tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55412061861442290472024-03-12T21:31:56.980-07:00Forgotten AltarsOur Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-87353184252823613752012-09-08T21:02:00.000-07:002012-09-08T21:10:06.230-07:00Maria Bambina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEikPbVdNSGJpBqb5MSHk5RMcKgYPcdMqHUVcXe3_NSjV8iaKAhyphenhyphendCqfGHgEf6FzdkSVcxiKpYJApFcjMzEt7sbnyktZjO7krKhUfWy2q6iqQHBbEx6fVm8_kQFvtjs-KINdVFlgzatI/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-09-07+at+7.06.16+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEikPbVdNSGJpBqb5MSHk5RMcKgYPcdMqHUVcXe3_NSjV8iaKAhyphenhyphendCqfGHgEf6FzdkSVcxiKpYJApFcjMzEt7sbnyktZjO7krKhUfWy2q6iqQHBbEx6fVm8_kQFvtjs-KINdVFlgzatI/s400/Screen+shot+2012-09-07+at+7.06.16+PM.png" width="400" /></a></i></div>
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"She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of
the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first
parents is changed." </span></i></div>
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<i><span class="LabelColumnText" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDescription"> ~St. Augustine of Hippo</span></i></div>
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<i>“The Blessed
Virgin is the spoiled child of the Blessed Trinity. </i></div>
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<i>She knows no
law. Everything yields to her in heaven and on earth. </i></div>
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<i>The whole of
heaven gazes on her with delight. </i></div>
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<i>She plays
before the ravished eyes of God himself.”</i></div>
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<i>~Raissa Maritain </i></div>
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<span class="LabelColumnText" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDescription">The feast of the Nativity of Our Lady is one of our favorites. It has, quite naturally, become one of the milestones of the liturgical year in our family. September is such a bittersweet month in the life of the Church; this week we celebrate the birth of the Blessed Mother, only to commemorate her seven sorrows a week from today. And, of course, between those two feasts we have the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on the 14th. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfA158-jGeAib6Lf4DKIyu4kMuV8LI0cLfAUnu3VkR2BmnMsM7NzmPvZk1Xf1z8LVtlZGZXY7Cwzbg4V7489leHwa7-TFczIvEGPHvmslnf7QU8UJWsOAGmAEXYHYIKcyYJ7QMv-S12I/s1600/birth-of-mary-227x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfA158-jGeAib6Lf4DKIyu4kMuV8LI0cLfAUnu3VkR2BmnMsM7NzmPvZk1Xf1z8LVtlZGZXY7Cwzbg4V7489leHwa7-TFczIvEGPHvmslnf7QU8UJWsOAGmAEXYHYIKcyYJ7QMv-S12I/s320/birth-of-mary-227x300.jpg" width="241" /></a>What makes this day - and, in fact, the entire month - even more beautiful is the way it is gravitated by the change in seasons and the harvest. <span class="LabelColumnText" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDescription">In France, the feast of the Nativity of Mary was celebrated by a blessing of grapes. In Austria, cattle and sheep were brought down from the hills in a festive caravan, to prepare for the cold winter months ahead. September marks a period of transition, both in the patterns of the seasons and in the feasts we commemorate. In this month we remember the joyous event of the birth of the Theotokos, but we do not forget the tears she shed and the sword that pierced her heart. </span></div>
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<span class="LabelColumnText" id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_lblDescription">This year we celebrated Mary's birthday by planting seeds for the fall. We also started this lovely novena from the Maria Bambina website:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><b>
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<a href="http://www.mariabambina.org/Maria%20Bambina%20Web%20page%20.htm" name="Novena to Maria Bambina">Novena to Maria
Bambina</a></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Holy Child Mary of the royal house of David, Queen of
the angels, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Mother of grace and love, I greet you with all my
heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Obtain for me the grace to love the Lord faithfully
during</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">all the days of my life. Obtain for me, too, a great
devotion</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">to you, who are the first creature of God's
love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Hail Mary, full of grace................</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">O heavenly Child Mary, who like a pure dove was
born</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">immaculate and beautiful, true prodigy of the wisdom
of</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">God, my soul rejoices in you. Oh! Do help me to
preserve</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">the angelic virtue of purity at the cost of any
sacrifice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Hail Mary, full of grace................</span></div>
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</address>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Hail, lovely and holy Child, spiritual garden of
delight, where, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">on the day of the Incarnation, the tree of life was
planted, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">assist me to avoid the poisonous fruit of vanity and
pleasures of the world. </span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Help me to engraft into my soul the thoughts,
feelings, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">and virtues of your divine Son. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Hail Mary, full of grace................</span></div>
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</address>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Hail, admirable Child Mary, Mystical Rose, closed
garden, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">open only to the heavenly Spouse. O Lily of paradise,
</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">make me love the humble and hidden life; </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">let the heavenly Spouse find the gate of my heart
always open </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">to the loving calls of His graces and inspiration.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Hail Mary, full of grace................</span></div>
<address align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
</address>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Holy Child Mary, mystical dawn, gate of heaven,
</span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">you are my trust and hope. </span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">O powerful advocate, from your cradle stretch out
your hand, </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">support me on the path of life. </span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Make me serve God with ardor and </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">constancy until death and so reach an eternity with
you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">Hail Mary, full of
grace................</span></div>
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<b>Prayer</b></div>
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Blessed Child Mary,
destined to be the Mother of God and our loving Mother, by the heavenly graces
you lavish upon us, mercifully listen to my supplications. In the needs which
press upon me from every side and especially in my present tribulation, I place
all my trust in you. </div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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</span>
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O holy Child, by the
privileges granted to you alone and by the merits which you have acquired, show
that the source of spiritual favors and the continuous benefits which you
dispense are inexhaustible, because your power with the Heart of God is
unlimited. </div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0;">
Deign through the immense profusion of graces with which the
Most High has enriched you from the first moment of your Immaculate Conception,
grant me, O Celestial Child, my petition, and I shall eternally praise the
goodness of your Immaculate Heart.</div>
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-37635508350754807812012-09-01T13:57:00.003-07:002012-09-01T21:59:48.480-07:00Blackberry Liqeuer for an Archangel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B6-ZybAtLqGqWKRTk3aZ1iW1RoQ8BBWw_qqw2SMQSxO1jw1wj2BY6QBiefISYCPaRBrlOsW435t9nuVCy_wg-A92wTITJgKiTfO103rppwdMO2E6gyUXV0XASS5Ul1GlVUcSdQDl1gk/s1600/blackberry+liqueur" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B6-ZybAtLqGqWKRTk3aZ1iW1RoQ8BBWw_qqw2SMQSxO1jw1wj2BY6QBiefISYCPaRBrlOsW435t9nuVCy_wg-A92wTITJgKiTfO103rppwdMO2E6gyUXV0XASS5Ul1GlVUcSdQDl1gk/s320/blackberry+liqueur" width="320" /></a></div>
September is an exciting time of the year because it marks an important moment in the domestic church of preparation. We anticipate many monumental feasts at this time of year, not least of which is the great feast of Christmas itself. As such, we will be publishing a series of recipes throughout September.<br />
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Of course, on September 29 is Michaelmas. Traditionally, an essential ingredient in foodstuffs of this particular feast is the blackberry. As the story goes, when Michael cast Lucifer down to earth, the Enemy fell into a blackberry bush. Blackberries were to be consumed on the feast day and forbidden thereafter. We think it is quite providential that Lucifer was cast into a berry bush that just happens to be in season this time of year.<br />
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This year, please join us in making a blackberry liqueur for this special traditional feast day. The making of liqueurs is a surprisingly simple process. We make a great number of liqueurs throughout the year, and I must say that it is immensely satisfying making something that is easily comparable with store-bought products but for a fraction of the price. You name the liqueur, you can almost certainly make it at home!<br />
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<b>Blackberry Liqueur Recipe</b><br />
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Ingredients<br />
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1.) 3 cups of 80 proof vodka<br />
2.) 3 cups of blackberries<br />
3.) 1 Cup of Sugar<br />
4.) 1 Cup of Water<br />
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Put the sugar and water in a saucepan, and heat slowly, stirring regularly. When the sugar is completely dissolved, cool to room temperature. You have just made simple syrup. <br />
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Place the syrup, vodka and blackberries in a large mason jar (or the like). Do not cut or crush the berries and do not stir the mixture! Put the jar aside in a cool dark environment for 10-12 days.<br />
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After this infusion period, strain the berries out of the liqueur. Do not crush them! Next, strain the berries through a coriander, then a fine mesh strainer and finally through stocking fabric.<br />
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The liqueur is now ready to be drunk, but it will certainly increase in quality with age. Age it in a cool dark environment until Michaelmas. Slainte mhathe!<br />
<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-67089679136554669782012-08-22T22:44:00.001-07:002012-08-22T22:44:19.022-07:00The Great Lady<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="http://www.friendsofart.net/en/art/master-of-the-saint-lucy-legend/mary-queen-of-heaven" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtyFNVsZKKnXX70OL9KIRVge9i4BLr39YaAJy4VTBH16RF-GhdfJ-sD2M2VkfXIEkz-aM66wtcOo3UGKZXqfxqeL22CcFt8fqVl8K_sDP8ayrzUVNeqt_IfVB-ApmkGfbRn3AB2si5sYA/s320/master-of-the-saint-lucy-legend-mary-queen-of-heaven.jpg" title="http://www.friendsofart.net/en/art/master-of-the-saint-lucy-legend/mary-queen-of-heaven" width="258" /></div>
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It's fascinating that in our "enlightened" age, devoid of kings and queens and even disparaging of anything remotely "royal," not one but <i>two </i>royal titles have been given to Christ and His Mother. Here is a brief excerpt from "Ad Caeli Reginam," or "On Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary," by Pope Pius XII. Queen of Heaven, pray for us! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwW1CuJP4ZzTkzhNMNkMzU4iiNiZJJRwSzc86vUKH-tVCYBL5K26s-4sWhF3obZF3mWFwzYn0ZttQefgP1KZT2XHbu16tztnziuZBXDw5yjGTefWstW5DRSbyxka8rwMDXpgcCdtmNvw/s1600/496px-Unknown_painter_-_Coronation_of_Mary_-_WGA24048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unknown_painter_-_Coronation_of_Mary_-_WGA24048.jpg" border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwW1CuJP4ZzTkzhNMNkMzU4iiNiZJJRwSzc86vUKH-tVCYBL5K26s-4sWhF3obZF3mWFwzYn0ZttQefgP1KZT2XHbu16tztnziuZBXDw5yjGTefWstW5DRSbyxka8rwMDXpgcCdtmNvw/s320/496px-Unknown_painter_-_Coronation_of_Mary_-_WGA24048.jpg" title="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unknown_painter_-_Coronation_of_Mary_-_WGA24048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i> "Besides, the Blessed Virgin possessed, after </i><br />
<i>Christ, not only the
highest degree of excellence and perfection, but also a share in that
influence by which He, her Son and our Redeemer, is rightly said to
reign over the minds and wills of men. For if through His Humanity the
divine Word performs miracles and gives graces, if He uses His
Sacraments and Saints as instruments for the salvation of men, why
should He not make use of the role and work of His most holy Mother in
imparting to us the fruits of redemption? "With a heart that is truly a
mother's," to quote again Our Predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX,
"does she approach the problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for
the whole human race; made Queen of heaven and earth by the Lord,
exalted above all choirs of angels and saints, and standing at the right
hand of her only a Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she intercedes
powerfully for us with a mother's prayers, obtains what she seeks, and
cannot be refused." On this point another of Our Predecessors of
happy memory, Leo XIII, has said that an "almost immeasurable" power has
been given Mary in the distribution of graces; St. Pius X adds that
she fills this office "as by the right of a mother." Let all Christians, therefore, glory in being subjects of the Virgin
Mother of God, who, while wielding royal power, is on fire with a
mother's love."</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRrvbttuEdat5H_0JO7_IoHCeMO_unmZl4sGE_KWFzA6PKPShUqu48Hq7rljd9s3LxyM9fKCwKwDwKwFdCvj7RbCXE5B9qIy_N57YP8IIQ_ANVNDlPsxhdDKSMopRcMQOCrFhwtT8CV0/s1600/DE_LIS15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/medieval/zoom.php?id=103" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRrvbttuEdat5H_0JO7_IoHCeMO_unmZl4sGE_KWFzA6PKPShUqu48Hq7rljd9s3LxyM9fKCwKwDwKwFdCvj7RbCXE5B9qIy_N57YP8IIQ_ANVNDlPsxhdDKSMopRcMQOCrFhwtT8CV0/s400/DE_LIS15.jpg" title="http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/medieval/zoom.php?id=103" width="260" /></a></div>
<i><b>Ave Regina Caelorum</b></i><br />
<i> </i><br />
Hail, O Queen of Heaven enthroned.<br />
Hail, by angels mistress owned.<br />
Root of Jesse, Gate of Morn<br />
Whence the world's true light was born:<br />
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Glorious Virgin, Joy to thee,<br />
Loveliest whom in heaven they see;<br />
Fairest thou, where all are fair,<br />
Plead with Christ our souls to spare.<br />
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V. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin.<br />
R. Give me strength against thine enemies.<br />
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Let us pray: We beseech thee, O Lord, mercifully to assist our
infirmity: that like as we do now commemorate Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin,
Mother of God; so by the help of her intercession we may die to our
former sins and rise again to newness of life. Through the same Christ
our Lord. Amen.<br />
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<i> </i> Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-53494049072273387642012-08-03T00:54:00.000-07:002012-08-03T00:54:29.793-07:00Why I Don't Miss My Maiden Name<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxPyypIPU8jjLxvjsTcRi3P4b4_xBz_YlBN62m5iN9-zJPirHGgHM8847kSr7ICjHymGuMizJWUCSrOrNa1iYTfqG0FJPklLw-Bi3c9-WLxXIcLubxznYHcyc0fsbKvVS7QkmV4Qgpys/s1600/medievalbridalfeast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxPyypIPU8jjLxvjsTcRi3P4b4_xBz_YlBN62m5iN9-zJPirHGgHM8847kSr7ICjHymGuMizJWUCSrOrNa1iYTfqG0FJPklLw-Bi3c9-WLxXIcLubxznYHcyc0fsbKvVS7QkmV4Qgpys/s1600/medievalbridalfeast.jpg" /></a></div>
As summer concludes, love is in the air. My husband is away right now at a family wedding, my brother ties the knot in a little more than a month, and mu husband and I just celebrated our five-year anniversary last week. Matrimony is on my mind.<br />
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I never would have imagined ten years ago that I would be where I am now - happily married with two lovely children. My ambition was to travel the world (by myself), get a decent education (by myself), and start a successful career (probably by myself...although at that point I would be a bit flexible, seeing as I would be about 30 or so). Now, four years shy of 30 and five years into my marriage, I can only thank my Creator. Because what really fueled my desire to be "by myself" was a despair that I would ever find someone. <br />
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During this period of despair, I also pledged that I would never change my maiden name. To do so would be to turn my back on my identity and passively lean on my husband's. We modern women must protect ourselves from the onslaught of chauvinism, after all. And, as stated by the Lucy Stone League:<br />
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<b>"This tradition of name-abandonement by women is so much a part of U.S. culture that few recognize it for what it is: a powerful instance of sex discrimination which has a major effect on women."</b><br />
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Major effect, indeed. I find myself signing my letters not only with my husband's last name, but also his first (preceded by the archaic "Mrs."). The Lucy Stone League continues:<br />
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"<b>When girls are growing up, they see what they have to look forward to: the abandonment of their identity into the identity of another... The message to mothers is: 'Your name is not important. Your family history is not important." Of course, their children see the same message, 'I have my father's name because my mother's pre-marriage name is not important.'"</b><br />
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I, too, once felt this sentiment. It's hard for me to put my finger on the exact moment it changed. But it wasn't hard for me to choose to change my maiden name. Part of that was because I had finally found a man whose name I wanted to take - for me, this was a sign of utmost respect. But mostly, I realized that taking my husband's name was not to denounce my previous identity, but rather to enrich it.<br />
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Lucy Stone had one thing right: names are not indifferent. To take another man's family name is momentous. However, as Catholics our names are fluid and dynamic. The transition from one surname to another is not simply a loss of identity; it is a deepening of that identity. In the case of marriage, this deepening is directly tied to the other - to my husband. The decision to take his name was simultaneously a commitment to discovering the truth about myself, my place in the world, and most importantly, my vocation as wife and mother.<br />
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So why do women have to change their names and not men? Isn't this an obvious example of gender discrimination? I suppose it could be seen that way, assuming that your husband, society, or some other outside entity <i>forced </i>you to change your name, simply because you were a woman. I felt no such pressure. I wanted to change my name, to make my unity with my husband concrete and undeniable. I think there is something in women that longs for that metamorphosis. As much as I loved my maiden name, I don't miss it. <br />
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That being said, it certainly isn't arbitrary that the woman takes the man's name. This is an immense topic that really requires an entire Socratic dialogue (and we know those Greeks were long-winded). Unfortunately, it's bedtime for me. In the meantime, I leave you with this snippet (seemingly unrelated, but truly pertinent) from one of G.K Chesteron's essays on the nature of domesticity, or what we moderns call "gender roles":<br />
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<b><span class="text2">Modern women defend their office with all the fierceness of
domesticity. They fight for desk and typewriter as for hearth and home, and
develop a sort of wolfish wifehood on behalf of the invisible head of the firm.
