My Hope Article

You may or may not remember the article on hope I was working on back in April and May of this year. It was published in mater et magistra magazine this summer.

Now you can read it online as it's been included in Barry Michael's "Festival of Hope" over at The Tail End.

“Hope: An Act of the Will”

While you're there, be sure to sign up for a chance to win a free year's subscription to mater et magistra magazine!

Great Quote of the Day

The art of reading requires that you develop a beautiful tolerance for incomprehension. The greatest books are the books that you come to understand more deeply with time, with age, and with rereading.

Hat-tip EBeth, who explains where she found it here.

A Few Last Minute Additions that Didn't Make it into the Picture Below:

Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders (DIY Science) by Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson

Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments (DIY Science) by Robert Bruce Thompson

It's that Library Tree Time of Year Again

The biggest news this year is that we have another local library taking on our project (a friend of mine helped make the connection) and so now we are starting to put great family reading into TWO libraries at once! :)



You can read about our previous efforts in this area by looking at our library topic tab.

I finished up the ornaments last night, with some much appreciated help from John and from Gus. The work went a little quicker this year as I have quite a few leftovers from last year to fill in. I can also add more over the next few weeks if it's needed.

Here are the books pictured (plus one that's not). Most of the leftovers from last year are DVDs as they sold a lot more slowly. Since we still have the ornaments, I thought I'd keep trying and see if we can get a few more each time. I imagine that, though most of the buyers seem more interested in books, there are probably a few for whom DVDs will be more appealing.

Ordered from left to right, starting at the top (if you can figure that out!):

The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections by Amanda Soule

The Grunt Padre

Beatrice's Goat

Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive

Buildings that Changed the World (I found this at a different local library while working on an Architecture Unit Study for Heart and Mind Magazine a few years ago - and really liked it!)

101 Things You Gotta Do Before You're 12

Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth is a Planet

Sholom's Treasure: How Sholom Aleichem Became a Writer

Ten Mile Day and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad

Penguins by Seymour Simon

Mom and Dad are Palindromes

Dolley Madison Saves George Washington

Mary Cassatt: Impressionist Painter

One Grain of Rice by Demi

In Flanders' Field: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference

How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.

The Greatest Game Ever Played

Annushka's Voyage

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning

First Farm in the Valley

Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression

The Best Beekeeper of Lalibella: A Tale from Africa

My Heart Lies South: The Story of My Mexican Marriage

Hero on Horseback: The Story of Casimir Pulaski

Taj Mahal by Caroline Arnold

Brave Harriet

Everybody Bakes Bread

Bessie Smith and the Night Riders (this one may not make it in as I just realized that I accidentally printed it up with the wrong description - not much time to fix it today, so I may put it aside for next year)

The Swamp Fox of the Revolution (not pictured)

How I Find the Books:

This is not an exact science. I don't get to read very many of the books ahead of time - they're just not available to me for purchase (and I obviously can't find them yet in my local library!). Here are some of my methods for finding good stuff:

First, I take at least one "research" trip to a big local bookstore. I always find some nice goodies and get to take a close look at these. My favorites from this year's trip were Planting the Trees of Kenya (which our library already owns) and 101 Things You Gotta Do Before You're 12. Good stuff! These books don't require further research since I get to look at them myself. Just have to check them against the library's online catalog.

Certain authors and series can be reliable enough for me to add new selections to our tree without seeing them ahead of time. We've done a lot of books from the Sterling Point Biographies and from Lets Read-and-Find-Out Science. Filling in the library's collection of certain favorite authors and illustrators can also be a good idea. For example, last year Tomie de Paola's book on St. Patrick was added to the library through this project.

Next, I find online or in-print book lists to filter through some helpful recommendations. Last year, I made substantial use of Maureen Wittman's For the Love of Literature. This year, Cay Gibson's Picture Perfect Childhood was extremely helpful. I make up lists of books that look interesting and then research them on Amazon.com to make sure they're in print and to check out the reviews. Since I don't get to see these books ahead of time, I'm very fussy at this stage - I look to see that the reviewers are happy and that there are no major flaws. Book descriptions and reviews will often give clues about bias and tone.

I also pick up book titles here and there from the blogosphere and whatnot. For example, the Creative Family is a title I've seen a number of homeschool moms blog about. Sounds good!

Overall, I've noticed that picture books tend to sell better than chapter books and DVDs sell very slowly. It's likely that I'll be turning to Cay Gibson's book again next year as there are plenty of suggestions left to check out.

