The Way

I liked the film, The Way. It illustrated what life is like outside of one's "little world"; this journey was mostly without mainstream technology or amenities, but instead required the pilgrims to literally carry everything they needed on their back. I learned that life really is a journey- it's about the destination, the journey itself, and the people you meet along the way. The movie's general concept and storyline was inspiring; the relationship between a parent and child is still so strong even after one of them is gone. The idea of a pilgrimage is usually associated with a religious journey, but in the movie it was seen that this type of journey could be taken for other reasons as well. Therefore, I agreed with the concept that a pilgrimage can be taken for many different purposes and is meaningful in different ways to different people. Some of the characters purpose for their journey changed throughout the pilgrimage. Tom started walking the Camino alone and unsure of the purpose behind it. As he continued on, he realized that the purpose was to do it for Daniel, his son, and see what Daniel had meant by him saying he wanted to live and experience the world instead of just learning about it. Tom also became more open to talking about his life and his son as he continued on in the pilgrimage. Sara, another pilgrim, said that she was walking the Camino because she wanted to quit smoking. As her journey continues, it becomes apparent that her purpose for the journey is to reflect on her life and forgive herself for choices she made in the past. The Way truly revolved around relationships- the ones between families, between strangers, and with oneself. Maybe one would go into this pilgrimage thinking that being alone is the best thing for one because one wanted to get away from one's current life; after beginning the journey, though, one could eventually realize that having others to share the experience is part of that experience. Finally, if life's journey is anything like traveling along el Camino, there is sure to be much more out there in the world to experience.

Mixed Messages?

The Church sends positive messages to young women by trying to enforce the teaching that all people are equal- that women are equal to men. In relationships, the teaching that one needs to respect one's partner helps to solidify equality among genders. Healthy relationships require one, especially a woman, to take care of oneself, respect oneself, and truly know that one's life is valuable. Also, the Church should try to send positive messages to young women by helping them to understand the traditions of the faith and allow them to ask questions regarding issues that they're faced with in today's society. Gender complementarity means that men and women complement each other both physically and in personality; one balances out the other and they "become a unit together." But this idea can also serve as a negative message that women are supposed to be one way and men are supposed to be another way. Emily Reimer-Barry thinks that we need more feminist husbands, or men who "recognize their wives as equals, more men who are excited by the idea of mutual give-and-take in relationships relationships and mutual responsibility for work inside and outside the home." These men would send a positive message by way of the Church enforcing equality between the sexes, making it so that wives and husbands share traits, not enforcing stereotypes or adding additional pressure to the partners in the marriage.
There are examples of ways I have been taught, in a Catholic school environment, about what it means to be a woman. One of these ways is constantly being told that women are just as capable, if not more so, as men to do anything in life. If a woman sets her mind to a task or goal, she can achieve great things in life. Essentially, being a woman doesn't hinder you in any way if you don't let it, but does come with some extra responsibility, per say. I have been taught that the "hope of the harvest is in the seed," meaning that educated young women, and men, are going to eventually deal with the fate of the world, deciding the future of society. Also, being a woman may cause one to have struggles and road blocks that men don't have, but it only makes a woman stronger and more determined to overcome future hindrances.
I don't think I have personally received any, but there are some possible negative or 'mixed' messages that can be received. One is the idea of constantly giving to the Church and/or others. If one is constantly told to give, despite the cost on the individual, one could eventually just become a "doormat" for others, which is obviously not a good thing. The idea of giving, especially in a relationship, can lead to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner; worldwide, 30% of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner. One would hope that the Church isn't trying to set women up for forming "patterns of accepting abuse." Unlike Jesus, women shouldn't have to suffer through a situation because that's what the savior did. Another 'mixed' message concerns feminists; women who identify themselves as so are looking out for women and trying to bring to the forefront women's concerns and issues. However, feminists aren't usually cited or consulted with on issues concerning women, especially within Church discussions. Women are also not in any positions of leadership or decision making in the Church, and therefore young women who look to the Church only have male figures to turn to for guidance.

Worldwide, 30 percent of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. - See more at: http://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201405/mixed-messages-what-do-women-hear-church-28862#sthash.1tFxVYtR.dpuf

Worldwide, 30 percent of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. - See more at: http://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201405/mixed-messages-what-do-women-hear-church-28862#sthash.1tFxVYtR.dpuf

Abortion

In Bryan Cones' article on US Catholic he questions how the Catholic Church must respond to the rates of abortion in developing countries. He refers to the following statistics from a World Health Organization study: rates of "unsafe" abortions in Africa is 97%, in Latin America is 95%, in Asia is 40%, and in Oceania is 14%. He also says, referring to the 2008 numbers, that 86% of abortions occurred in the developing world, while in the developed world the numbers dropped from 36% to 26%. Yes, one of the differences between developed and developing countries is access to modern contraception, but I don't believe that this fact is the main reason for "unsafe" abortions. Rather, it is believable that the rate of "unsafe" abortions would be higher in places that do not necessarily have access to the highest medical advancements or necessities for abortions. In the US, women have abortions for different reasons, some of which may be the same as women in other countries. Some of these reasons are as follows: women are not financially or emotionally able to support a child, a child is a result of sexual assault, women simply don't want any children, or the child will have some kind of defect or disease, etc. Abortions are legal in the US, so therefore they are usually safer; sometimes, if done in the third trimester or done in an unsanitary or unsafe way, abortions can cause severe complications or death. Abortions can be direct or indirect, but indirect ones are the only ones seen as acceptable in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Women in US, if trying to prevent pregnancy, will either use a form contraception or use Natural Family Planning (NFP).

The author of the article only gives one alternative to decrease the abortion rate of women in developing countries, which is giving them access to modern methods of contraception. This may be a way to decrease the rate of abortions, but there are other ways as well. Another potential solution to solve this problem would be to educate women in developing countries about pregnancy in general. Education on how their body works and ways in which they can naturally avoid pregnancy, such as NFP, would give women a chance to understand that there are other ways besides abortion. Also, information could be given to women about adoption and alternative ways to give up a baby, instead of aborting the baby. Lastly, developing countries could try to provide an environment where women can feel like they have a choice in matters of importance, so they don't feel trapped or pressured. Overall, there are ways in which developing countries can decrease the abortion rate.