That is why they do office work so well; and that is why they ought not to do
it. </span></b><br />
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-18765935681731720962012-08-01T23:43:00.000-07:002012-08-01T23:43:30.962-07:00And the Two Will Become One Flesh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If I learned one thing about philosophers during my academic adventures, it's that they have an uncanny ability to find profundity in seemingly ordinary aspects of human existence. From Aristotle's examination of the parts of animals to Heidegger's essays on technology, the philosopher refuses to be satisfied with what first strikes the eye, insisting on a deeper inquiry. This tendency can be exhausting and even mundane when pursued for its own sake. But every so often, the philosopher hits on a bedrock of truth.<br />
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Yesterday as I observed my one-year-old playing with her hands (she is especially fascinated with her hands and feet right now), I was reminded of one such insight that I found particularly intriguing in grad school. In his famous work <i>Phenomenology of Perception</i>, Maurice Merleau-Ponty uses the example of two hands touching to illustrate sensory experience:<br />
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When I press my two hands together, it is not a matter of two
sensations felt together as one perceives two objects placed side by
side, but an ambiguous set-up in which both hands can alternate the
rôles of ‘touching’ and being ‘touched.’</blockquote>
Several phenomenologists (a fancy term used to designate philosophers that belong to this particular school of thought) used this example to illustrate the way in which human beings struggle to obtain a purely subjective or objective perspective. It is impossible to say, when the two hands touch, which hand touches which. The two are entangled and intertwined in such a way that the border itself becomes ambiguous. The hands sense and are sensed simultaneously. This ambiguity is of prime importance for phenomenology.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItSyFt2wi-qlDSEeDcKbJLGX46_9yhqw8cWdnz7N_Mo9Jctzxl9SkQ422lDwtCRiWjcYa5KDtwEJaq3mI-1D4GV7E7-YdpUFMsYtj94Dpj2wurcW6l8fG1rOpwQDhcImPlgnXzmZqB2c/s1600/hands2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItSyFt2wi-qlDSEeDcKbJLGX46_9yhqw8cWdnz7N_Mo9Jctzxl9SkQ422lDwtCRiWjcYa5KDtwEJaq3mI-1D4GV7E7-YdpUFMsYtj94Dpj2wurcW6l8fG1rOpwQDhcImPlgnXzmZqB2c/s1600/hands2.jpg" /></a>As I watched my toddler attempt to tickle her own palm (she just doesn't quite get that you can't tickle yourself), I was struck with the thought that this ambiguity extends into the realm of the domestic church - of the family. In previous posts, my husband and I have spoken against the idea that each family member is an isolated individual, a self-sustaining unit that is simply part of a well-oiled machine that is known as a "family." In order for there to be any change in the contemporary notions of what it is to be a family, this fundamental assumption must change. A family is not simply the sum of its individual parts.<br />
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Like the example of the hands, the relation of each family member to the next is not crystal clear. Although we can certainly distinguish certain roles and tendencies for each family member, it is not clear that each exists apart from the other. In reality, the members of the family are always "touching," to use the example of the two hands. They sustain each other, conflict with each other, perhaps even repulse each other...but they are always and everywhere in relation.<br />
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The funny thing about the example of the hands is that it presupposes a human being with two hands who passes judgment on the sensory contact. The person whose hands touch each other has a strange ability to feel that movement "from inside," if you will, and pass judgement on that feeling. When you touch your hands together, you feel the pressure on each fingertip, the transfer of weight from one to another. The border is always there, though it is always ambiguous.<br />
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If only we could feel our families "from inside." We might see that we are not as isolated as we believe. So often we view a husband and wife as two unique individuals with their own individual rights, and so forth. In this view, the idea of "becoming one flesh" is simply that: a lovely idea, but not a concrete reality. If only we could feel that border between man and wife, mother and daughter, father and son, from the inside. We might see that our personal "bubbles" are only a product of self will.<br />
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Interestingly, for Catholics the prayer position is one in which the hands are intertwined. May it remind us that we do not exist for ourselves, by ourselves, or from ourselves.Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-55958420664129040702012-07-23T14:20:00.004-07:002012-07-23T14:20:58.145-07:00Mara's Musings - Honey: The Kingly Preservative<i>Note: We are blessed to have many friends and family members who share our fascination with Catholic traditions and their application in the domestic church. Here is the first of (hopefully) many posts from one of them, our lovely sister Mara. Check back for more of "Mara's Musings" on Mondays!</i><br />
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<i>Recently, we were speaking with Mara, who is particularly fond of the honeybee, and were impressed by her ambition to someday become a beekeeper. Honey and bees are fundamental symbols within Christianity and paganism. Honey represents both the sweetness of life and its preservation. The bee is the diligent warrior-worker who strives to bring sweetness into the world through community. We were excited to hear Mara talk so passionately about the subject matter and asked if she could share some of her thoughts about honey, bees, and their place in the domestic church on Forgotten Altars. </i><i><br /></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>A drop of honey catches more flies than a barrel of vinegar</i>.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> ~ Old Proverb </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Honey is older than human civilization. It</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> has been used through the centuries for ritual as well as practical purposes. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For example, if you seal and store honey it will last forever because it is a natural preservative, which is why it was used to embalm</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial; font-size: 16px;"> dead bodies. The kings of Sparta were embalmed in honey, and Alexander the Great was laid in a golden coffin filled with white honey. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Honey was also used in Egyptian coffins as well to prevent bacterial growth. It's not only fit for kings; honey has been used as a folk remedy for ages</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> to lower a fever, ward off</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> snake bites, relieve aches and pains and get rid of hay fever.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxpqv1k30fm-iBZdAoxuj6jldV8IaCXkb_ON2P6K-7vHNxW-_EtlxBmyKNxQ8eWe26EBf8B8MFpKu3e0yTK6H5zAfyMeGCQko-X5uYG8kEmS4ZLF0SiFy4FYHo33dqQANJIbNFUy3bX0/s1600/Abeilles_en_or_provenant_de_la_tombe_du_roi_Child%3Fric_Ier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxpqv1k30fm-iBZdAoxuj6jldV8IaCXkb_ON2P6K-7vHNxW-_EtlxBmyKNxQ8eWe26EBf8B8MFpKu3e0yTK6H5zAfyMeGCQko-X5uYG8kEmS4ZLF0SiFy4FYHo33dqQANJIbNFUy3bX0/s320/Abeilles_en_or_provenant_de_la_tombe_du_roi_Child%3Fric_Ier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bee's Buried with Childeric</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The bee is more honored than other animals, not because it labors,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> but because it labors for others”</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> ~St. John Chrysostom</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There are many more things I could tell you about honey, and there is a wealth of information out there if you want to learn more about how to make or use it. But how does this relate to the domestic church? The most important thing for us as </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Catholics is the symbolism of the worker bee. The worker bees are a symbol of the religious men </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and women in the church. Like the worker bees we need to work unceasingly for our hive </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(the church), obeying our superiors and, most importantly, our Queen. We, like the bee, would </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">scatter without our Queen.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> We need to be like the warrior bee as well by defending our hive, even if it means dying in the </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">process. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJB6ueYI-DjRWsgOThXgH7MU-a4DBTdplxNowBWaH0FWUOlOwrCku3yXH6TwburACcUZHFNgVnFX3P-eAM37KZH-ptVQHwbNUO42z4G7zU6ZkQ6-D-SjacLkC-KQ4DFgucbH8lNHupgE/s1600/Animal-Insect-Bees-Medieval-Two-bee-hives-fleur-de-lys-type-background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJB6ueYI-DjRWsgOThXgH7MU-a4DBTdplxNowBWaH0FWUOlOwrCku3yXH6TwburACcUZHFNgVnFX3P-eAM37KZH-ptVQHwbNUO42z4G7zU6ZkQ6-D-SjacLkC-KQ4DFgucbH8lNHupgE/s320/Animal-Insect-Bees-Medieval-Two-bee-hives-fleur-de-lys-type-background.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>He who deals with honey will sometimes be licking his fingers.</i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> ~ Old Proverb </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That being said, part of being Catholic is also enjoying the good fruit of the earth. While doing my research I happened to run into a scripture cake. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Scripture cakes date back to the colonial days. It is a riddle cake to </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">test the cook's familiarity with the Bible. The cook is not given the list of ingredients, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but has to look them up based on corresponding Scripture passages. As an example, in Samuel 14:29 it says “See how my eyes </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">have become bright, because I tasted a little of this honey.” By reading this passage the cook </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">knows to add honey in the amount designated in the recipe. This is a great family activity - and the results are delicious!</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 27px;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 27px;">Scripture Cake</span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 27px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">(Don't cheat! Look up the ingredients before you read the instructions below:)</span></i></span></div>
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</style><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">4 1/2 cups – 1 Kings 4:22
<br />
1/2 teaspoon – Leviticus 2:13<br />
2 tablespoons- Amos 4:5
<br />
1/2 teaspoon- Chronicles 9:9
<br />
1/2 cup- Judges 5:25
<br />
1 1/3 cups- 1 Samuel 14:29
<br />
6- Jeremiah 17:11
<br />
2 tablespoons- Judges 4:19<br />
2 cups- Nahum 3:12
<br />
1 1/2 cups-Numbers 17:8
<br />
2 cups- 1 Samuel 30:12
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<i>Now proceed with the recipe...</i><br />
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</style><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sift together the flour,
salt ,baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon each of<br />
of cinnamon, mace, cloves, allspice, and ginger. Set aside.<br />
<br />
Beat the butter until creamy. Stir in the honey. Then beat in the eggs,<br />
one at a time. Add the milk. Mix well. Stir in the flour mixture.<br />
<br />
Chop the figs. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of flour until they are <br />
lightly coated all over. Add the figs, almonds, and raisins to the batter. Stir well.<br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Butter a 10 inch round pan
with removable sides. Dust it with flour. Pour in the batter. Bake until a
toothpick inserted into the center comes clean, about 2 hours. Cool
completely and enjoy.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">
</span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <wbr></wbr> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></div>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-63850194463749795402012-07-13T12:38:00.000-07:002012-07-13T12:38:36.661-07:00Tolkien on the Eucharist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmgWFmpFxA4D2t_Vv2kdOcGn0mat37alSa4_tMhHoVX_ZcACZRZnmOYxvXmQqLFdMDNgD-wUtxfGUFDdSEIkvPkrNzwwZrENmVVaC2fq-dbTfQyFZN07316knLPK_2MEzTrcY-p3SMgk/s1600/tumblr_lx8777mZs11qd79ozo1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmgWFmpFxA4D2t_Vv2kdOcGn0mat37alSa4_tMhHoVX_ZcACZRZnmOYxvXmQqLFdMDNgD-wUtxfGUFDdSEIkvPkrNzwwZrENmVVaC2fq-dbTfQyFZN07316knLPK_2MEzTrcY-p3SMgk/s320/tumblr_lx8777mZs11qd79ozo1_400.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I
put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed
Sacrament... There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and
the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that:
Death. By the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the
surrender of all, and yet by the taste -or foretaste- of which alone can
what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy)
be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal
endurance, which every man's heart desires.<br /><br />The only cure for
sagging or fainting faith is Communion. Though always Itself, perfect
and complete and inviolate, the Blessed Sacrament does not operate
completely and once for all in any of us. Like the act of Faith it must
be continuous and grow by exercise. Frequency is of the highest effect.
Seven times a week is more nourishing than seven times at intervals.<br /><br />Also I can recommend this as an exercise (alas! only too easy to find opportunity for): make your communion in circumstances that affront your taste.
