Integration One: 


The Power of Faith


Faith. A five letter word which Oxford Dictionary defines as “complete trust or confidence
in someone or something.” Faith often is associated with religion, however, it is not confined to
just religion. One can have faith in a multitude of things, such as a football team, a studying
routine, or even something as simple as an apple. Having faith means having complete,
unshakeable belief in something or someone. Throughout my first eight weeks in my Moreau
First Year Experience class, I have seen faith as a recurring theme throughout the videos and
learned that faith is an essential part of becoming successful as a person, student, or friend.
Thus, I believe that faith is an integral part of finding success and growing as a human being.

In Brene Brown’s Ted Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” she emphasized the impact of
being vulnerable: you are able to live a more fulfilling life “(“The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené
Brown - Moreau FYE Week 1). Vulnerability is essential to success. I have experienced
vulnerability time and time again at Notre Dame. Being a natural introvert, the first weeks were
especially challenging for me: I failed to connect, I overthought my actions, and I missed out on
fun. However, I began to have faith in myself, and faith that being vulnerable would work, and I
now have an established friend group and feel better connected. By having faith in vulnerability,
I was able to overcome my fear of reaching out.

Religious faith plays a large role in my life, and Notre Dame’s as well. As demonstrated
in David Brown’s Ted Talk, “Should You Live for Your Resume or Your Eulogy?” He states that
“nothing worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime.” (“Should You Live for Your Resume or
Your Eulogy?” by David Brooks - Moreau FYE Week 2) Although unintended, this quote
comments on spiritual faith. In the Christian religion, the end-goal is eternal life in Heaven with
Jesus. However, this can only be achieved through faith in the Gospel and faith in Jesus’s
message. Just like David Brown’s quote, living for Heaven is worth more than anything that can
be lived for on this Earth.

On the note of faith, Father David Fagerberg states that “faith is a transformed mind,”
and I agree wholeheartedly.(“Faith Brings Light to a Dark World” by Professor David Fagerberg
- Moreau FYE Week 3) Faith is one of my root beliefs, and having faith in something, especially
Jesus, revolutionizes the way you view the world. One of the main reasons I chose Notre Dame
over other colleges was their emphasis on faith. I have seen faith play a large role in my college
experience, which is why I am choosing to write about it.

Having faith in your friends allows for a deeper connection and relationship. In the Week
4 video, “The Three D’s of Being an Active Bystander,” the people emphasized the steps
necessary to protect someone from harm. “Direct, delegate, and distract,” is the message of the
video ("It's On Us ND- The Three D's of Being an Active Bystander" - Moreau FYE Week 4).
However, not being just a bystander takes a lot of courage. It takes a lot of faith in yourself to
stand out and protect someone. By stepping out and protecting someone, you may lose friends,
but you will gain deep friends. If friends can have the faith in you to protect them in time of need,
they will support you unconditionally and you will have forged a true friendship.

Father Sorin comments on unconditional faith in his letter to Father Basil Moreau. He
states to “fear nothing, except losing confidence in God.” (Letter to Bl. Basil Moreau - By Father
Sorin - Moreau FYE Week 5) Confidence in God is faith. Therefore, Father Moreau is stating to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlLWTeApqIM
https://bit.ly/2MwCxs4
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk5iI7HctYydSB3xYZs5hNClJ-uo5Hq4/view
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/28199/files/192743?wrap=1


have faith in God, because that is the most important thing. In his struggles and early years
founding the University of Notre, there must have been many times his faith was compromised.
However, it appears that one of Father Sorin’s root beliefs was also faith, which allowed him to
keep his mind centered on his task before him. Similarly, there have been instances where my
faith has too been challenged. For example, college involves a drastic shift in routines. I no
longer have a bathroom in my room or a bed placed on the floor. I have to shift my daily routine
drastically. It was extremely difficult for me to say goodbye to a routine and living setting that I
had complete trust and comfort in. I have to have faith in myself, my new routine, and even my
roommate to continue to thrive. For example, I have faith in my roommate to wake me up if I
sleep through my alarm, and he has the same faith in me. It is little things like this that have
been challenged and confirmed throughout my journey at Notre Dame. I have not done anything
as big as founding a university, as Father Sorin did, but just like him, my faith has been
challenged and strengthened.

Along with the new adjustments to college life, I have had to say goodbye to where I
came from. As George Ella Lyon demonstrated so well in his poem, “Where I’m From,” it is not
the large things that we come from, but the little details that define us ("Where I'm From"
By George Ella Lyon - Moreau FYE Week 6). Thus, when we move on from these little details,
we often miss them. For me, I have missed many aspects of where I am from. I miss my bed,
my parents, my dog, my siblings, my midnight pizzas, my friends, my creaky sink, my tiny
shower, and more. The little things that make up who I am, I no longer have. This is extremely
tough, but, like Father Sorin, we must not fear anything except lack of faith. Going to Sunday
mass has been extremely helpful for me, as connecting with God weekly allows me to
reevaluate my faith and work on it.

The little details, like my creaky sink, make me and also my perspective. Perspective is
extremely important when evaluating relationships and bias. In Scientific American’s article,
“How to Think About Implicit Bias,” I was enlightened on the various ways humans can be
implicitly biased ( "How to Think About 'Implicit Bias'" by Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, and John
M. Doris, Scientific American - Moreau FYE Week 7). It is extremely important to recognize this
fault in oneself and be introspective, as bias can be harmful to various people in varying
degrees. The question I asked in my QQC was about finding a solution to implicit bias. Upon
deep thought, I think that faith is the solution. Sure, maybe we cannot be perfect, however,
having a deep, spiritual faith in some religion (Christianity, in my instance), allows me to cleanse
my soul and help others. In my religion, Jesus was an example of a perfect human, so by
following him to the fullest of my capabilities, I believe I will be able to limit my implicit bias to a
greater extent.

Ultimately, faith plays a large role in my life and I was able to see how faith played a role
in each and every weekly topic. Faith is my strongest root belief and without it I would not be
who I am today.

http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/