What I'm Trying to Accomplish:

It seems to me that picture books are a great way to encourage good education today. Not only are they appealing and in the midst of a sort of Renaissance right now (lots of true, good and beautiful stuff out there!) but they also tend to be less agenda-based than the textbooks that children are using in schools. (Read Language Police by Diane Ravitch if you're not familiar with these problems). I'm not out to promote a specific agenda or sneak something in under the librarians' noses. Instead, I'm focusing on the true, the good and the beautiful - often in the form of natural virtues and good things that everyone can appreciate, but won't necessarily encounter without this sort of nudge. Good things that seem to abound in books like these include concepts like: charity and kindness, hope, perseverance, beauty in nature, appreciation of the dignity of the person, cultural connectedness, historical perspective and the sense that one person really can make a difference.

Sticky with a Chance of Snowmen

DSC_0668, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

We've had some major flurries recently and a bunch of white sludge on the deck, but today we woke up to a winter wonderland. The kids are going to be happy when they wake up! :)

How a Candle Works

I posted this on Unity of Truth recently, but it's too much fun not to share here too. It's been inspiring lots of fun experimentation around our house. Maureen's been posting lots of other great videos (and other stuff) on Unity of Truth lately - including an amazing one of a meteor caught on a policecam. Check it out!

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

This is a fascinating little exposition on the candle. It's really amazing - be sure to watch closely at the end, especially, when he relights the candle by lighting up the "smoke" from the extinguished wick!

Update on Nick

Nick is doing much better. The transfusion was successful, but they will be keeping him in the hospital a few more days just to make sure that the infection is completely under control.

Thank you so much for the prayers!

Please Pray

for my nephew Nicholas who is hospitalized with a kidney infection.

UPDATE:

"Prayer request for Nicholas Van Hecke. He is currently hospitalized in Ventura. Nicholas is undergoing a complete blood transfusion due to a serious infection that has gotten into his blood stream."

One More Emma Shot

Final Curtain Call, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

This is from our final performance - which was on a real stage with curtains and lighting. It was amazing!

Please Pray

...for all those involved in Friday's deadly shooting at a Santa Clara, California, business. One of the three killed, Brian Pugh, is the father of my little nephew's classmate.

Read the story here.

I was particularly moved by the kindness shown to the family of the suspected shooter. I'm sure his wife and family are particularly in need of prayers.

Building a Culture of Life - Part 7

7. Be Not Afraid

While preparing for tonight's catechism discussion on the first half of 1 Corinthians (by browsing through various books on topics relating to our reading) I found this post starting to write itself. I'm sure there's a lot more to be said on this topic, but here, I think, is an interesting start.

First I wanted to mention that these tidbits reminded me of last Sunday's gospel on the Talents (Mt 25:14-30), which Pope Benedict recently commented on:

"The mistaken attitude is that of fear," the Bishop of Rome stated. "The servant who fears his master and fears his return, hides the coin in the ground and it does not produce any fruit. This happens, for example, to those who, having received baptism, Communion, and confirmation bury such gifts beneath prejudices, a false image of God that paralyzes faith and works, so as to betray the Lord's expectations."

"But," Benedict XVI continued, "the parable puts greater emphasis on the good fruits born by the disciples who, happy at the gift received, did not hide it with fear and jealously, but made it fruitful, sharing it, participating in it. Indeed, what Christ gives us is multiplied when we give it away! It is a treasure that is made to be spent, invested, shared with all, as the Apostle Paul, that great administrator of Jesus' talents, has taught us."

Read the rest here

In Cardinal Ratzinger's book What It Means to be a Christian (in a chapter entitled "The Law of Superabundance"), he provides a very helpful exposition of what it really means to be a Christian...

But first a little connected piece from the previous chapter...

...everything we encounter in dogma is, ultimately, just interpretation: interpretation of the one truly sufficient and decisive fundamental reality of the love between God and men. And it remains true, consequently, that those people who are truly loving, who are as such also believers, may be called Christians.

Then, in the context of this quote from the Sermon on the Mount, "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire." has this to say:

Whenever we read this passage, it weighs on us; it crushes us. Yet there is a verse just before that gives the passage its whole meaning when it says, "I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5:20). The key word in this verse is "exceeds". The original Greek is still more strongly expressed, and only that really shows the basic intention here. In literal translation, it says, "Unless your righteousness has more superabundance than that of the scribes and Pharisees..."

Here we meet with a theme that runs through the whole of Christ's message. The Christian is the person who does not calculate; rather, he does something extra. He is in fact the lover, who does not ask, "How much farther can I go and still remain within the realm of venial sin, stopping short of mortal sin?" Rather, the Christian is the one who simply seeks what is good, without any calculation. A merely righteous man, the one who is only concerned with doing what is correct, is a Pharisee; only he who is not merely righteous is beginning to be a Christian. Of course, that does not, by a long way, mean that a Christian is a person who does nothing wrong and has no failings. On the contrary, he is the person who knows that he does have failings and who is generous with God and with other people because he knows how much he depends on the generosity of God and of his fellowmen.

