October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month and it's a good time for schools & communities to take stock of current efforts to reduce and prevent bullying. Consider the following: Do current school climates make students feel safe, allowing them to thrive academically and socially? Are youth comfortable speaking up if they are being bullied? Are members of the Catholic community engaged when it comes to reporting bullying stories?
Pope Francis’ recent visit to the United States seemed to capture the ears, eyes, hearts, and minds of millions of Americans. While one would expect Catholics to pay especially close attention to the Pope’s words, if news reports can be taken at face value, millions of others not of the Catholic faith were also enthralled by the Pope’s message.
When we were young parents, it would dismay us when our kids complained that we were the only family who didn’t go to that movie or buy that new game. What a relief it was when we discovered other parents at church who were just as uncool as we were. Everybody was not following the crowd. We made sure we saw more of those people.
Recuerdo una ocasión en que las palabras de alguien me inyectaron la fuerza que necesitaba para seguir viviendo; otra vez, al abrazarme solidariamente un amigo sentí que Cristo me animaba y consolaba. En otra ocasión recibí el agradecimiento de alguien que se inspiró en mí para cambiar el curso de su vida. A mi mente vino también la sonrisa de un desconocido cuyo gesto iluminó una dolorosa oscuridad que me invadía haciendo mi día rico y productivo. También recordé cuando al compartir con mi padre la carrera que deseaba seguir me respondió despectivamente enfatizando las probabilidades de fracaso de esa ocupación. Al escucharlo sentí que algo en mi moría. Concluí que muchas veces, quizá más irreflexivamente que intencionalmente, sembramos vida o damos muerte..