National Offend a Feminist Week! Wednesday: Where Are the Men?

As mentioned before, National Offend a Feminist Week is the brainchild of Robert Stacy McCain, who started this "week" as a joke. He also writes some pretty good commentary about the political scene.  


Monday's contribution is here.
Tuesday's is here.

Today's contribution to NOFW is below.
----------------------

"Where are all the men?" My twentysomething cousin asked plaintively. We had just finished our Christmas dinner and she was in the midst of telling me about a new man she had met at a yoga retreat. (I know.)

My cousin is a very sweet young woman. She is incredibly warm, giving, and compassionate. However, she confided in me that she was having trouble meeting "responsible men."

"Responsible men?" I asked with a slight frown. "Can you elaborate?"

"Oh, you know. Guys who have a dependable job and can pay their bills. Guys who know how to take care of life's usual responsibilities as an adult. Guys who can take charge every once in awhile instead of expecting me to make all the decisions."

"Ah," I said. "You want a real man. Well, you can blame feminism for this."

She didn't completely understand my answer and I tried to explain it as best I could; considering the fact I was talking to a woman who grew up around boys who had already been emasculated by the time they were seven years old. Or at least heavily mocked for being a "stupid jock" if they acted like a man.

I most definitely blame feminism for what has happened to our men.

Years ago, Susan Faludi (no stranger to feminism, herself), wrote a book called Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man. From Amazon's book description (emphasis mine):

One of the most talked-about books of last year, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Backlash now explores the collapse of traditional masculinity that has left men feeling betrayed.  

... As traditional masculinity continues to collapse, the once-valued male attributes of craft, loyalty, and social utility are no longer honored, much less rewarded. Faludi's journey through the modern masculine landscape takes her into the lives of individual men whose accounts reveal the heart of the male dilemma. Stiffed brings us into the world of industrial workers, sports fans, combat veterans, evangelical husbands, militiamen, astronauts, and troubled "bad" boys— whose sense that they've lost their skills, jobs, civic roles, wives, teams, and a secure future is only one symptom of a larger and historic betrayal.

This is the result of feminism hijacking the education system and punishing boys for being boys. This is the fruit from the "All Men Are Pigs" programming on TV. This is what happens when contraception was introduced into society, ostensibly to bring about a "sexual revolution" but instead destroyed the role of man as the provider.

After all, if you have a woman who willingly has sex without the commitment of marriage, then why would you feel the need to protect her much less provide for her? Add the fact that many women will nearly rip a man's head off if he even so much as hints that she needs help.

Is it any wonder men take the safer route and simply plant themselves on the couch, scarfing down Nacho-flavored Doritos and forfeits any serious decision-making? After all, it's been pounded into his head since birth that he really doesn't have any idea what he's doing. And if he tries to do something (It could be anything. Like loading a dishwasher.), it most certainly is wrong.

This is the bitter fruit of feminism.

Not only did it ruin women, it ruined women's natural desire to admire and respect men for the awesome creatures that they are. Just about any red-blooded woman (apart from the humorless 60's crowd) will find herself drawn to a man who knows his worth and isn't afraid to speak his mind. Women still love what I call "real men," although far too many younger men have had the "realness" beaten out of them.

You know a real man when you see one. He's usually the one who gets out of bed at midnight to drive to his girlfriend's broken-down car on the side of the highway. He's the one who sends steely glares toward any troublemakers before they try anything. He's the one who courteously helps a woman with a large load of boxes and brushes off her exuberant words of appreciation by saying, "No problem. Have a good one."

I've been around plenty of men like that and I adore them. I also give thanks to God for giving me one as my husband. You know how he won my heart?

It was during our second date. We were attending the annual Labor Day fireworks show in Cincinnati. This event draws thousands of people to the riverfront each year. The fireworks are simply breathtaking and many event-goers are known for setting up camp early in the morning just to get a good seat. Many families attend, but there are also the usual assortment of seedier types who arrive half-drunk and proceed to get drunker with every hour.

My husband, his friend, and I were sitting on a blanket, enjoying the weather and festivities. Suddenly, I got up and announced I was headed toward the restrooms. My future husband rose to his feet.

"Oh!" I said innocently, "Do you need to visit the restrooms, too?"

He smiled. "No, but I'll accompany you. There's no way I'll let you go through a crowd like this unescorted."

You could have knocked me over with a feather.

Never, and I mean never, had I experienced a man so concerned with my safety. Up to that point, I had dated either two types of men: sarcastic self-absorbed or men who had their backbone surgically removed. The kind of man I term a "real man" seemed to trot happily after the blond Barbie-doll types but I was no Barbie-doll.

My future husband then gallantly offered his arm and away we went. I never felt so valued as a woman as I did in that moment.

This is what feminism has tried to steal and damn near succeeded.

There are still men like this. They many not be as common as they were in the fifties, but they exist. And if I could truly speak from my heart to my beautiful cousin, this is what I'd like to say:

"Praise men. Praise them for all the good they bring into the world. Thank them for helping you. Notice all the ways they try to please you and then make a big deal out of it like there's no tomorrow. Admire them and bat those big baby blues when they help you carry something twice your size. Murmur that you wouldn't know what you would have done without them. Look for ways to make them feel as though they're not irrelevant. Focus on their accomplishments. And for the love of pete, if they load the dishwasher wrong, so what? Thank them for helping out. 

Quit micro-managing them and appreciate them for all their glorious maleness. Remember they are not a "do-it-yourself" project. Cherish the fact that men are men, not women, and when your back is up against the wall, you'll need a real man to come alongside you — not Judy your BBF. Love men and recognize that without them, we'd be completely and utterly bored and lonely. 

Oh, and one more thing. It wouldn't hurt to dress up a little and leave the sweatpants at home." 

Guys like that kind of stuff.

National Offend a Feminist Week! Tuesday: Someone Got to Me Before the Feminists

As mentioned before, National Offend a Feminist Week is the brainchild of Robert Stacy McCain, who not only is wickedly smart, but funny. Smart, funny writing isn't as easy to find as you might think, so make sure to check out his blog. And if you hang around long enough, you'll most likely be asked to "hit the freakin' tip jar!" I mean, this is the type of guy who actually believes a journalist ought to go out and interview people instead of Googling them.

What's not to love?

---------------------------------------------

Yesterday I gave you a little background about my history with feminism. But guess who got to me before the feminists?

Phyllis Schlafly.

Yep. You got it. The woman who single-handedly kept the ERA from being amended to the Constitution also happened to be the author of a book that was featured on the top ledge of a bookcase in my high school library. What is ironic is that my all-girls Catholic high school had a strong contingent of "progressive" teachers. The fact that a Schlafly book existed in the library (let alone being so prominently displayed), was in itself a minor miracle.

But the title grabbed me, The Power of the Positive Woman, and I grabbed the book. I was sixteen years old and immediately developed a girl-crush on Schlafly. Here was a woman I could relate to: strong, smart, talented, and not afraid of her own femininity. I was impressed to learn that Schlafly attended the Washington University School of Law and earned her J.D. in 1978. This in itself was quite an accomplishment. Schlafly claimed that no special amendment was needed to open any doors for her. She created her own opportunities and sailed ahead on her own steam, thank you very much.

For that, I instantly fell in love with her.

And I was about to find out something extraordinary. As a young woman developing my own ideas about my capabilities, strengths, and talents — I found it rather astonishing that many feminists were so quick to lean on the government to create their destinies. I mean, wasn't the whole point of feminism to say that a woman was strong and able to do pretty much whatever she put her mind to do? If that was the case, then why the need to fuss around with the Constitution?

It didn't make sense to me. And even though I was thoroughly wet behind the ears, something inside told me to listen well to Schlafly.