Finally, I haven't read this book, yet but did a little browsing in Archbishop Chaput's Living the Catholic Faith: Rediscovering the Basics and stumbled upon this lovely and challenging tidbit:

"Go, make disciples of all nations" was the last command Jesus gave to us before returning to His Father. It's a big one. How can simple people like us convert the world? That brings us back to Mary, and to the apostles at Pentecost. They changed the world by letting God change them and work through them. We don't need to be afraid. We need to be confident in the promise made by Christ Himself: "I am with you always, to the close of the age."

Don't be afraid of the world. The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley once sneered that "I could believe in Christ if He did not drag along behind Him that leprous bride of His, the Church." Yet Shelley is long dead, and the Church is still here, still alive and young, still bringing life to the world. Don't be afraid of the world. The Holy Spirit is on your side. Charles Spurgeon once said, "The way you defend the Bible is the same way you defend a lion. You just let it loose."

and

Understand your purpose in life. C.S. Lewis once said that "Christianity, if false, is of no importance; and if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important."

Interesting Headline News Site for Catholics

This is put together by the Knights of Columbus and looks pretty interesting...

Headline Bistro

Helping Those in Need

Here are a couple of great projects to check out - and some simple ways to help out some beautiful families who could use a little extra support right now.

Elizabeth Foss is organizing some help for the Curtis Family (a large family of recent converts whose dad is temporarily unable to work):

I know there's more though. I know that someone out there in blogville can box up St. Nicholas day for Barbara's children. Someone else is already thinking about how Catholics decorate for advent and Christmas. And someone else is going to understand the practical needs of a large family when dad is sidelined with a longterm disability. We're talking about mailing Costco cards or Target cards or Walmart cards--those stores are local. And if Barbara needs someone to help her shop with the cards, we've got some local ladies ready to do that, too.

Read more and see what you can do to help by clicking here.

Also, Margot Davidson of Hillside Education is starting a special "bake sale" corner to help support a particular family each month:

This month, (from now until Christmas) the proceeds go to help the Quigley family in Lancaster, PA who have 2 children recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (see picture above). Because of a mistake in processing their claim and bureaucratic red tape to correct the problem, the insurance company will not be covering the insulin needed by the children for at least a month. The family is unable to cover the cost of the insulin, yet it is essential to keeping the children alive.

Please consider purchasing an item from this page, perhaps as a Christmas gift, and help this family in need. Items will be added daily, so keep checking back. You may also simply make a donation. If you'd like to donate something to the sale, we'd welcome your contributions. Please contact us at sales@hillsideeducation.com.

Check out the "bake sale" items and read about this month's family by clicking here and clicking through to the "Helping Those in Need" page.

Emma in Action

Emma's friends comment on her portrait-in-progress of Harriet, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

Here's a particularly picturesque shot from the second Emma performance in which Emma's friends chat about her portrait-in-progress of Harriet.

"Lost Causes are the Only Ones Worth Fighting For"

A great moment from the classic film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in honor of my friend Kate who's running as a long-shot for board of education trustee today...

Today's Curtain Call

Curtain Call #2, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

More Emma

Jane Austen and her "creations", originally uploaded by Chez VH.

Especially for Charlotte! :)

Jane Austen (in the maroon dress) was the witty narrator that brought a lot of clarity and connectedness to the story. (Great script by the way, but it was long and LOTS of work!)

The famous authoress is pictured here with (clockwise from upper right): Mr. Knightley, Harriet Smith, Emma Wodehouse, Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill.

We had our second performance this afternoon. The troupe performed at a nursing home for retired School Sisters of Notre Dame. It's been fun to see these retired teachers' interest in homeschooling. We also put on an Irish Dance performance for them around St. Patrick's Day and they're a very fun audience!

A few random tidbits:

Mr. Knightley is wearing MY boots!

Lyra Face Pencils were a wonderful last minute discovery (and are responsible for Mr. Wodehouse's lovely whiskers in the previous photo - I started with black and then added some white into it). They are definitely going to make the trip to Latin Convention with us this winter.

Most of the costumes were recycled from parents' clothing or rummage sale finds. Jane Fairfax's dress, however, was made by her grandmother.

My one sewing project for the play was Mr. Wodehouse's hat. As long as it doesn't require a machine, I'm good. :)

Emma!

Mr. Wodehouse from "Emma" by Jane Austen, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

The kids put on their first performance of Jane Austen's Emma tonight. It was fantastic!

Here's Gus as Mr. Wodehouse!

Happy Dancing People

I may very well be the last person on the blogosphere to have seen this video, but it was too much fun not to share. Ria and I were laughing until we were crying (or were we crying until we were laughing?) and she is presently attempting to wake up her siblings so they can come see it too.

The video is much better in high quality, so you might want to click through as I don't know how to provide the option here.

hat-tip As Cozy As Spring

What Board Game Are You?

