Where are the feminists and why are they crying "Exploitation!"?

Do you know many young women, strapped for cash, trying to pay for school, turn to egg donation? And do you know how dangerous and damaging it is?

And now a word from our Holy Father...

 

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION

EVANGELII GAUDIUM

 

 

1. THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.

I. A JOY EVER NEW, A JOY WHICH IS SHARED

2. The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ.

 

 

Parenting through tough times: Five tips

It's sort of funny when I look at this post title. It seems that ALL our parenting time has been tough. If it's not one kid, it's another. Or two at once. Or all five. We've had normal challenges (bedtime woes, weird eating habits) and really tough things (mental illness, criminal activity). It is hard to stay sane. It is hard to stay faithful. It's hard to parent when you're really mad at your kid.

What to do? Here are five ideas.

1. Pray. I know, it sounds trite. I know it sounds obvious. Believe me, it's not. When things get really hard, it can be tough to pray. You want to blame God; you want Him to fix stuff NOW. Or, He feels so far away that you think, "Why bother?" Remember, prayer isn't for God; it's for us. Prayer will keep you connected to Him, help you to remember to rely on His grace and mercy and ultimately, remind you He is in control. If you can't pray spontaneously, then use a prayer book or spiritual reading.

2. Get help. If you are dealing with a big problem, you need big help. Go to a professional. That might mean a psychologist, a psychiatrist, your family physician. If it's spiritual help you need, find a good priest or religious. If your kid needs help, don't delay or deny. If you need help, get it. If the parent is sick and tired, the family will suffer. There is no glory in playing the martyr - get help.

3. Stay connected. Stay connected to your spouse, your friends, your parish family. You need social outlets and time to have fun and relax. Get out of the house and socialize, even if for a short time. Do it frequently - once a month is not a healthy social life.

4. Be honest. Be honest with yourself and your kid. If there is a big problem, don't pretend it isn't there. Tackle it. If your kid needs professional help (therapy, medication, etc.), do your best to explain why while remaining honest. If friends and family ask what's going on, be honest. You don't have to give a big sob story, but you can say, "Johnny is dealing with depression. We're working on it, but we'd appreciate your prayers."

5. Focus on your own health. Exercise, eat right, take your vitamins. Make sure your own health issues are addressed. Find a hobby that helps relieve stress and gives you something healthy to focus on. The healthier you are, the more energy you'll have to tackle the issues facing you.

Okay, one more: Don't blame.  Don't say it's the teacher's fault, your spouse's fault, your kid's friends fault. Blame won't solve the problem, and that's your objective. Focus on the issue, not finding someone to blame it on.

Monday Morning Art Jam

Christ Enthroned as Heavenly King. Basilica di San Vitale. Ravenna ITALY. 547

Praying with Flannery O'Connor

I admit: it took me a long time to "get" Flannery O'Connor. Her writing seems weird, wild, without boundaries. However, once you understand the Catholic framework that undergirds her writing, it all makes sense.

A Prayer Journal has just been released, which is a short, sort of train-of-thought journal she kept from the late 40s to the early 50s. It's quite lovely. 

At one point, she prays, "Will I ever know anything?" Another time, she prays, ""I say many many too many uncharitable things about people everday. I say them because they make me look clever." All I could do was nod in agreement...

It's worth your time - especially with Advent right around the corner.

Freakin' Friday Fun

To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of C. S. Lewis.

Judaism and the Crucifixion in Art

White Crucifixion - Marc Chagall

One of my favorite books is My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok (who wrote some remarkable books.) Asher Lev is the story of an Orthodox Jewish boy who has incredible artistic talent. He begins to paint nudes and the Crucifixion, which you might imagine doesn't go over well in his community. But Asher believes he is being true to himself and his faith.

At First Things, Tom Wilson explores the art of Marc Chagall, the Jewish painter of the 20th century and his crucifixion paintings.

More important, it seems, is the way Chagall uses the crucifixion as a symbol for not just human, but specifically Jewish, suffering.

