by my cousin Marlin and Nadeera. I was in the older class that consisted of high school and middle school students even though I was only in second grade at that time. Due to the fact that I was younger it was difficult for me to comprehend what the monk was teaching. The only reason I actually was in this class and not the class with kids my own age was because my favorite monk was teaching this class.

In my view, he is one of the nicest men who ever lived on this planet. He was always willing to answer my questions or listen to my stories. If he disagreed with one of my ideas he would always say it in a respectful matter, leaving me with not even an ounce of anger towards him. He was always considerate to the fact that I was younger than the rest of the students and would therefore speak simply for me.

So when this discussion of bugs was awakened I was very intrigued. He declared that “every living thing deserves to live including creatures that are very small.” I was even more shocked when he started to discuss how even mosquitoes (the most annoying bugs on this planet) deserved to live. He stretched out his arm as if a mosquito landed on him and said “next time a mosquito comes to try to suck your blood, let him. He’s a living thing just like you, trying to survive life’s hardships.”

Although my father told me several times to not squish insects, I never really cared to listen. Of course I loved my father and respected his insight, his words just didn’t mean as much in comparison to my monk (who I idolized for his kindness and patience). So when he spoke of his view on life, I actually considered it be valuable. I couldn’t believe that I never thought of bugs in this perspective before. I always thought of them as disgusting creatures that are not worth living. I never thought they were like cats, dogs, or even humans. The difference to me was that cats were cute and bugs were not. That’s what gave me the reason to believe that bugs deserve to die in comparison to all other living creatures. So does that mean an ugly human beings deserves to die because they’re not pleasant to look at? I am confident that most of society would disagree. So do bugs deserve die?

Relatively speaking, most westerners think differently than my dad or anyone else who was taught in this type of upbringing. The influence of my environment is another important factor for my fear of bugs. In the U.S. it is mostly taught that bugs are gross pests. Yet, in other countries they can be known as just another living creature like us or even food. It takes a brave person to ignore societies influence to decide on their own what they consider as right and wrong.

So today an ant crawled on my leg and instead of screaming and trying to kill him, I let him be. I imagined he whispered a “thank you” and went on with his life. I could have pulled the plug and ended his precious life but, now it just seemed monstrous. This brought me back to the day that my father said “if you want to kill him that’s your choice, you’ll have to kill him yourself.”  I finally understood what my father was saying: “If you think bugs aren’t living creatures, then so be it. But don’t ask me to act upon your beliefs when they differ from mine.” He always tried to convince me what was right and wrong from a different perspective than the community that surrounded us. But, he never pushed me instead, he let me choose myself. It took me a while but I finally came to terms with his outlook on life and found myself believing the same as him. We are all living creatures, big or small, and we all deserve a chance at life.

Vincentian Service Day brings students closer to community – News – The DePaulia – The student newspaper of DePaul University

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DePaul students and faculty participated in DePaul’s annual“Vincentian Service Day” May 4, where students

Courtesy of Taj Simmons: DePaul students garden outside of the Zakat Chicago Community Center dur- ing Vincentian Service Day May 4. This is the 13th year the community service event has been held.
Courtesy of Taj Simmons:
DePaul students garden outside of the Zakat Chicago Community Center dur- ing Vincentian Service Day May 4. This is the 13th year the community service event has been held.

volunteer at sites across Chicago in a super-charged day of service. DePaul volunteers cheerfully flocked to McGrath Arena at 8 a.m. on Saturday where they partook in some interfaith prayers and were sent off to their respective service sites. The cheerful demeanor of all those present was derived from the knowledge of the good they were doing in their community.

 

DePaul’s Jewish Life coordinator, Matthew Charnay, took a moment to describe the idea behind Vincentian Service Day.

 

“It is something that staff and students look forward to all year. The chance to get out into the community and do work with your fellow classmates is such a positive experience,” said Charnay. “The ability to stand in solidarity with not only peers, but fellowChicagoans, people of faith and standing together as a community, not just a school community but a world community, is a highlight for the entire university.”

 

It seems that Charnay voiced exactly how DePaul students feel about this day. “(Vincentian Service Day) is important because it teaches DePaul students to look beyond themselves,” said Taj Simmons, DePaul junior andVSD team leader. “Too often in college we become self-absorbed and block out what’s going on all around us, and Vincentian Service Day really gives us a chance to go beyond what we know.”

 

Simmons also noted how much it has expanded over the years.

 

“It’s grown so much since I was a freshman. My first year, all of the service groups started inside of the (St. Vincent de Paul church) before leaving for their work. Going from that to the quad last year to McGrath Arena this year is just an amazing leap forward. I never thought there would be so many people dedicated to taking action to keep Chicago as glorious as it is, but now that I know there are, I can’t help but feel elated.”

 

Charnay echoed Simmons’ sentiment in regards to the day’s steady growth over the years. “We keep expanding the number of service sites that we visit and this year we even had students and families come to DePaul for activities.  It will only continue to grow. When you have such a great program and everyone involved can see the wealth of positivity and justice that is the end product, it makes it very easy to keep growing that program. I can only see it getting bigger in years to come.”

 

The community members who benefited from this day had positive things to say as well. Laila Muhammad, director of Zakat Chicago Community Center gushed about DePaul students who planted a vegetable garden at the community center. “The students were very helpful. The garden really brightened up the area,” said Muhammad. “It’s something that will continue to benefit the community. Last year when we had the garden, a boy had never had red lettuce before, but now he asks for it like candy. It can change a person’s life and encourage more nutritious eating.” In this way, one day of service can have lasting effects on a community.

 

“I think (the service day) is great,” said Muhammad. “I think that it shows DePaul’s understanding of the holistic approach to education. You can’t just teach in the classroom, you have to go out and experience life.”

 

That appears to be precisely what DePaul’s Vincentians in Action are hoping to achieve. Indeed, Charnay said “It is one thing to talk the talk, but when we give students the outlet to walk the walk of service, they have a chance to experience firsthand the mission that drives this university to new heights.  To take something theoretical (and) intellectual such as the ‘dignity of every human life’ and make it tangible, the lesson is better received, and it gives students time to reflect on their work.”

Vincentian Service Day brings students closer to community – News – The DePaulia – The student newspaper of DePaul University.

By Anne Malina

Published: Sunday, May 12, 2013

Updated: Sunday, May 12, 2013 20:05