You Are Checkers

You are very logical and rational. You are able to understand what is and isn't a factor. You're able to compartmentalize and focus on the essentials. You appreciate simplicity. You can see the layers of complexity and beauty in anything. You are also playful and good natured. You don't take life too seriously!

What Board Game Are You?

This sounds about right. Once upon a time I was a big chess person, but I don't seem to have the patience or concentration for it anymore.

hat-tip Boogers Don't Bounce

Educating for a Culture of Life

If I have time, I have a lot to say about a related subject to the series I'm currently working on about building a culture of life that will probably require its own series just to get things started. It's basically "Educating for a Culture of Life" and this quote is a perfect place to start:

No amount of pious training or pious culture will protect the faithful, or preserve them from the contamination of the age, if they are left inferior to non-Catholics in secular learning and intellectual development. The faithful must be guarded and protected by being trained and disciplined to grapple with the false systems of the age…. They must be better armed than their opponents - surpass them in the strength and vigor of their minds, and in the extent and variety of their knowledge. They must, on all occasions and against all adversaries, be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them. (Orestes Brownson)

Most likely both of these series will take me quite a while to pull together, though I have lots of bits and pieces scattered about my blogs already. There's lots of work to do, but at this point, I'm looking forward to digging in and getting it done.

Happy Veteran's Day!

And a Canadian tribute...

Studying St. Paul

I'm working on next week's catechism reading - First Corinthians. I'm using the Navarre Bible The Letters of St. Paul, which has some helpful commentary, overviews and background info. Here's a quote I particularly liked from the commentary:

The Fathers of the Church have drawn attention to this characteristic of Paul's letters - the way he manages to convey a deep doctrinal message in a familiar style, nicely suited to whomever he happens to be addressing: "A doctor", St. John Chrysostom explains, "does not treat the patient in the same way at the start of his illness as when he is recovering; nor does a teacher use the same method with children as with those who need more advanced tuition. That is how the Apostle acts: he writes as suites the needs and the times."

Late Fall and Late Costuming

Late Fall at Old World Wisconsin, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

Most of the deciduous trees are bare now, but a few still show a beautiful golden hue, especially when the sun hits them just so. The carpet of leaves under some of the trees have been positively magical this week and most of the week included gorgeous weather - into the 70s.

Now the colder weather has set in, probably for the long haul. There's a little sticky snow on the roof this morning. Yesterday, I was driving around helping some friends move and stopped by a Walmart on the way home. I try to avoid Walmart whenever possible because I don't like supporting them for various reasons, but their fabric section is the only place within reasonable reach for quick stops. It's such a Walmarty experience to walk innocently into a store in early November (even if it is snowing just a bit) and be startled by Christmas music and decor.

Anyway, my kids are performing in a play of Jane Austen's Emma next week and I needed to pick up an assortment of ribbon and various other materials. The combination of materials I was buying was really quite funny. Four yards of light blue tulle, two yards of deep red fleece, plenty of ribbon of entirely different sorts and a few odd trinkets of varying colors.

Ria is playing Harriet and needed some slightly floofy (I don't know how to spell that word and can't find it in a dictionary, but it's such a useful word that I just can't let it go) accouterments for her costume. Light blue ribbon and tulle seemed to be just the thing.

Gus is Mr. Wodehouse and was in need of a dressing-gown scarf (which should be easy to simply cut out of a big piece of fleece) and I'm hoping to make him a fancy sort of stocking cap. Red with a decorative ribbon trim and a little tassel on the end. I can't sew worth a lick on the sewing machine, but a little hand sewing should be okay.

Building a Culture of Life Series

This is the menu page for the whole Building a Culture of Life Series. With so many pieces floating around (and addendums that keep getting written inside my head - especially in the middle of the night), I figured I at least need to give it a little organization. I will probably be adding to old posts quite a bit as there seem to be additional points and clarifications worth making as I try to clarify this whole issue in my own mind.

To have Christian hope means to know about evil and yet to go to meet the future with confidence. The core of faith rests upon accepting being loved by God, and therefore to believe is to say Yes, not only to him, but to creation, to creatures, above all, to men, to try to see the image of God in each person and thereby to become a lover. That’s not easy, but the basic Yes, the conviction that God has created men, that he stands behind them, that they aren’t simply negative, gives love a reference point that enables it to ground hope on the basis of faith (Cardinal Ratzinger, Salt of the Earth).