I can't remember everything about that book, but what I do remember is the strong sense of personal responsibility it instilled in me. Schlafly's words were actually further proof of what my parents were already teaching me: Don't expect the world to give you anything. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Lazy people don't eat.

You get the point.

I learned a wonderful thing as I heard those admonitions from my parents and then read supporting opinions in books like Schlafly's. The wonderful thing was that, indeed, I was the captain of my own destiny. Not the government. Not a bunch of activists who claimed they were "fighting" for my rights.

Me.

This is something that intimidates feminists. They cannot believe that all of the desires of the early feminists have been achieved. Women today can literally do anything. In fact, they often can do more than men. For example, watch a young girl insist that she be allowed to try out for an all-male sports team. Of course everyone will make sure she has that opportunity.

But if a boy tries out for an all-girls sports team? Well, that's a different story. He's not allowed because after all, he might be better than most of the girls.

Silly attempts to equalize sports is pretty much all the feminists have left.

Women can get whatever job they want, and at times, they don't even have to be the most qualified candidate. Men no longer sexually harass them at work. After watching a few episodes of Mad Men, it was evident that women had to fight off their own co-workers to be able to get work done. Even then, many times the men would steal their ideas and call them their own.

But that doesn't happen as often anymore, and most men who act like that are mocked if not reprimanded by H.R. No one wants to be That Guy who was slapped on the wrist for being a little too cozy with his hands.

Yes, women in the sixties worked hard to be taken seriously. I'd still say there are some situations where a woman still has to do this. But more than anything, I look at the opportunities that we have as women (especially women in the United States) and am deeply grateful for such bounty.

When I consider the woman I've become (highly opinionated, feisty, and no one's doormat), I realize that my development came from a variety of sources. First, God gets most of the credit. If I hadn't spent an important phase of my life begging Him for wisdom, I wouldn't be even a fraction of the woman I am today.

Secondly, I credit God for answering my prayers when I made a simple request of Him on an ongoing basis: "Please, God. Make me the woman You want me to be. Help me understand what You had in mind when You created a woman." And answer me, He did. I am by no means perfect, but I know who I was when I was twenty and who I am now. Any improvements belong to Him.

It was God who gave me the firm understanding that women are His way of civilizing the world. It is women who bring the "soft touch" to this challenging life. Women create a nurturing home, which brings life to the world in more ways than one. Women shape the lives of their children, encouraging them to believe in themselves. Women help build self-esteem in their children, present when her offspring fall down but urging them to rise and start again.

Women rock this world.

And I say this with all the love and pride in my heart toward being a woman and without stealing one bolt of thunder from men — for without men, we'd be hosed. So thank God for men, too! But women have a very special role and I feel that too often, they forget about that when they focus on trying to be a man. Let the men be men, I say. (And catch the mice, lift the heavy furniture, and provide all the stability we women so crave..)

I learned at an early age that I simply had to believe in myself in order to get something done. A fierce sense of independence was lit in me when I read Phyllis Schlafly. And that light has never gone out.

So by the time I stepped into that feminist bookstore back in 1981, I already had a full artillery of my own sense of power.

Those feminists never had a chance with me.

National Offend a Feminist Week! Monday: My History With Feminism

Some who stumble upon this dusty little blog may wonder, what is National Offend a Feminist Week and how did it start?

Well, it begins with a brilliant reporter named Robert Stacy McCain.

You see, McCain started this "celebratory week" of tweaking feminists back in 2009. It's all in fun, but also a great excuse to focus on why many of us hate feminism. And by "us," I'm referring mostly to women. Because we absolutely hate the fact that so many feminists want to lop all women together in supporting the most destructive ideology ever created since the dawn of time. No wonder Marxists love them. Angry, jealous, bitter misery loves company.

And so, I'm going to do something I've never done before with this blog.

I'm going to write an entry every day this week about why feminism sucks.

Yep. I'm not pulling punches and at times it may even get down and dirty. But what do I care? No one is sponsoring me so if anyone has an issue with what I say, they can boycott Blogger. (Take that, Google!)

But first, a little background.

I don't write for any large publications. I don't attend glamorous blogger conferences where everyone knows who I am and I certainly am not invited to be part of any panel. I'm a regular woman who has experienced (and observed) the detrimental effect feminism has had on our women, our men, our families, communities, cities, states, and nation. (And Hillary Clinton made sure the poison was pumped into the world.)

I didn't always hate feminism. In fact, when I was twenty, I started to get pulled into the whole "womyn" scene. (Or "wimmin," "wymyn," "wimyn," take your pick. They hate men so much that they cannot abide having the letters "m-a-n" in a word associated with them.)

In 1982, I started to frequent a feminist bookstore. I was originally drawn to it because I believed in the power of women, their creativity, and the thought they should get paid every bit as much as a man if they were doing the same job. I have a strong sense of fairness that was instilled in me by a set of parents who taught me the value of hard work and productivity. I reasoned that if I worked hard, then daggonit, I deserved to be compensated with the same salary as a man.

So in my eyes, pursuing feminism seemed... well, fair.

The first thing I noticed when I started to read feminist books was their quick demonization of two things: men and the Bible. I found that odd since I consider other religions much more oppressive toward women than Christianity. So that was one red flag. As for the "Men Are Pigs" attitude, I didn't really feel that way. Sure, I had met my share of jerks, but to paint all men as being evil was over-the-top. If women didn't like being objectified by men, then why would women use the same tactic and objectify men?

I was about to get an up-close-and-personal view of the War On Men.

In fact, that may be the theme I'll go for this week. Not sure, yet. But that's an accurate title for what I experienced as I explored feminism.

Feminism is destructive. In order to gain power, they have to destroy what they see as the status quo. And to feminists, the status quo is marriage and motherhood. These two societal institutions are also linked to Christianity, so of course, that has to be destroyed, too. All under the guise of "freeing" women from their chains of oppression. (Which reminds me: when I gave dating workshops for single women over 40 who were looking for love -- they would have done anything to have been bound in those chains. But that's another story.)

Anyway.

I read a bunch of books. I attended feminist workshops and events. And I began to notice something odd.

These women weren't happy.

I mean, really. They weren't one bit happy. They were so obsessed about hating men, hating marriage, hating motherhood, and hating men (Did I say that one already? It really was a sandwich-cookie of hate.  They hated everything but it began and ended with men.), that they were heavy with it. It was like a fog that surrounded them, all that hate.

Did I ever hear a light-hearted giggle from among them? Nope. And rarely a smile, either.

In fact, I've noticed that, ahem... a certain religion (In fact, I think it has something to do with peace), also doesn't have a sense of humor. From what I've heard, neither did the Nazi's.

Must be a trait of fascism or something.

Back to my observations: Everything I read and observed was just So Doggone Serious that if you even tried to crack a joke, you'd be accused of not taking The Struggle seriously enough. At the time, I was trying to find books about Christianity and feminism. This was in the early 80's, so the pickings were mighty slim, thank God. Because if there were more books about "Christian feminism" then I could have ended up writing for some feminist blog and would have been in the Catholic Church at this point demanding that women be ordained as priests. *shiver*

Feminists don't build bridges. They burn them. They don't create. They destroy. I'm a keen observer of people and I quickly surmised that feminism had morphed into this hydra-headed monster of a screeching banshee. While feminism had started as way for women to be treated equally, they now were treating those who did not agree with them with equal contempt. Suffice it to say I thought it was a real drag and really didn't want to have a beer with such humorless creatures.

So after a lot of Bible study and private prayer, I got the message loud and clear that this was not the path God wanted me on. And so I left it.

More tomorrow.

Chaos Is Infantile, Order Is Mature

Chaos is infantile. Order is mature.

Last night, those two concepts filled my mind.

