When I was a young, energetic, and well-rested Freshman, I was questioning my motives for coming to Notre Dame. I had abandoned all my friends who stayed in-state, and moved ever so far away from my family. The typical struggles countless Notre Dame freshmen go through. And after enduring a brutally cold winter (now I know it was just a mild winter for South Bend) I was questioning my decision to come to Notre Dame. Which is good!
Any good decision can stand up to questioning and doubts and prevail. The only way you'll go through life without doubts is if you pull wool over your eyes and shut your ears off. But I needed to justify to myself just why I came to this University, beyond the fact that I had grown up loving the place. That answer didn't come when or how I expected it to.
I thought I had developed a good reason by the end of Freshman year. I had made some friends, and found a home in my dorm. But those reasons were all blown out of the water when I took my second theology, Catholic Moral Theology, my whole worldview was transformed. I spent my time walking in between class thinking about it, and it was the first class I actually did all the readings for. It shed light on the real reason I came to Notre Dame, to be transformed.
Notre Dame is a renewing experience. For me, the main catalyst in that catharsis was the Theology in the core curriculum. After that class, my GPA went way up, my work ethic skyrocketed, and not only had I become a better student, but I had become a better person; a better Catholic. It was really my first encounter with the truly Catholic nature of this University, and it overwhelmed me.
It wasn't just about rediscovering my faith, it was about rediscovering myself. Nor was it just about me learning the inner workings of Thomistic virtue; it was about figuring out how I ought to live my life. The Theology requirement in the core curriculum opened these doors for me, and I pray that others might not have these doors closed to them.
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