Let's See How Far We've Come

The other day, I had to look up the population of my hometown for a scholarship application.  The goal, I think, was to show the review board where we, the applicants, come from and how that has shaped us.  For those of you who don't know, I'm from a small town called Whitmore Lake, Michigan. The classification of this town is "rural" and I can't picture a better way to describe it.  The population is only 6,423 - only about 400 more people than the undergraduate population of American University.  The population is about 96% white.  This is the town where I was born and raised, and the place I developed my sense of self and others.  Yet, it's not where I ended up, nor is it where I want to return to live.  How did I become such a different person than those who stayed behind?  Did I belong there to begin with?  Did that small setting make me who I am today?

I moved from that small town to Washington, DC in the fall of 2010.  The population of DC is almost 100 times that of Whitmore Lake - 617,996 people.  I moved here for school at American University - a small private school that specializes in international relations.  I learned early on that I like to travel and am fascinated by different parts of the world.  Coming from such a small, self-focused atmosphere, I was afraid I wouldn't fit in and wouldn't understand as much as others who came from different places. My fears were confirmed in my first class, but my small town mind allowed me to understand certain concepts better than other students as well.  While I came to this elite school ashamed of where I came from, embarrassed that I wasn't as smart or as rich or as stylish as the other students.  Over my first year in DC, I turned my thinking completely around.  I learned how to be proud of the small town and homogenous atmosphere that turned me into the caring and interested person I am.  This revelation became even more important when, in my spring semester, I decided to study abroad in the fall.

For a detailed description of my study abroad experience, click here to read my blog all about it.  Living in Brussels, Belgium (population 1,119,088) became the defining four months that would shape my future goals and ambitions.  That experience opened so many doors for me by showing me the way Europe functions and the way the European Union plays a part in the world.  Living in a foreign country can make you feel big, important, powerful, or lucky; but it can also make you feel small.  Because I had already made an adjustment of my social norms from my childhood, it was easier for me than for the rest of my classmates to adjust to Belgian life.  At the end of the semester, I could really see myself living there and being European.  I know that whatever job I get now, once I graduate in May, I will be able to work in any environment in any place.  Yes, being from the small town of Whitmore Lake made me who I am.  Yes, I did belong there to grow up.  I learned to be independent, a free thinker, and open-minded to new places and ways of life.  Who would have known that a smart girl from a small Midwestern town could make such a good candidate for international work?  I certainly didn't, but I'm glad it happened this way.  Because that's me. And I would never change that.

The New Mass: Anti-Catholic Ideals?

Hey there everyone. As you all know, I studied abroad last semester and have been away from this blog because of that. I'm writing today about the new changes to the Catholic mass. After you read this, I would love your comments!

I have several issues with the new translation of the mass. The way we went about making the changes hurt the cause of being the universal church we claim to be. Let's start with the beginning. The priest says "the Lord be with you" as a form of greeting to the congregation. The logical thing to say when someone gives such a greeting is "you too" or, as it were, "and also with you." We once believed as Catholics that the priest was our advocate, and therefore one of us. Human. With the change to "and with your spirit," we place the priest on a different level. He is no longer our advocate, but a different spiritual being we cannot comprehend or relate with on a personal level.

The changes don't stop there. The Penitential Rite places Catholic guilt out in the open. "through my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault"?! We get it. We have found fault with the Lord. We don't need to repeat the fact that we sinned through our own fault a hundred times to feel bad for what we've done. Doing so makes it seem like we are hopeless for our own salvation. Christians supposedly believe in hope and salvation for all people equally through Jesus. This guilty rambling seems to say "salvation for the worthy but not for me, I'm too guilty." but even this isn't the biggest flaw in the new mass.

When I have talked to people about the new mass and mentioned my final argument as to why it's not Catholic, many people have not even noticed this change. When the priest lifts the cup and is telling the story of the Last Supper, he used to say "...this is the cup of my blood, ... It will be shed for you and for ALL so that sins will be forgiven." Now, the words are "...this is the chalice of my blood, ... It will be shed for you and for MANY for the forgiveness of sins." MANY?! What?! Not the Jesus I know. Not the Jesus I learned and taught about in Sunday school. Jesus didn't pick and choose who to die for and who to leave to rot in hell. He died so we wouldn't. I asked a priest about this, who shall remain nameless, and he said "well, this is implying that some people won't get in." Sorry, father. I don't believe in that. And neither should this church. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't change His mind on us from heaven this last year. "Catholic" means "universal." It's time we started acting like it.