Ryan Roeding’s Third Place Essay

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Ryan Roeding

St. Joseph School, Crescent Springs

Human life begins at conception, and we need to recognize and protect it from that moment.  This belief has built and strengthened during my eight years of learning more about my faith in a Catholic School.  There are many reasons I feel strongly in my opinion.  The foundation of my belief is based on my reading of Scripture, my understanding of how science proves when life begins, and my personal family experience.

In many areas of Scripture God leads us through his words to understand that human life begins at conception.  In Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”  God shows that he values everyone from the moment of conception and even before.  For him to know us even before we are formed in the womb means that God had a plan for each of us when we were conceived.  God shows how much he values the birth of each child in Matthew 18:5 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me”.  To read the word of God where he is speaking about knowing every child and those who welcome them also welcome Him shapes my beliefs.

Some people believe women should have the right to do what they want with their bodies.  They argue that a child in the womb is part of the woman’s body and not its own person.  Science counters this claim.  Science has proven that a child in the womb is a unique individual and not just a part of their mother’s body.  A study of human development by Dr. Keith Moore concluded, “A new human embryo in the womb has a genetic composition that is absolutely unique to itself, different from any other human that has ever existed, including that of its mother.”  If a child in the womb is a unique individual, then it deserves the protections that we give to all individuals.

The final and most personal reason I believe all life should be protected is from my own family’s experience.  My mom was born when my grandma was only 18 years old. I’m sure it was not easy on my grandma and her family.  However, her family followed the teaching of Saint John Paul II and showed “radical solidarity” in helping to raise my mom.  Had my mom’s family, especially my great-grandma, not come together to support my grandma in raising my mom then she may have decided differently and then my brother, my sister, and I would not have been born.  People must remember to offer support when women are in similar situations, so they do not feel pushed to make other decisions.

Something I thought I could do as an 8th grader to show compassion and friendship is to volunteer my time at DCCH Center for Children and Families.  I could be a good friend, role model and teacher to the kids there until their moms are able to care for them again.  My aunt works there, and she often brings children to our family gatherings who do not have a family to spend time with at the holidays.  Another thing I could do to show compassion is to offer to babysit for mothers in need to allow them to work, run errands or just have time to themselves.  Therefore, it is important to remember that human life begins at conception, and we need to recognize and protect it from that moment.

According to Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God.”  These words should ring in the minds of everyone faced with a similar situation to what my grandma experienced.

 

 

Finley Clifton’s Third Place Essay

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Finley Clifton

St. Joseph School, Crescent Springs

Is it right to eliminate God’s gift and motive for each individual?  God did not just take time to create each human life so beautifully for us to take it away from the world.  He did not frame our lives for people to disrespect it.  Our lives are in the hands of God, which means he takes care of us and watches over us.  As sons and daughters of God, we are meant to take the path that he developed for us.  He shows us how to live our lives by putting others’ needs before our own.  God’s objective for creating us was for everyone to be made with dignity and purpose, even those people who have disabilities.

The Church teaches that all life is made in the image and likeness of God, born or unborn, from conception to death.  I have worked with and met a lot of people who have disabilities.  Some of them may feel out of place because they are not able to do some things that we are able to do.  It is our job to make them feel like they belong, because they do.  Every life put into the world is a miracle, and God took time to create each life with intent.  Some may say that life does not begin until birth because you are not a human at conception.  However, the church teaches that life begins the second you are made in your mother’s womb.  Therefore, God admires all human life no matter the size or age.  As the Bible says, “nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). This shows that God gives us everything, starting with our own life.

Radical Solidarity is recognizing that someone else’s struggle is your struggle.  To me, it also means bringing the community together and helping each other out.  Most people think donating is the best way to help, while that is important, there are a variety of other ways to assist people in need.  Doing community service, making sure everyone is being treated right, and coming together to be kind and helpful are all things that people can do to help.  At dance, I help take care of the kids with special needs.  It is such a big community, and we always have a blast dancing together.  Radical solidarity is important to our society because without it, our world would be a mess.  As Christians we should practice radical solidarity because by working together, it produces a stronger community.  St. John Paul II say, “Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far”-St. John Paul II.

There are many ways that us 8th graders can help women, children, and families who need it.  God created us to share love, and we should cherish that gift.  One of the things that people my age could do to help, is to support and treasure children with special needs so that they can grow and thrive. Some people think that people with disabilities are different from everyone else because of the way they look.  They are not different.  In fact, they are just like us.  Therefore, everyone deserves the same amount of respect.  My dance studio offers a class for children and teenagers with different types of disabilities.  We also participate in the Buddy Walk in Cincinnati every year, which supports the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati.  It touches my heart when I see their smiling faces and the light in their eyes when they are dancing.  The Catechism states, “The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship” (CCC 2347).  This means that helping others creates friendships.  In order for us to share God’s gift of love, we not only have to be friendly, but compassionate about the things that we do.

God wants for us to share our love and treat everyone with courtesy.  He wants us to include everyone, even people with disabilities.  The church teaches that all life is precious, from the moment you are in your mother’s womb to natural death, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. This means practicing radical solidarity, in which St. John Paul II teaches.  Radical solidarity can help people my age change someone’s life for the better.

