Frankly Speaking on Religion

The other day I was talking to Kate and Frank (now 8 and 6 years old) about the difference between animals and people. I asked them if they knew what the difference was. Kate replied, "Animals can't go to heaven." Frank answered, "People are the only ones with two legs and animals just make noises and don't talk."

LOL.

Well, we talked a lot, about how birds have two legs like people, etc. and I ended up also asking them if they knew what a soul was. Kate said, "The soul is the part of you that goes to heaven." Frank concurred and added, "It's the Saint part." When I asked him what he meant, he said that "The soul is the part that goes to Heaven and when you get to Heaven you're a Saint."

________


I was reading a religion book to Frank this evening and asked him about what he can do with the body that God gave him. He answered: "You can live! You can run. You can love people. You can go to Heaven. And you can even jump."

:)

Articles and Talks - Master List

Talk Notes:

Christian Fearlessness: Putting on an Attitude of Hope (Memphis, 2010)

Choosing Materials that Will Work for Your Family (Milwaukee, 2009)

Live It! Restoring the Culture through Faith, Family Life and Education (Memphis, 2010)

Sanity, Simplicity, and Exploding the Myth of the Supermom (Memphis, 2010)

Notes from a number of older talks are incorporated into the Educational Theory section of Love2learn.

I'm still working on finishing the "Live It!" Notes and I have yet to add the "Sanity" notes from Memphis.

Articles:

"Apologetics: Sacraments, Service and Study" - A Catholic Homeschool Companion, Sophia Institute Press (February 2006)

"Homeschooling: Educating Across the Generations"(interview) - Il Sussidiario (December 2009)

"Hope: An Act of the Will" - The Tail End Blog (November 2008)

Seven Quick Takes

1. My husband was kind enough to let his arm get twisted into getting me an early birthday present - an iPod Nano - before I headed to Memphis. I was worried about getting to sleep at night (I get so nervous before speaking - especially when I'm away from home) and the music and audio books were a huge help in settling down. The Nano is great, it holds a ton of stuff and the audio quality is fantastic. Now if I can only get the hang of the iTunes software for setting up playlists and such. Oh yeah, and my other excuse for twisting my husband's arm is that the birthday coming up is of the significantly-round-number variety. :)

2. While I was in Memphis, I was interviewed about homeschooling by Deacon Jeff and Tom Dorian of the Catholic Cafe. The interview should be on their show on Relevant Radio in a few weeks. The hosts couldn't have been nicer (or more fun to talk to!).

3. While my daughter and I were in the airport in Memphis on the way home (after our initial flight was cancelled and we had quite a few hours of waiting to do), I stopped in a bookstore and got each of us a novel to read. I picked the Blind Side (haven't seen the movie yet) and gobbled it up. Great true story about a poor black kid from the wrong side of Memphis who ends up enrolling in a Christian school and turns out to be an mind-boggling fabulous football player. It didn't hurt that a lot of the backstory (involving the position the main character plays) involves my beloved San Francisco 49ers from their glory days in the 80s. Can't wait to see the movie. The book, at least, is a bit rough around the edges for the younger set, though I'd definitely encourage Ria read it at this point. It covers a broad swatch of sports, culture, educational theory and much more. Lots of fascinating stuff and plenty of fodder for interesting discussions.

4. I was blown away by the graciousness and hospitality of the people of Memphis - and I'm not just talking about the conference organizers and my lovely hosts! We went into a Taco Bell for lunch the first day we were there and they were incredibly gracious! Also, while taping my talk notes onto index cards at the hotel on Friday afternoon, I ran out of scotch tape. I brought a few dollars to the front desk thinking I might be able to buy a roll off of them. The lady there said, "Oh honey, you don't have to pay for that. I'll just hand you one!" (And I loved the accents, by the way.)

5. Yesterday I received a review copy of one of the most beautiful children's books I've ever been sent for review. I think if the text (which I haven't read yet) is half as good as the illustrations, it will be a highly recommended one for sure. You can take a peek at the publisher's website here: Wm. B. Eerdmans.

There's one full page picture and one page of text for each of a number of well-known and not-so-well-known saints. I'm looking forward to reading it with my kids soon.

6. The Wisconsin Catholic Youth Rally is tomorrow and I can't wait! Last year I chaperoned a group of 12 teens (I think it was 12). This year, myself and two other moms are chaperoning a group of about 30 teens. What a beautiful event!

7. I've noticed that about weekly the younger four kids have some particular activity that they're all super obsessed with simultaneously (resulting, naturally, in squabbles over the limited quantities of said items). This week it's floor puzzles. We've also had: rock collection week, K'nex week, Kapla Blocks week, cats cradle week, hula hoop week, Lego week and I don't remember what else.