For Chagall places the crucifixion amidst contemporary scenes of anti-Jewish persecution. Jesus is unmistakably Jewish: a Jewish prayer shawl in place of the more typical loincloth, the addition of phylacteries to the arm of the figure upon the cross. In one, Apocalypse in Lilac, Capriccio, it is even a tailed and swastika-wearing Nazi, rather than a Roman soldier, that we see carrying out the crucifixion. Chagall even included the crucifixion in paintings of the tin-pot ships that carried holocaust survivors to the holy land, sometimes sinking while attempting to avoid the British blockade.

How are we to understand these paintings as Jewish? From paintings such as Exodus, begun in 1952, in which a huge crucifixion image of a distinctly Christian Jesus, haloed and illuminated, towers over the fleeing and sorrowful Jewish masses and their burning shtetl, it’s tempting to reference the theology of St. Augustine. After all, the appearance of the crucifixion alongside so many instances of Jewish suffering might well conjure thoughts of exiled Israel as blighted witness.

Yet, it seems that for Chagall, images of the crucified and noticeably Jewish Jesus were a very immediate way of evoking the inhumanity of anti-Semitism. In his particularly mournful 1944 picture The Crucified a number of Jewish men are shown on crosses throughout a devastated shtetl, the men with placards around their necks, evocative of his 1938 painting White Crucifixion in which one figure wears a placard reading ICH BIN JUDE—I am a Jew.

Both Chagall's work and Potok's writings are worthy of contemplation, remembering that for Catholics, the Jews are our elder brothers and sisters in faith, and the Covenant we have in Christ is rooted in the Covenant God has with the Jewish people.

Coming home, or just come check things out

Have you been away from the Church? Maybe you just stopped going. Maybe your work schedule got weird and getting to Mass was near impossible. Maybe you were hurt by someone at a parish - they didn't listen, they were cruel, they said or did something hurtful.

Now is the time to come back.

There are a lot of reasons you can think of to stay away. But there is one reason to return: God loves you. He wants you at Mass. He misses you.

You see, our celebration at Mass is not complete without you. Yes, YOU. You have gifts, talents, and a soul that no one else has or can provide. Your presence is crucial. We need you.

Just come to Mass. Sit in the back. Sit up front. Come with a friend. Ask someone to drive you. But come. And then come back next week.

Listen to the Word of God and the sermon. I guarantee God will speak to you.

I invite you. But more importantly, God invites you.

Are human beings simply a collection of body parts?

There is nothing simple about Bl. John Paul II’s writings, and yet, his work collectively called the Theology of the Body offers a remarkable chance to reflect on the unique creation that is man. In modern culture, we see humanity reduced to a collection of parts (a lung to transplant, a womb to be rented) or as an instrument to be used (for lust or for slavery.) The human body has become “treachery”, as George Orwell notes in 1984, not a beautifully rendered creation. John Paul II:

There is a deep connection between the mystery of creation, as a gift springing from love, and that beatifying “beginning” of the existence of man as male and female, in the whole truth of their body and their sex, which is the pure and simple truth of communion between persons. When the first man exclaimed, at the sight of the woman: “This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Gn 2:23), he merely affirmed the human identity of both. Exclaiming in this way, he seems to say: here is a body that expresses the person!

Read more...

And now a word from our Holy Father...

From Pope Francis' Nov. 4 Papal Mass homily:

We have listened to the words of St Paul: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).

The Apostle presents the love of God as the deepest and most compelling reason for Christian trust and hope. He lists the opposing and mysterious forces that can threaten the journey of faith. But immediately he states with confidence that even if our entire life is surrounded by threats, nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love which Christ himself has obtained for us by his total self-gift. Even the demonic powers, which are hostile to man, stand powerless before the intimate union of love that exists between Jesus and whoever receives him in faith. This reality of the faithful love that God has for each one of us helps us to face life’s daily journey, which sometimes passes quickly and at other times is slow and laborious, with serenity and strength. 

