Moreau Integration 3 Mahoney 1 Alison Thigpen Moreau First Year Experience 4 March 2022 A Life of Faith: the Ultimate Key to Fulfillment This past week, I was spending time with some of my closest friends as we flipped through a book of 5000 questions to get to know others on a deeper level. As we became gradually more immersed in the questions, the small dorm room became a space of great vulnerability and courage as we all shared the inner workings of our hearts with one another. As we discussed questions ranging from favorite breakfast foods, to virtues we possess, to life goals, I spent significant time considering how I live my life, how I am perceived by others, and how I will embark on a life well-lived. I want to be remembered as someone that is unafraid to stand up for those closest to them, and I strive to create a sense of community and belonging with all those around me. Pope Francis opens his powerful speech by stating that “life is not merely time passing by, life is about interactions” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week 7). This truth has been extremely prominent in my time at Notre Dame, as I have realized that the close relationships I have formed with those around me enable my life to take on a greater significance and purpose. I find myself surrounded by others in an incredible community of faith in dorm masses at Notre Dame, and I have made it my mission to bring a new friend to dorm mass each week. I hope to be remembered as someone that establishes a strong sense of community and welcomes others into this sense of belonging, as the people I surround myself with help to define my beliefs, values, and lifestyle. As I establish strong bonds https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript Mahoney 2 with others, I also want to be remembered as someone that is very reflective and has a great sense of self-awareness. Ultimately, this sense of self-awareness will enable me to connect with myself and God in moments of quiet and peace. It is true that “the more we can contact others, the more, it sometimes seems, we lose contact with ourselves” (“Why We Need to Slow Down our Lives” by Pico Iyer - Moreau FYE Week 1). In today’s age of technology, close connections to oneself and to others are often lost, but I strive to sustain these relationships by incorporating mindfulness and journaling gratitude in daily life. After all, life is very short and must be lived to the fullest through the close bonds we make with others. Although thinking about death and the future can be frightening, Sister Alethia reminds us that “We try to suppress the thought of death, or escape it, or run away from it because we think that’s where we’ll find happiness. But it’s actually in the darkest realities of life that we find light in them” (“Meet the Nun that Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Sister Aletheia - Moreau FYE Week 3). To live a life-well lived, I must have the courage to acknowledge both the light and darkness of life, as happiness comes from hope and recognizing God’s hand in all parts of life. Death is inevitable, and through acknowledging this unstoppable fate, I can begin to find light in my life well-lived. The sign of a life well-lived is that one is able to adapt to the hardships of life and recognize the truth that things happen for a reason, as positive reactions to challenges will enable growth in new directions. This is especially true in careers and discernment of future plans, as conversations with professors and family members have revealed that life is full of unexpected twists. Notre Dame’s Center for Career Development reminds students that “it is imperative to take time after an experience or conversation to think intentionally about how it impacted you” since “every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by the Center for Career Development - Moreau FYE Week https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ Mahoney 3 4). At Notre Dame, I have encountered many individuals with unique paths, and our Moreau class discussions of our professor’s career path and my classmates’ changes to intended majors continually remind me that no path is linear. Furthermore, conversations with my upperclassmen mentors in Army ROTC have been particularly insightful, as I have realized that my passion for giving back to others aligns with my goal of medical service in the military. My ROTC classmates and I created various presentations of the unique military branches as our final project for class, and I was able to keep an open mind to career options by recognizing that a life-well lived stems from the ability to succeed and adapt to various paths in life. Although a life well-lived can be characterized by adaptability to unexpected changes on new paths, I experience barriers to this, as I often dwell on past decisions and imagine alternative future outcomes. When I had my discernment reflection with my dad, he told me something that was difficult to say but important to hear: you will always have small regrets as you go through your career path, but you must always continue on your path and not dwell on these regrets, as things always happen for a reason (Discernment Reflection - Moreau FYE Week 5). A life well-lived can be characterized by the ability to adapt to challenges and new twists in life, and I strive to embody this ability in order to lead a life of hope and joy regardless of the path that God leads me on. As I navigate life, I hope that my actions are observable and characteristic of a life well-lived. One key sign of a life well-lived is the ability to live in the moment and enjoy the beauty of life at all times. Dr. Kim encourages us “to just focus on what we can do for others or what we can do already instead of what we cannot do and what we do not have yet” (“5 Minutes: A Grotto Short Film” by Dr. Kim, Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 6). In moments filled with so much pain and loss, it is easy for the darkness clouding one’s mind to push out the presence of God. I experienced immense pain and sadness at the start of the semester as my godmother https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 Mahoney 4 passed away, and these emotions enabled me to recognize that suffering is an inevitable part of life. A life well-lived is one guided by God, and I strive to lead by example by finding gratitude when responding with God to suffering. When I utilize my faith to find joy within great suffering, I can begin to appreciate all that I can do, rather than what I do not have. However, a life well-lived does not indicate that life will be free of hardships, sufferings, or failures. In the film Hesburgh, audiences are reminded that “it’s impossible to have a complete and honest human story if one doesn’t speak of human failings as well as human successes” (“Hesburgh” by Father Hesburgh - Moreau FYE Week 2). A life well-lived demonstrates vulnerability to recognize one’s failures, as recognition of failure is truly the only way to grow. After the first semester concluded, I utilized winter break for self-reflection of how I had fallen short in my relationships with friends, my studies, or my involvement in my faith. After recognizing these shortcomings, I was able to grow on my path to a life well-lived as I worked to spend more time while drawing good friends and my faith closer to my heart. As I allocate more time for those that I love and for my faith, I find that I am able to discover new moments of joy and successes that illuminate a life well-lived. Through enriching encounters with my faith, I have discovered close community connections with those around me at Notre Dame. As I grow in a community of love for one another and for God, I am inspired to consider how I want to be remembered, how I define a well-lived life, and the observable signs of a life well-lived. There are numerous ways to live life, but a life well-lived is one that is guided by faith. https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9