Living Stations at Holy Hill

This was the St. Therese Missionaries' 2nd Living Stations Performance this year. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there since I was at the Memphis conference, but my husband took these pictures. Click through on the first picture to see the entire set:



Here's a little explanation about the format from a previous year.

Their final performance is on Palm Sunday.

Memphis Conference - Live It! Notes (finally complete!)

Note: This the outline of my talk, but it's quite incomplete relative to the talk since it's missing a lot of little pieces and stories that fill it in and bring it to life.

Live It! Restoring the Culture through Faith, Education and Family Life

I took our catechism study group to a talk by Archbishop Chaput about Faith in the Public Square. After his talk, he was asked about what we should do about “Catholic” pro-abortion politicians. His answer – It’s my job to try to change them, it’s yours to replace them. And he pointed out a big group of teens in the audience.

Here’s a related quote from his book, Living the Catholic Faith: Discovering the Basics:

'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 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."

This relates well to something Pope John Paul II said in his Letter to Families:

“...experience shows what an important role is played by a family living in accordance with the moral norm, so that the individual born and raised in it will be able to set out without hesitation on the road of the good, which is always written in his heart.”

This is great reminder of what a powerful impact that "Who we are" has upon the education of our children - especially in the long term. The Holy Father further elaborated:

“Through Christ all education, within the family and outside of it, becomes part of God's own saving pedagogy, which is addressed to individuals and families and culminates in the paschal mystery of the Lord's death and resurrection. The "heart" of our redemption is the starting point of every process of Christian education, which is likewise always an education to a full humanity.”

Homeschooling is not a sure bet as far as keeping your children Catholic. Confusion about "protectionism" - evil does not come solely from the outside world, since we have a fallen nature. It is essential to develop an understanding of what is good and help our children learn to love it (through parental love, prayer and the sacraments, study and good example).

Manifesting God’s Love to Your Family and to Others

Charity Fails ...

Example of air bag video from fail blog (You can watch the video here, where I had to just describe it in the talk).


St. Paul wrote about charity fails. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging symbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."
 Humility problems: There is a grave danger inherent in trying to a witness to the truth of Christianity for others and that is, without God’s grace and great humility, sometimes the externals become more important than the deeper realities and we succumb to pride. Like the Pharisees.

Don’t live your life as a reaction to the culture, but to Christ’s love for us. Live the best life you can and that *will* be an example. Beware of extremes – especially well-intentioned ones. (There but for the grace of God go I.)

Respect for children (CCC 2221-2228) We talk about respect in different ways which sometimes confuses people. There's a certain kind of respect we owe to our parents and grandparents or those in authority. There's a related, but different, kind of respect we owe people under our authority, especially our children, since they are made in God’s image. And our love should reflect God’s love which is unconditional.

Parental Responsibility (CCC 2221-2230)

Problems of materialism – spoil your kids with love, not things, and never let things be a substitute for affection.   Rummage sale problem. Candy bar example. :)

Supporting Each Other

We need each other! (more about this in the 3rd talk)

Ora et Labora (work AND pray) – Remember that you can pray for the courage to do what is right even when it’s hard or scary – God always answers this kind of prayer!

We are all imperfect and need each other’s help!

Model good problem-solving strategies to your children

Witnessing in Every Day Life 

“Joy is the Gigantic Secret of the Christian.” (Chesterton)

Among other things, a good model for our children in dealing with the world e.g. Grocery Store Conversations (respond with love even when you get sick of hearing "Wow, you have your hands full!")

Be Not Afraid

On the spot (fishbowlishness) for large homeschool families can be intimidating sometimes, but the world needs that challenge from us, and in the right context, those challenges are good for our children and can actually strenghten their faith. Two slightly silly examples: The Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Waltons, The Homeschool Parade Story.

Avoid Certain Aspects of Culture
Secular ugliness
Problems with Protestant thinking (also see CCC 819)

Learning Cultural Discernment
“It is the mark of an educated man to be able to entertain an idea without accepting it.” (essential for reading a newspaper!)

Develop your lens of faith and your skeptometer
       This requires knowledge and application. Includes a well-formed conscience, appreciation and conviction for what is good and true. Skeptometer to recognize and filter out what is wrong.

Enjoy age appropriate modern culture together; chat and make distinctions.

Note not only the bad, but also rejoice in the good!
        Essential for bridge-building – recognizing the good in others. It is an essential component in trying to help someone to the truth to recognize what we have in common.

Beware of Political off-balancing
We can’t surrender our Catholic thinking to the political party we favor.
If our children should be familiar with the songs, stories, heroes, customs and traditions of our country, they should also be taught the culture, stories and traditions of our Catholic faith.

Do What’s Right Even When It’s Tough

Avoid Perfectionism (and related anxieties)

Don't be afraid of not knowing something (and swallow that pride!). Many great things can follow the phrase, "I don't know, let's find out!"

