Reflection on Meaning and Suffering Learning from Vulnerability

Reflection on Meaning and Suffering – Learning from Vulnerability

For your next reflection, you will be writing and analyzing an experience you had either where you experienced suffering or were unsuccessful at something. It is important for your reflection to be as specific as you can when you are describing your experience and to really analyze your experience to get the full meaning of it. For all three sections make sure to answer the questions completely and thoroughly.

The assignment will be graded on the following factors  Analysis of your experience (Section 1) – Describing your experience in detail and fully explaining its meaning in a thoughtful way.  Writing and Response to Catholic Thought (Section 2) – Make sure to explain your thoughts about the Catholic perspective on suffering.  Experience of another (Section 3) – Describe and analyze the experience of another person that is meaningful for you.  Writing and Grammar – How well you explain your ideas in a logical and cohesive way. The reflection should be proofread and have few mistakes.  Effort/Depth of thought – The reflection demonstrates carefully written work and deep level of thought.

1) Describe an experience of suffering you had that was significant to you. (It doesn’t have to be some huge life-altering experience but can also be something smaller) Instead you can also write about an experience where you were unsuccessful or failed at something, but you grew from the experience. What happened in the experience? How did the experience make you feel specifically? What caused the experience to happen? What questions to did the experience bring to light? How did you deal with the experience at the time? How did other people around you react to the experience? How did others help you deal with your suffering and give you support and compassion throughout? How did that experience change you and shape your life including your faith? What did you learn from it? - This section should be at least 2 paragraphs: 1) Describe what happened in your experience. 2) Explain how the experience affected you and what you learned.

2) Refer to the section below on Catholic Thought for this section. Do you agree with the Catholic idea that at least some good can come out of any experience, why or why not? How can an experience of suffering help someone to become a better person and grow closer to God? Often the cause of a person’s something is not something that they can control or is their fault. What can a person control when they are going through one of these experiences? What virtue or virtues do you think would be helpful for people that would help them through suffering and why? - This section should be at least a paragraph.

3) Who is someone that you observed going through an experience of suffering that you admired for how they dealt with it? What happened in this person’s experience? How did they handle it in a positive way? How did others show them compassion and help them with their experience? What can you learn from their attitude that you may or may not want to emulate in your own life? - This section should be at least a paragraph.

Read the paragraph on Catholic Thought below to use for Section 2

Catholic Thought Suffering is a part of life. The Catholic Church teaches that even through experiences of suffering, good results can occur and people can learn valuable lessons. Suffering runs deeper than just being a painful experience. It is something that may not only be painful but also causes you to really question your beliefs or important parts of life. Although suffering causes people to be vulnerable, these experiences of vulnerability can lead people to grow in faith by growing in their trust of God and depending on both him and others for help.

Remember that your reflection should be typed. Make sure to have your name, class period and teacher name in the heading. You don’t need a title. Make sure to write in paragraphs since this is a reflective essay.

Meaning and Suffering Reflection Grading Rubric Part 1 Personal Experience – 50 points - Did you fully explain and tell the complete story of your personal experience? - Did you discuss how the experience affected you and what you learned from it? - Did you discuss how the experience affected your faith?

Part 2 Response to Catholic Thought – 25 points - Did you explain your stance on the Church’s teaching about suffering? - Did you explain virtues and vices that could be helpful to people going through suffering?

Part 3 Experience of Another – 25 points - Did you fully explain and tell the story about someone elses experience of suffering? - Did you explain what you can learn from their experience?

Total Grade

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