It's been eons since I've last posted. It's not that I haven't had any thoughts about being Catholic. I have. Many, in fact. But the thoughts have been overrun by the overwhelming psychic sucker-punches our culture is currently receiving. By "psychic," I don't mean "Stella the Psychic." I mean the cultural mores that define our frame of mind, and these mores have been crumbling so quickly that it has done two things: 1) shocked and terrified those who are paying attention or 2) caused those who do see to deny it and focus on other things.

Suffice it to say, I see. I see things very, very clearly.

Which of course, drives me even deeper into my faith. The only way I can go on, and still cling to my dreams (of which I still have many), is to believe and trust in God. Perhaps more than ever, I am unspeakably grateful that I am Catholic. I cannot even imagine being an evangelical and being able to handle this. I certainly don't want to offend my evangelical brothers and sisters with that comment, but here's the context: Catholicism has trained her sons and daughters from a very early age that martyrdom exists, hardship and suffering exist -- and all of it is a part and parcel of our faith. Jesus said the world hated Him and would hate His followers. Somehow that piece of truth has gotten misplaced or forgotten in the midst of building churches that have a food court.

We are witnessing a global effort to bring chaos so that "something else" will be ushered in. The "something else" is assumed by many Christians to be a one-world government. I believe communism and Marxism is a part of it because of all the elements already existing in many of the protests we've seen.

I just read today that student protests are happening in Chile. It's everywhere. So think of this: How is it that the same "protests" are popping up all over the world, at the same time? Does this not prove there is a larger agenda at work? That there are powerful people who have carefully coordinated these protests?

Which leads me to what I was thinking about last night.

Chaos is infantile. It is the toddler who throws food on the floor because it gets an immediate response. The toddler doesn't know any better but will be taught that it isn't a good thing to throw food on the floor. And the toddler will learn as she grows up that throwing things when one is angry is childish.

Chaos is the sloppy room a teenager live in, insisting that it's perfectly acceptable to her to live in filth. And generally the teenager's parents reprimand her and encourage her to clean up her room.

Chaos should be at the bottom rung of civilized society. It is a trait of babies, toddlers, and teenagers. But then they all should step up to the next level of development, which is order.

Order is mature. Order is being trained by your parents that choices have consequences, practice makes perfect, and keeping one's room organized means you'll find your hairbrush when you need it.

Order brings comfort. I thought of this one day when after my husband left early in the morning for work, I straightened the bed sheets and cover, and then slipped underneath for a little more sleep. As I drifted off blissfully, I sighed and thought, "Order brings comfort." For me, this is so true and I imagine it is for most people. When my home is in order, when my life is in order, I relax. Order is the opposite of chaos.

Now think of God and what He created.

A beautiful planet in which order abounds. There are scientific processes that allow for life. There is an order to His design. Science has studied the patterns of nature and can predict the way chemicals interact with one another precisely because there is order. There are some things that will never change, like gravity and our need for oxygen.

Nature is often chaotic, but even then we can predict certain developments with a fair amount of accuracy. Technology continues to aid us in pinpointing exactly how occurrence "A" will affect "B." Order reigns.

But I look at these two concepts and apply them to what is happening to our society in the U.S. today. And I admit it stuns me. There is a systematic effort to deconstruct our current way of life, the moral underpinnings of our society, and our understanding of right and wrong. There is a concentrated mission to bring about chaos -- to destroy what has worked and what is good. The "good" is now hated, mocked, and marked for elimination because it represents a moral judgement.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

What is happening here in the United States is happening throughout the world. The intentions, which I will call evil (for that is its true nature), comes straight from the pit of hell. It is the desire to destroy God's creation and kill His sons and daughters. The same evil existed over 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ was crucified.

Except we know how that turned out. Death was defeated. The punishment for sin, fulfilled. And a new life with God was born. All because of the great grace God has poured out on the human race. The desire the Evil One had for bringing chaos, death, and destruction was shut down in a huge way; in a way that no words could ever describe.

But the Evil One has not given up. Even though he was defeated by the evidence of an empty tomb, he has continued to pursue souls, intent upon dragging them to the pit of hell. Chaos is his calling card.

I try to keep all of this in perspective. When I get fearful, I'm more likely to veer into a chaotic state, myself. It's easy to allow the current events of the day to dictate our emotions. But don't allow it. Don't allow the chaos to win.

God is a God of order and love. Of grace and forgiveness, wisdom and judgement. As I place my trust in Him, I am at peace. His divine order reminds me that there is a higher purpose to all things. And that this higher purpose is meant to both glorify Him and to lift me above my sin into holiness.

I am deeply thankful for and fully embrace His divine order.

Catholics, Conscience, and Catholic Healthcare

1777 Moral conscience, (Rom. 2:14-16) present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil.(Rom. 1:32) It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking. (CCC Part Three, Life in Christ: Article 6: Moral Conscience: I: The Judgement of Conscience)

I remember when I was younger, becoming aware of my conscience. It told me when I did something wrong, such as lying. My parents brought me up to know what was good and what was bad. (Evil was a concept I would learn about later in life.) However, I realized eventually how important our consciences were in the vast scheme of societal cohesion. When you have a society that understands it is wrong to lie, cheat, steal, and murder (all condemned by God), then you have a society that is rewarded with peace and security.

But things have changed.

Over time, there has been a systematic attack on morality. Everything from featuring more sex and violence in movies to the insidious statements from the "open-minded," who say, "What is true for you is not true for me." All of this has shifted morality into a gray, muddled area where clarity is nothing more than a distant memory, if even that.

When I was younger, it was clear what was right and what was wrong. My parents taught it, the schools enforced it, and the entertainment industry supported it. Today, most of that is gone. Instead we have confused parents, cowardly schools, and corrupt entertainment. Is it any wonder we now have young people who do what they think is right in their own eyes, not realizing they have no standard to guide them?

I am reminded of these verses (emphasis mine):

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (1 Tim. 4: 1,2 NIV)

Our consciences can be "seared" or calloused from a lack of awareness and a devotion to God and His precepts. If we allow the world to dictate our morals (or lack thereof), then we are doomed to a life of emptiness and despair. There is no gray area when it comes to God's directives for our lives. His Word brings truth, light, and life. Straying from Him only leads to darkness.

And that's where we are, right now. Darkness.

To think that our sitting President of the United States would tell the Catholic Church to violate their conscience in order to comply with questionable legislation regarding healthcare is stunning. But his administration has done just that.

I am ashamed that Kathleen Sebelius, the current Secretary of Human and Health Services, is a Catholic from Cincinnati, Ohio. She has brought shame on Cincinnati, Summit Country Day School, Ohio, and the rest of our country for promoting what is truly a violation of conscience for American Catholics. The fact that she identifies herself as a Catholic only adds more pain.

From the Catholic Herald U.K. (emphasis from article):

Obama’s health secretary has now issued a ruling: that under his administration’s Health Care Act not only must any provider of health care be prepared to supply artificial contraception (including drugs which, though labelled contraceptive, are in fact abortifacient) but that that definitely includes Catholics (for the CNS story, see here):

(CNSNews.com) – Cardinal Donald Wuerl, head of the Catholic archdiocese of Washington, DC, issued a warning last week against the implementation of an Obamacare regulation that would place many Catholic employers in an “untenable position” by requiring all health care plans to cover sterilization and abortion-inducing contraceptives, in violation of religious liberty and particularly Catholic moral teaching.

His warning coincided with a full-page ad by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which said the regulation, set to start on Aug. 1, 2012, could “severely curtail” Catholic health care providers.

Catholic institutions account for 12.7 percent of the nation’s hospitals, according to the 2009 American Hospital Association Annual Survey, with more than 5.6 million patients admitted to Catholic hospitals in a one-year period. An additional 1,400 long-term care and other Catholic health facilities are present in all 50 states, according to the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Also, there are about 70 million Catholics in the United States.