...know what you say you know: know what you know and what you do not know; get one thing well before you go on to a second; try to ascertain what your words mean; when you read a sentence, picture it before your mind as a whole, take in the truth or information contained in it, express it in your own words, and, if it be important, commit it to faithful memory... This is the way to make progress; this is the way to arrive at results; not to swallow knowledge, but to masticate and digest it. (Cardinal Newman)

Be a good cultivator

Cultivation is essential because what your children love is even more important than what they know. Ah, and all of these things should be used within reason of course!

Note: A huge part of this is simply being there for our children. Nurtureshock notes on socialization and how babies learn language. (I'll try to find these references and add the quotes later - feel free to remind me if I forget!)

1. Foster initiative, even though it can be messy or disruptive.

2. Model good attitudes and virtues.

3. Allow small children to help you when they ask - even if they aren't *very* helpful. (cf. Maria Montessori)

4. Provide children with opportunities for success - especially if they are struggling with something.

5. Beware of unreasonable expectations.

6. Avoid condescending materials and attitudes.

7. Remember that patience is a key virtue in this regard and, finally, don't forget to ask for God's grace!

Thinking like a Catholic

(need to add link to handout on resources for thinking like a Catholic)

The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love. (The Roman Catechism, a.k.a. the Catechism of the Council of Trent, as quoted in CCC #25)

Summed up in the Great Laws of Love, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and the Four Marks of the Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an excellent and essential source.

Goes beyond just overtly religious matters (like liturgy) and affects things like how we treat other people and how we make decisions in life. (add note with Winged Watchman quote)

A few key examples:

Above all - Charity

Respect for the Dignity of the Person (see CCC 1929-1933) and consequences for disabled, unborn, children - especially sympathy because we are also fallen (cf. Matthew 18, the parable of the debtors)

Unity of Truth/Faith AND Reason

Scripture AND Tradition (CCC 103, 113) - e.g. Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Liturgy of the Hours (both of which are rich in scripture and tradition)

The Virtue Lies in the Mean

Knowledge Does not Equal Virtue (because we have a fallen nature)

Principle of Subsidiarity (CCC #1883):

The teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which 'a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.

Helping Our Children Love the Beautiful

Many people don't recognize that children have a great capacity for beauty and mystery, partly because they aren't concerned, like bigger people are, about completely understanding things.

Children exposed to what is aesthetically and morally excellent are helped to develop appreciation, prudence and the skills of discernment. Here it is important to recognize the fundamental value of parents' example and the benefits of introducing young people to children's classics in literature, to the fine arts and to uplifting music. While popular literature will always have its place in culture, the temptation to sensationalize should not be passively accepted in places of learning. Beauty, a kind of mirror of the divine, inspires and vivifies young hearts and minds, while ugliness and coarseness have a depressing impact on attitudes and behaviour. (Pope Benedict XVI)

The beautiful and the good, ultimately the beautiful and God, coincide. Through the appearance of the beautiful we are wounded in our innermost being, and that wound grips us and takes us beyond ourselves; it stirs longing into flight and moves us toward the truly Beautiful. (Cardinal Ratzinger as quoted by Fr. Schall in the Order of Things)

e.g. Introduce beautiful music, literature, etc. even when people think they're "too young"

Preserving Catholic Culture:

• Help your children have positive experiences with priests and religious - e.g. adopting a seminarian
• Liturgical Seasons and Catholic Customs - Can be celebrated in different ways - traditions, projects at home, daily liturgy via Mass or Liturgy of the Hours, celebratory foods, etc.
• Don't try to do it all - start simple and focus on a few things - e.g. straw in manger for Advent, bean jar in Lent
• Literature, Poetry, Art and Music - wonderful example: Saving Name of God the Son (Bethlehem Books)

Aim at appreciating the best of old AND new.

C.S. Lewis in an essay on the value of reading old books:

Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books.

He also wrote in the same essay...

Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction.

Family Conversations are Incredibly Formative
St. Edmund Campion and the Value of Learning
Cultivating a Love of Learning in Ourselves

Turning to God

Devotions: Sacraments, Adoration, Family Prayer (e.g. Rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, Daily Mass, Litany of the Saints (handout)

Passing Along the Faith

Propose, don't presuppose (further reading can be found at CCC 2224 and Handing on the Faith in an Age of Unbelief by Cardinal Ratzinger).

Parents should do a lot of inviting their children to do good things, require the essentials but try to make (some) other things open to the joy that comes from freely choosing the good.