1. Respond with Love

2. Support the Disabled

3. Rejoice in the Good

Related quote to this part

4. Live What You Believe

5. Solidarity

6. Faith and Reason

7. Be Not Afraid!

8. "Replace Them"

Other Planned Sections:

9. Supporting NFP

10. Understanding and Talking About Contraception

Miscellaneous:

Sidenote on the Culture of Life Series

Amy Welborn on Building a Culture of Life

Amy Welborn has a post today on changes that can be made to make parishes more fervently pro-life. I thought this connected nicely with the series I'm working on here:

There’s where the work needs to begin, as I have said many, many times before -to stop treating abortion simply as a “social issue,” but as a reality among Catholics themselves. To have every Catholic parish in the United States be a pro-life place, not just because there is educational material in the back but because it is a place where:

1) Children are welcomed and prayed for - as in the prayer for “a respect for life in our nation” will be supplemented by a prayer “in thanksgiving for the children of our parish and in hopes that God will bless the families of our parish with more children.”

2) It is stated bluntly and directly in every way possible: “If your teenager gets pregnant or fathers a child, please don’t be ashamed. We’re with you. Let us know what we can do to help, and let us pray for the young parents.”

3) It is stated bluntly and directly in every way possible: “We’re rejoicing in the birth of the special-needs children in our parish. Here’s the assistance we give parents of special-needs kids. There’s lots of it.”

4) In which foster parenting is promoted and regular workshops and training on fostering are presented.

5) In which adoption is promoted and the parish participates in funds that financially assist adoptive families.

Read the whole thing here.

Strangely Appropriate

We studied the Book of Tobit for our teen catechism study group tonight. A few minutes before class I stumbled upon an audience by Pope John Paul II on the Canticle of Tobit which I read aloud to the group during class. It was beautiful and moving and seemed, to me at least, strangely appropriate at this difficult time. The book itself is traditionally held up to emphasize the need for almsgiving along with prayer and fasting and for praising God even in the midst of suffering. It is altogether a beautiful and hopeful story. Unfortunately, it is one of the Books of the Bible rejected by Protestants and so the story is not well known. Here is a tidbit from the beautiful Canticle itself:

Blessed is God who lives for ever,
and blessed is his kingdom.
For he afflicts, and he shows mercy;
he leads down to Hades, and brings up again,
and there is no one who can escape his hand.
Acknowledge him before the nations, O sons of Israel;
for he has scattered us among them.
Make his greatness known there,
and exalt him in the presence of all the living;
because he is our Lord and God, he is our Father for ever.
He will afflict us for our iniquities;
and again he will show mercy,
and will gather us from all the nations
among whom you have been scattered.
If you turn to him with all your heart and with all your soul,
to do what is true before him,
then he will turn to you and will not hide his face from you.
But see what he will do with you;
give thanks to him with your full voice.

Here is part of what Pope John Paul II had to say about this Canticle:

2. With this premise, the words of our hymn can make a strong point. They invite us to lift up our eyes on high to "God who lives forever", to his kingdom which "lasts for all ages". From this contemplation of God, the sacred author can offer a short sketch of a theology of history in which he tries to respond to the question which the dispersed and tried People of God are raising: why does God treat us like this? The response turns both to divine justice and mercy: "He chastises you for your injustices, but he will show mercy towards all of you" (v. 5). The chastisement appears thus to be a kind of divine pedagogy, in which the last word is reserved to mercy: "He scourges and then shows mercy, casts down to the depths of the nether world, and he brings up from the great abyss" (v. 2). Suffering, even the Cross, has a positive meaning if lived in accord with God's plan One can have absolute confidence in God who never abandons his creature. Moreover, the words of the hymn lead to another perspective, which attributes a salvific meaning to the situation of suffering, turning the exile into an occasion to praise the works of God: "Praise him, you Israelites, before the Gentiles for though he has scattered you among them, he has shown his greatness even there" (vv. 3-4).

3. From this invitation to read the exile in a providential way, our meditation can be extended to consider the mysteriously positive meaning which suffering assumes when it is lived in abandonment to God's plan. Already in the OT several passages delineate such a theme. Think of the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis (cf. Gn 37,2-36) who was sold by his brothers and destined to be their future saviour. How can we forget the book of Job? Here the innocent man suffers, and doesn't know how to explain his drama in any way except by surrendering to the greatness and wisdom of God (cf. Jb 42,1-16). For us who read these OT passages from a Christian perspective, the point of reference can only be the Cross of Christ which offers a profound response to the mystery of suffering in the world.

Read the rest of Pope John Paul II's General Audience on the Canticle of Tobit here.

Next Up in the Culture of Life Series

I'm hoping to tackle the double topic of Contraception and NFP next. Though it's sort of a subset of the previous one on studying church teaching (and keeping faith and reason in balance), it's so big that it'll probably require at least two posts just to get it started here. May not get to it today. Prayers for coherency would be appreciated. :)

P.S. I'm also hoping to put together a list of books, movies and links for each of these topics both for further educating and inspiring ourselves on these topics and for passing them along to others (especially our children).

