As we grow up, we are often told by our parents, guardians, and adults around us - whether explicitly or implicitly - that we should be our own person and embrace what it is that makes each and every one of us unique. At the same time, we are often raised in a way that conforms with the community around us – in a way that, oftentimes, emulates our parents or guardians, whether or not we are aware of this. If each and every one of us takes a second to really think about our lives up until this point, how much of who we are is a result of our parents and our family? How much is truly a result of our own conscious (and unconscious) decision-making?

Here is an example that can apply to many different religions but for the purposes of this, I will focus on the Catholic faith. When we are born, long before we have decision-making abilities for ourselves, we are baptized in the Catholic church. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, baptism is the sacrament of admission into the church. When we are baptized as infants, this is likely a result of our parents or guardians, also practicing the Catholic faith, and they make this choice for us – as we are unable to make decisions for ourselves.

Here, Elizabeth had a baby boy and to the shock and surprise of those around her, she gave him the name John. It was expected that she would likely, in keeping with tradition, name the baby, Zechariah, after her own father. Instead of Elizabeth conforming to the community around her, she decided to follow her intuition, and likely the voice of God, and release herself from conformity and allow her child to begin his life in a manner that was inconsistent with society. From the moment John was born, he became his own person.

Maggie Kenna

Reflection for Thursday, Dec. 23