Only man’s sin can break this bond, and yet even in this case God will always seek man, he will run after him in order to reestablish a union with him that endures even after death; indeed, a union that reaches its culmination in the final encounter with the Father. This certitude gives new and full meaning to earthly life and opens us to hope for life beyond death.

This is what happens when you're Franciscan

artist Michael D. O'Brien

If you are a follower of St. Francis - trying to emulate his love of God, his devotion to prayer, his intensity for spreading God's word - you also have to deal with the whole poverty thing. Now, for Francis, poverty wasn't simply "let's just give away everything we own"; it was a total reliance on God for one's needs - physical and spiritual.

Dear Husband and I have found - sometimes in the hardest way, sometimes in the oddest way - that God takes us seriously when we call ourselves "Franciscan."

My mom typically gives her kids $25 for their birthday, which she did for me yesterday. She gave me cash, as I was visiting her this weekend. And off I headed for home. I stopped at the local McD's and got my Diet Coke and hit the road.

Halfway home is another McD's, which we typically use as our "rest stop" on the trip to my mom's. And I did, taking only my keys into the restaurant with me - I wasn't going to buy anything, just "rest."

I got back out to my car, and discovered my car key had fallen off my key ring. It was sitting on the front seat, shiny and beautiful....in my locked car. Along with my phone.

I pondered for a moment, and then went back in and asked for the manager. I told her my predicament, and she said, "There's a guy we call for this." She scurried back into the recesses of the restaurant, and reappeared momentarily. "He's just getting off the expressway; he'll be here in a minute." And he was, literally.

He popped open my car door and retrieved my keys. 30 seconds.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked.

"25 bucks," he said.

Happy birthday to me. Thank you, St. Francis!

Monday Morning Art Jam

Our Lady of Perpetual Help - artist Daniel Mitsui

Freakin' Friday Fun

My birthday is this weekend, and I think "gangster" pretty much sums me up.

I stand with Thomas Peters

Thomas is a fellow Catholic blogger in need of help. Nearly four months ago, Thomas was left in critical condition after a horrific swimming accident. Read Thomas' powerful reflection on his journey thus far and on what is to come: “Reflections on my time away." You, dear blog readers and friends,  have been steadfast in your prayerful support of Thomas since that time. But today, we're asking you to do a little more!

The next TWO MONTHS of Thomas' recovery are crucial! According to Thomas' doctors, the majority of mobility/independence returns within the first six months following the injury. Well, folks... we've got two months till the six month marker. 

The day has come! It's #IStandWithThomasPeters Day! Will you join us? 

PRAY

Join us and thousands of others in prayer for Thomas' full recovery, for Thomas and Natalie's perseverance while carrying this cross, for all those with similar injuries, and in thanksgiving for all the blessings God has bestowed on Thomas and Natalie. Please, join us in prayer!

SUPPORT

On #IStandwithThomasPeters day, we hope to raise funds to help Thomas and Natalie during this new transition and for Thomas' continued recovery. The medical bills, the transition home, and Thomas' continued recovery are extremely expensive, and we want to help.

Please consider making a donation today!

Checks may be sent to Thomas Peters Recovery, c/o National Organization for Marriage, 2029 K Street NW #300, Washington, DC 20006. Write #IStandWithThomasPeters in the memo line! All checks will go directly to Thomas.

 SHARE 

Help us spread the word by sharing on Facebook/Twitter using the hashtag #IStandWithThomasPeters! Change your profile pic! Share Thomas' story with the world!

Tweet #IStandWithThomasPeters

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Thank you for all your support of Thomas and Natalie!

PRAY + SUPPORT + SHARE

See what others are saying about #IStandWithThomasPeters Day.

Pay Attention!

