Christian Influence on Dorothy Day for Dedication - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theChristian Influence on Dorothy Day for Dedication. Answer: In a society that glorifies fame, wealth, and heroism through televisions and books one is left with only one question to ponder, what makes an authentic hero? Is it courage, conviction, determination, dedication, or leadership? To many who know her story, Dorothy Day encompasses all the mentioned qualities. She is a woman of compassion, who prioritized the lives of the poor before her own. She is an epitome of what a leader can be, not by transforming others but by transforming themselves. All through her life, Dorothy was a harbinger to the church, an activist for the poor, and a leader to the state. Dorothy came into the world on 8th November 1897 at Brooklyn in New York. Her parents were Mr. John Day and Ms. Grace Day; she was a third born in a family of five[1]. She was opposed to organized religion in her high school days because she never witnessed religious people assisting the poor and the needy in her environs. Her conversion and religious progress was a gradual process tha t eventually left her a staunch Catholic. This essay, therefore, will focus on how Christian beliefs influenced her life and how her life reflected these beliefs. Dorothy Days legacy manifests a radical movement which alleges fidelity to the church and the gospel. Besides, it reveals personification of the gospel in an icon which is engrossed in social issues of her generation. In an era characterized by prevalent violence, totalitarian governments, racial discrimination, and desire for self determination, Dorothys encouraged responsibility towards the needy and the poor, non-violence, and loyalty to God and to community[2]. This legacy was inspired by her admiration of the apostolic church, in the book of Acts of the Apostles. She thus felt that the apostolic era should challenge a Christian in building community, serving the poor, and growing in faith. Her love of scripture especially the Gospels, Psalms, and the Pauline writing inspired her convictions. Besides, the teaching and the examples of Jesus Christ were at the core of her social work. The preferential option for the poor, made Dorothy Day utilize her energies to ensure she is in solidarity with the poor. The Latin American theology which advocated for the preferential for the poor inspired her in the works of mercy. Furthermore, in her desire to identify with the poor, she vowed to voluntary poverty which made her connect easily with the sick, homeless, and the desperate in the society. Her value of Gods creation also propelled her in doing the works of charity and mercy. She felt that any form of oppression or devastating poverty robed people of their freedom, life, and dignity. As a result, she gave herself to enhance the fullness of life for the fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Similarly, Dorothy Day was motivated by her desire to imitate Jesus Christs condemnation of injustices. Although speaking against injustice appeared folly during her time, Dorothy just like Christ was cognizant of the injustice systems. Consequently, she persevered different forms of intimidations and ridicule to oppose injustices. These acts of courage made her stand as a prophetic witness who manifested her beliefs through public works and words. Just like Paul the Apostle or Christ, she believed in taking her message to people in the streets[3]. Her message was opposed to using of any form of violence in solving human problems. She thus enhanced human dignity through almsgiving, prayers, civil disobedience, and fasting. The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well was also very inspiring to her especially as far as reaching people were concerned. After conversion to Catholicism, Dorothy Day was so much influenced by sacramental celebrations, particularly the Eucharist; she thus relied on the Eucharistic celebration for spiritual edification. Moreover, Eucharist made her perceive the world, nature, its people and creation to full of God's love and splendor[4]. This perspective of the universe made her reach the poor regardless of ethnicity or race. Besides, it made her develop a sense of appreciation in both good and bad times. This sense of gratitude eventually led her to fully trust in God's providence in the course of her charity work. As a result, she was known as a woman, who expressed appreciation to God, to people around her as well as to all who supported and read her magazine. The life and work of Dorothy Day reflected strong Christian beliefs and well-founded theological convictions. These Christian beliefs can be witnessed in her life. For example, she accepted voluntary poverty, therefore residing in a house of hospitality together strangers and with derelicts. Besides, she embraced unconditional pacifism as well as working against various form injustices to the point of imprisonment[5]. This choice of life explicitly illustrated Christian personalism which was inspired by a complete identification with the Sermon on the Mount. As a consequence, Dorothy Day spent her entire life after conversion doing the works of mercy. In doing so, she prioritized God above all else. Dorothy Days conviction that Christ was in the stranger made her an icon of the Christian faith[6]. She was immersed in believing that God is to the poor and needy to the point of concluding that, those who cannot recognize the face of Christ in the poor and the needy are atheists. Throug h her, Dorothy Day assisted Christian in recognizing that Christianity was an exercise in futility without hospitality, because God was synonymous with hospitality[7]. In conclusion, it is vivid that Dorothy Days conversion and spiritual development manifest how Christian beliefs can transform an individual to become the epitome of those beliefs. Despite Dorothy Day appreciating that God is manifested in other numerous ways, she was convinced that God was ultimately revealed to us through others. Therefore, every Christian must strive to an agent of grace to the other person. Christians are bound only for one purpose- to realize Gods agapic love. This agapic love is realized once Christians accept to be sacraments to each other. It is thus logical to conclude that, God has given us the gift of one another as a preview of how heaven will be like. Bibliography Bazan, Jessie. "Dorothy Day: The Contemplative Catholic Worker." Obsculta 10, no. 1 (2017):73-86. Ellsberg, Robert. "Dorothy Day: A Saint for Our Time." Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality 16, no. 1 (2016): 1-20. Kirylo, James D., and Drick Boyd. "Personalism, Humanism, and a Freirean Spirituality Toward Humanizing Humanity." In Paulo Freire, pp. 27-39. SensePublishers, Rotterdam, 2017. Peters, Benjamin T. "Ignatian Radicalism: The Influence of Jesuit Spirituality on Dorothy Day." The Catholic Historical Review 103, no. 2 (2017): 297-320. Richey, Lance Byron. "Stages Along Life's Way: House of Hospitality and the Development of Dorothy Day's Spirituality." American Catholic Studies 126, no. 1 (2015): 25-41. Sheldrake, Philip. Spirituality: A brief history. John Wiley Sons, 2013. Simkins, Ronald A., Michael G. Cameron, John J. O'Keefe, and William SJ Harmless. "Bibliographies for Theology: Spirituality and Mysticism: Spirituality in the Modern World." (2017).