Choose a snuffling or gabbling priest or a proud and vulgar friar; and a
church full of the usual bourgeois crowd, ill-behaved children - from
those who yell to those products of Catholic schools who the moment the
tabernacle is opened sit back and yawn - open necked and dirty youths,
women in trousers and often with hair both unkempt and uncovered. Go to
communion with them (and pray for them). It will be just the same (or
better than that) as a mass said beautifully by a visibly holy man, and
shared by a few devout and decorous people. It could not be worse than
the mess of the feeding of the Five Thousand - after which our Lord
propounded the feeding that was to come."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien</span>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-54831764571291428282012-07-06T12:09:00.003-07:002012-07-06T12:09:58.377-07:00Octopus vs. Chicken: Which is More Catholic?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuA_q4lWgGroPUT4PntQWVfGcKDYQmpm5El33CKklP9UwOSpUjVoaUF9cNbfk0ZzRE6NL6jzeqOJZzyEGtu6KaY23Z2i_F2xmcg6BVYtDqkIHfs6dIolEPiJ_amO6KLgbVp3sDmC3KZLI/s1600/octopus1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuA_q4lWgGroPUT4PntQWVfGcKDYQmpm5El33CKklP9UwOSpUjVoaUF9cNbfk0ZzRE6NL6jzeqOJZzyEGtu6KaY23Z2i_F2xmcg6BVYtDqkIHfs6dIolEPiJ_amO6KLgbVp3sDmC3KZLI/s320/octopus1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Much to my wife's dismay, I have always wanted a pet octopus. In her eyes, the octopus is slimy, alien and generally creepy. To me, they are fascinating animals with unusual intelligence and distinct playfulness. One of my favorite octopus qualities is their ferocity. They have, for instance, been filmed taking out sharks (see clip below). Simultaneously they have a distinct sense of humor. Sometimes, because baby octopuses are so difficult to identify, you are "unlucky" enough to get a blue ring octopus, which has one of the most lethal venoms in the world. Fantastic! So for years I have been daydreaming about having an octopus. Should I name him Houdini (they are infamous escape artists - one reportedly made it all the way down the driveway to the mailbox before expiring) or Odysseus (the octopus was the tricky hero's totem)?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvs0I8DQJKBw8EYbLnTnvDyC1It7DOeJrtQPvzACUz7GdYCi1D46w1TPW3EpLW4l0Gyx-Z5gUiRp-OEht1Y7i3GNEHB548duw2v7024wLTd0rz6Aft4KoOFjB_IYsfwpU8yJMCqBgmL8/s1600/rjf_rooster3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvs0I8DQJKBw8EYbLnTnvDyC1It7DOeJrtQPvzACUz7GdYCi1D46w1TPW3EpLW4l0Gyx-Z5gUiRp-OEht1Y7i3GNEHB548duw2v7024wLTd0rz6Aft4KoOFjB_IYsfwpU8yJMCqBgmL8/s320/rjf_rooster3.jpg" width="320" /></a>The simple truth, though, is that as the King Papa (the official title bestowed upon me by my three year old) I have to make careful decisions. All projects of the kingdom are limited by at least two precious resources: time and money. Given these unfortunate limitations, I have no doubt that it is my distinct responsibility to pursue those projects that most distinctly contribute to the Catholic kingdom and domestic church we are building. <br />
<br />
No problem. Based off of what I have discussed above, is not the octopus a most Catholic beast? Besides the fact that all animals are Catholic, the octopus possesses come of the most important Catholic characteristics. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/p9A-oxUMAy8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Still, I have to admit, perhaps my wife is right. I cannot help, even in the throes of my octopus research, to think that the chicken is an even more Catholic beast. Firstly, the chicken is also fierce.<i> </i> That seems like a fundamental contradiction but it is true. You know it if you've ever had one. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-p7Y7fjApAma5f-2GHv8roHFxgdc7bBf4EkfDbI97HeHEMt6M5PW5rc7Zs8YCrScNrU8lSkKhtVZxiVdhWgbCJReHe2BXhGEAB9WgEf0w4SMugII8xXY7VBAvUUMBmTxjr3L-C031dk/s1600/blue-ringed-octopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-p7Y7fjApAma5f-2GHv8roHFxgdc7bBf4EkfDbI97HeHEMt6M5PW5rc7Zs8YCrScNrU8lSkKhtVZxiVdhWgbCJReHe2BXhGEAB9WgEf0w4SMugII8xXY7VBAvUUMBmTxjr3L-C031dk/s320/blue-ringed-octopus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Venomous Blue Ringed Octopus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
More importantly however, having chickens and investing your time and money in this direction establishes a gift-structure within the familial domain. As the family gives the chickens food, shelter and loving care, the chicken offers eggs, meat <i>and</i> the experience of this mutual generosity. It is important, I think, to focus our energy, time and resources towards projects of parallel domestic wealth. It isn't the case that you won't learn anything from the octopus. I grew up in a home with salt water tanks, snakes, turtles, hedgehogs, parrots, etc. You will learn something. But frequently, these more exotic interests (all of which are also time-consuming and frequently expensive) simply do not offer the singular sort of benefit suggested above. These sorts of pets end up being individualistically oriented and a bit more like science projects than enriching relations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwhU6aWaGHJkQbQfvm1hJsfavj6NEFqKTGZ7jyg1AcnI85HMzPL3ka0RWm_tzAPM6uE87EJAl_QKKm5Uz74IQAXBx0BlcJWzGj6msDDYNNvJ452Z26MMRQewMTyiMYQc7FK8f_SyKe7s/s1600/New-Purple-Octopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwhU6aWaGHJkQbQfvm1hJsfavj6NEFqKTGZ7jyg1AcnI85HMzPL3ka0RWm_tzAPM6uE87EJAl_QKKm5Uz74IQAXBx0BlcJWzGj6msDDYNNvJ452Z26MMRQewMTyiMYQc7FK8f_SyKe7s/s320/New-Purple-Octopus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I tend to jump near obsessively into projects, but time has to be spent carefully in the Domestic Kingdom.Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-16942639395291440762012-07-04T13:44:00.002-07:002012-07-04T13:44:46.606-07:00HHS Mandate, The Fourth of July - A Time of Opportunity<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bkrbrBWxfmWPlew0RlEWpuRBRTD945DsDj-NTur9kDKdDkOJ_VbnqDT0aSTg-5eXFLSWk2rfM4QzxZdTtSvs8I4k5HQ29gwBumCM8_WxkmeTomna4zMbSolNIL7qUojRs6_VTIhYiBU/s1600/spirit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bkrbrBWxfmWPlew0RlEWpuRBRTD945DsDj-NTur9kDKdDkOJ_VbnqDT0aSTg-5eXFLSWk2rfM4QzxZdTtSvs8I4k5HQ29gwBumCM8_WxkmeTomna4zMbSolNIL7qUojRs6_VTIhYiBU/s1600/spirit.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I cannot tell you how excited I am about the position that Catholics are being put in today... most clearly by the HHS Mandate, but also by a near endless myriad of other issues that grow more fanged and poisonous with each passing month.<br />
<br />
The time has finally come when Catholics may begin to realize that their increasing difficulties in today's culture are not, nor have they been, in a set of issues. Our difficulty is on the level of ideology, of philosophical foundation. We have been blissfully unconscious of this inconvenient fact. But now it is foisted upon us. Increasingly, as our culture, systems and government become more and more centralized (something which is certainly not antithetical to Catholicism in and of itself), we are forced to recognize that Catholic culture is in essential discord with this current central American identity and character. We find ourselves being placed in a constructed, ironclad system to which we can only be acid.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRb07NO_xJib1VNEmLhph9hBm-kdH7bBRv2D61iWO4JdL8UxDKb23Bnl2ipZajzVJ0xbs2vdXpibJ7bXaPZj4F0Xr3alUhym8zTSb_V5yHpOFfvlDfoyKA4Fs49-qZMOneXV7prcHCXuU/s1600/Riots1844staugestine-thumb-400x214-274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRb07NO_xJib1VNEmLhph9hBm-kdH7bBRv2D61iWO4JdL8UxDKb23Bnl2ipZajzVJ0xbs2vdXpibJ7bXaPZj4F0Xr3alUhym8zTSb_V5yHpOFfvlDfoyKA4Fs49-qZMOneXV7prcHCXuU/s320/Riots1844staugestine-thumb-400x214-274.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burning of St. Augustine's Church in the 1844 Philadelphia Bible Riots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Certainly the Founding Fathers would not see this as a strange turn of events. As Samuel Adams said in 1768 "I did verily believe, as I do still, that much more is to be dreaded from the growth of popery in America, than from the Stamp Act, or any other acts destructive of civil rights." Certainly Adams was not unique in holding this attitude and this is no doubt why Catholics were banned from voting in many of the colonies. These were honest days.<br />
<br />
But truly, has anything changed beyond the veil?<br />
<br />
As John Locke teaches, and as the System we find ourselves in will no doubt begin more and more to assert, Catholics can never be trusted politically by a centralized secular nation. Why? Because we have outside (centralized) loyalties. <br />
<br />
1.) We are loyal to the Pope<br />
<br />
2.) We are loyal to Reality (which we posit we can know- a claim in and of itself revolutionary in today's society).<br />
<br />
The government, the founding fathers, radical liberals are not wrong to see us as potentially dangerous. They are quite correct. Catholicism cannot, by essence of its nature, subscribe to Social Contract theories because, ironically, these inevitably lead to the de-sacralization of the human person, not to mention human culture.<br />
<br />
So on this Fourth of July, 2012, I only want to say thank-you. I would like to thank Almighty Providence for allowing centuries of persecution to begin to show themselves for what they are. I would like to thank the government for being bold enough to persecute Catholics more honestly.<br />
<br />
On this Fourth of July, 2012, I can only kneel down and be thankful for Catholicism. <i>Vivat Papa!</i><br />
<br />
<u><i>Long Live the Pope - A Traditional Hymn</i></u><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Long live the Pope his praises sound again and yet again</span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His rule is over space and time his throne the hearts of men<br />All hail the Shepherd King of Rome the theme of loving song<br />Let all the earth his glory sing and heav'n the strain prolong.<br />Let all the earth his glory sing and heav'n the strain prolong.<br /><br />Beleaguered by the foes of earth beset by hosts of hell.<br />He guards the loyal flock of Christ a watchful sentinel<br />And yet amid the din and strife the clash of mace and sword<br />He bears alone the shepherd staff this champion of the Lord.<br />He bears alone the shepherd staff this champion of the Lord.</span></span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-1089656843986148082012-06-27T14:44:00.000-07:002012-06-27T14:44:52.543-07:00Hey, Parents - Leave Those Kids At Home: Part 2<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVBbMxhCXhQP1hMKtnh1V-2xF1r6DLdP4wgKSJ_qJvwR_MOdroCDoEKxlT66vxvOp2Veriap3AE1IIiaiDsHQXzzIGLHgXvzc7C9Jkfzru0nowBru97oKK23oSfSkidIiQuLVhbWDtDY/s1600/50sfamily-bk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVBbMxhCXhQP1hMKtnh1V-2xF1r6DLdP4wgKSJ_qJvwR_MOdroCDoEKxlT66vxvOp2Veriap3AE1IIiaiDsHQXzzIGLHgXvzc7C9Jkfzru0nowBru97oKK23oSfSkidIiQuLVhbWDtDY/s320/50sfamily-bk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not as easy as it looks.</td></tr>
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A few weeks ago we posted about the <a href="http://forgottenaltars.blogspot.com/2012/06/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-at-home-on.html" target="_blank">importance of bringing young children to Mass.</a> As parents of two young children, we understand that this is easier said than done. It's difficult to remember your convictions about bringing your toddler to be in the Real Presence of Christ when she's squealing, squirming, or, at worst, screaming.<br />
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There is a temptation, after a particularly stressful streak of Sunday Mass experiences, to formulate ways to compromise with these tyrannical toddlers. The line of argument may start like this: "My toddler misbehaves at Mass. I want to continue bringing her to Mass because I think it is important. Perhaps if I compromise and bring some distractions to Mass, Sundays will be more bearable for all of us..."<br />
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The compromise may go further. Let's say you decide to make a "Mass goodie bag" for your toddler, with all her favorite toys. Dora dolls, Thomas trains, princess books, dinosaurs, SpongeBob, and all the other things kids like these days. You do it with your toddler to get her all excited about Mass. You designate it as "the Mass Bag" and explain that it's just for Sundays, which are special days after all.<br />
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Let's suppose this trick actually works. You never have another outburst during the Consecration. The goodie bag has the simultaneous benefits of allowing kids to be in the Lord's presence and maintaining quiet. Problem solved. In the words of Bob the Builder, "Can We Fix It???<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcJrOA_wXkOgbb9fNjIqvqiNkeQSakpbWjNiH1JgPuS1JDBJZ1n397axES-50QcwDgB949vzbrYmJ5ycvjf5J0S5I4870EVgc7CQd-KWWit4hAH_6eILhzkOoFtvcfJ3R6KYyMDYJFXE/s1600/bob+the+builder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcJrOA_wXkOgbb9fNjIqvqiNkeQSakpbWjNiH1JgPuS1JDBJZ1n397axES-50QcwDgB949vzbrYmJ5ycvjf5J0S5I4870EVgc7CQd-KWWit4hAH_6eILhzkOoFtvcfJ3R6KYyMDYJFXE/s1600/bob+the+builder.jpg" /></a></div>
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The problem is, Bob and friends have nothing to do with the Mass. This is where we'd like to develop our previous post a bit more. It isn't <i>just</i> about bringing your children to Mass. The Mass is not playtime; it is an opportunity for catechesis (really!). As a commenter pointed out last time, toddlers are at an ideal age for religious instruction. They catch on to these things more than we adults might realize. The point of bringing children to Mass is not simply to teach them to behave and sit still for an extended period of time. It is to instruct them in the Faith and introduce them to Christ and His saints.<br />
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At the same time, we also feel that parents must meet their children where they are. We're not necessarily against the "Mass bag," as long as its contents are sacred and point children to Christ. At this stage, little ones learn primarily by touching and manipulating objects. Although we've seen families with 2-year-olds who can sit through Mass with no catechetical objects, our own children do best when they have a book to look through or other appropriate object. But it is important that the items we bring to Mass are a reminder of why we are there to begin with. Fun and quiet an activity as it may be, coloring a picture of the latest Disney princess does nothing to instruct our children in the Faith. It simply distracts them from their surroundings, and the Mass becomes mere background noise to their Disney fantasy world.<br />
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That being said, finding beautiful and sacred items for toddlers and preschoolers can be a challenge. We dislike the tendency to animate the truths of the Faith with cartoons and other "toddler friendly" products (although we do have a soft spot for Tomie dePaola). Why? Because toddlers really are capable of more. Beauty is a transcendental, and its universality does not exclude children in diapers. <br />
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We thought we'd share in this post some items that we've found, and would love any suggestions from our dear readers. After all, parental support is always welcome in these matters!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images from "The Saving Name of God the Son"</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li><b>Board Books (for children who revel in shredding paper): </b><i>The Saving Name of God the Son, My Golden Book of Saints, My First Bible Stories</i> (dePaola), <i>Our Guardian Angels</i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Picture books with real paper: </b><i>St. George and the Dragon, The Nativity </i>(Ruth Sanderson), <i>A is for Altar, B is for Bible, </i> <i>Saints: Lives and Illuminations </i>(Sanderson), <i>Lucia, Saint of Light </i>(Hyde), <i>The Monk Who Grew Prayer, The Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica, The Weight of a Mass, My Path to Heaven</i><i> </i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Prayer Books/Bibles/Saint Books: </b><i>The Young People's Book of Saints, Illustrated Catechism for Little Children, Jesus, Make Me Worthy, The Cathechism In Pictures...</i>Pretty much anything from the <a href="http://www.fraternitypublications.com/childrens.html" target="_blank">FSSP Publishing Company!</a></li>
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<ul>