Building a Culture of Life - Part 6

6. Faith and Reason.

I have this vision in my head that Catholics are actually in a position to be the bridge builders between various political extremes. I think it's partly about that faith-and-reason thing that we believe needs to be kept in balance. It seems to me that at this point in time one side tends to be off-balance in a reason-without-faith direction while the other side is inclined to embrace faith without reason.

So what does this Faith-and-Reason balance entail, anyway?

Man can touch the eternal only in sensible realities, but the things of this world are also intrinsically designed to mediate contact with God. (Cardinal Ratzinger, Gospel, Catechesis, Catechism)

A lot of people misunderstand this concept of Faith and Reason and assume that the "reason" part has something to do with an in-depth intellectual background.

Nope.

Intellectual studies are a good thing and have always been valued by the Church, but are not absolutely required for what we're talking about here. It's much more about using the gifts God has given us - including our reason and our common sense (I'm also thinking of the two-boats-and-a-helicopter joke here) - to make the best decisions we can. It's certainly about prudence, too.

It may be helpful to keep in mind that as much as it is a scandal for Christians to be confronted with those who believe God should be driven out from public view, it is *also* a scandal to those with secular-leanings to be told that they have to throw out even good science and common sense in order to embrace Christianity. (I think it's similar to the conflict between St. Peter and St. Paul in the early Church. St. Peter was tempted to side with those who argued that Gentiles, in order to become Christians, needed to embrace all the tenets of the Jewish faith. I think it's fairly easy to see now both why that would be a tempting position and why that was so controversial!) The truth is that neither view is complete or accurate. God is reasonable, He created our world and we can actually learn about God through science and reason.

Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth. Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made then what they are. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church #198)

and also...

In studying nature we have not to inquire how God the Creator may, as He freely wills, use His creatures to work miracles and thereby show forth His power: we have rather to inquire what Nature with its immanent causes can naturally bring to pass. (St. Albert the Great, circa 1200 AD)

This brings me to a corollary to this part of our discussion.

Study Church Teaching.

What the Catholic Church has to say about our social obligations and how societies should function is truly beautiful and sensible. It has great possibilities for bridging that gap between Faith and Reason that our society constantly struggles with. If only people would familiarize themselves with these principles!

First of all, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum should be required reading for every Catholic high school student and every serious Catholic armchair politician. Also required reading should be Pope Benedict XVI's important encyclical Deus Caritas Est, which has very helpful things to say about social justice and works of charity. I've heard that the Holy Father has an encyclical on social justice in the works as well.

Here's a small sampling:

Christian charitable activity must be independent of parties and ideologies. It is not a means of changing the world ideologically, and it is not at the service of worldly stratagems, but it is a way of making present here and now the love which man always needs. The modern age, particularly from the nineteenth century on, has been dominated by various versions of a philosophy of progress whose most radical form is Marxism. Part of Marxist strategy is the theory of impoverishment: in a situation of unjust power, it is claimed, anyone who engages in charitable initiatives is actually serving that unjust system, making it appear at least to some extent tolerable. This in turn slows down a potential revolution and thus blocks the struggle for a better world. Seen in this way, charity is rejected and attacked as a means of preserving the status quo. What we have here, though, is really an inhuman philosophy. People of the present are sacrificed to the moloch of the future - a future whose effective realization is at best doubtful. One does not make the world more human by refusing to act humanely here and now. We contribute to a better world only by personally doing good now, with full commitment and wherever we have the opportunity, independently of partisan strategies and programs. (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est)

At the very least, understanding these principles should help keep us from getting overly wrapped up in party politics. Catholics by their nature should be independent anyway, weighing each candidate as best they can with a clear understanding of the various issues at stake. There certainly isn't a major political party out there that entirely represents our beliefs. I've always liked this quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

True followers of Christ were meant to be at odds with the world: The pure of heart will be laughed at by the Freudians; the meek will be scorned by the Marxists; the humble will be walked on by the go-getters; the liberal Sadducees will call them reactionaries; the reactionary Pharisees will call them liberals.

Another Quote regarding "Rejoice in the Good"

Addendum to Building a Culture of Life Part 3

Today I read the book of Tobit aloud to John and the kids in preparation for our catechism discussion tomorrow night. I thought that this particular quote was particularly pertinent:

And the angel called the two of them privately and said to them: "Praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God. Do not be slow to give him thanks." (Tobit 12: 6)

Building a Culture of Life - Part 5

5. Solidarity

I think there might be a better word for this one, but I can't think of it. Whatever it's called, it has a number of different aspects and has something to do with being witnesses for Life *as* the Body of Christ.

a. Solidarity with other Catholics and pro-Lifers around the world. Did you know that there are terrible persecutions going on in India and that a Catholic University in Spain was bombed last week? The point here isn't to burden you with more evils to pray for, but to remember to not be over-focused on just the problems of our own country. Also, there are many reasons to be grateful for the freedoms we have here in the U.S.

b. Sacrifice and Solidarity. No matter what the election outcome tomorrow may be, we still have a lot of work to do in putting an end to abortion. I'd like to propose an idea for a sacrifice with a financial aspect. I think it would be a wonderful idea for those who are able to give up something as a semi-permanent sacrifice (like cable TV or some sort of food luxury) to offer up for the intention of ending abortion AND use the money saved to assist those in need who may choose abortion. I mentioned pregnancy help centers in a previous post, but there are many fine organizations that could be considered.

