+JMJ+
There's always something rather exciting about clean slates and fresh starts, whether it's the chance to redefine yourself on the first day of a new job, or that wonderful feeling of freedom after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or even writing the first line in a just-opened notebook (oh, is that last one just me?). A couple of weeks ago, I was joking with a few close friends about how I had missed the opportunity to create an entirely new persona immediately after transferring to UC from Cincinnati State: "I could have become the super-social transfer student who wears a cloak everywhere, or the dad-joking gets-involved-in-everything kid with the mad scientist hair, but alas, the window of opportunity is quickly closing. . ."
Amusingly enough, however, what began as a joke has since turned into a point of serious contemplation. After all, what is it that I am presenting to the world? The idea of personal branding comes up quite often during Intro to Co-op. While the idea of "selling oneself" sounds fundamentally abhorrent, the use of the word "branding" is interesting: "Branding," as in when ranchers would mark their herd of cows so as to identify them after allowing them to wander and graze freely; "branding," as in when grooms would once brand the name of their bride into their palm as a sign of their eternal union; "branding" as a sign of permanent belonging to another. Perhaps the question should be, "To what - or better yet - to whom does my life reveal me to belong?"
Against the backdrop of Prof. Amy Barrett's nomination hearing, the question becomes even more urgent. During Sen. Dianne Feinstein's questioning of Prof. Amy Barrett after her nomination to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Sen. Feinstein said something striking:
Against the backdrop of Prof. Amy Barrett's nomination hearing, the question becomes even more urgent. During Sen. Dianne Feinstein's questioning of Prof. Amy Barrett after her nomination to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Sen. Feinstein said something striking:
Whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different. And I think in your case, professor, when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that's of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country. - Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Sen. Feinstein likely meant nothing complimentary by her observation that, "The dogma lives loudly," within Prof. Barrett, but I can think of few statements that I would rather have said about me. The question that this puts before all of us is, "what is it that I live loudly?" In lieu of a brand-new persona, what is it that I witness to in my life, day in and day out? Could it be said that integrity, or honor, or peace lives loudly within me? Do I make visible the joy that should inspire my every action, or the charity that is needed of me in trying situations? Through my actions, my disposition, my work - do I bring inspiration to others?
Last Sunday, St. Paul wrote in the second reading:
Last Sunday, St. Paul wrote in the second reading:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. (Romans 14:7-8)
And this Sunday :
I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Phil 1:23-24, 27A)
If we lived in a vacuum, or as islands, perhaps these questions would not matter so much. Perhaps we would be free to hold our private convictions, and not have to worry about the discomfort and conflict involved in living them out in the public sphere. But we do not, and cannot, live with such a luxury. We do not belong merely to ourselves, but to Christ, and by extension, to each other. That we still remain on earth is not merely for our own benefit, but for the good of the whole Body of Christ. Every act of the will, whether public or private, informs who we are. And who we are shapes the direction of our family, our community, and the whole world.
So, I put the question to you, dear reader: "What do you choose to live loudly?"
So, I put the question to you, dear reader: "What do you choose to live loudly?"
Author
Paco Patag