<li><b>Toys<i>/</i>Stickers/Coloring Books: </b>We've really been impressed with these coloring books illustrated by <a href="http://www.aquinasandmore.com/fuseaction/store.authorsearch/sort/popularity/productsperpage/24/layout/grid/currentpage/1/author/1673" target="_blank">Katherine Sotnik</a>. There are several other options for coloring books at <a href="http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-books-gifts/coloring/category/56" target="_blank">AquinasAndMore</a>. Although there are Catholic lacing cards for sale on the Internet, it would be easy to make your own with sturdy cardboard and beautiful Catholic images from Christmas cards and calendars. Speaking of calendars, the <a href="http://www.fraternitypublications.com/oursaandfest.html" target="_blank"><i>Saints and Feasts Sticker Album</i></a> at the FSSP's publisher also looks really beautiful. Building a collection of holy cards is another quiet way to teach your children about the Saints and give them something to do at Mass (our daughter loves sorting her holy cards into men/women/dragon slaying saints during the homily)</li>
</ul>
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If you take time to look around online, you can find beautiful Catholic books and other products that are suitable for Mass. We are of the mind that beauty is the most important factor with young children. Although proper instruction is also key, we would prefer our preschooler page through a version of the Bible with beautiful illustrations to doctrinally-correct cartoon versions. We believe that exposing children to beauty at a young age is a crucial step in catechesis.<br />
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Our children are capable of sacred beauty. They are created to enjoy it in Heaven, and we parents should give them as much of a taste of it here on Earth as we can.<br />
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</ul>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-46062048181180306232012-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:002012-06-25T08:11:05.118-07:00The Family - University, Monastery, Kingdom<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQfU2MhKQGQdLwUFi9o4sAALWUQgddJt7WOxHy1yuaz6HlAgtF927ouTzFvCmGoQN9f2DvkngMnaac6xKoKQLX04WnI2XWhgn4o3R_KhsECqNR6-xZQeUQt7vJTFOCBZ1HEzyKOw2RYY/s1600/Mont-Saint-Michel-Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQfU2MhKQGQdLwUFi9o4sAALWUQgddJt7WOxHy1yuaz6HlAgtF927ouTzFvCmGoQN9f2DvkngMnaac6xKoKQLX04WnI2XWhgn4o3R_KhsECqNR6-xZQeUQt7vJTFOCBZ1HEzyKOw2RYY/s400/Mont-Saint-Michel-Castle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mont Saint-Michel</td></tr>
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Everybody knows what a family is, right? After all, we have all come from a family and we all belong to one, in some manner. A family is "people who live together." That, at least, is the way that we are programmed to think of family. Of course, this has led to so many of the issues that we find in contemporary society today. I am not especially interested in engaging in an apologetics here. The relevant contemporary issues should be pretty obvious, however, and keep them in mind (and please feel free to comment below).<br />
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Despite the fact that the family is something distinct, primordial and fundamentally relevant to each one of us as human persons, we really do not know what it is. This is unsettling and startling. I think there are two reason for this lack of a straightforward definition. First, the family is mysterious because it is so rich and deep. An inquiry into its depths is irretrievable. Obviously, this is good. However, there is another reason as well: modernity has cloaked the essence of what a family has traditionally been understood to be. <b><i> It has to</i></b>. It has no choice. It could not function otherwise. It would perish if the familial was re-realized. Naturally, this is also to say that the family and thinking attentively about the family is <i style="font-weight: bold;">revolutionary</i>: a revolution <i style="font-weight: bold;">back to nature and truth</i>. <br />
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This reason, by the way, is why I am not interested in addressing apologetics here. The problem comes before contemporary issues. Today's issues are merely symptomatic of the deeper tension.<br />
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So then, what is a family?<br />
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The family is a university. It is more of a university, in fact, than most "universities" out there. Indeed, it should be the family which informs the universities of today. The family is a true whole, composed of persons who are dedicated to knowing what is True, Good and Beautiful, together as a community. In order to celebrate our families, we must take this task seriously. This is why it is so important that we read to our children, that we read together as spouses. We should also take on family projects together. Aside from ensuring that our families have a liturgical topography to their year, we should also seek to build and grow together. We should seek to learn a language together, study music, history, art etc. Imagine each Sunday all listening to a period of music together, moving from period to period each week, following the history of music as a family. Each member of the family would participate in their own appropriate way: the baby would listen, the children could talk about their experience of the music and the adults could make their own suitable contributions. Of course, you could do this with any subject. This would not be homeschooling, per se. This would be living a rich communal life together, regardless of the children's ages or schooling arrangements.<br />
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The family is monastic. In the same way that the university should stem from the family, it is the structure of the family which should (and does) inform the monastic life. This may seem odd. The word "monasticism" actually implies solitude, after all, a singular experience of transcendence. And yet this experience always takes place...in community. Genuine personhood is discovered in community. The familial structure is the most basic example of personhood realized in community. This is why the family is the best analogy, one frequently used by the Fathers of the Church, for the Trinity. Needless to say, the family needs to pray together (I would actually stress the importance of the Liturgy of the Hours as a top priority in this regard over even the Rosary, so do both). On a larger scope, it is the responsibility of the family to follow the contours of the liturgical year. This is not just church business, that we celebrate and are reminded of when we go to Mass. Our families must be saturated by the liturgy in an organic manner. We must eat, speak, act according to this Reality. In the Middle Ages, people contemplated how the Christian should walk...we should have this same attitude.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMhxa9pbZ5MwEx83tvSOJkkRtcd7tWkgvA8GV3R2vi2fIRClKS7SBVMKLVeGE6rIgDIDTHJMSBtvxUHTbta8FKTWSupv5emYnF1FYcOcUQCmR5JZapeHmL-QNqVlAhG1l3unTHhyAN7g/s1600/Christ%2520King%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMhxa9pbZ5MwEx83tvSOJkkRtcd7tWkgvA8GV3R2vi2fIRClKS7SBVMKLVeGE6rIgDIDTHJMSBtvxUHTbta8FKTWSupv5emYnF1FYcOcUQCmR5JZapeHmL-QNqVlAhG1l3unTHhyAN7g/s320/Christ%2520King%5B1%5D.jpg" width="201" /></a>The family is a kingdom. Perhaps this truth of the family is most frequently forgotten. We live in a culture without kings. We may even have difficulty distinguishing between king and tyrant, though they are true opposites. Meanwhile, we have high expectations of our fathers and husbands, though our expectations are utterly undefined and vague. Fathers and husbands, by vocation, imitate Christ the King. They must be kingly. Wives and Mothers are queens and are called to possess all of the strength and grace that that position entails. The family is political. It is the fundamental political unit. As such, it has a political sovereignty that must be protected and a political responsibility to the rest of culture and society.<br />
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Our families are the antidote to the society in which we live. We will never overcome the enemy or prevail in our battles that we face in this culture as individuals. Even before ourselves, we must look to our community, which, in a radical way, begins with our families.<br />
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-12878954633344673632012-06-18T21:53:00.002-07:002012-06-19T10:20:47.423-07:00Book Review: YOUCAT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB5dum4ol6StNpXCw5wqqpftpaI8jpWiEgO0fiUd6sqDzgJy4nJlNFJZqOit0H5lkz8XstOmsxdYYiUC1ZyrZQeOUj3CEf2GtaM-1UOCAlZT9egwTjNt7JbHjQ2arxlEKTgwHsDMRQCY/s1600/youcatpresentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB5dum4ol6StNpXCw5wqqpftpaI8jpWiEgO0fiUd6sqDzgJy4nJlNFJZqOit0H5lkz8XstOmsxdYYiUC1ZyrZQeOUj3CEf2GtaM-1UOCAlZT9egwTjNt7JbHjQ2arxlEKTgwHsDMRQCY/s400/youcatpresentation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am naturally skeptical of the tendency to divide Catholic things (liturgy, books, prayers, etc.) into youth/teen/adult categories. While I appreciate the efforts to evangelize the youth and speak to them in a language they can understand, I also think that catering certain aspects of Catholicism (most notably, the Mass) to "special populations" like teenagers may strike some teens as condescending. It may also encourage unnecessary divisions between age groups. Even more important, it's easy to compromise important traditions and aspects of the Church's rich history when we try too hard to make Catholicism "relevant," to any group.<br />
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But that's another post. I only mention this to drive home the point that I was REALLY skeptical of the YOUCAT when it first came out, not only for that reason, but also due to several critical reviews I had already read. These criticisms made three basic arguments:<br />
<ol>
<li> The YOUCAT's <a href="http://catholicreads.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/book-review-youcat/" target="_blank">pictures are inappropriate</a>.</li>
<li> The YOUCAT has quotes from questionable figures like Luther and other heretics/non-Catholics.</li>
<li>The YOUCAT is <a href="http://catholicchampion.blogspot.com/2011/05/youcat-quotes-cause-for-scandal.html" target="_blank">downright heretical</a>.</li>
</ol>
Suffice it to say that I was hesitant about this new text. I really only bought it because I belong to a Catholic women's discussion group, and it was on the reading list. I'm very glad that I belong to said discussion group (and not just because of the good company). Reading the YOUCAT has been a refreshing reintroduction to Catholic teaching. I've found it to be a clear, concise, and engaging exposition of the basic tenets of our Faith, with quotes from Catholics and non-Catholics alike to bring those tenets to life. Personally, I like reading quotes from Luther and other figures, some of whom were not even Catholic. Take this one from Peter Sellers: "The closest thing to a father confessor is probably a bartender." If reading lines "like that" from people "like that" in a work of catechesis is offensive to you, the YOUCAT might not be the best choice for spiritual reading. Personally, I like it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39x0GSZ5wKQp38qKRm8h4sx0M-ki0gNIAS57HckBAlCNkRuh-6kONYG6sgh93UJriW7CdRBBtYEE5lLV_t9tsFs6BuFWM4GDXmnsZ5yc9SbxrDpjT4S4z3yBV0jg4xWADUgnKl_j496o/s1600/peter-sellers-in-una-scena-del-film-hollywood-party-41036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39x0GSZ5wKQp38qKRm8h4sx0M-ki0gNIAS57HckBAlCNkRuh-6kONYG6sgh93UJriW7CdRBBtYEE5lLV_t9tsFs6BuFWM4GDXmnsZ5yc9SbxrDpjT4S4z3yBV0jg4xWADUgnKl_j496o/s320/peter-sellers-in-una-scena-del-film-hollywood-party-41036.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"They quoted me in the YOUCAT??!!"</td></tr>
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That being said, I don't like everything about the YOUCAT. The photos bring back horrible memories of those "GOD LOVES YOU" religion books from third grade. And the stick figure at the bottom corner of the page is perhaps not in the best taste (although he is entertaining). On a more general level, I do wish that the YOUCAT was not strictly marketed to youth, since I think adults could benefit from reading it just as much as teens and young adults - particularly Catholic adults who are in a period of religious struggle.<br />
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I haven't read the whole thing yet, and I certainly haven't dissected every theological argument presented. However, halfway in I can say that reading the YOUCAT has been a pleasant surprise, cheesy photos aside.<br />
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-77254114222159068842012-06-15T18:41:00.000-07:002012-06-15T18:44:46.603-07:00Catholics Are Strange<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuttQLXb6YyLZXhvE3HABQIeVfSzabnl7rOVk2aXmy8mxQXpB_wUnhhov8oklxbAGxX2AswS2FHzh_5IBEahooiXNPd4KcAxvOSjEE8lMioOSaNnphApqP_NTALsClF0rmXzt9zPxLR7s/s1600/Vicente_Lopez_Portana_Angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuttQLXb6YyLZXhvE3HABQIeVfSzabnl7rOVk2aXmy8mxQXpB_wUnhhov8oklxbAGxX2AswS2FHzh_5IBEahooiXNPd4KcAxvOSjEE8lMioOSaNnphApqP_NTALsClF0rmXzt9zPxLR7s/s400/Vicente_Lopez_Portana_Angel.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
It struck me today, as it often does, how strange we Catholics are. We honor the bones and incorrupt bodies of long-dead saints; we receive the Body and Blood of God at Mass; we have weird devotions to several of that God's physical qualities, including the shoulder wound of Christ, his five wounds, and the Sacred Heart, which is the solemnity we celebrate today. Tomorrow we honor Mary's Immaculate Heart. We Catholics simply refuse to accept the tendency to dichotomize body and soul, as their unity is the very nature of the sacramentality that saturates our world.<br />
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Of course, the origin of all this strangeness is not ourselves. This is the way God has revealed Himself. How odd that the Creator would find it <i>important</i> to reveal something as seemingly insignificant as the sacred nature of His heart. That God should reveal Himself in such a way is strange - and wonderful in its strangeness. That the physical heart of Christ can be a means of drawing us closer to Him is remarkable and mysterious.<br />
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Someday we hope to honor this strange devotion by enthroning the Sacred Heart in our home. This is a beautiful custom that is especially appropriate for Catholic families. You can find more information <a href="http://www.catholictradition.org/Two-Hearts/enthronement.htm" target="_blank">at this website.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Cpth0Gk6q6Pdyv0uQEWbXdspMT7MI2gaMp7ubmOG_DdE_jwYXp9rf1AX3LjxJRm_b4v-PNKVGrGgOJPvAU9nzLBR-EbZdPw0UtBZxRrEQTBiDYmTaCCxOb2Vzzb5RocCABbY7fbCeeE/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Cpth0Gk6q6Pdyv0uQEWbXdspMT7MI2gaMp7ubmOG_DdE_jwYXp9rf1AX3LjxJRm_b4v-PNKVGrGgOJPvAU9nzLBR-EbZdPw0UtBZxRrEQTBiDYmTaCCxOb2Vzzb5RocCABbY7fbCeeE/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
As the wonderful folks over at <a href="http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2012/06/liturgical-curiosity-for-feast-of.html" target="_blank">New Liturgical Movement</a> note, the tradition of honoring the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart is an ancient one. God has always revealed Himself as having a heart, even before the coming of Christ. On these great feasts, we are thankful for our religion and all its strangeness, and pray that our own hearts may "burn within us."Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-78171238649680971682012-06-11T21:17:00.000-07:002012-06-11T21:17:03.166-07:00The Family in a Specialized Culture<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkohPHt0daKy3oX4nrkjM4fTAt6jYPEM6Oh1xHEgdoaii9gv9n-zdA9f27bAHJyep-G9bz9SSC4i4C4Bp2aPob_Y6X7ord-GPz6ib7zOht4aLfcAbK2VP-n2JXAfdSjQ_bDh4GtwzEZgo/s1600/family.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkohPHt0daKy3oX4nrkjM4fTAt6jYPEM6Oh1xHEgdoaii9gv9n-zdA9f27bAHJyep-G9bz9SSC4i4C4Bp2aPob_Y6X7ord-GPz6ib7zOht4aLfcAbK2VP-n2JXAfdSjQ_bDh4GtwzEZgo/s400/family.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frederick Cotman; "One of the Family"</td></tr>
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<i><b><span class="huge">"Do not be bullied out of your common sense by the specialist; two to one, he is a pedant."</span></b></i><br />
<i><b><span class="huge">-Oliver Wendell Holmes</span></b></i><br />
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It seems pretty evident that the family is essentially counter-cultural in today's society. This claim, if true, does not bode well for our culture, given that the family is <i>the</i> microcosm of society. We all know what happens when a body's cells are in conflict with the body as a whole. <br />
