...Are we compromising our religious beliefs and principles by letting our children, even if innocently, dabble in something that has its origins in evil? As Catholic families, what is our obligation to be consistent and true to our faith?...[more...]
Thanks Karen for the link.
by Pete Vere. There is something I keep forgetting that many at St. Blogs have repeatedly reminded me this past week (in particular my Home Girl Peony)-the ability to give love is perhaps even more precious a gift than receiving love.My soul really craved stories of charity.
A couple of months ago, I blogged about a sort of "Dark Night of the Soul" I was going through and I am ashamed to say it has not gotten better, but has gotten worse. I am ashamed because I know better, that my relationship with God can only be repaired by my actions, ashamed because I know logically God is there and is there for me, ashamed because I know faith is not merely about feel good emotions and the first time I am not "feeling good", I am dropping the ball, and ashamed because the events in my life-well I have so much to be grateful and thankful for. Look at poor Terri, she was abused and the courts cannot even defend her, but have sentenced her to a slow painful death as a result. Man, I do not even have the words to describe how horrible that is. So if I know so much better, why are my emotions towards God so out of whack?
I was wondering if I am angry at God because of the events of the past summer (Gorbulas being hospitalized, marital woes and a bunch of other stuff) and the answer is no, not angry, but sort of numb. I think I have had a few breaks through. I have been very stressed over Gorbulas' asthma. On Monday he came down with sniffles. I was determined to do everything I can to avert an asthma attack. I started with his nebuliser every four hours around the clock. I began with his Pulmocort every twelve hours. Three days after treatment, he had a minor asthma attack, despite the Singulair, Pulmocort and albuterol around the clock. I realised it is out of my hands. I thought I had control over it, but I do not. I was just giving myself a headache when I should have been giving it to God. Not that I should not do everything I can, but I have been losing much sleep over trying to figure out ways to avert another asthma attack to no avail. This may sound terrible, but I have been able to trust in God's Providence in giving souls to me, perhaps I should trust in Him when it comes to taking them back? No, I am so not planning on sending any souls back to God at all, I am just saying that I can only do what I can do, which I will continue to do but I should leave the rest to Him.
I just have been so numb for so many months, I do not know how to get back to that. If a prayer can be spared, it would be appreciated. I think my husband has been at this place a little longer than I have. This scares me because one of us has to fight for the family on a spiritual leve, and neither one of us seems to be.
Flos Carmeli has several lovely posts up for La Madre, including this selection from her Autobiography, which I need to staple to my forehead:
....why, then, should they abstain from [prayer] who serve and desire to serve God? Certainly I cannot comprehend it, unless it be that men have a mind to go through the troubles of this life in greater misery, and to shut the door in the face of God, so that He shall give them no comfort in it. I am most truly sorry for them, because they serve God at their own cost; for of those who pray, God Himself defrays the charges, seeing that for a little trouble He gives sweetness, in order that, by the help it supplies, they may bear their trials.
Elinor Dashwood blogs on Halloween, and includes practical tips on saint costumes.
... the bottom line in the child's mind is a) dressing up and b) getting candy. Provide those two treats, and they'll be as happy as clams.
Works for me.
Sparki, who'll soon be observing her very first All Souls Day as a Catholic, reflects on the comforting doctrine of Purgatory.
Twelve Latin Chants Every Catholic Should Know
Thanks to Mr Henry Dietrich for this excellent link.
....or, at least make room for it in the Metro section: Confession Rite Evolves To Meet Changing Need (washingtonpost.com; marketing questions)
First, a quibble -- is it "the Rite" that's evolved? Or is it that people are realizing that they're not "too evolved" to go to Confession (unlike those who "left behind" the sacrament, presumably because they thought they no longer needed it?) The option for face-to-face Confession has been around since the seventies, and it is an option -- not the norm. The vast majority of people I talk to seem to prefer the screen, and from what I've seen, it's the screened confessionals that have the longest lines.
I was pleased to see Monsignor Kane quoted in the article. During Lent, he arranged extra time for individual confessions, with four priests available for several hours on a weekday evening. Attendance was, shall we say, underwhelming. The next Sunday he addressed the matter from the pulpit, saying (in almost these words), "We're going to try this again next week and I KNOW we're going to have more people there." (His parishioners took the hint.)
One of my favorite quotes from the article (emphasis added):
The Rev. William Byrne, Catholic chaplain at the University of Maryland's College Park campus, also promotes confession. As a result, "we have pretty solid lines, probably 30 kids on Sundays before Mass," he said."The thing that makes me mad is hearing 40- to 60-year-old Catholics talk about 'Catholic guilt' " in the context of confession, said Byrne, who is 39. "I say that's baloney. We're the only ones who have sacramentalized the system of offering absolution and forgiveness for sin. Our emphasis is forgiveness."
Byrne, who goes to confession every two weeks because it "helps keep me honest and on my toes," said that many Catholic students at U-Md. are "tired of this subjective sense of right and wrong. It doesn't match what their hearts are saying." But since many have not been to confession since they were 7 or 8 years old and preparing for their first communion, he passes out a "confession cheat sheet" that explains, step-by-step, what to do.
I get so tired of this "Catholic guilt" wheeze. If you've left the Church and you don't think you've done anything wrong, what are you feeling guilty about?
My husband once had a co-worker inform him that his reservations about disciplining a subordinate too harshly were driven by "Catholic guilt." (When he told our friend Iris, who attends a fundie-leaning Church, the story, her reponse was "If she said that to me, I'd show her my Catholic fist.")
I also get impatient when people start accusing others of "making them feel guilty." Please -- if you don't think you did anything wrong, why should you feel guilty? How can someone else make you feel guilty?
Are all these people complaining about guilt because they're trying to drown out the voice of their conscience?
Around late '99 I experienced a sudden impulse to study up on Saint Therese. I don't know where it came from, but I read her Autobiography and other books about her (and finally began to have a glimmer of understanding about what she was trying to teach me) I enrolled in the Brown Scapular, out of some sense of trying to imitate her, to establish a relationship with her, in some small way. Finally, that winter, I had the opportunity to pray before her reliquary during its worldwide pilgrimage.
In years past, I always had trouble with the idea of "spiritual childhood." I would think back to when I was seven or eight, remember what I was like, and just think "yikes! That can't be right!" I certainly didn't remember any loving trustfulness; by that age I was already well along in developing an attitude of outward compliance but interior alienation: give the teachers and parents what they seem to want so they'll leave you alone.
It wasn't until I encountered Therese on the eve of the Jubilee year that it finally occurred to me that she was talking about little little children: three years, or even younger. Now that I have been given the privilege of being Hambet's mommy, all I have to do is watch him to see good examples of that trusting attitude. Lately it's been medicinal kisses. No matter how hard the bump, how sharp the pinch, Hambet runs up in perfect confidence for a kiss to make it better. The thing that amazes me is that it works! Even when I know he must still be hurting, as soon as he gets that kiss he assures me that he "feels much better." I can even see him working to stop crying and calm himself down.
When I think of Therese, I also think of the amazing example of her parents. Did the loving, peaceful atmosphere they created in their home help Therese develop her spiritual gifts to the fullest?
St Therese, Doctor of the Little Way, pray for us!
Pansy and Peony: The Two Sleepy Mommies