It makes me wonder what the 54% of Catholics who voted for Obama are now thinking.

Do they have a conscience that has not been seared? Is there still a chance the Holy Spirit will revive their consciences and give them a tender heart toward the things of God? Is there any hope that they will turn away from the world, their allegiance to a political party that is clearly (at this point) anti-Catholic and rise together in union with other Catholics who rightfully condemn this act?

It is my deepest hope that yes, they will do this. Now is not the time to quibble about partisan differences. Now is the time not only for Catholics to come together as one, but for all Christians in our great country to rise up and make their voices heard.

As Chuck Colson astutely observed in his profound article, "First It Was the Catholics" (emphasis mine):

Folks, I’ve been warning for more than a year now that the Administration is constricting religious liberty bit by bit. It has abandoned any defense of traditional marriage. It is promoting gay rights abroad at the expense of religious rights. And I’ve documented that the Administration, beginning with Secretary of State Clinton, has intentionally used the phrase “freedom of worship” instead of “freedom of religion,” implying that one’s faith is a private matter — and that exercising that faith in public is not a protected right.

Well, if the Administration’s latest move isn’t proof of that, I don’t know what will be.

Now, to all my evangelical brethren who may be wondering why I’m making so much of this — after all, the vast majority of evangelicals don’t have a problem with contraception — I will say this: Which of our religious convictions will we be forced to abandon one day? Will our religiously affiliated groups be forced to hire people who oppose our faith? Will the government force a curriculum upon our schools and homeschoolers? Just a few years ago these possibilities seemed crazy. Now, they seem very real.

We must stand and fight against such a blatant attack on our freedom of religion in our country. Refusal would not only put our freedom in jeopardy, but prepare society for even more darkness to descend upon it.

Let's be the light and remind our country that yes, conscience still matters, as well as our freedom.

Why I Love Religion and Love Jesus: A Response to Jefferson Bethke

I first saw this video, "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus," a few days ago. It has since gone viral, with many of the "I'm-spiritual-not-religious" crowd cheering its ascent. It reminded me of the many posts I've written about my departure from the non-denominational church. It also reminded me of how often I rejoice in the Catholic Church, the sacraments, and liturgy.

I can't blame Jefferson Bethke for his views. At one time, I also was a twentysomething who delighted myself with the hip "spiritual" crowd of a non-denominational church, bent on reaching the "unchurched" with our cool, un-demanding church services. If you've not seen the video yet, here it is:

If you're unfamiliar with "spoken word," it's a style of poetry where the person stands up to recite a poem entirely from memory, with the cadence of a rapper and some dramatic gestures thrown in. I like spoken word and someday would like to try it. I may even create my own spoken word response to this one. We'll see.

But the point of this post is to once again challenge the notion that religion and love of Jesus are somehow incompatible or diametrically opposed from one another. From my church "world tour," I can now see the fallacy of such an argument.

Other Catholic writers have done a fantastic job in challenging this young man's points. Marc from the blog "Bad Catholic" hammered Bethke for the outrageous claim that Jesus Christ came to abolish religion. Just because a few hard-headed and hard-hearted Pharisees questioned Jesus' claims (and Jesus' responses to them), doesn't mean Jesus wished to kick Judaism to the curb.

Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin also weighed in and wisely pointed out that you cannot separate the Church from Jesus Christ, and you can't separate religion from Christ and the Church. I think both posts are well worth a read.

And my additional thoughts are this: Religion is for adults. As St. Paul says, "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways." (1 Cor. 13:11) Just as in the natural world, there is an evolution from being a child to becoming an adult; so it is in the spiritual world.

When we are young, we are naturally self-absorbed. We look for our own needs to be met and if we don't have adult supervision that reminds us the world does not revolve around us, we can easily become spoiled and carry that view into adulthood. As children, we don't want to do anything if we don't "feel like it." We want to choose the best slice of pie instead of giving it to our little brother. We think it's vastly unfair that our parents interrupt our fun by telling us it's time to go to bed. Every time a wise parent says "no" to our demands, we twist inside, angry and resentful while realizing deep down that it just might be for our own good.

When a person suddenly becomes serious about their relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, there is a beautiful elated period that many call "the honeymoon." Everything is sunshine and roses. The person can't help but tell others of this amazing thing that just happened to them. They often try wrong-headed but good-hearted approaches to get others on board. They splash around the Bible, delighting in deeper study because now the Holy Spirit is showing them the many beautiful facets of truth.

And then reality sets in.

Reality is suddenly realizing that there is suffering involved. Sacrifice. Prayer that often feels dry. Meeting people in church that you really don't like. Tackling church politics and responding to false accusations with love, truth, and grace; followed by more prayer for those who want to destroy you.

What is the foundation that will help a Christian withstand such challenges while maturing them in their faith? Is it what I now call the "entertainment centers" where the biggest draw to a church service is a rocking worship band? Is it the squishy doctrine of the "Emerging Church" where they claim they're unsure what the Bible says about homosexuality? The Emerging Church also wants to find common ground with Islam, which is another topic altogether regarding polytheism but serves as a reminder that gnosticism is alive and well.

Perhaps the reason religion gets such a bad rap is because it expects something from us. There is a specific doctrine that requires obedience. This doesn't sit well with those who wish to believe whatever they believe because it's "true for them." Rationalization is often an attempt to justify doing whatever we want, whenever and wherever. Much like the child who argues with a parent that if they stay up past their bedtime to watch a movie, they'll still be able to get up early the next morning.

Bethke says in the video regarding religion (He says 'see' quite often. But I don't think he does.):

"See, one is the work of God, the other is a man-made invention. See, one is the cure, but the other is the infection. See, because religion says 'do,' and Jesus says 'done.' Religion says 'slave,' Jesus says 'son.' Religion puts you in bondage while Jesus sets you free. Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see. And that's why religion and Jesus, are two different clans. Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man.

... So for religion? No, I hate it. In fact, I literally resent it. Because when Jesus said 'It is finished,' I believe He meant it."

Hoo boy.

So religion is an infection? A man-made invention? How does one square those views with the fact that God gave to Israel the Ten Commandments? And Levitical law? And Deuteronomy? (Which interestingly enough, the Hebrew word for Deuteronomy is Devarim, which means 'spoken words.')

And the "do" and "done" doesn't make sense. Yes, Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross paid for our sin, but that doesn't mean we as believers in Christ have nothing left to do. St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12)

The Greek word for "work out" is katergazomai, and it means "to perform, to accomplish, to achieve." Yes, Jesus paid the price, but it is I who am dependent upon the mercy and grace of God to live my life by doing the will of my heavenly Father.

And how does this doing come about? Is it from attending an entertainment center? Or is it from an intentional inquiry into doctrine to which I am held accountable? Does the doing come about because I float from one experience to the other? Or does it come from acknowledging there are rules to obey because they bring life and not death?

I made a joke when I first returned to Catholicism that I wanted to create tee-shirts which said, "I'm Religious, Not Spiritual." I find great value in religion and view it as bringing good into this world. I believe religion offers a high standard to which we all should aspire to meet. I do not believe this conflicts with Jesus' mission to the world and certainly don't believe that Jesus came to "abolish religion." If anything, Jesus' mission boosted religion's purpose. No longer was obedience to religious tenets a tedious and difficult affair as man fought with his flesh in fulfilling the Law. With the grace of God extended to man through the propitiation of Jesus Christ's death; religion was now a joyful adventure as man was strengthened by the Holy Spirit to live a life obedient to God. Jesus Christ abolishing religion? Far from it (emphasis mine):

Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:17-20)

It doesn't sound as though Jesus is hatin' on the scribes and Pharisees in these verses. In fact, He is intentionally extolling them as role models. In Jesus' day, the Pharisees were the religious sect that represented the common people. It was the Sadducees who were comprised of elite and aristocratic Jews. The Sadducees were also sticklers for the written word while the Pharisees were into the oral tradition. They might of liked Bethke's performance but have been mystified by his points.

