CUA Pax Christi - Pax Christi Corner<title> </head> <body> <div id="preload"></div> <div id="header"> <h1>CUA<span>PaxChristi</span></h1> <big>p c c o r n e r </big> </div> <div id="menu"> <ul> <li><a href="index.html">home</a></li> <li><a href="events.html">events</a></li> <li><a href="resources.html">social.justice.resources</a></li> <li><a href="pics.html">pics</a></li> <li><a href="corner.html">pax.christi.corner</a></li> <li><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CUA_PaxChristi/">mailing.list</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="main"> <div id="container"> <div id="subnav"> <ul> <li><a href="what.html">What We Do</a></li> <li class="child"><a href="what.html#faith">Faith</a></li> <li class="child"><a href="what.html#advocacy">Advocacy</a></li> <li class="child"><a href="what.html#education">Education</a></li> <li><a href="#">What's Going On</a></li> <li class="child"><a href="events.html">Events</a></li> <li class="child"><a href="pics.html">Pictures</a></li> <li><a href="resources.html">Social Justice Resources</a></li> <li><a href="corner.html">Pax Christi Corner</a></li></ul> </div> <div id="extras"> <h2>links</h2> <p> <a href="http://www.paxchristiusa.org">Pax Christi USA</a><br /> <a href="http://www.cua.edu">Catholic University of America</a><br /> <a href="http://www.onestudentry.org">OneStudentry.org - DC Area Student Peace Network</a> </p> </div> <div id="content"> <br><h1>Current Pax Christi Corner</hi> <h2>November 11, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>Veterans Day is an important day each year that reminds us to remember all those, living and dead, who have served their country. It is an important time, very appropriately coming during the month the Catholic Church observes for those who have died, to remember the great sacrifice and hardships those in conflict face.</p> <p>It is important to always support people who fight for their country regardless of your feelings about any given conflict. We must remember that they are people with families and loved ones who do not want them in danger. Veterans Day comes each year as a reminder to keep them in your prayers and work toward a world where there will be no more death in conflict.</p> <br><h1>Past Pax Christi Corners</hi> <h2>November 04, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>November serves as the month during which the church remembers those who have died and prays that they may be given eternal life. During this time in the church year, we pray for those loved ones who are no longer with us. We pray for family and friends, as well as those in the larger university community. They are lucky to have all of us praying for them; however we must also remember those who have no one to pray for or remember them.</p> <p>There are so many in this world whose lives are ended tragically each day by violence, starvation, war and disease. Let us remember them too during this month and include them in our prayers.</p> <h2>October 28, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>The idea of fair trade is one that is rapidly gaining popularity in the United States. It brings together farmers around the world and the consumer with products that are help benefit the communities in which they are created. It allows farmers to receive a just wage and allows us to feel good about the purchases we make.</p> <p>Perhaps you have seen the signs about the fair trade coffee you can get in the food court and the c-store? Well, this Halloween, there will be another fun way to celebrate fair trade - Pax Christi will be handing out fair trade chocolates in the Pryz from 11 to 2. Please come by, enjoy free candy, and learn how any other chocolate is just scary!</p> <h2>October 21, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>This past Wednesday, the Dalai Lama received the Congressional Gold Metal in recognition of his work towards peace and tolerance. Perhaps the most striking thing about the award was his statement:</p> <blockquote>I am deeply touched that this great honor has been given to me, a Buddhist monk born of a simple family</blockquote> <p>This serves as a great reminder that the world's greatest peacemakers were not born great, but through their actions and drive strived to ensure a more peaceful and better world. We may be simple people as well, but we have the ability to change society for the better.</p> <h2>October 14, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending my sister's confirmation. In the process of preparing to be confirmed, each student had to write a letter to the bishop talking about their personal Catholic identity and what they felt it meant to be Catholic. At the mass, he read a number of statements, however I was struck by one of the high schooler's comments:</p> <blockquote>Being Catholic should not be about avoiding sin, it should be about helping others - that is what Christ did.</blockquote> <p>I will admit, I was rather blown away by that, however it strikes me as very true. Instead of having all your focus be negative, and spending your time determining how to not sin, the focus should be about what positive things you can do - the ways in which you can be Christ to those around you. </p> <h2>October 07, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>This Wednesday, October 10th, is World Day Against the Death Penalty. Amnesty International CUA and Pax Christi CUA are very excited to host a prayerful vigil including a speaker exonerated from death row at 7pm. We will have tables in the Pryz that afternoon with more information. We are reminded on this day that Christ was put to death by the death penalty, and that we most be completely pro-life, as stated in the words of our late holy father:</p> <blockquote>The new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.