Quick Takes Friday: In Like A Lamb

Joining Jen at Conversion Diary for Quick Takes Friday!

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Whoa! Long time no blog! I must admit that I've been spending most of my free time (and then some, unfortunately) for the past couple of weeks Facebooking and obsessively following current events at our state capitol. It's like that expression about watching a car accident; I just can't look away. It's pretty wild down there, with news unfolding daily. Democracy--and lots of other crazy stuff--in action, I tell you. Tonight they've convinced all the round-the-clock hobos to sleep somewhere other than the capitol building, which is nice because apparently it is quite in need of a good cleaning in there.

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You know, sometimes I think I can get just the tiniest glimpse of what it must have been like to live in our country in the mid-nineteenth century. I'm no civil-war historian, but I understand that neighbors and family members came out on opposing sides of the states' rights and slavery issues that divided the country, and even ended up shooting at each other as the war progressed.

To me, living in the early 21st century feels a bit like this. Sometimes in the past few years, my friends and neighbors' political views have really shocked me. I find it helpful to remind myself that none of this political stuff matters, really, in the big scheme of things. And by "big scheme of things," I mean eternity. Our individual souls matter. All the other stuff...not so much.

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So another distraction from blogging recently has been The Hunger Games. When I heard the book's premise, I was curious, but not all that excited about it--sounded way too dark. It's dark, for sure, but OMG, it was so good! Now I'm on the waiting list to get Book 2 and 3 from the library (instead of click-click ordering them from Amazon and getting them by this weekend). Waiting is a great sacrifice, that's for sure! In fact, I'm not totally sure that I won't break down and click-click download the kindle-for-pc version of Book 2 tonight, and stay up all night reading it.

Anyone want to share their thoughts on the book, and whether it's appropriate for middle-schoolers? You may know that when it comes to my kids and media of all kinds, including books, I lean towards caution. I figure I can't go wrong with saving things (e.g., Harry Potter, Star Wars, what-have-you) for later, whereas I can go quite wrong with introducing things too early. (Example: 5-year-old JPD thinking Battlestar Galactica was real--yikes!!) Also, there are more great books than anyone can read in a lifetime, so there's no point in wasting time on non-great books. But I'm looking forward to talking about the Hunger Games with WWD! I told him not until high school; do you think I'm being too uptight?

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So...in like a lamb...we've been having great weather this week. So I guess that means that we'll have huge snowstorms at the end of the month? We'll see, I suppose...either way, I'm so glad March is finally here! What a nice winter, and it went by so quickly this year.

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After a few slow weeks due to winter colds (mine and MPDs), I'm back to a respectable workout schedule. It's a long road back to fitness after a few years of slacking, I tell you! Stay tuned for those "before-and-after" pictures...

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We made an early Mardi Gras dinner last weekend...New Orleans Jambalaya. SO yummy! Here's the recipe if you want to check it out. Happy Mardi Gras!

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Which means, of course, that Lent is finally here! I'm so excited for it this year; Lent has been so amazing the past couple of years that I'm really expecting great things. I'm giving up Facebook (whew!), desserts, sleeping in...we'll see which of those actually sticks. In any case, it's going to be great.

I think I like how much Easter has been jumping around--this year is really late--because it makes things just a bit different each year. In 2008, MPD's birthday on March 15 was just a few days before Easter, which was so perfect. (I've always wanted an Easter baby!) This year, Easter is over a month later, which makes a big difference in our Wisconsin spring weather! The girls will actually be able to wear summery dresses at Easter, which is unusual. (Attn Texas readers: Not that summery!). And after Easter, it will be almost summer. And that's all good, right?

Now go see Jen for everyone else's great Quick Takes posts!

Saint for the Third Millenium

One of the things that I love best about Catholicism is its incredible depth; no doubt, one lifetime isn't even close to enough to learn every facet of our beautiful faith. Reading Faustina, Saint for Our Times reminded me about this aspect of the Church. I'm repeatedly amazed at how much God continues to be intimately involved in the details of this world that He created. Clearly, His plan of salvation continues to unfold, and He is at work in our world in the 21st century just as much as in the times of Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

The story of St. Faustina makes this especially clear, as her message of Divine Mercy is so powerful and relevant to us in modern times. I found her connection with John Paul II to be especially intriguing. At the 2002 consecration of the International Shrine of Divine Mercy in Lagievniki, Poland, he said:

"I will solemnly entrust the world to Divine Mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God's merciful love, proclaimed here through Saint Faustina, may be made known to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope. May this message radiate from this place to our beloved homeland and throughout the world."

and

"Where, if not in the Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope?"

