A Group Reflection

Hello again, I am Allie and Happy New Year from all of us to you!

A few weeks ago, we all met for a group meeting about our trip and we were all very excited that our trip is coming along! Before we know it will be March and we will driving up to Toronto! In preparation for our trip, we each did a reflection on our last meeting and we would like to share them with you!Here you will find each individuals thoughts and ideas from our last meeting on the Dignity of Human Life! Each individual was given the opportunity to give there post their own style!

Laura:

“With the meeting on Monday focusing primarily on human dignity, it was impressed upon my heart to take our service a step further.  It is easy to see the need for friendship of those living in L'Arche communities.  Our hearts are moved to offer our love and time to make a difference for them.  Yet we have so many people who are marginalized within our own small worlds.  I have made it a goal for myself (and I have challenged my team to do the same) to learn the names of at least two people who are essential for Gannon's success, but do not receive public recognition.   #humandignity #makingadifference”

Maureen:

“Hello! My name is Maureen Piccirilli and I am one of the Co-Leaders going on this amazing trip to L’Arche.  I am so excited that I am getting to know these amazing people that will be walking through this life changing journey with me.  Our time together so far has been beautiful and reflective.  Their insights wonderful and I look forward to all the future meetings we will have together.  In our most recent meeting we discussed the dignity of the human person through some quotes said by Pope Francis.  We discussed that each person, no matter how old or what their disability may be, has a dignity and a gift to offer.  This is one of the key concepts that we will discover through our journey to L’Arche.  These people are beautiful and talented and deserve the respect that would be given to anyone else.   They have gifts to share and if we take the time to look for them, we will realize that these gifts should be shared around the world.  I look forward to move forward with this group and to experience with them the amazing journey that is L’Arche.”

Katherine:

“I find one of the most challenging images for the dignity of the human person amongst those who live on the margins. Sometimes they are the children bullied in school, sometimes they are refugees of war or natural disaster, and sometimes they are those living with disabilities, but in all cases, they have something in common: someone doesn’t want them. There are some people we wish would just go away, and when I confront that desire within myself, I confront both a prejudice within myself, and the discomfort and vulnerability that comes in facing someone else’s pain and the call to be with that person and to share his or her pain—and joy.

Dignity is so often a word we use to refer to those who have gravitas or who have contributed something considered valuable to society. Yet the person who meets each day with joy because he or she is alive is also dignified, because that person is a witness that life has value—including for those living on the margins. What I love about the L’Arche mission the holistic view of individuals who have both good and bad qualities, and the insistence that every person has value. In recognizing human dignity, a revolution begins, and the people on the margins are brought into the center where we all belong.”

Lily:

“At this last meeting, I loved what we did. We chose quotes that spoke to us and shared them with the group. These quotes were from Pope Francis and were about human dignity. The quote that really hit me mentioned how we often see people with disabilities as less important and less “useful” than people without disabilities. The Pope said that we all have our gifts and that no gift is more important than another. This is so beautiful and true because everyone has something to offer, although it might not be physical labor or the ability to make money, that doesn't mean that it’s useless. Sometimes what this world needs most is simply someone who can just make people smile. God’s gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but never vary in importance. This message is the epitome of our group’s mission; to spread the importance of all human life.”

Brandon:

“The meeting that we had was such a great way to bring awareness to all of us about the respect of human life, and how dignity of a human is so much more than what we make it. It opened my eyes in a unique way to the fact that we all are not so blessed everyday to have what we have, and some people just aren’t equipped with the proper skill sets to advance in life.  Even in the smallest of circumstances, each life is not more important than another; it is hard to live that way I know! However, if we can look past ourselves and step out of our comfort zone, than I know this trip will be not just a service trip, but a humble service all together.”

Leigh:

“I greatly enjoyed our conversation on human dignity. Most things worth saying have already been said, so using quotes (especially such well-chosen ones) drove the point home. I felt closer to everyone after this meeting and enjoyed the fact that many of us were able to share personal stories which pertained to both the subject at hand and the purpose of our trip. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to spend time with such a devoted and open group. Before this meeting, I was starting to feel a little nervous for the trip. Now, I have no doubts, and I can hardly wait for our trek to Toronto!”

Megan:

“I really enjoyed this second meeting with my ABST group. It's always great seeing them. The more time I spend with the group the more excited I get for this upcoming trip we'll be going on. Every time we meet I seem to learn something new about my group which is great. The activities our group leaders plan provide a great opportunity for us to open up to each other and get to know one another better since most of us were strangers before coming to this group. Our second meeting focused on the topic of human dignity. We did an activity involving quotes from our pope on that topic and we got to share what human dignity means to us. It was interesting to find that the group was pretty much in agreement with their views and beliefs on human dignity. It was nice to learn that we share similar views on this as well as other things we've discussed. It's definitely great for bonding us as a group.”

Allie:

“As a member of the group traveling to L`Arche, human dignity is one of the things I often have to things about, as do we all. We discussed the idea of service of presence at the last meeting and I believe it ties in with the ideas of human dignity and the rights to life as a whole. The idea of human dignity and the rights to life mean you value the individual for them more then what they can produce for you. And that is critical in our society. Our society has become obsessed with gaining and using others and they have lost the true meaning of human life. By enjoying the company of others and learning to understand what others are dealing with, that is how we become closer to one another. That is how we respect the human life for what is it is. As we discussed human dignity, we talked about how our differences are the important parts of us, because we all have challenges and struggles, but we must help each other through them. The differences must be respected because they are a part of human life, each individual is made in the image of God and therefore must be respected. I enjoyed this conversation, because I believe it brought us all closer as a group. We all have become more willing to share and experience this new adventure together as we embark farther on our ABST journey.”

We all will be meeting again soon, to discuss more about our trip to Toronto and cannot wait to serve the people of the L`Arche community!