Though this is perhaps only obliquely related, I'd like to put a plug in for food pantries. I have a special attachment to these organizations as John and I benefited from their services once upon a time - when Ria was a small toddler, in fact. When we were first married, John still had a few semesters of engineering school left (which he alternated with semesters of working co-op jobs at minimum wage). I worked for almost a year as a teacher (at extremely minimal pay). We were extremely frugal, but really needed a little extra help. We decided to turn to the food pantry which happened to be directly across the street from our apartment (a good thing since we only had one car and it was only open while John was away at work or school). They were a lovely organization willing to help anyone who needed it without a lot of forms or fuss. A few days before Thanksgiving (the year was 1994), they sent us home with complete fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner. A kind man from the pantry carried the box all the way up to my apartment for me since my arms were full carrying Ria. I was completely blown away by this unexpected gift. Perhaps it wasn't exactly *needed* as we had family to spend Thanksgiving with, but I cried tears of gratitude for the lovely generosity of those who were willing to give us a helping hand.

Another area to consider is to donate goods to those in need.

Do good, and evil will not overtake you. Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. (Tobit 12:7-9)

Quote of the Day

To have Christian hope means to know about evil and yet to go to meet the future with confidence. The core of faith rests upon accepting being loved by God, and therefore to believe is to say Yes, not only to him, but to creation, to creatures, above all, to men, to try to see the image of God in each person and thereby to become a lover. That’s not easy, but the basic Yes, the conviction that God has created men, that he stands behind them, that they aren’t simply negative, gives love a reference point that enables it to ground hope on the basis of faith (Cardinal Ratzinger, Salt of the Earth).

All Saints' Day

DSC_9369, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

Terri (as St. Therese) and her friend (as St. Clare) at the All Saints' Day procession.

'Tis the Season

DSC_9119, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

For Jack-o-Lanterns and Jack-o-Lantern smiles.

This week we seemed to have everything out-of-order, or at least on the wrong day. Our trick-or-treating was last weekend and we had an All Saints Day Mass and celebration with our homeschool group last Thursday. Combine that with All Saints Day itself not being a Holy Day of Obligation (we were planning to head to Mass anyway, but were thwarted by the discovery of a half-starved kitten outside our basement window-well which required a drive to the local humane society who will know how to take care of her - the kids are very anxious to check up on her condition in a few days and shed many tears at her departure) and it seemed like a rather discombobulated week on the whole.

We did enjoy visiting Old World Wisconsin on Halloween (which was the last day open for the season) and the two oldest went to the Lit/movie club on Frankenstein while the rest of us had a nice little bonfire at a friend's house.

A Sidenote on the Culture of Life Series

I just wanted to mention a general point about this series, because I think it's worth clarifying. First, I don't feel I have much to contribute on this blog regarding the current election itself. My quietness on the blog for so many weeks (months?) was partly because I was simply getting bogged down in election news and opinions. I'm hoping for a particular outcome (which you don't really need to know, though I think it's rather obvious - particularly if you've been following my links section in the sidebar over the past few months), but praying that God's will be done.

The point of this series, as something that might be of value to others (and is certainly helpful to me in writing and clarifying my thoughts on it) is that as we pray for our country and the upcoming election, we would do well to reflect on and renew our commitment to being better witnesses to Life in our communities and in our country. Without ordinary people as witnesses, I think the political realm of the pro-Life movement has little chance of success anyway. And no matter who wins the election on Tuesday, there's a lot of work to be done in this regard - which is the sort of work available to families and busy homeschool moms with little ones and such.

Building a Culture of Life - Part 4

4. Live what you Believe!

I watched a really thought-provoking movie a few years ago. It's an old classic from the 60s, though I suppose somewhat controversial in its day because it deals with a white woman marrying a black man. I thought it was interesting and classic because it went much deeper than the typical political divides between those who take one position over another. Instead it plunged deeply into the challenge of a couple being confronted with the reality of their OWN beliefs!

The movie is called Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and it stars Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy as a white couple from San Francisco who are completely on board with the civil rights movement - until their daughter becomes engaged to a black man! What a fascinating and honest piece - and thought-provoking!