John Paul II not only established Divine Mercy Sunday, he even completed his days on earth on the vigil of Divine Mercy, 2005.

Rev. George W. Kosicki, CSB, the author of Faustina, Saint for Our Times is uniquely qualified to introduce us to this beautiful saint. His extensive study of her life and surroundings and, of course, her Diary helps make this book a perfect introduction to Saint Faustina and the message of Divine Mercy. Fr. Kosicki includes chapters on St. Faustina's life, her mission, her spiritual life, her connection to both eastern and western facets of the Catholic faith, her relevance to the third millennium, and a discussion of our response, as well as a section with Divine Mercy prayers and finally a Divine Mercy timeline.

Overall, I would very much recommend this book. It's a perfect introduction to the Divine Mercy devotion, especially good for anyone who's considering tackling reading St. Faustina's Diary. It truly gave me a good understanding of Divine Mercy, which is quite exciting as well as comforting in our turbulent modern times!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Faustina, Saint for Our Times and check out their great selection of serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

Disclaimer: The Catholic Company provides books for review free of charge to its reviewers. Come join the fun!

NOT a Dan Brown Novel

After reading "Bleeder" by John Desjarlais, I have good news and bad news: It's not a Dan Brown novel. At first, I expected that this counted as bad news against "Bleeder"--Dan Brown's suspense-filled blockbuster novels are hard to match for believable characters, thrilling plots, and fascinating setting details. But, of course, they're also filled with horrible prejudice and offensive misinformation about the Church.

"Bleeder", on the other hand, has lots of great Catholic stuff in it. The story is centered around a stigmatic parish priest who dies at the altar on Good Friday. The protagonist--Reed Stubblefield, a classics professor who is recovering from personal tragedy--finds himself accused of murdering the priest. In the process of discovering the truth of what happened, Stubblefield is forced to face his own questions about his faith, which makes for a fascinating and fun read.

What I didn't love about "Bleeder" was it's title, which I found a bit creepy, and some of the details and descriptions of the protagonist's background and feelings, which came across as a bit corny at times. These small negatives were far outweighed by the fun mystery and seamless integration of Catholic themes into the absorbing plot. I enjoyed reading the description of local details, as the story takes place in my own backyard (sort of). And I never would have guessed "whodunnit"!

Overall, I'd really recommend "Bleeder." It's fun. I very much look forward to reading more books by Mr. Desjarlais. If only more books like "Bleeder" could replace those "DaVinci Codes" on the best-seller lists!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Bleeder and check out their great selection of Advent and Christmas items while you are there, as well as their terrific baptism gifts.


Disclaimer: The Catholic Company provides books for review free of charge to its reviewers. Come join the fun!

Mommy Wars

To tell you the truth, when Jamie first recommended this book, I kinda expected it to be a big yawn. (I should have known better--Jamie's book recommendations are always spot-on!) I am SO over the whole stay-home-vs-working-mom thing. I even blogged about this topic already, here and here. I used to ponder this issue when I was in my 30's, a fresh refugee from corporate America, and a shiny new mom myself. Now? I'm no longer in my 30's, and I've done a little of both sides (a very little of the working Mom side), and I really just think Moms should set things up however they want to. Whatever works for you, your husband, your finances, your family. Really--whatever. As for me, I'm a total SAHM, no career aspirations whatsoever. Been there, done that.

That was about a month ago. I got the book, couldn't put it down, loved it, hated it, and--here's the freaky part--in the past week I've submitted my resume for two different full-time jobs, and I couldn't be more excited about maybe (MAYBE) becoming a working mom, after all.

It wasn't because of the book, of course. Or was it? Not really--it was just part of a serendipitous (i.e., divinely orchestrated) combination of events that may wind up, you know, just changing my whole life around. No big deal. But actually--sorry--this post is not about me and my little career aspirations. Stay tuned for that. This post is about the book.

Just like the throngs of Amazon reviewers, I have lots to say about this book. I agree with the criticism that many of the women whose essays are included are somewhat out of touch with reality outside of NYC--socioeconomic reality, flyover-country reality, just-keeping-food-on-the-table reality. Yes--many of the women in "Mommy Wars" don't get it, on a lot of levels.

I really liked many of the women in the book. But not all. The mom I most wanted to go to "war" with said that she thinks that truth be told, mothers who choose to stay at home with their children full-time really are just getting satisfaction from the martyrdom aspect of it all. No kidding. My second-most hated one seemed pretty proud of herself simply for opting against an abortion when she found herself pregnant. Sheesh--am I the one who's out of touch with reality here?

