Critical Journal for Volunteering of 7/3/15

            Today at my volunteering site I again prepared and served food to people in a community.  I worked in a kitchen with a variety of different people, who all had one goal in mind: to give themselves to others and serve God by participating in community work.  I got to know my co-volunteers better; for example, I talked in Spanish with Carlos, a young man who moved to the United States from Costa Rica only two months ago.  I admire the way that he was just starting out on his feet himself, in a new place with not many resources, but he still had the priority of giving to others.  I think if ever there was an example of peace amongst the volunteers, it would be Carlos, someone who devotes himself to religion and the community, instead of other worldly things like money, greed, and power; things that some immigrants go after when they first arrive to this country, things that many immigrants think are the main goals of the people of the United States.

            I also talked to a young man that is studying to be a priest, and is living in a rectory.  I asked him what his plans were for the Fourth of July, and he told me that he was spending time with friends.  I almost expected him to tell me that he would be spending the day doing something religious, and I was surprised to hear that he had normal plans, like normal people.  Before this experience I had never worked with people living to such religious excesses, and it was interesting to see how they are normal people, like me in some ways, and when working with them I feel like my perspective on religion and people who live very religious lives has changed: I see these people as symbols of peace and justice, in the way they live their lives meagerly and for others.