Reflection A I believe in more than service; I believe in service for justice.

It has to do with a goal on the behalf of any number of individuals to create and maintain a just society. Service for justice involves more than simply handing out a bowl of soup on Wednesday nights or donating nonperishable goods to VEAP every Christmas; it has to do with big-picture thinking. The goal to create a just society of not equity, but equality for all, takes more faith, more courage, and more dedication than working at a clothing drive once a month. Dont get me wrong; volunteering at a soup kitchen is an honorable decision; however, what more could be done? Service for justice engages individuals seeking to devote their lives to making significant changes in the lives of real people who, quite frankly, need more than a cup of soup or a dollar bill. Being in Chicago, and specifically at Loyola, has provided me with a myriad of opportunities, conversations and relationships that have supported and also challenged my beliefs of service. I have met real people who live on the streets of Chicago in the dead of the most dreadful winters imaginable. I have talked with, listened to, supported and believed in those I encounter and, because I avoid (or try to) feeling superior to those I meet, I have been able to learn from the homeless and hear enough to realize that a hot dog and a cup of hot cocoa every Thursday is not going to cut it. While direct-service in the form of conversation and fellowship is surely better than acts of ignorance and avoidance, I have learned that I always need to ask myself, can I do more? When it comes to wanting to do more, Labre is the first thing that comes to mind. The Labre Ministry is a student-led homeless outreach ministry that focuses on building and developing relationships with the poor and homeless families and individuals of Chicago. Labres mission is solidarity, rather than charity, focusing more on the relationships created than on the act of providing food itself. In doing so, those involved choose to affirm the human dignity of all in a respectful and friendly manner. I have been involved in Labre since I started at Loyola and have been a leader for two years. Throughout my involvement, I have been challenged to broaden and refocus my vision of service. Two important individuals I met several years ago through Labre,

Myron and Mike, have pushed me to think deeply and more critically about the real issues at hand. Sharing stories and learning about both their struggles and their joys has allowed me to become vulnerable to learning about the scary, yet very real, social issue of homelessness. While I originally joined Labre to participate in community service, I soon became so involved and moved by the deep, systemic issues of poverty and homelessness that I knew I had to do more. Further, I acknowledged the fact that I was fully capable of doing more. In doing more, I mean altering my beliefs concerning service and incorporating justice into them. I believe service and justice are intertwined to the point that in order to have one, you must have the other. Without the passion for justice driving the individual acts of service, service is nothing. I realized that I had to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. By this, I mean that by being exposed to real suffering and seeing first-hand the tremendous challenges those less fortunate than myself experience on a day-to-day basis, I have been given an opportunity to do good, an opportunity to serve for justice. Without being pushed and challenged to really see the ugly truth that many poor and impoverished individuals and families see as reality, providing service with the big picture of a just world in mind would be unrealistic. To learn about the systemic issues of poverty and homelessness, I have taken several courses at Loyola, including Poverty and Welfare in America, Social Problems, Inequality in Society and Global Inequalities, which have all challenged me to look beyond what I already know and research how these detrimental problems infiltrate many societies around the globe. I have further made intentional efforts to research homelessness to become more well-versed with its history and the direction it is going so as to determine the best way I can help make necessary changes. I have learned about the historical attempts to alleviate these issues and have been given information and resources concerning how I can personally make a difference. One way I have begun to pass the information I have learned off to others is to structure Labre around educational materials so that our discussions and reflections can be intentional and meaningful. For example, each month of this academic year is being devoted to a specific issue in

the realm of homelessness, such as families and homelessness, gender and homelessness, and race and homelessness. From there, between the pre- and post-reflections on Thursday nights and the Labre leadership meetings twice a month, those involved are given real opportunities to delve into the material and learn not simply that things are bad, but learn how they became bad and what we can do about it, through acts of service, as students striving to creating a just society. Experiences I have had as a result of coming to the diverse, exciting city of Chicago have helped mold and solidify my understanding of service. Taking part in the Labre ministry, spending time with forty children growing up in Robins Nest Childrens Orphanage in Montego Bay, Jamaica and attending conferences where I learn about service and leadership models that will aid me in my pursuit to create a just society have been well-rounded service opportunities focusing not solely on service, but additionally on education, action and reflection. Upon coming to Loyola, I discovered that I have been serving throughout my life in a way that is deeply connected to the well-known Jesuit ideal of cura personalis. I have been and seek to continually be challenged physically, intellectually and emotionally throughout my future endeavors, whether charity-based, advocacy-based, or somewhere in between (Morton 1995). While my beliefs concerning service and its importance are not static, the unique service-learning experiences I have taken part in have especially guided my understanding of service to be one of justice and a small part of greater social change.