In summary, Scripture does not support Bethke's assertions.

Religion has done far more good than bad in this world. It has served as a strong foundation for building up the faith of many Christians. It has challenged Christians throughout history to serve God, no matter how high the cost and to bring the gospel to the lost. It has given Christians a clearly defined path toward becoming holy. It has drawn believers closer to God.

This is why I love religion. When Jesus Christ said He would not leave us orphans, He meant He would not leave us without the proper care and instruction a parent would give to His child. How else is this care and instruction provided except through the structure of religion? Who else can give this care and instruction except the apostles of Jesus Christ, who are our priests and bishops? And who else can lead the distribution of the care and instruction so it is consistent and accurately available to all, except our Pope?

St. Ignatius of Antioch said this in 107 A.D.: "Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."

There is truth to be had in St. Ignatius' words. I am hoping the Jefferson Bethkes of the world will hear them.

My Still Life From Long Ago

Hilary Jane at Orwell's Picnic reminded me of my own artistic creations, long ago. This was a still life I did in 1992 when I took some art classes from a wonderfully eccentric older single woman who lived in a mansion. (Her living quarters were on the ground floor and she rented rooms on the second floor. Her class studio was on the second floor.)

She would take various objects and throw them together on a table, with a white sheet draped behind it and that would be my "lesson." She was great in urging me to be stronger with my pencil, instead of lightly sketching everything. The dark shadows are the result.

Prayer Request (Edited) Good news!

This will be quick. In a few minutes, we'll be going to the hospital where my husband will be having his colonoscopy. It's been almost one year since last year's cancer scare. His tumor was removed and no other cancer cells were found in his body. By God's grace, we pray that today he'll receive a clean bill of health.

We're both a bit nervous, so prayers for him, first and then for me. :-) I know God has everything under control. I ask that we both would be given God's grace to accept whatever is His will. Thank you so much and God bless you for your prayers.

Edited to add: Great news! They found just one little polyp and removed it. The doctor said he didn't need to see Mickey for another colonoscopy for 3 years. This is such wonderful news! Mickey was very concerned, as you might imagine, and of course, so was I. I am deeply thankful for your prayers. I felt the peace of God in the waiting area and knew I felt answered prayer. God bless you guys!

Are Catholics Returning to the Church More Traditional?

I ask this question because I've been noticing an interesting trend over the past few years. Most of the emails I've received from other Catholics who have returned to the Church have definitely been more traditional. I don't know if this is a result of growing older (and wiser) or if they, like me, had enough of the "non-traditional" style of church.

I think it's interesting. I know that when I came back to the Catholic Church, I wasn't coming back for women's ordination, "social justice," or anything having to do with social issues. I came back for the Sacraments. I came back for the liturgy. I came back because the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass reminds me more than anything else of how far God went to forgive our sins and expresses His desire to make us into saints.

I view the non-denominational churches with compassion, for the most part. I know they're trying their best. My brother now attends one. But what they are unable to give are the Sacraments. If one were brutally honest with the history of the Church, they would understand that there has been an unbroken line of authority that started with the Apostle Peter and continued to our current Pope.

Spiritual authority was pursued diligently by the last non-denominational church I attended. There were teachings, books, CD's, mailing lists, newsletters, and magazines that were devoted to obtaining spiritual authority. Aside from deep Biblical study, the consensus was that in order to receive spiritual authority, one had to be chosen by God ("anointed"), and the requirement for that was having a humble heart.

I've devoted many years to serving the non-Catholic, non-denominational church. Throughout those years, I studied the Bible, prayed, and meditated. I met people who I would say did indeed have spiritual authority. But now that I have returned to the Catholic Church, I will say they can not compare to the Catholic holy men and women I've met since, who have something that seems much more authentic.

In my city, we are blessed to have some amazing priests. Some have just been ordained and are especially inspirational. I realize what a great sacrifice it is to become a priest. And I wonder if it is sacrifice that is truly the "secret ingredient" to spiritual authority?

Jesus Christ sacrificed a great deal during His life in order to bring men and women back to God. His ultimate sacrifice occurred on the Cross. However, without the sacrifice of the Cross, Jesus Christ could not have defeated death. By loving His Father so much and placing obedience to His Father's Word above His own preference, Jesus was glorified. ("And Jesus answered them, 'The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.'" - John 12:23)

This to me, is the crux of spiritual authority. We are called to live our lives through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to set aside our will so as to embrace God's will. Within the Catholic Church, we have an abundance of saints who did just that. They sacrificed all so that they were able to glorify God.

Sacrifice is a tough word. I learned about it when I was a small girl, within the Catholic Church. Somehow, amidst all the guitar-strumming and the "kumbayas," I was able to grasp that there was something greater required of us as believers in Christ. It wasn't about my needs being met or attempting to right all the wrongs in society; but it about laying aside my preference and seeking God's purpose.

Which brings me back to my original question.

The traditional Catholics I've met understand sacrifice. There is a beautiful humility about them. They're not running around, insisting that their Diocese recognize social issues or demanding that women become priests. They're not complaining when a parish decides to no longer use altar girls. They're not outraged when a parish decides to ban a "gay pride" Mass.

Traditional Catholics are focused on one thing only: becoming holy. It is by this deliberate intention that the rest of society will be affected. Do those who involve themselves with social issues not remember the early Catholic martyrs? Do they really believe that those martyrs were killed because they were protesting the injustice of Rome? Or maybe they think the martyrs were killed because they demanded a redistribution of wealth. Who knows? But I do know the reason the martyrs were killed was because even though it was illegal to be a Christian, they would not deny Christ. And they went to their deaths singing hymns of praise.

Our world is on fire. Those of us with eyes to see and ears to hear realize that now is not the time for insisting the Church try to make everyone happy. Instead, now is the time for us to gird our loins and prepare for spiritual battle.

Because when greater persecution comes, what will give us strength and hope? Certainly not the knowledge that our local parish decided to support some liberal political candidate who is pro-choice. No. What will keep us strong will be our faith in Jesus Christ, our obedience to God, our trust in the Pope and the Magisterium, and our devotion to our Mother Mary and the saints.

I think that is why many have returned to the Catholic Church. And I believe more will come.

The Catholic Church: Sabbath, and The Lord's Day

Before retiring on Saturday night, I decided to pick up my copy of the Catechism to see what it had to say about observing the Sabbath. I knew it was one of the Ten Commandments, but realized I hadn't studied the Catechism to learn what it had to say about this particular commandment.

Section Two of the Catechism lists each commandment and how it relates to our Catholic faith. The article "The Third Commandment" was in the first section titled, "You Shall Love the Lord Your God With All Your Heart, and With All Your Soul, and With All Your Mind."

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work. 90

The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath. 91

(90: Ex 20:8-10; cf. Deut 5:12-15, 91: Mk 2:27-28)

Within the Catholic Church, Sunday is called "The Lord's Day." However, within it is still the core purpose of what the Sabbath was created to do -- mainly, to allow God's creation, man and woman, a day of rest from their labors.

Within Mosaic Law, there were strict regulations of what Jews could and could not do on the Sabbath. Today there are still strict rules and rabbinical debates, discussions, and consultations over what is permissible on the Sabbath and what is not.

However, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17 RSV) As Christians, we are no longer under the Law, as St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans (emphasis mine):

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:19-26)

The Catholic Church considers Sunday attendance at Mass as a fulfillment of the Sabbath. I knew we were were obligated to attend Mass every Sunday, but for whatever reason, I never associated it with the Sabbath. I just thought the Church wanted to make sure we didn't go astray because once you start skipping Mass, it's all too easy to allow sin to enter into your life without even realizing it. (And to be certain, the Church does want to make sure that doesn't happen.)

