Mahoney 1 Nhat Nguyen Moreau First Year Experience 10102 29 April 2022 A Life Well-Lived in Becoming Love This semester’s course material has allowed me to better reflect, and in turn, define my purpose and responsibility to myself, my family, Notre Dame, and the world around me. I believe my personal mission is to become the love that God has shown for me and to lead others to this same love. God sent His Beloved Son to die on the Cross for me, despite my brokenness, and as such, I hold dearly the calling to extend this love to others as it was extended to me. In defining my personal mission statement, I had to turn inward and reflect on what mattered most to my individual character and to the person who I want to become. However, finding a moment to pause and to reflect is difficult to come by in our fast-paced world. We are being fed so much information and being pulled so many ways by differing narratives, it makes it hard to define one’s presence in the world around them. In Week 1, we read a TED Talk article by Pico Iyer, in which he said, “The Sabbath recalls to us that, in the end, all our journeys have to bring us home” ("Why we need to slow down our lives" by Pico Iyer – Moreau FYS Week 1). This is a reminder to never lose sight of where one comes from by not allowing oneself to be caught in the rat-race of life. Most importantly, I ought to reflect on how I am being a force for good in our world actively seeking to become the love through which I was created. Furthermore, I also had to look for inspiration in defining my personal mission statement. In Week 2, I had the opportunity to watch the film Hesburgh, recounting the life of our school’s former president and all that he was able to accomplish in his time here on earth ("Hesburgh" by https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 Mahoney 2 Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley – Moreau FYS Week 2). As I was presented with the opportunity to tour his office a short while ago, all the memorabilia served as a reminder of his reach and his inability to remain complacent with the status quo. In a similar way, I ought to model my life after this and make the most out of my remaining three years here at Notre Dame. I believe I do this through taking the road less travelled, whether that be pushing myself to succeed in the classroom and SIBC or finding new avenues of self-mastery such as serving as Duncan Hall’s Liturgical Commissioner and on Duncan Hall’s Welcome Week Committee. In doing so, I gain an immense deal of wisdom from looking to men like Fr. Ted Hesburgh for inspiration in living out my mission statement of becoming the love God has shown me. An incredibly valuable resource I have used in determining my calling in life is Fr. Michael Himes’s Three Key Questions ("Three Key Questions" by Fr. Michael Himes – Moreau FYS Week 3). His simple formula has allowed me to formulate a clearer picture of where God wants me to be and where my journey can take me. Himes asks about any career, is it a source of joy, are you good at it, and does it fulfill a genuine need in the community? In reflecting upon my personal mission, I can apply this logic to my intended degree in finance, my budding interest in the priesthood, or even a career in the U.S. military. In my next three years here, I ought to ask this of all my endeavors to ensure my Notre Dame education and experience is being used as an expression of love towards others. There exists a temptation, however, in the pursuit of career discernment to dedicate oneself to a strict purpose too early in life, disregarding the vast opportunities available to oneself. I believe every person owes it to themselves to explore a variety of paths, or as the Undergraduate Career Services’ article framed it, “The only way to know more about yourself is to test the waters - just get out and experience life” ("Navigating Your Career Journey - Moreau https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/files/472889?module_item_id=146789 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ Mahoney 3 First Year Experience Course" by Undergraduate Career Services – Moreau FYS Week 4). Despite being a dedicated finance major, I strive to diversify my efforts to develop myself into a more well-rounded person. In my mission to be become God’s love for me, I have been an active member of the Leprechaun Legion Executive Board, showing love for Notre Dame in the way of school spirit and supporting our athletic teams in their endeavors. One of, if not the singular most useful exercise from this semester was the Career Discernment Activity, in which I was able to speak with my brother about what he perceives to be my strengths and weaknesses and about how my influence has impacted him ("Discernment Conversation Activity" – Moreau FYS Week 5). In my attempt to live out my personal mission statement, this was incredibly resourceful because he was able to provide me with honest feedback regarding my demonstrated expressions of outward love. One example he pointed out was my steadfast commitment to utilizing all the resourceless I have been blessed with by God. He described my involvement with student council, Habitat for Humanity, and other service projects throughout high school. Animated by my personal mission statement, I desire to attain this level of involvement here at Notre Dame. In accordance with others observing my efforts to be an expression of outward love, I too hold the responsibility to think critically about my actions in relation to the world around me. This practice is known as introspection, and while I find it incredibly useful, it must be utilized properly for it to be effective. As we read, “This means that the act of thinking about ourselves isn’t necessarily correlated with knowing ourselves. And, in a few cases, they’ve even found the opposite: the more time the participants