"Winter Woods" - artist Lawren Harris

It snowed here this week, which is not unusual for mid-November where I live. However, that first snow always makes everyone a bit crazy. Everyone exclaims about it, groans about driving, wonders if it's going to "stick." If you live somewhere where "cold" is 45*, then you probably don't get this, but it's kind of funny: this is only the beginning of a very, long cold stretch of weather. But that first snow...

I love winter. I like the cold and snow. It's beautiful in ways you cannot imagine. It demands attention. You don't walk out the door, out of the comfort of your warm home, into a 3* day with a wind chill of -15* and not notice. It's like a slap in the face. When you live 30 miles from Lake Michigan, you also have the joy of "lake effect snow," which essentially means that when a storm passes over the lake from Wisconsin or Illinois, it picks up steam from the relatively warm waters of the lake and drills you with snow. It's...attention-getting.

There is a magic to winter that no other season has. My foster sister, who had (until she came to Michigan at the age of 6) lived in the tropical paradise that was 1950s Cuba, still talks about the first time she saw snow. She HAD to go outside and dance around in it. She says she still feels the same magic at the first snow every season.

Nobody gets really excited about a nice, warm, calm, sunny day in July. We expect it. We notice that first blush of leaves changing in the fall, and anticipate the football games and sweaters we dig out. We love seeing a bud pop open in April. But nothing gets our attention like that first snow.

For nature, it's a time of dormancy - a death of sorts. It's a stillness. There is no quiet like the quiet of being in the woods in January, stomping through the snow and breathing hard that cold air. For many people, it's difficult - they don't like the dark, the cold, that stillness.

Yet, we NEED that stillness in our lives today. We have so much noise in our lives, and we are afraid of that dormancy, that stillness. And it's in that stillness that we can hear God's voice. In fact, it is ONLY in that stillness that we hear God's voice. God demands our attention in stillness...and we fight that. We want to fill it with music, and tv, and conversation, and the computer, and work, and anything to fend off the dormancy.

Just like winter demands our attention, so does God. Let the stillness of a January day be part of your prayer life. Be still. Be still and know God.

And now a word from our Holy Father....

From his Nov. 3 Angelus address:

There is no profession or social condition, no sin or crime of any kind that can erase from the memory and the heart of God even one of his children. "God remembers", always, he never forgets those who he created. He is the Father, who watchfully and lovingly waits to see the desire to return home be reborn in the hearts of his children. And when he sees this desire, even simply hinted at and so often almost unconsciously, immediately he is there, and by his forgiveness he lightens the path of conversion and return. Let us look at Zacchaeus today in the tree: his is a ridiculous act but it is an act of salvation. And I say to you: if your conscience is weighed down, if you are ashamed of many things that you have done, stop for a moment, do not be afraid. Think about the fact that someone is waiting for you because he has never ceased to remember you; and this someone is your Father, it is God who is waiting for you! Climb up, as Zacchaeus did, climb the tree of desire for forgiveness. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Jesus is merciful and never grows tired of forgiving! Remember that this is the way Jesus is.
Brothers and sisters, let Jesus also call us by name! In the depths of our hearts, let us listen to his voice which says: "Today I must stop at your house"; that is, in your heart, in your life. And let us welcome him with joy. He can change us, he can transform our stoney hearts into hearts of flesh, he can free us from selfishness and make our lives a gift of love. Jesus can do this; let Jesus turn his gaze to you!

Listening Intentionally

I've been trying very hard the past few weeks to listen very closely to the sermon, and find some bit or nugget I  can focus on during the week. Then, I write it down and put it on a post-it note on my computer screen.

I've also been trying something new, in that I've been doing an "art" journal on this sermon bit - although calling it "art" is a stretch. Mostly it's just a way for me to really think about what I've heard and try to visualize it and remember it better.

This week, the Gospel mentioned we'd be "like angels" in Heaven. Father Lam (our new pastor!) did a terrific job helping us understand what that meant. Here's my attempt at journaling it.