But I was surprised to find this (II The Lord's Day):

Sunday - fulfillment of the sabbath

2175 Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces man's eternal rest in God. For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done there prefigured some aspects of Christ: 107

Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord's Day, in which our life is blessed by him and by his death. 108

2176 The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship "as a sign of his universal beneficence to all."109 Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.

(107: Cf. 1 Cor 10:11, 108: St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Magn. 9, 1: SCh 10, 88)

So attending Mass is to "render to God and outward, visible, public, and regular worship" as a sign of God's goodness, kindness, and love toward all mankind. In other words, it is a powerful reminder to the world that God exists and loves mankind.

From another perspective, honoring the Lord's Day is a way to preach the Good News to the world that God is worthy of honor and worship. It is a sign that although everyone is busy the other six days of the week, believers in God and His Son take one day a week to pause and remember the goodness of God, reflecting His action and inaction when He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

The Catechism continues to instruct us on how to treat the Lord's Day:

2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"121 human life has a rhythm of work and rest. the institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.122

2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.123 Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. the faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.

(121: Gen 2:2, 122: Cf. GS 67 # 3, 123: Cf. CIC, can. 120.)

Although Catholics do not have the strict guidelines of Jewish people, we are still expected to treat Sunday differently, refraining from work or activity that hinders the worship owed to God. It would seem there is latitude given to us as Catholics regarding what work or activities would "hinder" this worship. Personally, I know that after spending some time in thought and prayer, I realized I had been mowing through Sunday as though it was Saturday -- which caused me to question how was I honoring the Sabbath? Was I taking the time to properly honor God on this day? Or was I only giving Him a cursory nod of recognition for one hour during a Sunday Mass before heading off to do what I normally do the rest of the week?

Whatever you do, consider prayerfully what you do. I know for me, I am taking time to unplug from the Internet and spend the day reading and reconnecting with family and friends. I also prepared my home so that on Sunday, my time isn't taken up with laundry, cleaning, and cooking. For me, this ensures that I gain the benefits of fully resting, and yes, it has made a difference. I believe God knew how crazy our lives would become with all the obligations we would have, the responsibilities, and the demands on our time. Giving us one day to rest is a gift to us, helping us not only to recharge our batteries to but to re-invigorate our relationship with Him.

This section in the Catechism is well-worth reading and studying. I know there have been so many times in my life when I have felt fragmented; pulled in so many directions that I didn't know which end was up. And tired? When I push myself to do more and more and more, my natural bodily defenses wear down and lo and behold, I get sick. Or miss important events. Or forget important things. The list could go on.

My intention in writing about the Sabbath was not to claim that Christians were to honor the Sabbath in exactly the same way as Jewish communities (who are, for instance, forbidden to drive on the Sabbath), but to revisit this commandment and ask: what does it mean for me? How can I as a Catholic live out this commandment in a way that fulfills what God has intended?

There are many ways to honor the Sabbath, or the Lord's Day. I think what is important is simply that we take the time to inquire what that may entail.

Falling In Love With The Sabbath

We do not use the Sabbath merely as a "breather" to gather strength for our coming labors. We work during the week for the sake of creating our Sabbath rest.

The difference between the work we do the rest of the week and the rest we do on the Sabbath lies in the object toward which each is directed. With our labor during the week, we seek to change and improve the world. With our rest, we seek to change and improve ourselves and to renew our relationship with God, family, and community and truly feel how much we have to be grateful for. - Senator Joe Lieberman, The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath

I am really loving the Sabbath right now.

At the moment, my window is open to the night sounds. The soft chirping of the crickets rise above the occasional sound of a car. My work is done for the day and I've prepared my home for the Sabbath.

I can't quite explain how good it feels to be so intentional about all of this. I know my life will have ups and downs and at times I won't have an entire day to rest because of various reasons. But I know that I will try to protect this day in a way I never have before. Like a newly discovered treasure, I wish to keep it sacred and precious; not wanting to toss it aside. I may dally with meaningless diversions at other times, but the Sabbath has now become the meat of the week, the delicious, flavorful Prime Rib that makes the other days of Ground Chuck bearable.

Since "confessions" has been an ongoing theme, I'll share yet another. I don't spend enough time with God. As much as I love and honor Him, I don't yet spend much time in prayer. It wasn't always like this. I used to be involved in deep Scripture study and prayer when I was involved in the non-denominational churches and even after returning to the Catholic Church, faithfully prayed the Rosary and started to discover various prayers, which I loved. (The Sacred Heart of Jesus is one.)

I'm not sure if there was any one main reason, but over the past year, I became busy with other projects and started to decrease my time in prayer. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you've seen me start several projects and then stop. There have been a few I've continued, but often I have a multitude of ideas but then lose interest after launching them. I've heard this is a weakness for creative folks.

But honoring the Sabbath is starting to turn me around. I have been looking forward to tomorrow all week. It's Wednesday, only three more days and then the Sabbath!

I have tasted the serene fruit of the Sabbath and now want more. I want to connect with my heavenly Father, focus on what is truly important, reconnect with my husband and allow my mind to take a break from all the concerns and worries from the week. I want to give one day to God to thank Him for everything He has done for me. I want to return to work on Mondays without dread or a feeling of weariness. It's quite amazing to me that taking the steps to make sure I don't do physical work on Sunday and setting aside my computer would make such a huge difference in my life, but it has.

I hope to discover more things tomorrow. I know that tonight I was ready to complain to my husband about something work-related and then stopped myself. I thought, "Tomorrow is the Sabbath. Jewish people take a break from even thinking about their jobs. I think I'm going to follow their lead." So I even started my "Sabbath thinking" early and decided to not even mention work and certainly won't tomorrow. In fact, if I think of it at all, it will be in gratitude to God for giving me a good job.

I'll be interested in anyone else's experience with honoring the Sabbath. It's becoming a bit of an obsession now with me and it would be interesting to see if anyone else has experienced a difference in their life such as becoming more peaceful or gaining a spiritual insight they didn't have before.

I'll keep you posted. :-)

The Surprising Benefits of Honoring the Sabbath

"Say to the people of Israel, 'You shall keep my sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. You shall keep the sabbath, because it is holy for you; every one who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign for ever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.'" And he gave to Moses, when he had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. - Exodus 31:13-18 (RSV)

And Moses summoned all Israel, and said to them, "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your hearing this day, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the LORD make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive this day. The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain.

He said: "'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. "'You shall have no other gods before me.

"'You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

"'Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your manservant, or your maidservant, or your ox, or your ass, or any of your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. - Deuteronomy 5:1-15 (RSV)

I remember as a small girl that Sunday was different from the rest of the week because we 1) attended Mass and 2) my father insisted that this was a "day of rest" and because of that, did not do any physical labor. Saturdays were usually a busy day around our house. My father would often be out in the yard, pruning bushes, tending a garden when we had one, or mowing the lawn. Or perhaps he'd be downstairs at his workbench trying to find a solution to something that wasn't working right. My mother and I would be in the house dusting, cleaning, and organizing when needed. Sundays were a welcome day of general inactivity although I do remember my mother often spending time in the kitchen, cooking the evening meal.

I discovered the book by Senator Joseph Lieberman called The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath. A few of my friends and family were surprised I'd read a book by Senator Lieberman because my politics are quite different than his; however, I have always had the utmost respect for him because he truly is a man of faith. The book validates this by Senator Lieberman's beautiful explanation of the traditions associated with Judaism as it relates to honoring the Shabbat, or as we Gentiles know it, the Sabbath.