</blockquote> <p>-- Pope John Paul II</p> <h2>September 30, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>As events unfold in Burma, one thing struck many of us at our meeting on Thursday: the non-violence of the protest on such a massive scale. I am sure most people have seen a protest at some point in their time here, and while many are non-violent in nature, there are sometimes people that think violence will better accomplish their goal. Generally the more people you have, the greater the propensity for non-violence is. Yet here, great numbers of people are assembling and marching in a very non-violent manner.</p> <p>Non-violence has a strong history in many faiths. In our own, we see the example of Jesus Christ, who resisted non-violently. This tradition has been carried on, most recently through people like Martian Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. In Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi stands as an example of non-violence to her people - she should also serve as an example to us and show us the need for non-violence in the world today.</p> <h2>September 23, 2007</h2> <p>By Assistant Treasurer Chase Nordengren</p> <p>Taking inspiration from a recent statement by Cardinal Malony of Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of hosting a discussion at Pax Christi's meeting this week on the subject of immigration. It was both heartwarming and a great pleasure to hear our members' varied experiences with immigrant families and with initiatives in their parishes. The greatest strength of our church, in my opinion, is its ability to be catholic as well as Catholic.</p> <p>The other strong impression I took away from this discussion was the constant need to remember the human person in the immigrant or migrant laborer, our common membership in the body of Christ. Through the legacy of Abraham, Moses and Joseph, God teaches us that the bonds of humankind ought never be torn asunder by walls or by borders. The right to family, the right to a safety and the right to personal and economic dignity are ordained not by law but by God first and foremost.</p> <p>On the eve of His Passion, Jesus describes the Father's kingdom as a "household of many dwelling places" (John 14:2). May we always keep our homes and our hearts as our Father does: open, inviting, accepting and rich with the diversity of our faith.</p> <h2>September 16, 2007</h2> <p>By Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>This past week, Cardinal McCarrick attended a symposium along side Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I concerning problems involving religion, science and the environment. The Cardinal made a very powerful statement: </p> <blockquote>This is a holy place, because this is God's work. The Lord gave us this world, this beauty, which has an extraordinary importance for the well-being of the entire world. Being here we can say thanks to God for this world, thanks for this place, thanks for the opportunity to live and inhabit these places, because this is his house. But, we also know that is necessary to do something so that the world's greatness will go on, the beauty of the world, the holiness of the world. We are here to say that we are a family and that we must safeguard the house of the family. </blockquote> <p>This drives home the importance for us to be good stewards of the environment. As Catholics, we are called to care for the world God entrusted to us and leave it a better and more healthy place.</p> <h2>September 09, 2007</h2> <p>By Pax Christi Treasurer Chris Needham</p> <p>I always find it funny when discovers I am involved in Pax Christi and tells me about how much they love peace and social justice issues. I usually follow up asking what issues they care about, or what they do. Frequently the response goes "Oh, I don't do anything, I just like peace, that's all".</p><p>As Catholics, we are called to live out our faith. We are called to set an example for others. We each have to find issues we care about and do something about them. Christ sets the perfect example of how we should live; we need to follow in his footsteps. Think about all the saints and martyrs. This might be making a generalization, but I am pretty sure none of them lived their faith quietly; they went out and lived as an example for each one of us. They weren't afraid to let others know they loved God. The same thing has to be done with peace and justice. It isn't enough to just say you like these things; you have to actively live a non-violent life. I am reminded of the saying "What would Jesus do?" I think the key word there is do; Jesus would go out and do something.</p> <br><p><i>We would love for you to come join us; We meet on Thursdays at 8:30 pm in room 342 of the Pryz. If you have any questions, e-mail me at 86needham [at] cua.edu. Check out our website: studentorg.cua.edu/paxchristi</i></p> <br><br> <div id="footer">All handouts, issues of Pax Christi corner and pictures are � their creators. The Pax Chrisi Pledge is � 2007 CUA Pax Christi.<br> <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/"> <img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/us/80x15.png" /> </a> All other content is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/">Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License</a>.<br> Template by <a href="http://www.demusdesign.com">DemusDesign</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </body> </html> <BR><BR><div align="center"><B><font size="-1">Last Revised</B> 12-Nov-07 11:07 PM</font>.</div>