 

 

Grant Krahe’s Second Place Essay

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Grant Krahe

St. Timothy School, Boone County

A young lady comes home from her minimum wage job and sees a pile of bills with big red “OVERDUE”         stamps staring her in the face.  She struggles to pay even for herself, living paycheck to paycheck.  Now she has an even bigger worry; she will soon have another mouth to feed.  This is the sad reality for many women in the modern-day world.  Their hard life is seemingly made more difficult by welcoming a child into the world.  Most even struggle to get day-to-day necessities.  By choosing to welcome a new life, they are being extremely selfless and putting God’s plan before their own.  My assistance with the Madonna House has shown me the struggles of women and children.  Women need many material goods to support themselves and a child.  By grasping St. John Paul II’s concept of radical solidarity, I make their struggle my struggle and embrace God’s love.

To start, God had your entire life planned out for you before you are born.  The Bible proves this in Jeremiah 1:5 when it states, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations” (New American Bible Revised Edition).  This illustrates that all life is extremely precious and endowed with God given dignity from the moment of conception.  In the above quote the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah, but what he says is true for everyone; we all have a right to life.  All life should be loved and cared for, from the moment of conception.  This is important to me because I believe that all children should be treated as they are made in the image of God, because they are.

Furthermore, as a young man who has grown up in a privileged life, I strive to understand the struggles that the women and children who live in poverty go through every day. At Thanksgiving I led a prayer for the unborn, the born, and mothers.  At that moment I was filled with the Holy Spirit.  It made me understand how to make their struggle my struggle by helping all those I see that need it.  Jesus Christ himself states, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (New American Bible Revised Edition, John 13:34). Jesus is telling us to love everyone in our lives, no matter the good or bad they have done.  That is very similar to St. John Paul II’s concept of radical solidarity.

The Madonna House is a non-profit organization that gives mothers and their children a home to live in while they search for a job and a good source of income.  They teach mothers how to care for their child, how to care for themselves, and how to live with a child in their lives.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be…” (1932).  The Madonna House lives out Pope John Paul II’s belief of radical solidarity by fulfilling all of the criteria in the passage.  The Catechism tells us that when we see those in need, we should do anything we can to help them.  I heard this quote and applied it to my daily life by attempting to help one person a day.  At a recent family reunion, I asked my family to bring donations for the Madonna House.  Almost all of them brought items for the donation.  Just a few of the items they brought were shampoo, conditioner, baskets, and crib sheets.  By praying for and donating to the Madonna House, I hope to embody the works of Christ.  My grandfather was a chairman of the Diocese of Covington Pro-Life Commission from 2003 to August 2006.  I wish to follow in his footsteps and inspire young children to be pro-life as well.

As shown above, St. John Paul II’s idea of radical solidarity should be guiding principle for all young Catholics leading through faith.   The struggle of women and children in this modern world is too much for them to bear alone.  I practice radical solidarity by making the struggle of women and children my own, and by loving all women and children just as Christ himself did.  If we all do this, then we can make Heaven on earth.

Kate Mueller’s Winning Essay

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Kate Mueller

St. Timothy School, Boone County

It was a morning like any other.  My stomach grumbled, and I felt the deep pain of hunger in the pit of my stomach.  I knew the day would bring only a few small morsels of food.  I was born into poverty-stricken Ethiopia, and I lived there until the age of four when I was adopted.  I am here living with a wonderful family and several other adopted sisters.  I am able to walk the earth today because my birth mother recognized the dignity and worth of all life.  My parents also understand this, and they created a welcoming home for their children.  Knowing the pain of hunger myself, I understand how poverty and food-scarcity could lead to women terminating the life in their own womb rather that facing the struggle of not being able to raise their child.  By offering support such as childcare and food relief to poverty-stricken mothers, we can offer hope and compassion during a pivotal time in their lives.

By having a mother who embraced my innate, God-given dignity, my life was spared.  My birth mother lived in poverty in a small town in Ethiopia.  She could barely feed herself, and she knew she would not be able to take care of me when I was born.  Instead of taking the easy way out, she chose to carry and give birth to me.  She put me in an orphanage that had more resources than she could ever provide.  She had tears in her eyes as she watched me leave and go to a place where she knew I would get the care I needed.  Because of her selfless decision, I am able to realize the worth of life.  Scripture states, “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you-oracle of the LORD-plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope” (New American Bible Revised Edition, Jeremiah 29:11).  My birth mother knew that God had a plan for my life, and she understood that my life was meaningful, no matter the circumstances I was born into.  All life is precious regardless of the condition.

It is our responsibility to support struggling mothers and families in our community.  According to a recent study, “The average cost of childcare for one child in the U.S. is about $10,900 per year.” (The Economic Impact of Childcare by State”).  This puts additional stress on mothers with a limited income.  This was the case with my younger sister who was adopted at birth.  Her mom lived in Cincinnati, and was not able to provide for her, so she made an adoption plan.  The lack of support mothers receive with new children is devastating.  To help alleviate this, I have taken the initiative to offer free babysitting services in my community.  By using my service, families can have time to attend to health concerns, be active in their faith network, and work to provide for their families.  As leaders of our faith we need to lend a helping hand to impoverished mothers.  It is our duty as young Catholics to pray for leaders in our country to pass legislation and welcome new life.

Providing meals for lower income children and moms is essential to supporting families as they welcome new life into their homes.  I prioritize helping lower-income children because I remember when I was in Ethiopia and would only receive a small portion of food.  Go Pantry collects and distributes food to malnourished children in Boone County.  We need to raise awareness in our community about this beneficial service to our neighbors who need additional support to feed their families.   Attending to the needs of the poor is our call from God.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.  Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God” (2447). Feeding poor families brings alive the teachings of the Church.

To conclude, all life is precious and deserves dignity and respect.  When we support struggling women and families in both speech and action, we bring our faith to life.  Let us answer God’s call for us to help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.