spend in introspection, the less self-knowledge they have” ("The right way to be introspective (yes, there's a wrong way)" by Tasha Eurich PhD – Moreau FYS Week 6). Because I value my personal mission statement so highly, I spend https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yZ7hqvx-u4EuW2nlK-fRbWFiurQm1mZv_KpoeeiN4So/edit https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/ Mahoney 4 extensive amounts of time reflecting on whether I am on the track to attaining it. This can sometimes lead to only focusing on the negative that I have caused, which is a nearsighted vision of the full impact I can and have had on my peers. I desire to get into the daily habit of guided meditation, so that I may allow an introspective outlook on my experiences to animate the fulfillment of my mission statement in practice. Integral to my personal mission is the belief that all people deserve, as God’s creation, to be cared for and treated with dignity. Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. describes this sentiment perfectly in his selected reading for this course, saying, “Except for the fact that we all need to see that we are in each other’s “jurisdictions,” spheres of acceptance – only, all the time. And yet, there are lines that get drawn, and barriers erected, meant only to exclude. Allowing folks into my jurisdiction requires that I dismantle what I have set up to keep them out” ("Tattoos on the Heart - Chapter 8" by Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. – Moreau FYS Week 7). In my journey to become the love through which I was created, I must dismantle any unjust barriers between myself and others. In this spirit, I want to become more involved with diversity and inclusion efforts around campus. Whether it be Alan George’s “Thirsty for Culture Thursdays” or engaging with broader movements across the university, this is an integral part of fulfilling my calling to be a force for good in the world. Though I was not required to write the QQC reflection for Moreau FYS Week 8 because of my victory in Jeopardy earlier this year, I still trust that there is significant suffering in the world and that I must structure my actions to resolve injustice as I see it. Even despite Fr. Greg Boyle S.J.’s powerful writing about accepting all humanity in our jurisdiction, we can’t fully trust that others are worthy of love if we don’t first believe ourselves to be worthy of God’s grace too. This was highlighted well in Jacob’s Walsh’s article, “Growing https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/files/523844?module_item_id=167972 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/39639/files/523844?module_item_id=167972 Mahoney 5 up Gay and Catholic,” in which he described struggling to understand that he could be loved, even in spite of his perceived sin of being homosexual ("Growing up Gay and Catholic" by Jacob Walsh – Moreau FYS Week 9). If we consider, however, our brokenness to exclude us from God’s jurisdiction, then the brokenness of others would hinder them from participating in it too. In my time at Notre Dame, I will encounter people from all walks of life. I may have my ideological differences from them, but I must remind myself that we are all called to share in the same reunification, achieved for us through Christ’s death on the Cross. This includes the trend towards deep polarization, as discussed by Dr. Paul Blashcko, a teacher of philosophy here at Notre Dame ("How to Avoid an Echo Chamber" by Dr. Paul Blaschko – Moreau FYS Week 10). When faced with these situations in which I disagree with another, I turn to John 8:7, which says, “… Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” I recognize that no matter the totality of my sins or that of my neighbor’s, God is love and mercy, and through Him, we all have a path to salvation. I additionally have no problem admitting that I come from a place of immense privilege when discussing injustice, as I have lived a very generous life. This, however, only compounds my responsibility to serve as a voice for those who have none. Dean of Notre Dame’s Law School, G. Marcus Cole, describes this attitude immensely well in his now renowned article which we had the chance to read earlier in Moreau this semester ("I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something." by Dean G. Marcus Cole – Moreau FYS Week 11). If I am truly to become the love that I aspire to be, I must reflect this passion in all I say, speak, and do. In Cole’s words, “I can do something,” and with this resolve, I am called to ensure all my Notre Dame brothers and sisters experience my loving presence. https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/community/reflective-narrative-about-being-gay-and-catholic/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaIVxQcqnLs&t=1s https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/dean-g-marcus-cole-i-am-george-floyd-except-i-can-breathe-and-i-can-do-something/ Mahoney 6 No matter the words written on paper, my personal mission to embody the love through which I was formed cannot be complete without action ("Writing a Personal Mission Statement Activity" – Moreau FYS Week 13). Accordingly, everything I’ve written here today must be expressed outward toward my neighbor, modelled after the love through which Christ willingly died on the Cross for my chance at salvation. I have full faith and confidence that God will guide me to where I need to be in my lifelong journey, but I must walk the path with Him through righteous word and deed. Only then can I truly say that I have pursued a life well-lived and have fulfilled my ultimate commitment to becoming God’s love for me and for all. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ur4b9oFy7Mh8adNrwRTIFcanUIJUAI6wnAczkxW-H3I/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ur4b9oFy7Mh8adNrwRTIFcanUIJUAI6wnAczkxW-H3I/edit