Despite these two (very) bad apples, I really did find the book fascinating and absorbing. Inspiring, too, since almost all of the women were professional writers of one flavor or another, which is what I've always wanted to be when I grow up. I did get an overwhelming sense of the take-your-breath-away love for one's children that takes most of us by surprise when we have babies. There's nothing like it, and all the women in the book--even the one who frankly admitted, even to her son, that she'd have aborted him back in 1964 if it had been legal--all the women did seem to love their kids a lot.

You know what, though--abortion really did come up quite a bit in this book. I can only recall one essay in which the author actually admitted having had an abortion, but the general attitude in all of the essays was, to me, rather startling. Apparently, for sophisticated urban writer moms, abortion is no big deal at all, even though no one seems to doubt that there's a real baby already growing in there. This, my friends, is where we are after a generation of legal abortion. Next stop--out-and-out infanticide, I suppose. I pray not--and I pray for these poor women to somehow, sometime, know that enthroning of Self is not the key to a happy life.

Which leads me to the second way that this book made me feel like a disenfranchised freak (did I say that?). To me, all the essays had this undercurrent of selfishness--what's best for me, how can I be fulfilled, I've got these talents and ambition. Well, sure, but--really? Here I've been thinking that I shouldn't really be thinking about any of that. I've been under the impression that the key to a happy life is humility, self-sacrifice, self-effacement, serving others. Pride--defined as the worship of Self--is the greatest sin of all, is it not?

I'm not trying to sound self-righteous here, I promise. This whole humility vs. pursuing-worldly-success conundrum has had me so tangled up, it's why I hardly blogged at all last week. Because humility, yes, but we are supposed to use our talents and gifts to our very best ability. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," as St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians. Our work--how we spend our time on Earth--is our offering back to our Creator. We're called to make it the very best we can, no?

Maybe I am the one who's out of touch with so-called reality here, and I'm just on a waaaay different wavelength from all the women whom Leslie Morgan Steiner found to include in her book about Mommy Wars. Maybe I'm just part of some fringe group of uber-Catholics who still try to follow the Church's teachings about how to have a happy life. I didn't realize I lived in such a bubble. But I like it here. I think I'm going to stay.

The book? Sure, I liked it. It made me think. A lot, obviously. And that's what good books do.

Please pass the Honey Nut Cheerios???

"In 1960, researchers at Ann Arbor University performed an interesting experiment on laboratory rats. Eighteen rats were divided into three groups. One group received cornflakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the cornflakes came in and water; and the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats receiving the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. But the rats receiving the cornflakes and water died before the rats who were given the box--the last cornflake rat died on the day the first box rat died.
"Before death the cornflake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves in the spine--all signs of 'insulin shock.'
"The startling conclusion of this study is that there is more nourishment in the box that cold breakfast cereals come in than in the cereals themselves. Loren Zanier, designer of the experiment, actually proposed the protocol as a joke. But the results are far from funny. They were never published and similar studies have not been repeated. If consumers knew the truth about breakfast cereals, vast fortunes would be jeopardized."

~ Sally W. Fallon, in Nourishing Traditions

Attention Husbands! Now Read This!

Who hasn't wondered at St. Paul's words in Ephesians (5:22), "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord."? I used to think "Really? Who, me? But he doesn't know my husband" (just kidding, Bill, I promise!)!
But seriously--I never could really 'get' that verse. I figured it was so First Century.

It wasn't until I understood the Catholic teaching on this chapter and verse (and it's critical to consider the whole chapter, of course) that I began to understand. And, like most of those seemingly mysogynistic Church teachings, it turns out to actually be good news for women! :)

I just read a great summary of this in Christopher West's book, "Good News about Sex & Marriage." In case you don't have a copy handy, I'll share...

"While we must admit that some men throughout history have pointed to this Scripture verse to justify their fallen desire to dominate women, St. Paul is in no way justifying such an attitude. He knows it to be a result of sin (see Gal 3:16), which is why in this passage he's actually restoring God's original plan before sin. He does so by pointing out what marriage was all about in the first place. It was meant to foreshadow the marriage of Christ and the Church. ...

"He starts by calling both husbands and wives to be subject to one another "out of reverence for Christ" (v.21)... In the analogy, the husband represents Christ, and the wife represents the Church. So, he says as the Church is subject to Christ, so should wives also be subject to their husbands (v.24)."

As in all Biblical interpretations, the crux of the understanding comes in the translation between languages. Here, consider submission:

"Sub" means "under, and "mission" means 'to be sent forth with the authority to perform a specific service.' Wives, then, are called to put themselves "under" the "mission" of their husbands.