Monday Morning Art Jam: Part Two

Treasure Trove! Check out the work of this artist, Daniel Mitsui.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary - feast Nov. 17

Monday Morning Art Jam

Pilgrimage - photo from NPR

Our priest mentioned the pilgrimage we are all on as we make our way to Heaven, and that really resonated with me. Stop and pray today on your pilgrimage.

Great interview with Audrey Assad

If you're not familiar with this Catholic artist, you should be. Her meditative and thoughtful lyrics have enriched my prayer life, and her voice is...well, to-die-for. From an interview with The Catholic World Report:

As you stated, the music on Fortunate Fall is intended for personal devotion and public worship. I envision it being incorporated into anything from prayer time in the car on the way to work to Adoration and even, in some cases, Mass -- based on the Church’s guidelines, we did our best to notate appropriate usages in the liner notes. Hopefully that’s helpful to those who pick up a physical copy! 

Freakin' Friday Fun

Yeah...my life....

Actually Kissing the Leper: Pope Francis

Pope Francis embracing a man plagued with boils.

What's keeping me busy?

I know I haven't been doing a lot of blogging lately, mostly due to work responsibilities. Also, I'm trying to get some knitting done for the holidays, and add some more exercise time to my schedule.

Things weighing heavy on my mind right now:

• Youngest Son who is struggling so much right now
• Getting guardianship for Dark-haired Daughter, as she just turned 18, and getting her into the adult mental health care system
• Work & research on Obamacare and on human trafficking for work
• Trying to get a re-do of the laundry room off the ground
• Money, money, money: the furnace just died, I need new tires for the car, kids need stuff like food...
• Stupid eye/sinus infection thing - argh!

And now a word from our Holy Father...

Why we decided to change parishes

I went to the same parish from the time I was born until I was in my early twenties. As Catholics, we're taught that you stick with your parish, regardless of whether or not you like a particular priest. The parish we've belonged to is one I've been a member at for about 20 years.

(If you're Protestant, you may not know that we do things a bit differently. The bishop picks the priest for each parish in his diocese, and typically the priest is there for 8-12 years. If a parish doesn't like him, there isn't much they can do. On the other hand, a beloved priest can get moved and again, the parish doesn't really have any say in it.)

Your parish is your home. It's the center of your Catholic life: spiritual, social, philanthropic. You baptized your kids there, watch 'em grow, receive sacraments, join the choir, teach religious ed., go to the parish picnic. It's your place.

Until it isn't.

We've decided to change parishes. It's been a terribly hard decision, and certainly not one we've taken lightly. We've prayed, talked, searched for guidance, and finally decided.

Why did we do this? There are a host of reasons, but I'll try and boil it down to five.

1. The pastoral associate at our parish (the person who works with the priest and is sort of the "right-hand" person at the parish) treated our children with such total disregard I can only describe it as wholly un-Christlike. It was intolerable.
2. It seems to us that many of the parish programs are just "getting by." "Good enough." "It's the way we've always done it." There's little passion to do the very best, up-grade and/or improve.
3. For the many years, as stewardship time rolls around, my husband has signed up to work with the RCIA program. As a convert, he loves this ministry, and was a catechist for many years. For the past several years, he's never been contacted about it. No reason, just ignored.
4. When we've tried to address issues, nothing has changed.
5. Our family's spiritual life is far too important to sit around and wait for things to get better.

My heart is a bit broken, and yet I'm excited about the new possibilities that Christ is leading us to. As I tell my kids, every Catholic church in the world is home.

Monday Morning Art Jam

Zaccheus in the tree - artist Leif Sodergren

Freakin' Friday Fun

Blessed Feast of All Saints

Oh all ye saints and angels, who see Him face to face, Whom I here receive under these humble veils, and thou, most especially, ever blessed Virgin Mary, in whose sacred womb He was conceived and borne for nine months--I most humbly beg the assistance of your prayers and intercession, that I may in such a manner receive Him here in this place of banishment, as to be brought, one day, to behold Him with you in our true country, and there to praise and bless Him for ever and ever. Amen.