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Here is just one example of this conflict on a basic level:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJpUBQC6d1-R9vlw6TdGYkG27voS1UFFfvPoHBLvYx6SQH3O5XsyJw5La0vWIPv4ejdTJbVxM5tF4BYUM-zveNat1fR6cErktpShog7Vh2y3K-2lgCLq4DZeoG0xOHMFn-d5TdKhX7F8/s1600/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJpUBQC6d1-R9vlw6TdGYkG27voS1UFFfvPoHBLvYx6SQH3O5XsyJw5La0vWIPv4ejdTJbVxM5tF4BYUM-zveNat1fR6cErktpShog7Vh2y3K-2lgCLq4DZeoG0xOHMFn-d5TdKhX7F8/s320/car.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Engine problems? Call the auto specialist!</td></tr>
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"Leave it to the experts" is a common mantra these days. Images of a man desperately attempting to check a wild spray of water from the plumbing as the wife calls the plumber with a smile on her lips come to mind. If something needs to be fixed, you take it to a specialist. The car is taken to the auto shop, you call the plumber for the pipes, electricians deal with wiring, accountants with your money, lawyers with your legality, H&R Block with your taxes, and the doctor with your well-being (usually universally). You send your children to public school for just the same reason. If a criminal attacks you, call the police.<br />
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It is dangerous to try to do things that you are not "qualified" to do. If you don't have a license or certificate, it is commonly thought that you cannot possibly do something in a safe and legitimate manner. This is a very common attitude. Any other is thought to be purely irresponsible. And indeed, should you trespass into the realm of specialties (everything is a specialty) for which you do not have some sort of license you are likely to be prosecuted or at least sued.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0BZ7oW_epDEDk3Zae56m2sbax6Nvb9HXMABbrT2YhXkJF8SaBLdX_7mZ4mNb8gR6wxqR78rTPfr5svGdiv8Ah7KMB1Bu8QdFMjAy1MdNE2M2cZK2EGY4LdISiDQWpXnSp68b6kmiBKo/s1600/bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0BZ7oW_epDEDk3Zae56m2sbax6Nvb9HXMABbrT2YhXkJF8SaBLdX_7mZ4mNb8gR6wxqR78rTPfr5svGdiv8Ah7KMB1Bu8QdFMjAy1MdNE2M2cZK2EGY4LdISiDQWpXnSp68b6kmiBKo/s320/bill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Complicated budgeting problems? Call the finance specialist!</td></tr>
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But what is left to the father or mother of a family? They don't have any legitimate expertise (or, therefore, soveregnty), over their finances, children, homes, and even their own persons (think self defense). They cannot be anything more than facilitators in allowing a constellation of specialists help generate more strong individuals (not too many, mind you). These strong individuals can go on to be contributing (specialized) members of society. Of course, more often than not, permits, licenses, diplomas and certificates do not mean a thing about their recipient. For a small fee, you can get many certificates for a variety of specialties.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskDPEjPFv2UxqN3khShQRz2BPZRcAwJXJgEAGfvk6cmg3Q_tXvBaFG8qzhg5M0bOObOPVfugi4Zgh6D4tuNnPUvNiT3XQs6uASu1Q21WlBvJpGO-S_JmJesJqUzzHQK4o-QDGLgWIyg8/s1600/baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskDPEjPFv2UxqN3khShQRz2BPZRcAwJXJgEAGfvk6cmg3Q_tXvBaFG8qzhg5M0bOObOPVfugi4Zgh6D4tuNnPUvNiT3XQs6uASu1Q21WlBvJpGO-S_JmJesJqUzzHQK4o-QDGLgWIyg8/s320/baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colicky newborn? Call the baby specialist!</td></tr>
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What's really strange is that even parents are, in a certain way, expected to be specialists in their field. When we lived overseas in a college town without many married friends, we raised our daughter the way we thought was best, without the help or opinions of "specialists." Coincidentally, our parenting "style" included all of the fundamental elements of "attachment parenting" (now made even more famous by the recent article in the "Times"), including nursing "on demand" (what a horrible way to put it), and carrying our daughter in a sling. When we found ourselves in parenting circles, we were surprised and baffled to hear comments like, "Oh, so you like the Sears method," and "Ahhhh, the AP approach!" We scratched our heads and wondered why our parenting habits were associated with department stores and writing styles. We had no idea who Dr. Sears was, but as parents, it was assumed that we "specialized" in one parenting style or another, just like all helpless parents who need experts to tell them how to raise their children. Funnily enough, these styles themselves are often developed by parenting specialists with all the papers to prove their authority, from Dr. Sears to Dr. Ferber.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjktvdjqnQUNhagmkF1IkBN9F5nhsKZ3OhV_0g1TVEYfPxoFEsKZ2AExsfAAEnRpcTviRHN3y5HxWavE4kVaxTyH_g-9oV6LEGuxTLJaqOXe0fDnr9AFkoB_kADkaQHQtw5zk9R9PIFc/s1600/fitness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjktvdjqnQUNhagmkF1IkBN9F5nhsKZ3OhV_0g1TVEYfPxoFEsKZ2AExsfAAEnRpcTviRHN3y5HxWavE4kVaxTyH_g-9oV6LEGuxTLJaqOXe0fDnr9AFkoB_kADkaQHQtw5zk9R9PIFc/s320/fitness.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to shed a few? Call a fitness specialist!</td></tr>
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Society has always had (and needed) doctors, midwives, farmers, carpenters...But are these people only permitted to dwell in the confined sphere of their studies' focus? And are we not also able to consider our health, make decisions about health without necessarily consulting or obeying our doctor? Do we experience life in such a compartmentalized fashion? Specialized movements are unhealthy and bad for the human person, a carpal tunnel syndrome of the soul. Doctors should read philosophy. Philosophers should study biology. They don't need to get degrees in these other fields. They need to study them to be more truly human and live a more authentically human life, to therefore be better doctors and philosophers. We assume that our experts will be more knowledgeable if they focus only in one area. But stepping back, how could this be? Life is a whole. Besides, a piece of paper is often easy to get, but it doesn't always ensure authority. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvXQB6BONaPTRYxP7smvZtOPL6KyScaoj_FKUYd-rpI_4_yNagx4BUNFNeYsrh9cnACEuQOf_pI_ZuUJLDAupn4uF-SXz5DBo09gF0x-E_yaxS1sIKJl6HnwmGWLYynPfrJTirHJlSs0/s1600/beer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvXQB6BONaPTRYxP7smvZtOPL6KyScaoj_FKUYd-rpI_4_yNagx4BUNFNeYsrh9cnACEuQOf_pI_ZuUJLDAupn4uF-SXz5DBo09gF0x-E_yaxS1sIKJl6HnwmGWLYynPfrJTirHJlSs0/s320/beer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don'y buy that beer until you've consulted a beer specialist!!</td></tr>
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So why are these pieces of paper so important to society? Often enough they have nothing to do with a deep and essential knowledge, a level of experience, an authentic wisdom or a superlative insight. It's about protection. They are paper shields for an overly developed, grotesque, overripe legal system.<br />
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The authentic family cannot function in such a system. If it is fulfilling its function, it naturally resists it.<br />
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Why? Because the family is a Whole, a Microcosm. We cannot be relegated to being secretaries for our families and our selves.Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-68177016414409389182012-06-10T18:44:00.001-07:002012-06-10T18:44:42.113-07:00Anima Christi<div style="font-family: inherit;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBDaPyx01InFIXWdhs5MgKDM8u4mkUaCb0RIBLorPAyEriOSou_XMa2nAWduKBxyAlGHLyyH0leKIaH_j8f10g66oZnfvzjF80qm_pzYeyk-BKcdlQKA8JQYDYQNTSXjW28FwOy9R16c/s1600/InstituteEucharistJOOS14752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBDaPyx01InFIXWdhs5MgKDM8u4mkUaCb0RIBLorPAyEriOSou_XMa2nAWduKBxyAlGHLyyH0leKIaH_j8f10g66oZnfvzjF80qm_pzYeyk-BKcdlQKA8JQYDYQNTSXjW28FwOy9R16c/s320/InstituteEucharistJOOS14752.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="wp-caption-text">
The Institution of the Eucharist -Painting by Joos Van Wassenhove - 1475</div>
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The Anima Christi is my favorite prayer. I remember learning a sung version of it in 4th grade when my family lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our parish priest told us to always pray it after receiving Holy Communion, and it became a habit that lasted until today. This prayer has brought me much consolation, both during Mass and in my everyday life. It was played at our wedding and is imprinted in my mind forever.<br />
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No one really knows the origin of the Anima Christi, although it is commonly associated with St. Ignatius of Loyola, as he references it in the <i>Spiritual Exercises.</i> It is thought to have originated in medieval times, perhaps around 1300 A.D. Here it is, both in the original Latin and in translation: </div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.<br />
Body of Christ, save me.<br />
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.<br />
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.<br />
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.<br />
O Good Jesus, hear me.<br />
Within Thy wounds hide me.<br />
Suffer me not to be separated from thee.<br />
From the malignant enemy defend me.<br />
In the hour of my death call me.<br />
And bid me come unto Thee,<br />
That with all Thy saints,<br />
I may praise thee<br />
Forever and ever.<br />
Amen.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anima Christi, sanctifica me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Corpus Christi, salva me.</span><br />
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Sanguis Christi, inebria me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.</span><br />
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Passio Christi, conforta me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
O bone Iesu, exaudi me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Intra tua vulnera absconde me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Ne permittas me separari a te.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Ab hoste maligno defende me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
In hora mortis meae voca me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Et iube me venire ad te,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
in saecula saeculorum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Amen. </span><b><br /></b>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-78420208854087289292012-06-04T09:58:00.000-07:002012-06-04T09:58:05.774-07:00"Hey, Parents - Leave Those Kids At Home": On Children At Mass, Part 1<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRUveYXDrLRFauQx1VzLNLXXR7x3TOjxgnSOlDGROE-UwN8d8QVCIXvd3LCHTvTT4KYkmz52ZYg1yo2TJpNUGjjJpW5_rPnWUk7v5d82tUi0zya2aRSBZXaBGjqXPli_sy8Ofsovdrvs/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-03+at+3.54.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRUveYXDrLRFauQx1VzLNLXXR7x3TOjxgnSOlDGROE-UwN8d8QVCIXvd3LCHTvTT4KYkmz52ZYg1yo2TJpNUGjjJpW5_rPnWUk7v5d82tUi0zya2aRSBZXaBGjqXPli_sy8Ofsovdrvs/s400/Screen+shot+2012-06-03+at+3.54.42+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Jesus and the Children," by Lucas the Elder Cranach</td></tr>
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There seems to be a great deal of debate as to whether parents should bring their children to Mass. We've always found this to be a surprising discussion, but it does seem to generate a great deal of dialogue. We've encountered arguments opposed to bringing children to Mass from the pulpit and on blogs, espoused by both priests and parents. The intensity of these attitudes vary. Many take a defensive position and merely describe leaving youngsters at home as a viable option. Others take on an almost dogmatic tone. Our focus, our <i>vocation,</i> is the domestic church and the principle reason for this blog. We wanted to explore this issue and also provide a bit of encouragement for those weary parents who do decide to take their children to Mass.<br />
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All of the arguments against bringing young children to Mass seem to assume two basic points: 1. The children do not know what is occurring, so it is unimportant for them to be there, or 2. Children are distracting and therefore harm the environment for others.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiborFV2WXCAHDKXvFI3ppNSATnYaRKXBM3WRGrl2PbwrkGn6ASTTm39pilGN1cOr0wm6hOQyioyMMq1KpXmnUCf1WMa4XYNJAEXk_WPbUHn0gadA4dOjqILK1EzyJo9sb1qWR5GhuMeKc/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-04+at+9.11.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiborFV2WXCAHDKXvFI3ppNSATnYaRKXBM3WRGrl2PbwrkGn6ASTTm39pilGN1cOr0wm6hOQyioyMMq1KpXmnUCf1WMa4XYNJAEXk_WPbUHn0gadA4dOjqILK1EzyJo9sb1qWR5GhuMeKc/s320/Screen+shot+2012-06-04+at+9.11.57+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Christ and the Children,"by Franck Kirchbach</td></tr>
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We'll begin with the first argument. <b>How could a child <i>know </i>what is occurring at the sacrifice of the Mass? </b> For the sake of argument, let's say that we are speaking of younger children, a one-year-old for instance. While it may be true that the child cannot rattle off the doctrine of transubstantiation, we would still like to say that knowing <i>is an activity</i> which requires development and an engagement with the object of knowledge. In order for the activity of knowing to be realized (especially knowledge of something like transubstantiation), the object of knowledge must become familiar and intimate. We believe that this familiarization begins much younger than the "age of reason." My one-year-old is a blossom of potential flowering realization. Simple actions like pointing to the Eucharist and whispering Christ's name in her ear can awaken the mystery of this knowledge. <br />
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But lets put even this aside and pretend she does not know and simply does not have the faculty to know what is occurring at the mass.<br />
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<b>So what?</b><br />
<br />
What is essential is that <i><b>Christ is present in the Eucharist. </b></i>He is not abstractly present; He is not symbolically present. He is there, in person, actively engaging the congregation, whether they are asleep or awake, distracted or deep in prayer, married or single, young or old. He is there whether we know it or not. Even if we assume, then, that the toddler cannot understand <i>anything </i>about the Mass, we still hold that it is good for them to be in the Real Presence of Christ. The absolute, physical presence of God has an impact on those present. We have
witnessed this effect on atheists, Protestants, fallen away Catholics, ourselves, and our babies firsthand. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaYhn3ZS7fgHqfx9ZXvJ0WH0hICRIn2zu3y_xVJJpol3-zXbMZoYCtlvqAWRSgIYEgJhjFzmNr4cJfQJ_wqXPOgii2Hbq8XYECclFLNuQZoz9_MjtxltEYJPCcT3_Kvajhve7V3uz-Ag/s1600/plague_victims_blessed_by_priest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaYhn3ZS7fgHqfx9ZXvJ0WH0hICRIn2zu3y_xVJJpol3-zXbMZoYCtlvqAWRSgIYEgJhjFzmNr4cJfQJ_wqXPOgii2Hbq8XYECclFLNuQZoz9_MjtxltEYJPCcT3_Kvajhve7V3uz-Ag/s400/plague_victims_blessed_by_priest.jpg" width="357" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy medieval people</td></tr>
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This may sound superstitious and overly simplistic to the modern mind. If we were to meet a nice medieval Catholic, no doubt we would dismiss them as being merely superstitious. We enlightened moderns know that the medieval Catholics (as well as many modern "cultural" Catholics), were nothing but naive and superstitious, whereas our religious practice is based primarily on knowledge and intention. Images of excessive flogging and fanatical plague victims come to mind. But we wonder sometimes whether the traditional Catholic was much more invested in the things themselves then we are. Perhaps they were much more imbued with a sense of <i>sacramentality, </i>something that seems alien to the non-Catholic culture in which we find ourselves. We believe that children, perhaps even more than most adults, also have this gift and ability to grasp the sacramentality of the Mass, whether or not they are able to understand it theoretically (who <i>really </i>can, after all?) <br />