"What's the mission of the husbands? "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her" (v.25). How did Christ love the Church? He died for her. Christ said he came "not to be served but to serve," and to lay down his life for his Bride (Mt. 20:28).

"What, then, does it mean for a wife to 'submit' to her husband? It means let your husband serve you. Put yourself under his mission to love you as Christ loved the church.".

I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling too oppressed by this kind of submission. It sounds pretty good to me!
(And Bill, would you please pick me up some Diet Coke on your way home?)

This One Will Change Your Life!

Fr. McNulty at our former parish in Lake Forest often used to reference the works of Henri Nouwen. If you haven't read Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son, I recommend that you RUN your fingers straight to your favorite book purchase website :) and grab yourself a copy!!

Inspired by Barbara Curtis' book study, I am reading it right now, and it has turned into the most amazing Lenten reading I can imagine.

It is so wonderful, I can tell that one reading is hardly going to scratch the surface.

It's just amazing.

Go get it.

Right now.

Here; I'll make it easy for you!

Really, I am just loving this book so much! If you and I like to send stuff to each other, watch your mail; it might just show up there from me! :)

Book Review: "Masonry Unmasked: An Insider Reveals the Secrets of the Lodge"

Among his many hobbies and community service projects, my grandfather was a Mason.  All I ever knew about it was that: 1) because of him, I got to live at the Scottish Rite Dormitory for girls during college in Austin (which was great), and 2) there were some dressed-up guys doing some unusual chants and ceremony at the end of his funeral.  That's it. 

But I've always wondered about Masonry, particularly since becoming Catholic, since apparently Masons are anti-Catholic, or something.  So I was particularly interested to read Masonry Unmasked: An Insider Reveals the Secrets of the Lodge, by John Salza, for the Catholic Company's book review program.  Finally--all the scoop I ever wanted on masonry.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this topic.  Written by a knowledgeable insider, the book provides thorough and straightforward insight into the Lodge, including its history, ideology, doctrines, and practices.  Salza gives an excellent analysis of Masonic ideology relative to Christianity, including a convincing argument that Masonry represents a grave error against Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.  He explores the history of the Church's opposition to the Lodge in detail.  In fact, it turns out that:

"the Catholic Church has opposed the Lodge nearly since the birth of modern Freemasonry in 1717.  Since the founding of the Grand Lodge of England...twelve different popes have collectively issued twenty-three separate condemnations of Freemasonry over a 245-year period, from the reign of Clement XII (1738) to John Paul II (1983).  If we spread the number of condemnations evenly over this period of time, we would see the Church condemning Masonry about every ten years...Rarely has the Church spoken about a topic more frequently."

The most fascinating part of the book, in my opinion, is in the chapter entitled "The Masonic Conspiracy," about the indelible impact that Masonry has had on our American society.  Like my grandfather, many Masons are hardworking, strong contributors within their communities.  Many if not most Masons are no doubt largely unaware of the darker influences within Masonry, which goes to great lengths to euphemize its broader objectives to recruits and newer members.  In addition, there is a strong link between members of our government and the Lodge; in fact, seventeen U.S. presidents have been Master Masons.  But shockingly, as Salza demonstrates, "Freemasonry has fought relentlessly to get rid of the Christian beliefs on which America was founded, and to usher in its nonsectarian worldview."  The Lodge has been instrumental in pushing the separation of Church and State, secularization of public schools, and, in fact, striving for a New World Order governed by Masonic principles--one "devoid of Christ and his Church."

If I had a criticism of this book, I'd want to suggest that I'd like to hear the arguments for the "other side," so as to understand what the Masonic response to Salza's analysis would be.  It turns out, however, that Salza plumbs the Masonic position quite thoroughly--so much so, actually, that I really don't need to know any more  arguments in favor of Masonry.  This book has truly taught me all I need to know.

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Masonry Unmasked .

Meet John XXIII

"You are in for a treat: 'To know him is to love him.'  Therefore it is a joy for me to offer you this encounter with the relatively obscure man whose quiet, steady progression in holiness across a long lifetime let him, at age seventy-seven, suddenly become one of the twentieth century's most important figures.  'The Good Pope,'' as even nonbelievers called him, was the catalyst for great changes in the Church and called the world back from the brink of nuclear disaster, among other notable things.  There is much for your soul to feed on between these covers, and yet there is still more to say about this saint for our times than I can squeeze in.  Look for more books from me on John!"

Patricia Treece opens her delightful biography of Blessed John XXIII this way, and I have to say that I agree with her assessment of her subject.  This modern-day man of such inspiring holiness lived through most of the twentieth century, with all its struggles and fast-paced technological advances, and not only greatly increased in personal holiness but left a tremendous legacy--to the Church and to the world--as well.

