I must admit, just the mention of “Theology” brings chills down my spine. It is definitely an intimidating subject for me. However, there is good news to this. I am ready for a challenge, so I have a positive attitude entering Biblical Studies. I basically registered for this class to fulfill requirements for graduation. Luckily, the timing of the class couldn’t be better. I am entering a new phase in my life where I am really trying to find answers about my religion. I have been a member of the Catholic church my entire life, but I’ve never been able to totally understand the Bible, the foundation of our spiritual faith. I attended Catholic school almost my entire life, from kindergarten to 9th grade, and every year, I was required to take a religion class. So I am familiar with the Bible, but far, very far, from being a biblical expert of any kind.
After graduating from Xavier, I plan to attend dental school and study to become an orthodontist. Unfortunately, I do not see many correlations between dentistry and Biblical Studies. The only correlation I see between the two is health ethics and morality, since most ethical judgments are made from a Biblical basis. The way physicians treat their patients are based on bible stories about Jesus and his expections of us. My backup plan after graduation is grad school at the University of Arkansas. I am considering working for a master’s degree in chemistry. I could see myself enjoying a career in research. I am applying also for the assistantship program at the University of Arkansas. With the assistantship program, students in the grad school get the opportunity to get paid to teach an undergraduate level course in their field. In addition to the stipend, the university will also pay for my total tuition. My third backup plan is to just start working now as an intern at a chemistry research lab. I have two companies that I am interested in working for. But really, my mom is hoping that I not go straight to work. She feels it’s a bad idea. I should continue my education.
I have read through the Course Commitments, outlined in the syllabus. I am very certain that I am able to make these commitments. I can be sure to attend all classes on time and prepared.
My hurricane story is actually pretty unexciting compared to some of the stories I have heard from my peers or from fellow New Orleanians. But I am welcomed to share what happened. That Saturday morning before Katrina arrived, I actually had no idea there was a hurricane headed our way. My aunt called that morning to tell me she was putting money in my bank account to ensure that I would be capable of driving back home in case an evacuation was necessary. Being the naïve college student I was, I figured I could put like 15 or 20 dollars in my gas tank and use the rest to go shopping! Now looking back, I can’t believe my thought process and preparation for the hurricane. So around noon, I decided to start my day, first stopping by the gas station and then heading off to spend the rest of my gas money at the mall. But as soon as I got to the extremely long lines at the gas station, I figured there was something serious happening and I really needed to find out. I tried to use my cell phone to get some information from my family and friends, but cell phone networks were totally busy at this point. Luckily, I am a spontaneous person, so I just quickly filled up my gas tank, ran back to the dorm to pack my suitcase, and got on the highway about an hour later and headed to my home in Arkansas about 7 hours away. The rest of my story is pretty basic. I stayed home in Arkansas for about 4 days, and then packed up again and headed to Dallas, TX to move in with my older sister. During my three months away from Xavier, I attended Southern Methodist University and worked part-time at the Gap. I really enjoyed my 3 months in Dallas, and I was tempted to apply to SMU for the next semester. But thankfully I decided to return to New Orleans. I am so grateful that I made that decision. I have enjoyed the post-Katrina semesters so much at Xavier. I did not realize how much I missed my friends and professors.
586 BCE is a key event in the Bible because this year marks the fall of the kingdom of Judah, ruled by a descendent of David. The kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians who completely destroyed Jerusalem and devastated the inhabitants by enslaving them and sending them into exile. Lamentations, written in the Old Testament, are sorrowful accounts composed by the prophet Jeremiah about the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah, also referred as the “Weeping Prophet” wrote the very detailed books to describe the oppression the Babylonians inflicted on the people of Jerusalem. Jerusalem had once been a very beautiful city, but the Babylonians destroyed much of the city, killed many of the inhabitants, raped the women, forced many into slavery, and destroyed the Temple of Solomon. Jeremiah witnessed these painful events and recorded them in the book of Lamentations. Jeremiah knew what had caused the fall of Judah, believing it was the result of the people’s lack of obedience to God. The people had been sinning and worshiping evil gods.
The events described in Lamentations can be compared to the events that happened as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina, much like the Babylonians, forced itself into the city of New Orleans, destroying much of the city, killing many inhabitants, and demolishing churches. Just like Jeremiah who believed the fall of Judah was caused by the people’s increasing lack of obedience to God, many Americans believed that the detrimental events in New Orleans was caused by the large amount of sinning in the city.

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