Those close to me know that I have "a thing" for Israel and Jewish tradition. In fact, when I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, I attended a Messianic Congregation for awhile, loving their service on Friday night, filled with these same traditions. I loved how a woman with a veil on her head murmured a prayer at the front of the room, two candles lit as she motioned with her hands a welcoming gesture, inviting the Sabbath to visit us once again. I remember the lovely peace and unity I felt as I looked around the room, noticing men with a kippa on their head, reverently bowing as they said their prayers. These were men and women who were raised as Jews and had accepted Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus the Messiah) as their Lord and Savior.

When I first attended a Messianic Congregation service, I remember feeling as though I had been walking with one leg and then suddenly, the other leg was attached. I felt balance in this service, for I had realized long ago that Jesus Christ was a Jew who came first for the salvation of the Jewish people, and then for the Gentiles. I have always looked to the Jewish people as my brothers and sisters in the faith, even though some have rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. I like that the Catholic Church continues to pray for unity to happen.

The Sabbath, as honored by the Jewish people, is a beautiful time of rest and reflection upon God's goodness. Although I grew up with the knowledge that Sunday was somehow "different," I eventually lapsed into treating it almost no differently than Saturday. As I read Senator Lieberman's book, I became convicted, realizing I was not honoring the Sabbath well and I wanted to change that.

So, I used Saturday to prepare and barely made it to midnight before my activities were done! (This was my fault for dawdling and not getting some things done earlier.) I usually do my laundry on Saturdays but especially made sure it was done. I wrapped up the dishwasher detail, making sure our everything was already cleaned and put away. I used the time to prepare our home as though a guest was visiting us because indeed, the Sabbath is a "guest" that appears only once a week.

I looked at various recipes, finally deciding on a Crock Pot chicken recipe that was simple. I boiled the noodles Saturday night, cut up the vegetables for the salad, and even boiled the water for my French Press and made coffee, pouring the fragrant liquid into an insulated carafe and tightly securing it before I retired for the evening. I was trying to avoid using the stove on Sunday. The only thing I did Sunday morning at 7 AM was put three ingredients into the Crock Pot and turned it to the low setting so it would be ready by dinner.

I also decided to stay off the computer. All day.

In case you didn't read that right, I meant to say ALL DAY. As in no checking email. No playing around with my digital photography or digital scrapbooking program. No surfing. No checking political websites.

I was 99.9% successful.

At one point, I was going to check a blog a friend had suggested. And this is where God exhibited a wonderful moment of chiding toward me. I opened my laptop, did a search for the blog, and found it. Suddenly, my husband appeared to ask me a question and then gently teased me by saying, "I knew you couldn't stay off the computer!" I was annoyed with myself for being weak and quickly shut the laptop's cover, saying, "Well, I was doing pretty good until you showed up!"

Ha. Good thing we both have a sense of humor. :-)

So other than that lapse of discipline, I did indeed stay off the computer for the whole day.

I realized something else: a great amount of my time is spent on the computer. Not only do I use it for communication with friends, family, and colleagues; I also use my computer for creativity and for accomplishing work (both my day job and side business.) What on earth was I to do without it?

After my husband left, I took the laptop off my desk and placed it elsewhere. I took the Bible and Senator Lieberman's book, and unearthed my journal, which I hadn't written in for (gulp..) six years. Yes, I actually used to write in a journal for many years before getting a computer.

So I read and meditated on the portion of Scripture that was included in the Sunday Mass' readings for the day. I had enjoyed Mass and spent a good amount of time catching up with friends at our "coffee and doughnuts" time afterward. I determined that I was not going to stop at a grocery store to pick up items needed for lunch or dinner, having already made the trip on Saturday. Earlier in the morning, I enjoyed a cup of coffee that was still hot from the carafe I had prepared the night before.

So during the day, I spent time reconnecting with my dear husband, taking a nap, and using the rest of the day for Bible study, personal reading, and even delving into a personal development workbook that I've had for years but never completed.

At 5:00, our dinner was ready. I emptied the cold noodles into the Crock Pot to warm them and quickly put together the salad with everything already cut and sliced. My husband and I tucked into our meal and enjoyed watching a movie together.

All in all, it was one of the most relaxing and refreshing Sundays I've had in quite awhile.

Throughout the day, I enjoyed silence. I noticed I was restless at first, but soon calmed down. I drove to Mass without the radio, which I usually do anyway, but this time I was mindful of the silence and used it intentionally for prayer.

By the time Sunday evening came, I felt like I was Jell-O. Soft. Pliant. Relaxed.

And here's the best part. That feeling stayed with me throughout my workday on Monday.

I haven't usually experienced the dreaded "Monday Blues" because my job has been fairly enjoyable. But lately, my boss has been stressed which has filtered to the rest of the company. For about six months, I've started to not look forward to Mondays, mainly because they've started to become full of frantic meetings with methodology upon methodology being hyper-designed. (Can I go to the bathroom? I'm not sure. Is there a methodology for that?...)

So on Monday morning, when a co-worker came into my office to start the day complaining (as she usually does), I actually didn't get irritated. In fact, I listened, said a few encouraging words, and then returned to work.

As she yapped on and on, I felt as though I was inside a warm, protective cocoon. I thought, This is what grace feels like. Thank You, Lord. Really. Thank You.

I truly believe that if I had not spent the previous day in rest, I would not have had that response. In fact, when another co-worker asked how my weekend went, I told him that I celebrated the Sabbath in a very special way and truly rested. I said, "I still feel like I'm in "Sabbath-land!" He smiled politely but I realized he didn't fully understand what I meant. But then again, he is the father of a toddler and just had a new baby. I think "quiet" and solitude are not common guests in his home at the moment.

What about you? How do you spend the Sabbath? Do you feel that you wish you could be more "still" before the Lord on this day? What's holding you back?

All I know is that it did take some extra planning to create the "day of rest" but my goodness, was it ever worth it. I am already looking forward to my next Sabbath Sunday, thinking about what I'll make for dinner and make sure we have fresh fruit available for breakfast and cold cuts for lunch.

Sabbath is indeed God's gift to us. But I didn't expect the graces of honoring Him to extend into the rest of the week. God, You are indeed so good!

Prayer Request (Edited) Good news!

My friend Kimberly has need for prayers for her little girl, Abigail, who recently visited an eye doctor, where some abnormalities were discovered in the nerves. She was referred to a neurologist and will likely have an appointment soon.

My friend is a home-schooling mother who has had many challenges to her own health last year. Little Abigail is nine, and I know that no mother wants to see their child go through anything like this.

Would you join me in prayer for Abigail's healing, and for peace and comfort for the family? I always ask for God's will to be done, but still, we are encouraged to ask our heavenly Father for help in time of need.

Bless you for doing so and I'll keep you posted.

---

UPDATE: Abigail is going to be alright! From her mother:

After 4 hours with a pediatric ophthamologist we have a diagnosis: Optic Nerve Drusen, astigmatism, farsightedness and intermittent esotropia.

This is wonderful news! It simply means that Abigail has a congenital eye disorder that could possibly cause problems later, but most likely will not. She has difficulty coordinating her eye movements and can't see things well up close. A very small cross to bear, considering the alternatives imagined by her very worried parents...

Thank you for praying! I can't imagine what it was like, wondering if the worst was ahead for this dear little girl. God is so good and merciful!

Take Heart: He Who Is In You Is Greater Than He Who Is In The World

Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them. We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. – 1 John 4:4-7

(Photo from Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog)

I just posted these verses on Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog to encourage him and a priest in need of prayer. I felt that perhaps someone reading my own blog may need to hear this.

We saw from the protests in Madrid regarding World Youth Day that the world is becoming more vocal regarding their hatred for the Church and anything having to do with God. The violence is escalating. No longer satisfied with hurling insults, some went so far as to physically attack these young pilgrims who came to Madrid to hear our Holy Father and partake of the Youth Day events.