I had a hard time choosing a book to review this time around for the Catholic Company book reviewer program.  Following a bit of prayer for the Holy Spirit's guidance in my selection, I felt led to choose Patricia Treece's "Meet John XXIII - Joyful Pope and Father to All ."  And wouldn't you know it:  I couldn't have been more pleased--and spiritually inspired--by this book.  Not only was it fascinating to read about how Angelo Roncalli's life unfolded along the path to the Holy See as John XXIII, but Treece's biography is also so well written that it is--no kidding--a page turner.

My favorite thing about this book was definitely John XXIII himself.  It is impossible not to like this man, who was both very holy and a very nice person.  Reading about the first half of the twentieth century in southeastern Europe was also fascinating from a historical perspective.  Finally, the story of John XXIII gave me some new insight into the objectives and mission of Vatican II at its outset, as well as just the smallest peek into the factors that pulled the Council in very different directions.

My only frustration with this book was that I wanted to know more, particularly about the perspective of John's critics.  I guess I'll be watching for Treece's next book about him!

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Magnificent Magnificat

                         

Little Magnificat, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways!!  It almost feel like I'm cheating or something to get to review the Magnificat magazine for the Catholic Company.  I love this little book, and I can't even think of enough good things to say about it.

At daily Mass, I used to see the "regulars" following along with the readings in a little missal-like book, and I always wondered what it was, and whether they were in some club that I didn't know about.  Well, now I know (I'm still working on becoming a "regular" myself!).  As it turns out, they are probably Magnificat subscribers.

I have been reading the Magnificat regularly for almost a year now, and this beautiful little book makes it so easy to follow a structured daily prayer regimen.  For each day, it has prayers for the morning, Mass, and evening, including hymns, psalms, Scripture, and reflections from wise writers both ancient and current.  Short saint biographies appear around the saints' feast days, and there are also longer insightful articles for each  month at the beginning of each book and in-depth explanations of one or more pieces of liturgical art.  There is truly something for everyone, as you can read just a little of it, or all, according to your time and interest.

Magnificat also has greatly added to my understanding and appreciation for the Church's beautiful liturgical year.  The liturgical calendar for each month is included inside the front cover, and after consulting the Magnificat's morning reading, I can always announce to the kids at breakfast something like:  "Today is St. Benedict's feast day, you guys.  Did you know that he started Western monasticism?"  And they think I just know all this stuff.  Of course, from reading the Magnificat, now I do. :)

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St. Gianna: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love

                            

Ever since hearing about St. Gianna, I've wanted to learn more about her life and about her remarkable sacrifice of love.  So I was quite excited to choose "St. Gianna Beretta Molla:  A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love" as my first book to review for the Catholic Company.

The story of Gianna's life and death provides a huge inspiration and assurance that the saints are not at all holy people in the distant past, with whom we in the modern era have little in common.  She was certainly a devout and very holy woman, and she also comes across as someone who you might know in real life as a smart, talented person and a warm, devoted friend and family member.  Gianna's life reminds us that we truly are all called to be saints, and her blessed self-sacrifice is the perfect antidote to our modern-day tragic culture of death.

Gianna was born in Italy on October 4, 1922.  As well as being a wife and mother, she was a physician with her own medical practice.  In 1961, pregnant with her fourth child and having lost two children to miscarriage, Gianna was diagnosed with a large uterine fibroid tumor.  The only sure way to save her life was to remove her uterus, including her unborn child, along with the tumor.  Fully understanding the implications of her risky choice, Gianna opted to leave her baby and her uterus intact, having only the tumor removed. 

Throughout her pregnancy, Gianna was quite insistent that in the case of having to choose between her life and the baby's, her husband should not hesitate to choose the baby's.  Seven months later, in April 1962, she gave birth to baby Gianna Emanuela.  A few hours later she developed a high fever and extreme abdominal pain; she died one week later, at the age of 39.  In May 2004, Pope John Paul II officially declared her a saint.

This 32-page booklet tells Gianna's story completely and succinctly.  It includes beautiful pictures of her with her family.  (Imagine that we are in the age that we have color--digital, even!--pictures of modern saints!)  It includes an introductory note by her husband and a foreword by Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke of Saint Louis.  Following St. Gianna's story, the book includes some of her writings, and some prayers asking her intercession.

I found this to be a delightful book, and it confirmed my thoughts that St. Gianna is an amazing example of holiness in our own time, who can be especially helpful and powerful to us today.

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