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<b>The second argument folks make is that children are distracting to neighbors.</b> In fact, not only do children distract other members of the congregation, but they also distract their weary parents who, in order to be good parents, need that quiet time at Mass. We can sympathize with this point a great deal more than with the first argument (which seems to us to be simply dishonest). Often enough, our children are fairy tale creatures, and their ways are inevitably loud and draw attention as we desperately attempt to tame the beast.<br />
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This argument loses a lot of its validity if you cede the first point. If you agree that Christ's true presence must have an impact on your children, then what you are really saying here is that you value the impact that the Eucharist has on adults more than on children. In this scenario, leaving the kids at home would be to sacrifice the benefit of the child's Eucharistic encounter for the greater good of an hour of quiet, calm parental meditation on the mysteries of the Mass, without having to worry about restraining the toddler and maintaining a distraction-free atmosphere in the church.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiyoxgJBB8HstMUN9sb6kbFBW_4P15mi_KjX4MYTnOrQHottON4CjTfp1Z7KGH5hPHrrDcZTCaUYzd0L3XsjQoBJdL5LxW_G69Ch8S5RpF4ztaUVWK7DBhFwkh-rEfRWRCxWQ6ip40c4/s1600/Christ+Blessing+the+Children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiyoxgJBB8HstMUN9sb6kbFBW_4P15mi_KjX4MYTnOrQHottON4CjTfp1Z7KGH5hPHrrDcZTCaUYzd0L3XsjQoBJdL5LxW_G69Ch8S5RpF4ztaUVWK7DBhFwkh-rEfRWRCxWQ6ip40c4/s320/Christ+Blessing+the+Children.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Christ Blessing the Children," by Nicolaes Maes</td></tr>
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Honestly, we think this second point reeks of a particular breed of clericalism. In this view, families are merely visitors, outsiders to the Church. The only beneficial way to encounter Christ's Mass is the way that priests and nuns do - individually and in absolute silence and lack of distraction. The father who argues that it is important to for him to go to mass
without the distraction of his child has missed the whole point. His
child (his family) <i>is his vocation</i>, this means, <i><b>his</b><b> </b></i><i style="font-weight: bold;">path to God. </i>His
covenant with God is his marriage. He will gain no benefit as a father if he tries to leave his family behind and pray like a priest. His religious path is in celebration of his family. We are meant to encounter Christ personally, always in community, and the family is a vibrant, primordial and essential dimension of this community. <br />
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For those of you who are still with us, take this as an analogy: I have often been frustrated when I try to exercise. My two girls lay in wait for me to get in push-up position. One of them gets on my back, the other one likes to slide under me and hang by my neck. How much better a Papa would I be if, instead of wrestling them off and confining them to their room, I simply loved them and got an even better work out by exercising with the challenge they provide. If I saw their presence not merely as a burden to my own progress, but as an opportunity.<br />
<br />
There are so many more reasons to bring your children to Mass - so they can hear the Word of God and have the prayers of the Mass engraved in their hearts, learn to sing at Church, see their parents praying together (or working together to do so!). One of our happiest moments as parents was when we overheard our oldest daughter "playing Mass" in the bathtub at the age of 2. And it isn't only beneficial for children. The adults in the congregation are also surrounded by Catholic families who give witness to the domestic church. At the same time, having quiet time with the Lord is important, and parents who feel a longing for that should find a way to work it into their life, whether that is by attending Adoration for an hour every week or by going to daily Mass without the children once in a while. However, we do believe that attending Sunday Mass together is fundamental to the domestic church.<br />
<br />
Families who make the decision to go to Mass together need to know that what they are doing is important and worthy. During our two-year stay in Belgium, where the Catholic population is anything but vibrant, we witnessed firsthand the cold and empty Mass without <i>any </i>children, Sunday after Sunday, and it is anything but spiritually uplifting. Belgian Catholics would come up to us after Mass like we were celebrities and thank us over and over again for bring our noisy baby to Mass. The priests would beg us to sit in the front row next time. In a time in which so many Masses are void of children in so many countries, this entire movement is immensely baffling.Yes, it is hard to bring young children to Mass. But parents who feel in their hearts that it is the right thing should be encouraged to follow that desire.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXk5wapshdoIQIEepWe9Af8AxBtGioNlCjtw_xWC0lvPh_ztC8bZTBOE5gWlLDihNYMKFzpoD_X-Ndgbp9ctSYoaff4A9YWGResqdB8hJ_M3s1zV9OUFl-ICmtMOHIcyb4v8KXev4qoyg/s1600/French-Baroque-Painter-Sebastien-Bourdon-Christ-Receiving-the-Children-Oil-Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXk5wapshdoIQIEepWe9Af8AxBtGioNlCjtw_xWC0lvPh_ztC8bZTBOE5gWlLDihNYMKFzpoD_X-Ndgbp9ctSYoaff4A9YWGResqdB8hJ_M3s1zV9OUFl-ICmtMOHIcyb4v8KXev4qoyg/s320/French-Baroque-Painter-Sebastien-Bourdon-Christ-Receiving-the-Children-Oil-Painting.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Christ Receiving the Children," by Sebastien Bourdon</td></tr>
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Mass will never be the same after you have children. As parents, we can either accept that or fight it. It certainly isn't easy to bring young children to Mass. We find that the most important thing is to try to place yourself in their shoes and work with them where they are. It's hard to know how much to demand of a one-year-old, and we spend many Sundays taking turns walking the back of the church. When our oldest hit the age of two, it helped to have some religious books, lacing cards, stickers, and holy cards to help her get through Mass. But in the end, there is no magic trick. In those moments of desperate pacing and social anxiety, it helps to listen to the words of Christ Himself: "<i><b>Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."</b></i><br />
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<i>Stay tuned for Part 2, which will outline some practical strategies for attending Mass with toddlers without resorting to Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder.</i><br />
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<br /></div>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-87748514388746594662012-05-31T23:28:00.001-07:002012-05-31T23:28:11.733-07:00A Feast For The Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Despite centuries of philosophical quarrels, human beings continue to depict religious events. Some may argue that the current state of religious art is less
impressive than past centuries, but the human tendency to express
religious sentiments through the medium of art is by no means dead.<br />
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We
read an interesting book about the history of iconoclasm during
graduate school called "The Forbidden Image," by Alain Besancon. I have
to say that despite the hours of informative lectures and fascinating anectodal
stories, I was always a bit frustrated with all the debates and
arguments both for and against the religious image. To me, it seems
quite simple: human beings depict divinity because they are
moved to express the things they love and fear...the things that make them tremble, whether in joy or terror. This is as
evident in the history of art as it is in the three-year-old drawing
castles and rattlesnakes. <br />
<br />
Human beings create artworks
when they are inspired by what draws them out of themselves. This may be
something as simple as the way the light strikes a building, or the
symmetry of a geometrical figure. It may be as majestic
and terrible as the Crucifixion or a storm at sea. The object of art
must somehow cut into the soul of the artist, must interfere and
interrupt his thought in order to set the work in motion. In many cases,
the object of art is in fact not an object at all, but an event in
human history that strikes us as somehow important or monumental, penetrating through the currents of history and saturating the present.<br />
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Of
course, I know the matter isn't as simple as all this, but just for a
moment let's pretend that it is. Today we complete the month of May by
remembering two monumental events in the life of the Blessed
Mother: the Visitation (on the new calendar) and the Queenship of Mary
(old calendar). Both these feasts beg for visualization and artistic
expression, as is demonstrated by the endless art gallery that is history:<br />
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-85441557113958293062012-05-28T15:45:00.002-07:002012-05-28T17:40:18.113-07:00The Spirit in Unlikely Places<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bjn_mXB8cL3wit6FvMIyY_FqBAxGD5vexK6MyuV1psxdSluBQY6XfUfFTDHhvTZnSwSSGdVlMPWotyc-5P1ZUlFUVY33Kg3L2ft3RiUfifJTrYODJh82cFDRdVBe6rd-nC4tRL3F4JI/s1600/BE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bjn_mXB8cL3wit6FvMIyY_FqBAxGD5vexK6MyuV1psxdSluBQY6XfUfFTDHhvTZnSwSSGdVlMPWotyc-5P1ZUlFUVY33Kg3L2ft3RiUfifJTrYODJh82cFDRdVBe6rd-nC4tRL3F4JI/s320/BE1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ncvW-Hr8U7-vsE2zRRoS0SdUwM7_mJU8O49YMinh31niscMk_tIA9GlVOFxcnlaV_lCvonhGpOwcXrIZbxXcNmvI8TIs1a9M7pMeKuDUX2oOfVZ9aco0cABGQoh6ZxfTUK8qUJiOcpg/s1600/BE4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ncvW-Hr8U7-vsE2zRRoS0SdUwM7_mJU8O49YMinh31niscMk_tIA9GlVOFxcnlaV_lCvonhGpOwcXrIZbxXcNmvI8TIs1a9M7pMeKuDUX2oOfVZ9aco0cABGQoh6ZxfTUK8qUJiOcpg/s320/BE4.jpg" width="240" /></a>Ironically, I learned a lot about the liturgical year during our two-year stay in Belgium, which is considered by many to be a secular country. Although it is certainly true that the politics and general cultural atmosphere are trying to break away from their Catholic ties (our alma mater just removed the "Katholieke" from its title this year), there are remnants of the country's Catholic heritage almost everywhere you look. From the tolling church bells, to the hidden statues of our Blessed Mother in dark doorways, to the streets named after great popes and saints, the Catholic faith is built into the fabric of the architecture; the calendar and language are a saturating blend of Catholic motifs and symbols, as the pictures in this post, which are all our own, demonstrate. These secular societies are constantly bombarded from within by the sacramental character of their religious topography, no matter how hard they may try to forget.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tUgaDy1NWWnCr6G62-7iEV4sduCglGiYL122eqXIiYI8CElISH-ekYpUT4yL0VXlrC6KERn-lfbwlpoXZI_EQ2kzC4pEntgGSRIRRsUU54TleOR9sAGlNz9eqGpr2IuK_ApeR0VbdbI/s1600/BE6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tUgaDy1NWWnCr6G62-7iEV4sduCglGiYL122eqXIiYI8CElISH-ekYpUT4yL0VXlrC6KERn-lfbwlpoXZI_EQ2kzC4pEntgGSRIRRsUU54TleOR9sAGlNz9eqGpr2IuK_ApeR0VbdbI/s320/BE6.jpg" width="240" /></a>Perhaps the most obvious remnant during our stay were the public holidays. I remember on this very day several years ago I walked a mile or so to the nearest grocery store, only to find that the doors were closed. Puzzled as to why Belgians would celebrate an American holiday, I walked back home, only to discover after an online search that today was actually "Whit Monday," also known as "Monday of the Holy Spirit," or "Pentecost Monday." Like Christmas and Easter, the Feast of Pentecost is actually only the beginning of an eight-day octave, and traditionally the Monday after Pentecost was also celebrated as an important feast. Even in this secularized country, the day was still remembered. <br />
<br />
While some may lament the shreds of merely "cultural" Catholicism in countries, institutions, and even persons, they can also be viewed as a sign of hope, an indicator of the Spirit's ability to move in unexpected places. If a secular nation can contain these glimmers of hope, how much more should our dwelling, our way of living, the words we use be organically Catholic? <br />
<br />
We pray today that the Spirit will enlighten our hearts and guide our homes, so that, as Christ promised, "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth."<br />
<br />
<i><b>Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit</b></i><br />
<div>
<br />
Holy Spirit, Divine
Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the
Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the
angels and saints.</div>
<div>
<br />
I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.</div>
<div>
<br />
O
Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favors, I beg You to visit
me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear,
so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back
into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.</div>
<div>
<br />
Grant me the
gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased
fervor, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe
your divine precepts with greater fidelity.</div>
<div>
<br />
Grant me the
gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened
by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of
eternal salvation.</div>
<div>
<br />
Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that
I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the
dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.</div>
<div>
<br />
Grant
me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to
my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the
tempter.</div>
<div>
<br />
Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may
apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things
detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable
world.</div>
<div>
<br />
Grant me the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly
direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that,
having loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness
of possessing Him eternally in the next. Amen.</div>
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.</div>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-79819250861432695802012-05-20T20:52:00.000-07:002012-05-21T08:08:18.011-07:00"Nature is My Church"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindullukGicVwNxsUuUVvf8MKNsHlblBqSMn2mspzu6sbmFpLBVGrn655HQXFBlRXlKNzkML4qVmt-3pG3YUc8NvVnICfbt6AlTDrBHhc6OneNjjAquBk71m1cVt4H5aniX5roI7vyvRA/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-05-19+at+2.22.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindullukGicVwNxsUuUVvf8MKNsHlblBqSMn2mspzu6sbmFpLBVGrn655HQXFBlRXlKNzkML4qVmt-3pG3YUc8NvVnICfbt6AlTDrBHhc6OneNjjAquBk71m1cVt4H5aniX5roI7vyvRA/s400/Screen+shot+2012-05-19+at+2.22.40+PM.png" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://forgottenaltars.blogspot.com/2012/01/land-and-liturgy.html" target="_blank">As we've mentioned before</a>, the liturgical year was much more bound to the seasons and rhythm of nature in previous times than it is now. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that it is so difficult to truly immerse ourselves in the liturgical year. It is not just that we are separated from the traditions and customs of our ancestors. We are also detached from the soil, the dirt, the cycles and changes that used to bring the liturgy to life on a daily basis.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What do we lose in all this? First, the liturgical year becomes less fluid. Instead of a continuous flow of meaningful feasts, which are tied to things that are happening <i>in our homes and fields</i>, we are left with an intermittent series of detached feasts, with a few saint days thrown in here and there. Instead of a liturgical year that is embedded in our day-to-day life, we are left with an abstract calendar of important feasts, mandatory fasting days, and holy days of obligation, which are now tailored to fit into our busy modern schedules. The liturgical year does not shape our life (at least, not outwardly), and it begins to seem more and more that liturgy, like religion itself, is nothing more than a human invention, something man has instituted to make himself feel that he is a part of something beyond himself, but which, in actuality, is nothing more than a list of rules and empty rituals. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Not only does this detachment from the earth make it increasingly difficult to enter into the liturgical year, but also, and perhaps more importantly, there is a sense of gratitude and wonder that is lost. The cycles of seasons, the abundance of the harvest, inspire gratitude and even worship. This can even be seen in the primitive nature religions. When all we have are our own inventions, that spontaneous "Thank You" to God fades into the background. And yet that gratitude is one of the strongholds of liturgical piety. In this sense, people who say things like "Nature is my church" are