What does living our beliefs mean in the context of the pro-Life movement? Many things, I'm sure. Here are just a few (feel free to share others in the comments box - keep the tone nice, though, please, as I'm perfectly willing to delete or edit questionable comments - though I won't delete things simply because I disagree with them - I love open discussions):

1. Remember that pregnancy is not a sin. Yes, it can be the result of a sin, but in our culture we often get mixed up between these things (with an overemphasis on what is visible to others) and it does make a difference! As Catholics, we believe that marriage is not a sacrament intended to fix mistakes. Being supportive of a pregnant daughter or other close relative does not include pressuring her to rush into marriage.

2. Be generous to those in need and never scornful of their mistakes. Support your local pregnancy help center! These guys do great work and I am just in awe of how the donation of small material things can make all the difference in a needy mother choosing life. It might only cost you the price of an infant car seat!!! Even for those who don't have much financial help to offer (or much time to volunteer) there are other things you can do. For example, our family signs up the pregnancy help center for gifts on our parish giving tree at Christmas. My husband then delivers the car seats, playpens, snowsuits, etc. to the center, which is not far from his workplace. It's also nice to get the kids involved. We often coordinate this with making fleece blankets (the kind you tie around the edges - which all of my kids can now help with to some degree) to donate at the same time.

3. Be supportive of families and children. Being pro-child and pro-family includes exercising patience with little ones we come across in church or in a restaurant. Don't criticize the poor mother's parenting skills. She may need some help in that department, but she may simply be having a bad day. Maybe she's a military mom whose husband is away at war. Give her the benefit of the doubt and treat her and her children with kindness.

Building a Culture of Life - Part 3

I'm a little behind on these as I've had incredibly packed days lately. Hope to get more than one written today.

3. Rejoice in the Good

The world needs people who discover the good, who rejoice in it and thereby derive the impetus and courage to do good. Joy, then, does not break with solidarity. When it is the right kind of joy, when it is not egotistic, when it comes from the perception of the good, then it wants to communicate itself, and it gets passed on. (Cardinal Ratzinger, Salt of the Earth)

There's so much that could be said on this topic that I hardly know where to begin. First, I suppose is that we should all keep learning to recognize the good. Contrary to an unfortunately common opinion, it is not simply something that's "not bad". And so, for example, a "clean" movie is not automatically a good movie!

Another consideration is that, though politics and protests and boycotts can be worthwhile things, they will not in-and-of themselves repair our culture. They're generally defensive measures to keep things from getting worse. But if no one is out there evangelizing and proposing the good and showing by example the value of being a Christian, we really won't get anywhere. So these aren't things we can completely set aside because we're too busy with the other stuff.

There are many wonderful things about the pro-Life movement and by its nature the movement is completely unselfish. We're trying to save children who will likely be raised to vote and think differently from us and yet we think their lives are intrinsically worthwhile, so that part doesn't even matter to us! That's something worth thinking about!

One thing that the movement can use some work on, though, is hope. When we despairingly say (and I've heard it said often from many directions) that we haven't made any progress in the pro-Life movement in the last thirty years, I have to think that they haven't been around the movement long enough. Parental notification laws and 24 hour waiting periods are really good things and very reasonable, helpful restrictions. When we proclaim that we haven't made any progress it leads many to conclude that the political aspect of the pro-Life movement is completely irrelevant. It's really just a sign of our impatience.

Rejoicing in the good shows gratitude to God and builds perspective, which helps us keep our balance in tough times. Balance is important not just so that we don't fall into despair (which does not come from God!) but also so that we don't make ourselves irrelevant by giving people excuses to ignore us.

One thing I've observed over time is that it simply takes a lot of patience for grass-roots movements to connect up with the mainstream. But it does happen! I've especially seen a change in recent years in many parishes welcoming things like pro-life activities and apologetics speakers that were not very common just a few years ago.

And with patience, goes humility. The things that need changing in this world are not all the job of one person. If we each play our unique role, using whatever gifts God has given us for the purpose, we can make real progress.

This proper way of serving others also leads to humility. The one who serves does not consider himself superior to the one served, however miserable his situation at the moment may be. Christ took the lowest place in the world - the Cross - and by this radical humility he redeemed us and constantly comes to our aid. Those who are in a position to help others will realize that in doing so they themselves receive help; being able to help others is no merit or achievement of their own. This duty is a grace. The more we do for others, the more we understand and can appropriate the words of Christ: "We are useless servants". We recognize that we are not acting on the basis of any superiority or greater personal efficiency, but because the Lord has graciously enabled us to do so. There are times when the burden of need and our own limitations might tempt us to become discouraged. But precisely when we are helped by the knowledge that, in the end, we are only instruments in the Lord's hands; and this knowledge frees us from the presumption of thinking that we alone are personally responsible for building a better world. In all humility we will do what we can, and in all humility we will entrust the rest to the Lord. (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est - emphasis mine)