I have a problem with violence but especially, violence against children and young people. The radical, fascist left, though -- has no problem attacking young people who are gathered together to celebrate their faith. Those of us who are Christian should not be surprised though, by the ugly vitriol that is coming at us with increased frequency. Although we are not outright condemning their sin, we are standing strong for Biblical truth. That in itself is cause for these types of attacks.

We stand for absolute truth in a world obsessed with moral relativism. We stand for purity in a world full of impurity and sexual recklessness. We stand for fidelity to God's commandments in a world hell-bent on destroying them. Because we stand, because we refuse to compromise on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, we are reviled.

So was Jesus Christ. So were the Apostles. So were all the saints. Folks, we're in good company! That God would choose us to be alive in this time so that we may glorify His name above ALL names is the highest honor He has given to our generation. We have been called out of the world in order to be a witness to it that God is in control, He reigns, and His mercy endures forever!

This world is a passing mist. What lies beyond our mortal coil is more beautiful and true than we could ever imagine.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:11-13

Above all, forgive. And love.

Phoenix Diocesan Cathedral: No Altar Girls (And the Liberals Go Wild)

Poor Fr. John Lankeit. He has quickly become persona non grata within his diocese after making the decidedly unpopular decision (with certain segments of the parish) to stop the practice of using young girls as altar servers.

It's a strange-looking equation, I know, but another priest has used it to justify his decision to ban girls from serving at Mass. Father John Lankeit, rector of the Phoenix diocesan cathedral, SS. Simon and Jude, argued, "The connection between serving at the altar and priesthood is historic. It is part of the differentiation between boys and girls, as Christ established the priesthood by choosing men. Serving at the altar is a specifically priestly act," according to the Arizona Republic. Girls will be allowed to be sacristans, preparing things for Mass like the altar societies of old.

Lankeit points out that not permitting girls to serve is part of the pastor's prerogative, but I wonder what would happen if he started restricting the ministry of lector to men, since that office, like the instituted ministry of acolyte, was also formerly part of preparation for priesthood. For that matter, "porter" was once the first step to holy orders, so by that logic hospitality ministers should all be men, too.

Those who took this practice too seriously for their own good are of course, going crazy (or as Fr. Zuhlsdorf likes to say, "throwing a nutty") over it. Before I respond, I always like to check the history of a situation. What has the Vatican said regarding altar girls to serving Mass? When did it happen? Why did it happen?

I found a few things. First, a helpful explanation on EWTN's website:

Many Catholics are perplexed by the authorization of girl altar servers by the Pope. They are uncertain about the pastoral wisdom of this decision given 1) the shortage of vocations to the priesthood, 2) the traditional place of altar boys as a source of vocations, 3) the tendency of some younger boys to not want to share activities with girls and 4) the natural religiosity of the female sex which results in their saturating non-ordained offices in the Church. Yet, it is a decision which has been made by the highest authority in the Church and to which Catholics must defer and make their peace.

See: [/library/curia/cdwcomm.htm]*

It is important to make some theological distinctions, too. This is not a matter of faith but of Church discipline. While having boys serve at the altar is a long-standing ecclesiastical tradition it is nonetheless a human institution, NOT divine, and therefore capable of change for sufficient reason. The judgment about what is sufficient rests with the Holy See.

What MIGHT have been those reasons? Since the Church had already opened other non-ordained offices to women (Reader, Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister, chancellor, marriage tribunal official and so on), all of which were previously excluded to women, and in some cases lay men also), the exclusion of girls from the unofficial office of "altar server" was something of an anomaly. In fact, it was on canonical grounds which the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts proposed ending this exclusion. For his part, the Pope may have been looking ahead to the publication only a few weeks later of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, his letter affirming the male only priesthood. The two decisions taken together amount to drawing precise theological lines between what is Church tradition and what is Apostolic Tradition, allowing women all offices in the Church not excluded by Divine Law (such as the priesthood).

* The letter to Catholic Dioceses from the Congregation for Divine Worship was released March 15, 1994.

Then I found on the Vatican's website, the Congregation for Divine Worship And The Discipline Of The Sacrament Instruction index, which included this section (Chapter II, The Participation of the Lay Christian Faithful In the Eucharistic Celebration, 2. The Ministries of the Lay Christian Faithful In the Celebration of the Holy Mass) Emphasis mine:

[47.] It is altogether laudable to maintain the noble custom by which boys or youths, customarily termed servers, provide service of the altar after the manner of acolytes, and receive catechesis regarding their function in accordance with their power of comprehension.[119] Nor should it be forgotten that a great number of sacred ministers over the course of the centuries have come from among boys such as these.[120] Associations for them, including also the participation and assistance of their parents, should be established or promoted, and in such a way greater pastoral care will be provided for the ministers. Whenever such associations are international in nature, it pertains to the competence of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to establish them or to approve and revise their statutes.[121] Girls or women may also be admitted to this service of the altar, at the discretion of the diocesan Bishop and in observance of the established norms.[122]

What I find interesting in section 47 is that the entire section speaks mostly of using boys or youth as servers because it bears the fruit of sacred ministers. This is the focus of Fr. Lankeit. In an age of dwindling vocations, he simply wants to create an environment in which a young boy has the opportunity to experience service at the altar, which may allow him more opportunities to discern a vocation to the priesthood or diaconate.

Here is where presumption entered: Many parishes looked at this new practice of using altar girls as a right, as though young girls were entitled to it; evidently under the guise of "fairness." But it was never to be received in that way from the very beginning. The Congregation for Divine Worship made it clear from the start that this practice was under the authority of the Bishop and he was to use discretion whether to make it available or not.

Furthermore, the practice was to be done in observance of the established norms. What are those "norms?" The Traditional Latin Mass is a good example. Just recently, the Vatican came out and said that female servers were not allowed to serve at the Extraordinary Mass.

Permission for female altar servers came with the Circular Letter of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments of 1994. However, the rubrics of the 1962 Missal did not allow for females on the sanctuary during Mass.

The letter, signed by Mgr Guido Pozzo, Secretary of Ecclesia Dei, said that "permitting female altar servers does not apply to the Extraordinary Form".

All I know is that the young boys at our local Traditional Latin Mass loathe putting on their long black cassocks and smelling perfume, obviously from when a girl wore them when serving the Ordinary Form Mass.

Do I blame them? Of course not. I can also say from observation the results of allowing young girls to serve at Mass are telling. Whenever I attend an OFM, and girls are serving, they are either the majority of the servers or the entirety of them. Boys at that age typically don't want to be involved if girls are doing it.

On the other hand, I observe my local EFM, where we have a large processional. In fact, there are usually no less than 14 boys and young men serving at the altar. We have boys as young as 6, high school boys, and a few in their late twenties and early thirties who serve. When the seminarians show up, it gets pretty crowded!

Does this exclude girls from contributing to the parish? No. There are other areas of service available but since they're not as prominent as serving at the altar, often they're overlooked or minimized. These services can be within the sacristy or outside of it within the many activities of a parish. It can be involvement with CCD or a ministry to the poor and invalid. We have a hurting world that is desperate need of the saving graces of our loving heavenly Father and there are a myriad of ways to respond. Serving the altar during Mass is just one part of it.

However, I will say this: our parish that celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass has produced more vocations than I've ever seen in my life from any other parish. These young men are responding to the more traditional expression of our Catholic faith and the proof is in the numbers.

I would love to learn how much the vocations have increased since 1994, in the parishes that have used altar girls. I'm suspecting -- not much. But such logic seems to fall upon deaf ears for those who insist upon "fairness" but have no understanding of the larger issue at stake; I'm sure such a statistic will never be shared.