onto something. They recognize nature's ability to speak of the
transcendent, of God's majesty and grandeur. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is not say that land on its own is enough. The land itself is caught up in the act of worship. As Cardinal Ratzinger says in <i>The Spirit of the Liturgy,</i> "To oppose land and worship makes no sense. The land is given to the people to be a place for the worship of the true God...It only becomes a true good, a real gift, a promise fulfilled, when it is the place where God reigns." Like the home, and in the highest sense the church and tabernacle, the land is God's dwelling place. The liturgical year has always acknowledged this relationship, despite the fact that so many customs that have their origins in the land have faded into the background. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The feast of the Ascension is one of these feasts. Technically, the feast of the Ascension is celebrated 40 days after the Resurrection, although it is now celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter. Traditionally, the entire week of the feast of the Ascension was filled with special customs. The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before the feast were designated as Rogation Days, which were marked by processions to ask God for a fruitful harvest and to mark the boundaries of the parish with crosses. This particular custom, known as "beating the bounds," was particularly interesting, as noted at <a href="http://fullhomelydivinity.org/articles/rogation%20and%20ascension.htm" target="_blank">Full Homely Divinity</a>, an Anglican site that nevertheless has some great information about the history of traditional feasts:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The route of the walk was
around the boundaries of the parish, which was a civil as well as a
religious unit. Thus, the processions were useful in teaching people,
particularly the young, their parish boundaries. Known as "beating the
bounds," the processions customarily stopped at boundary marks and other
significant landmarks of the parish, such as a venerable tree, or a great
rock, or perhaps a pond. The priest would read the Gospel and perhaps
affix a cross to the landmark. Then the boys of the parish would suffer
some indignity intended to help them remember the spot. Boys were bumped
about against rocks and trees, thrown into the water, held upside-down
over fences, thrown into bramble patches, or beaten with willow
wands--and then given a treat in compensation. In later times, the
marchers beat the boundary marker with the willow wands, beating the
bounds, rather than the boys...The annual beating of the
bounds provided an opportunity to resolve boundary issues. It also led to
the tradition of seeking reconciliation in personal relationships during
Rogationtide. The sharing of a specially brewed ale, called Ganging Beer,
and a mysterious pastry, called Rammalation Biscuits, at the end of the
walk was a good way of sealing the reconciliation.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Traditionally it was believed that Christ ascended into Heaven from the Mount of Olives, and the comparison between Christ and a bird on the wing gave rise to the tradition of eating some kind of bird to commemorate the feast. We plan to have roast herbed chicken with dolmas, or stuffed grape leaves. Grapes were one of the traditional first fruits of the spring that were commonly eaten to celebrate the Ascension. There's a great recipe for them <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-dolmas-94990" target="_blank">at this site</a>. And don't forget about the Novena to the Holy Spirit, which traditionally starts on Ascension Thursday and finishes on Pentecost Sunday. As noted at <a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=1046" target="_blank">Catholic Culture</a>, "The Novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the original novena, of which
all other novenas are only imitations. Our Lord Himself instituted this
novena when, on the day of His ascension, He sent His Apostles back to
Jerusalem to pray for nine days that they might be ready on the tenth
day, which was Pentecost, to receive the Holy Spirit." It's a very simple and beautiful novena, so if you missed the beginning it's easy to catch up.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">From the Gospel of Luke:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"The former treatise
I made, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus began to do and to teach,
Until the day on which, giving commandments by the Holy Ghost to the apostles
whom he had chosen, he was taken up. To whom also he shewed himself alive
after his passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them, and
speaking of the kingdom of God. And eating together with them, he commanded
them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the
promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth. For John
indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost,
not many days hence. <br />
<br />
They therefore who were come together, asked him, saying: Lord, wilt thou
at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? But he said to them: It
is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in
his own power: But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon
you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and
Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had said
these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received
him out of their sight. And while they were beholding him going up to heaven,
behold two men stood by them in white garments. Who also said: Ye men of
Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him going into heaven. Then
they returned to Jerusalem..."</i></span></div>
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-38786483721791763582012-05-14T10:04:00.000-07:002012-05-14T10:04:13.235-07:00The Fighting Man<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8mi0DnOUEw-RKVg4yAFw1bvg58Z_U-IGuIqb5NuoeEXkbEXSX7Mslr5RZrVcKDpYYt4S7isZSHTWQq7GOfPddKLLChYR4PIqEKmTyGKsWKvuORXnhr9DvsRD3woou2EATRAmaHTHkjk/s1600/matthias-election-of-orthodoxicontransfigchurchmarriettaga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8mi0DnOUEw-RKVg4yAFw1bvg58Z_U-IGuIqb5NuoeEXkbEXSX7Mslr5RZrVcKDpYYt4S7isZSHTWQq7GOfPddKLLChYR4PIqEKmTyGKsWKvuORXnhr9DvsRD3woou2EATRAmaHTHkjk/s320/matthias-election-of-orthodoxicontransfigchurchmarriettaga.jpg" width="259" /></a>Today we celebrate the feast of St. Matthias, the first of the twelve not to be chosen by Christ Himself. Saint Hildegard of Bingen wrote the "Hymn to Saint Matthias," which is a beautiful tribute to this great Saint:<br />
<br />
<b><i>Hymn to Saint Matthias </i></b><br />
From <i>Symphonia: A Critical Edition of the Symphonia Armonie Celestum</i>, by Barbara Newman<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> </i>Matthias the fighting man<br />
won this victory; he became a saint<br />
by lot.<br />
Before the Lamb died<br />
he had no call; he came late<br />
to his knowledge<br />
like one half-sleeping.<br />
<br />
God's gift aroused him!<br />
He leapt for joy like a giant<br />
in his prime-<br />
for Providence knew him well-<br />
waking just like Adam<br />
from the slime<br />
when the angel of denial fell.<br />
<br />
The one God elected then-<br />
alas! he had oxen<br />
and rams for sacrifice<br />
yet he turned his face<br />
from the altar and fell.<br />
<br />
Instead of God he embraced<br />
his desires, made<br />
his wishes his idols. There<br />
in a coalpit, he raised<br />
his Olympus.<br />
<br />
It was then that Matthias,<br />
God's choice, rose like a giant.<br />
God gave him the place<br />
the lost one voided - and there<br />
(O amazement!) his grace<br />
dazzled our eyes.<br />
<br />
For the God of wonders<br />
saw his worth before he earned it.<br />
In him the Mysterious One<br />
took joy, not in Judas.<br />
<br />
Oh joy of all joys that our God<br />
gives grace to the ignorant!<br />
The babe has no notion<br />
where the mighty man flies -<br />
yet God grants him wings.<br />
<br />
That man pleases God<br />
who forgets himself.<br />
who cries like Matthias:<br />
Oh God, my God, you who made me -<br />
all my works are yours.<br />
<br />
Let Matthias, God's choice,<br />
be a joy to his Church, be a dove<br />
in the clefts of His holy mountain.<br />
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-59120186441797355962012-05-07T08:57:00.004-07:002012-05-07T10:50:15.087-07:00Hidden Abundance: A Tribute to the Desert<b><i>“'The desert is beautiful,' the little prince added.</i></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b><i>And that was true. I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune,
sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs,
and gleams...” </i></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b><i>'What makes the desert beautiful,' said the little prince, 'is that somewhere it hides a well...'"</i></b><br />
<b><i> </i><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i> </i>-Antoine de Saint-Exupery </b><br />
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This is the third spring we've spent in Phoenix. Every year the desert becomes more and more beautiful to me, and this is my favorite time of year. What I love about the desert is that it forces you to look carefully, to really examine the topography. The beauty of the desert is subtle; it doesn't jump out at you like the beauty of a stunning mountain range or white sand beach. To really appreciate the desert's beauty you have to step back, narrow your scope, and examine your surroundings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMnx9Cojqxe9FFaF1rcRpPlGqiToZHVeWOSZxErsKghkfsF95xVwVJ_jShgSjarEdbM7E5QBS-ya16qTy5O-OWPkaSp40HycnGE4NQqh40H0alyMLS1hyt85d9Vk9wqA9fxYlrtJ_mtQ/s1600/barrel" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMnx9Cojqxe9FFaF1rcRpPlGqiToZHVeWOSZxErsKghkfsF95xVwVJ_jShgSjarEdbM7E5QBS-ya16qTy5O-OWPkaSp40HycnGE4NQqh40H0alyMLS1hyt85d9Vk9wqA9fxYlrtJ_mtQ/s320/barrel" width="240" /></a>Because of this, it's easy to take the desert for granted. The first year I lived here, I didn't even notice the subtle changes that take place throughout the year. It's easy to overlook the transformations that are constantly unfolding in the desert, which are actually quite dramatic. During our second year here in the Valley, I became more interested in our strange desert surroundings. I started to notice things that I hadn't seen before---the way that a desert mountain changes from a darker shade of brown in the winter to a mellow green in the spring, or the wildflowers that emerge along the highway in the spring and fall. The delicate yellow flowers of a palo verde, the green pods of a mesquite.<br />
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Of course, the cacti are what really characterize the desert landscape. Over the last few months, we've been learning all about the traditional uses for the cacti that you find here in Phoenix, and it is fascinating. For example, the short and stout barrel cactus was used as a thirst quencher for desert travelers. Desert natives used the cactus juices for making bread. And then there's the cryptic queen of the night, or night-blooming cereus, a strange desert plant that resembles an inconspicuous heap of spiky sticks for most of the year, only to burst into beautiful white blossoms when the time is just right. As with many things in the desert, this one is very easy to miss. Desert Indian tribes like the Tohono O'odham used the cactus roots as a preventive treatment against Type II diabetes, indigestion, headaches, respiratory ailments, and high cholesterol.<br />
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But the true king of the desert has to be the saguaro. I know it is perhaps an overused symbol of the desert, but I think that is for good reason. Saguaros are powerful. I remember driving into a saguaro forest for the first time and feeling like I was in another world. Recently we've been reading about the traditional customs of the Tohono O'odham and the special place of the saguaro in their tribal traditions. According to <i>Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert</i>, an excellent book for anyone who is interested in these things, the Tohono O'odham used the saguaro fruit for jam, syrup, dehydrated pulp, seed flour, chicken feed, oil, snack foods, wine, vinegar and snack foods. "Each month of the Tohono O'odham calendar is based on the phenology of the saguaro and progression of the seasons, rather than the sun and its equinoxes." In the spring months, the tribe had rituals to ensure a good saguaro harvest, and summer time marks the harvest. During the harvest months, they moved to "cactus camps" and the picking season lasted two to four weeks. The harvesting itself was strenuous and time-consuming; women would collect fruits with long poles made of dead saguaro ribs to knock the fruit of the top of the saguaros. Each woman collected about two basketfuls each day, and by the time the basket was full, it usually weighed about 88 pounds!<br />
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When I first came here I remember thinking that the desert was a strange, even unnatural place for a human dwelling. Maybe people weren't meant to live in such a harsh environment. The desert doesn't present itself as immediately friendly to an agrarian lifestyle. But after living here, things have taken on a new light. The desert has a world of potential, but it is hidden. It's difficult to see, and perhaps it will be hard to work with. The desert is like the dark night of the soul---seemingly harsh, dry, and empty, but resonating with life and sustenance if one sees it for what it truly is.<br />
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-10823822957399253562012-05-01T14:02:00.000-07:002012-05-01T14:02:30.891-07:00Work of His Hands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45WY-lXi2RsYAANNYJxUoYBgNjidTKaQy-_FMUQL41oDHCd1RIv7K4Glii85ml0YaV2aD5NkvKe99zV-Q2bv_eTZ85vyhyAj7WG8KmCE4pIUNB0Uv1_ivt2TMQ63BJ-8cyWhD-DpTCaA/s1600/Ribera_Jusepe_de-Saint_Joseph_and_the_Christ_Child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45WY-lXi2RsYAANNYJxUoYBgNjidTKaQy-_FMUQL41oDHCd1RIv7K4Glii85ml0YaV2aD5NkvKe99zV-Q2bv_eTZ85vyhyAj7WG8KmCE4pIUNB0Uv1_ivt2TMQ63BJ-8cyWhD-DpTCaA/s400/Ribera_Jusepe_de-Saint_Joseph_and_the_Christ_Child.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #66682f;"><span style="color: black;">Saint Joseph was, in a radical way, the
model of masculinity and virtue for our Lord and Savior. In a real and
tangible sense, Our Lord worked beside St. Joseph, learning from him how to work with his hands, how to pray, how to <i>be a man, </i>not only in the active work of the carpenter, but also in the contemplation of truth and justice<i>.</i> As Blessed John Paul II says in <span style="color: #663300;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><i><b> </b><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_15081989_redemptoris-custos_en.html" target="_blank">Redemptoris Custos</a>:</span></i></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">"...in Joseph, the apparent tension between the active and the
contemplative life finds an ideal harmony that is only possible for those who
possess the perfection of charity...We can say that Joseph experienced
both love of the truth---that pure contemplative love of the divine Truth which
radiated from the humanity of Christ---and the demands of love---that equally pure
and selfless love required for his vocation to safeguard and develop the
