11/9/2016
Ashley Santamarina
This video clip is from the 2016 National Prayer Breakfast. The whole speech is included in the video, but I will point out a few key statements.2:00 - President Obama references Second Timothy; "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." I think this is a good verse for a President to bring up because the President is a man with the most powerful position in the nation. He needs to lead the nation with power, love, a sound mind, and most importantly, with God. The President makes difficult decisions on a daily basis, and he cannot do it alone.
6:40 - Here, President Obama says, "What better time than these changing, tumultuous times to have Jesus standing beside us, steadying our minds, cleansing our hearts, pointing us towards what matters." This quote again reflects the power of having a steady mind of God and making decisions with a pure heart. This quote specifically reminded of Silence by Shusaku Endo in the way that Obama and Endo both remind us that Jesus is always beside us, even if we think he is being silent. This line also reminded me of Gaudium et spes because the President mentions that we need to focus on what matters in these 'tumultuous times,' just like the Council Fathers remind us to scrutinize the signs of the times with a Catholic mind.
I really liked the verse President Obama speaks of in regards to God giving us the power of love, especially from such an important figure in government. As God gives us the power to love, love breeds empathy, which serves as the basis for spreading the common good to all citizens and communities.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the scriptural references; I think that because we live in such an intentionally secular society, that it is always surprising to hear politicians refer to Scripture while they are in office. I think politicians really do need God, or faith in something greater than themselves, if they are to be good at their job.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you connected this speech back to Silence. Especially in this time of protesting and turmoil over a difficult election, realizing that Jesus is still with us can bring comfort to many people. I also like the part where President Obama states that Jesus will stand by us and point us "towards what matters". I don't necessarily know what exactly he was referring to, but I believe it was a hope that the American people should stand up and focus on promoting the common good of humanity by taking positive actions rather than protesting and spreading hate and violence.
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