Happy New Year! Do You Have Spiritual Resolutions for 2011? #Catholic

Happy New Year, everyone! Another year closes and a new one begins. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We Catholics continue to celebrate the birth of Christ and remember that time in history when wise men sought Him and the Holy Family rejoiced.

I always love New Year's Day. It makes me feel as though I have this huge white board in front of me, white a fresh-fallen snow, and I have the opportunity to make positive changes in my life. We all know about the common resolutions most people have during this time. Losing weight, exercising more, eating more nutritional meals, reading good books, and volunteering may all be worthy resolutions that will reap great rewards. But have you ever made a spiritual resolution? Something that will help you grow closer to God and strengthen your faith?

Mine for this year was quickly determined. I have chosen Mary as my spiritual resolution. I want to understand her more, and understand her role in the Church and in my life. For many years, I operated under the Protestant view of Mary, which isn't much. She was brought out around Christmas and that was it. So returning to the Catholic Church has included having to re-examine my thoughts regarding her and asking for God's grace to accept Church teaching.

I'm nowhere near being a Marianist and at this point, not worried if I ever will be. I'm taking this one step at a time. And as a matter of fact, another woman from my parish will be joining me for walking sessions where we walk and talk about Mary. She also has questions and reservations and we figured it would be good to explore these things together. I've already accepted the Immaculate Conception. There are other doctrines that I'll be examining and praying for God's guidance on knowing the truth and receiving it.

Attending today's Mass was part of this resolution. Today is the Solemnity of Mary, a feast day. It celebrates Mary's motherhood of Jesus. It also is the first Saturday of the month, perfectly beginning the New Year with the First Saturday devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. There are five First Saturdays to this devotion, although they happen throughout the year. I find it fascinating how this devotion is meant to revere Mary, but yet also bring us closer to Jesus. Some Protestants don't understand this devotion but I can say that Mary is nothing without Christ. She is always pointing the way to Him. She never takes any glory for herself.

Recently, I heard a priest say something beautiful. He was talking about the Holy Rosary. He said, "The Rosary is a meditation on Jesus Christ, and seeing Him through the eyes of His mother." That really impacted me. I do meditate on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, but never saw it as that -- viewing Jesus through the eyes of His mother. And we all know how much mothers love their children! So these are with eyes of love that we are viewing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I'll be commenting this year on any kind of spiritual lessons I'm learning as a result of this devotion. I do have the book by St. Louis de Montfort, Consecration to Jesus through Mary. I tried to do it in 2010 but didn't succeed. I'm going to try again this year.

I hope 2011 is an amazing year for you and that you, also, are drawn closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that we all know Him in a greater degree, starting today. :-)

Catholic Sisters Queried About Doctrine, Fidelity

As you know, I've been keeping a close eye on the investigation of women's religious orders by the Vatican. A recent article stated that the investigation is focusing on how far have these orders strayed from Church doctrine.

The review "is intended as a constructive assessment and an expression of genuine concern for the quality of the life" of roughly 59,000 U.S. Catholic sisters, according to a Vatican working paper delivered in the past few days to leaders of 341 religious congregations that describes the scope in new detail.

But the nature of some questions in the document seems to validate concerns expressed privately by some sisters that they're about to be dressed down or accused of being unfaithful to the church.

The report, for example, asks communities of sisters to lay out "the process for responding to sisters who dissent publicly or privately from the authoritative teaching of the Church."

It also confirms suspicions that the Vatican is concerned over a drift to the left on doctrine, seeking answers about "the soundness of doctrine held and taught" by the women.

Still other questions explore whether sisters take part in Mass daily, or whether they follow the church's rules when they take part in liturgies. Church officials expect consistency in how rites and services are celebrated, with approved translations and Masses presided over by a priest.

The study, called an apostolic visitation, casts a net beyond fidelity to church teaching, with questions also covering efforts to promote vocations and management of finances.

I don't think it's a surprise to those of us who were taught by these sisters. Many of them became activists after Vatican II and promoted liberal thought such as women being ordained as priests, support for abortion, and gay rights.

Catholic Sisters Queried About Doctrine, Fidelity

However, some women want to continue to make it out about Big Bad Men:

Francine Cardman, associate professor of historical theology and church history at Boston College's School of Theology and Ministry, said it isn't clear why these questions are being asked now in the U.S.

But she said the focus on doctrine puts it in the context of establishing a "correct" and exclusive interpretation of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s and of women's religious communities.

She said the inquiry should be seen "as part of a much older tradition of misogyny in the church and especially distrust of women who are not directly and submissively under male, ecclesiastical control."

Misogyny? Are you kidding me? This said of a Church that has elevated a woman to such a high place in their doctrine that she is called Our Lady? Holy Mother? A woman who at the mention of her name in the liturgy, we either kneel or bow our head?

I'm still learning about our Blessed Virgin Mary and wrapping my mind around her identity, God's ordained plan for her, and the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and Assumption. But I will happily say this: I challenge any, any - of these sourpuss, hippie throw-backs to find any other church on the planet that loves women the way the Catholic Church does. Look how we treat our saints - and there are plenty of women saints as there are men.

Women are revered for their calling as mothers and wives. Women saints are revered for their holiness. And if you look at those saints closely, not one (at least by my recollection) insisted upon being ordained as a priest or recognized as being "important." But lo and behold, God elevates the humble.

Which brings me to this point: anyone - either man or woman, who continues to push for their "rights" and their desire to be recognized; has not understood the Kingdom of God. They are clueless. The Kingdom of God is not partitioned into territories. It isn't a democracy. It isn't a "Boy's Club," either. It is a radical call to a life of self-denial, and that denial starts with our own desire to be somebody.

I wonder what sort of vows these sisters took, and if they included such thoughts.

Our Lady, Acquainted With Sorrow

I had some moments today when I dealt with my grief over losing my mother. As I thought about Jesus Christ and all the suffering He endured, it occurred to me that between St. Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ - it was Mary who grieved a personal loss the most. Jesus Christ certainly had a heavier burden of grief - all of humankind separated from their Creator by sin. But when it comes to personal grief, I'm looking at Mary with new eyes.

She lost her beloved husband; and then had to witness her only Son be humiliated, tortured, and killed right before her eyes. Grief? I can't even imagine. To be forced to witness such brutality to your offspring and not be able to do anything about it is one of the highest tests of one's faith I can imagine.

It is one thing to bear the burden of our own suffering. It is quite another to bear your own son's suffering while knowing you can do nothing to prevent or stop it.

Mary was there with her Son, every step of the way. I am certain that as painful as it was, her presence still gave her Son great comfort and for her, the bond of love held fast even to the end.

Although I have been leaning on my Lord for strength to get through the sorrow, I also realized that Mary can be a very important intercessor for me, identifying with my grief since she herself had endured so much.

And isn't it something that the month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary? Amen and amen.