humanity of Jesus<span style="color: black;"><i>..."</i> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">Today's feast of St. Joseph the Worker, which was only just instituted in 1955, reminds us that the work of our hands is an opportunity for sanctification, that even simple tasks have the potential to shape the human spirit. It is beautiful to imagine the hidden years of Christ, working beside his father in Nazareth. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1zNewxjyNGXig6En-oTb-Qu92TZnWMaa_i0RzeKAhD6NeI5Ly6Jks2Vdh2Wbg0AXbIbMfVd67Rg0lj9HbcUAPZw4pqBjlnm1D-JDK8AAcZ9wAnNQhSC3JPL8gyAb8YDDdKNEIq4nInU/s1600/sfinge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1zNewxjyNGXig6En-oTb-Qu92TZnWMaa_i0RzeKAhD6NeI5Ly6Jks2Vdh2Wbg0AXbIbMfVd67Rg0lj9HbcUAPZw4pqBjlnm1D-JDK8AAcZ9wAnNQhSC3JPL8gyAb8YDDdKNEIq4nInU/s400/sfinge.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">As we noted in our <a href="http://forgottenaltars.blogspot.com/2012/03/guardian-of-mystery-of-god.html" target="_blank">March post</a>, the Italians have a special devotion to St. Joseph. In "My Name Day - Come For Dessert," a wonderful little book, Helen McLoughlin gives a great recipe for St. Joseph's Sfinge, or cream puffs. You can also find a recipe <a href="http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/recipes/view.cfm?id=35" target="_blank">here</a>. <i> </i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">St. Joseph the Worker, pray for us!</span>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-41981529895493124052012-04-24T22:20:00.002-07:002012-04-24T22:20:53.451-07:00Identity Crisis: A Brief History of the Handmaid<div style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">"I am the handmaid..." These first words of Mary's Fiat are already offensive to our modern sentiments. The term "handmaid" immediately brings to mind the frumpy woman in the corner, sewing or doing some other domestic craft, remaining seen and not heard. The handmaid is lowly and overly submissive. She cannot think for herself; she has surrendered her freedom to the dominant figures, who are most likely male. This image does not sit well with modern women of action. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I propose that it is even more offensive than we might realize. As Catholics, we are always encouraged to read the New Testament in light of the Old, so I thought I would do some digging in order to come to a fuller understanding of this word, "handmaid." What I found was surprising and intriguing. The following reflections are those of a novice in such matters. If there are trained theologians/Biblical scholars out there who find my reflections offensive, please do present your suggestions in the Comments section. Additionally, I could not find any literature that addresses this connection, so if anyone knows of a book or other piece of literature that does, I would love to read it. <b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To begin, let's play a game. In the following two passages from the Latin Vulgate, which word is common to both (with the exception of "et")?<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Genesis 21:10</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;">"eice ancillam hanc et filium eius non enim erit heres filius ancillae cum filio meo Isaac"</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Luke 1:39</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"dixit autem Maria ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum et discessit ab illa angelus"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do you see it? The answer is "ancilla." This is the word which is nicely translated as "handmaid" in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, however, the translation is a bit less friendly. The Ignatius Press Revised Standard Version translates "ancilla" as "slave woman." If you recall the story of Hagar the slave woman in the Old Testament, you'll realize just how unfriendly the word really is in this context. When I began my research into the meaning of the word "handmaid," I had expected to encounter Biblical passages like the famous Proverbs 31:13, with the handmaid being the one who works with her hands. I didn't anticipate that the word was also used to describe Abraham's concubine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, Mary was not an "ancilla" in the same what that Hagar was, and one has to take context and the manifold meanings of words into consideration. What fascinated me about this connection is that it further demonstrates Mary's radical humility. By calling herself the handmaid of the Lord, Mary hearkens back not only to the domestic images of woman's role in the household, but also to what many would consider to be the lowest of the low women figures in the Old Testament. Mary is often compared to the matriarchs of the Old Testament, but she does not say "I am the matriarch of the Lord." This radical humility is why we can turn to her in our most desperate moments of despair and discouragement. Just as Christ did not come to save the righteous, but the sinner, so His Mother does not shirk from our weakness, but hands it over to her Son, repeating to us her admonition to the servants at the wedding of Cana: "Do whatever He tells you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So what does all this say about what it means to be a woman? At first glance, Mary's reference to herself as "handmaid" and its Biblical roots seem to have no bearing on the modern notion of woman. After all, Mary was an exceptional case, an immaculate model. And what's more, no woman nowadays would use an evidently chauvinist term like "handmaid" to describe herself. Mary's title is not only antiquated, it's offensive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To delve more deeply into this question, let's compare the "bondage" of Hagar with the "handmaid" of the New Testament. Whereas Hagar's role is merely one of social status, perhaps the result of a lucrative sale, Mary's is a response to a call, to a gift. Mary could have rejected this role, which brought her social ruin and disgrace. She was not sold into it; she stepped into it. Here we see a paradoxical relationship between freedom and service: in Mary's submission to the will of God, she is more free than her Old Testament counterpart. And yet her submission is so radical, so extreme, that it would not be accurate to simply describe her as an "independent woman." Rather, from the moment she responds to the Father's call, her life is inextricably bound to her Son, to her family---to her God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is not to say that the rest of Mary's life was merely bondage and that she was merely a passive player. Her Fiat did not end with the conception of Christ, but resonated in every moment of every day. Every word she spoke to her Son, every lesson she taught Him, every tear she shed at His passion and death---she could have run away at any moment. But she persevered, and for her faithfulness she was crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth. The matriarch, the bond woman, the prostitute---not only are all redeemed in Christ's sacrifice, but they also receive a new model in Mary, the exalted handmaid. In this movement, Mary's message to women is that submission is not necessarily oppression, that surrender is not necessarily defeat, that service is not slavery. In fact, we see a woman who is <i>truly </i>free to love, to give of herself, and in so doing, to be exalted. </span><br />
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<br />Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-78644201258118621932012-04-23T13:44:00.000-07:002012-04-23T13:44:33.565-07:00St. George's Looks Towards Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzSWlambPGmbQ1E5kLFyotFmlrhaXxetsmpF0IpGDVAH4UcUuCc9VlRo8KywY4j5UGATeZoW8hGpkAtDoncklhDuOJemyMvu9GFkqBanNTf4fV8ZR1KuM9mYJpyRyOZMWS8m-vv4bn88/s1600/saint-george-dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzSWlambPGmbQ1E5kLFyotFmlrhaXxetsmpF0IpGDVAH4UcUuCc9VlRo8KywY4j5UGATeZoW8hGpkAtDoncklhDuOJemyMvu9GFkqBanNTf4fV8ZR1KuM9mYJpyRyOZMWS8m-vv4bn88/s320/saint-george-dragon.jpg" width="243" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, we are a Scottish family, but we do love <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06453a.htm" target="_blank">Saint George</a> of Merry England. In fact, the first book we ever bought for our daughter was the classic children's book by Margaret Hodges and Trina Schart Hyman---a great author/illustrator combo. The book is great for boys or girls, since it has a beautiful female character named Una as well as the noble and fearless Saint George. To my mind, there are two things that make this book extra special:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">The illustrations are spectacular. Not only are the actual pictures amazing, but each page has intricately designed borders with flowers, symbols and depictions of events in the book. And perhaps best of all, St. George is no pretty boy, and the dragon is actually ferocious, just like a dragon should be.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The book really lends itself to out-loud, dramatic reading. There's one page (page 15 in our copy) that is just a long paragraph describing the dragon in detail, with such great descriptions as, "He reared high, monstrous, horrible, and vast, armed all over with scales of brass fitted so closely that no sword or spear could pierce them...His head was more hideous than tongue can tell, for his deep jaws gaped wide, showing three rows of iron teeth ready to devour his prey. A cloud of smothering smoke and burning sulfur poured from his throat, filling the air with its stench..." And that's only half of it!</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEEOBRQ0zDJwIWYIjmsxyfSw1j-awyFznrmjQ0I9bWZsCktymrWPYWq_nujgvCRIu6zjnX7EaDZMfa8HcaqUJmyZ0YUGW6JF-AKAzJQkz9VwbxlYaGdlYJaDvPngAbzhuTYlB7XsXZxQ/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEEOBRQ0zDJwIWYIjmsxyfSw1j-awyFznrmjQ0I9bWZsCktymrWPYWq_nujgvCRIu6zjnX7EaDZMfa8HcaqUJmyZ0YUGW6JF-AKAzJQkz9VwbxlYaGdlYJaDvPngAbzhuTYlB7XsXZxQ/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">And on the more adult end of things, there are some great traditions associated with Saint George's feast day. One of the great customs is to make dandelion wine for Christmas. If anyone here in Phoenix knows of a large dandelion pasture, please do let us know. We've seen lots of cactus blossoms lately, but not much in the way of dandelions. Perhaps some day we will grow our own field of dandelion "weeds," just so we can make this recipe:</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp" target="_blank">Traditional Midday Dandelion Wine</a></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">2 qts dandelion flowers</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">3 lbs granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">4 oranges</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">1 gallon water</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">yeast and nutrient</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZX4hg4SQECvnF2MpjrEZn_elnZqE46hgZOpSPZAwkseqy0emrMHwf3bj7Wbcxf73Rf1DBi7g7g2MSsyMVWR9ydXCAZrNSv9HKJcRGX7IdZBqocYVJf3l41MXgpO1NfSns8ro3KmACHY/s1600/St_George.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZX4hg4SQECvnF2MpjrEZn_elnZqE46hgZOpSPZAwkseqy0emrMHwf3bj7Wbcxf73Rf1DBi7g7g2MSsyMVWR9ydXCAZrNSv9HKJcRGX7IdZBqocYVJf3l41MXgpO1NfSns8ro3KmACHY/s320/St_George.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">(<i>From the site): </i>This is the traditional "Midday Dandelion Wine" of old, named because the flowers must be picked at midday when they are fully open. Pick the flowers and bring into the kitchen. Set one gallon of water to boil. While it heats up to a boil, remove as much of the green material from the flower heads as possible (the original recipe calls for two quarts of petals only, but this will work as long as you end up with two quarts of prepared flowers). Pour the boiling water over the flowers, cover with cloth, and leave to steep for two days. Do not exceed two days. Pour the mixture back into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the peelings from the four oranges (again, no white pith) and boil for ten minutes. Strain through a muslin cloth or bag onto a crock or plastic pail containing the sugar, stirring to dissolve. When cool, add the juice of the oranges, the yeast and yeast nutrient. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit fermentation trap, and allow to ferment completely. Rack and bottle when wine clears and again when no more lees form for 60 days. Open and drink for Christmas.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Until that day, we plan to have a delicious dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding to honor dear Saint George. Here's a novena in his honor that is commonly said in the nine days before his feast, although you could also start today, or any time for that matter:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: arial,verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Almighty and eternal God! With lively faith and reverently worshiping Thy
divine Majesty, I prostrate myself before Thee and invoke with filial trust
Thy supreme bounty and mercy. Illumine the darkness of my intellect with
a ray of Thy heavenly light and inflame my heart with the fire of Thy divine
love, that I may contemplate the great virtues and merits of the saint in
whose honor I make this novena, and following his example imitate, like him,
the life of Thy divine Son. <br />
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Moreover, I beseech Thee to grant graciously, through the merits and intercession
of this powerful Helper, the petition which through him I humbly place before
Thee, devoutly saving, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Vouchsafe
graciously to hear it, if it redounds to Thy greater glory and to the salvation
of my soul. Amen. <br />
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O God, who didst grant to Saint George strength and constancy in the various
torments which he sustained for our holy faith; we beseech Thee to preserve,
through his intercession, our faith from wavering and doubt, so that we may
serve Thee with a sincere heart faithfully unto death. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen. <br />
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Faithful servant of God and invincible martyr, Saint George; favored by God
with the gift of faith, and inflamed with an ardent love of Christ, thou
didst fight valiantly against the dragon of pride, falsehood, and deceit.
Neither pain nor torture, sword nor death could part thee from the love of
Christ. I fervently implore thee for the sake of this love to help me by
thy intercession to overcome the temptations that surround me, and to bear
bravely the trials that oppress me, so that I may patiently carry the cross
which is placed upon me; and let neither distress nor difficulties separate
me from the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Valiant champion of the Faith,
assist me in the combat against evil, that I may win the crown promised to
them that persevere unto the end. <br />
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My Lord and my God! I offer up to Thee my petition in union with the bitter
passion and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, together with the merits of His
immaculate and blessed Mother, Mary ever virgin, and of all the saints,
particularly with those of the holy Helper in whose honor I make this novena.
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Look down upon me, merciful Lord! Grant me Thy grace and Thy love, and graciously
hear my prayer. Amen. </span> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541206186144229047.post-36500352298520060872012-04-21T12:17:00.001-07:002012-04-21T12:17:14.774-07:00The Pope Speaks: Why Catholics Leave and Why He's Sticking Around<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You hear a lot about people leaving the Church these days. In his interviews with Peter Seewald, Pope Benedict XVI addressed this unfortunate issue:<br />
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<i>Seewald: ...it is difficult for many people these days to stand by the Church. Can you understand why people respond by leaving it in protest?</i><br />
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<i>Pope Benedict XVI: I can understand it. I am thinking of course above all about the victims [of abuse] themselves. That it is difficult for them to keep believing that the Church is a source of good, that she communicates the light of Christ, that she helps people in life---I can understand that. And others, who have only these negative perceptions, no longer see then the overall picture, the life of the Church. All the more reason that the Church must strive to make this vitality and greatness visible again, despite all that is negative. </i><br />
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Fortunately, the Pope has no plans to leave his own station as Holy Father anytime soon. Rumors of resignation continue to surface, but Pope Benedict confirmed at his birthday Mass that he doesn't plan to resign, echoing what he told Seewald back in 2010:<br />
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<i>Seewald: The great majority of these [abuse] cases took place decades ago. Nevertheless they burden your pontificate now in particular. Have you thought of resigning?</i><br />
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<i>Pope Benedict XVI: When the danger is great one must not run away. For that reason, now is certainly not the time to resign. Precisely at a time like this one must stand fast and endure the difficult situation. That is my view. One can resign at a peaceful moment or when one simply cannot go on. But one must not run away from danger and say that someone else should do it. </i><i></i><br />
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We thank God especially this week for our courageous Pope, and pray for his continued strength and guidance.Our Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02703005828897779835noreply@blogger.com0