Cardinal Ratzinger said:

Do not presuppose the faith, but propose it... Faith is not maintained automatically. It is not 'finished business' that we can simply take for granted. The life of faith has to be constantly renewed... And since faith is an act that comprehends all the dimensions of our existence, it also requires constantly renewed reflection and witness. (Gospel, Catechesis, Catechism)

Simple Prayers to Teach Your Children:

Glory Be

"Lord, tell me what you want me to do with my life and I will do it."

Lord, may all the world burn with love for you.

I love you Jesus, my Lord and my God.

Totus tuus.

Gorgeous Notebooks

I picked up new, beautiful little notebooks for Ria and for myself in a bookstore at the Memphis airport to use as new commonplace books (we both love quotes!). They're from PaperBlanks.com and they're incredibly gorgeous. We both got little ones that could easily fit into our purses.

Mine's the slim journal from their Gutenberg Bible collection pictured below:.

Here's a picture on Flickr of Ria's choice (except hers is smaller and doesn't have the fancy clasp). It's from an image of the cover of the Lindau Gospels from the Middle Ages. Unfortunately I couldn't seem to find this one on their website. I think hers is the midi size.

Hope Notes in Previous Post are Now Complete

Just thought you might like to know. :)

Memphis Conference - Hope notes

My daughter and I had a very nice weekend in Memphis where I spoke at the Blessed Sacrament Homeschool Conference. Wow, the people of Memphis (well, aside, perhaps, from a few of the airport workers we encountered on our way back) are incredibly gracious and friendly and I enjoyed meeting many lovely families (and a whole truckload of babies!) at the conference. It was really wonderful, by the way, to have a 24 hour adoration chapel just across the hall from the conference (and a lot of people back home praying for me)!!!

I promised that I would start putting my talk notes up on the blog as soon as possible, so here are the notes from the Hope talk. Some of this is verbatim and some isn't. I read some parts and winged others.

Christian Fearlessness: Putting in an Attitude of Hope

"We know that all things work for good for those who love God." (Romans 8:28)

The world is a scary place sometimes - evil is frequently present to us - especially in this information age - and this time of year, especially February and March (especially in Wisconsin!) can be particularly tough. This is definitely something I struggle with personally and I've found that putting together and studying (and praying about!) these things has been extremely helpful to me.

We will never have a perfect life in this world, as much as we are tempted to wish for perfect safety and happiness on this earth - especially for our children. Instead, we have to trust. And we DO trust. We value the goodness of this world enough to bring children - perhaps many children - into a world fraught with risk and danger.

Cardinal Ratzinger in Salt of the Earth:

“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)

God gave us the perfect model of this "Yesness" in our Lady.

Also, in this context First Corinthians 13 – “Love is patient and kind, love is not jealous or boastful…” offers a profound sense of how God loves us and consequently how he wants us to love each other.

Q. Does anyone know the context of Jesus’ exhortation to be “perfect as your heavenly father is perfect”?

A. “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:43-48)

Hope offers perspective when we’re overwhelmed, discouraged or finding it hard to trust and leads us to love more – which is the most important thing according to the Greatest Commandment:

You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole mind and all your strength. AND love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:28-34, John 4:5-42)

I believe love is actually our best weapon against relativism because in loving we provide a powerful witness to the truth (e.g. Mother Teresa) and that witness authenticates our belief system.

"Only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well. So now we can say: Christianity was not only 'good news' - the communication of a hitherto unknown content. In our language we would say: the Christian message was not only 'informative' but 'performative'. That means: the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known - it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life." (Pope Benedict, Encyclical on Hope)

I love that idea of Christianity not only giving us knowledge but forcing change upon us. Afterall, knowledge is not the same thing as virtue!

Hope is something you have to CHOOSE!

Fr. Ronald Knox (priest, writer and friend of G.K. Chesterton):

"Hope is something that is demanded of us; it is not, then, a mere reasoned calculation of our chances. Nor is it merely the bubbling up of a sanguine temperament; if it is demanded of us, it lies not in the temperament but in the will... Hoping for what? For deliverance from persecution, for immunity from plague, pestilence and famine...? No, for the grace of persevering in his Christian profession, and for the consequent achievement of a happy immortality. Strictly speaking, then, the highest exercise of hope, supernaturally speaking, is to hope for perseverance and for Heaven when it looks, when it feels, as if you were going to lose both one and the other." (God and the Atom, p. 115)

G.K. Chesterton and Fr. Ronald Knox are both great authors on the topic of hope, as was a lady who converted because of their influence. Her name is Hilda Van Stockum and her children’s stories, including Winged Watchman (my personal favorite) and the Mitchells’ Series (from Bethlehem Books) are great read-alouds because they offer so much for children AND adults and are great manifestations of hope!

History

Reading history is helpful because it allows other struggles and successes to inspire our own and give some perspective on our own times.

Example: Novatianist heresy (Novatian was the 2nd anti-pope, Rome, 251) - one of the earliest heresies which involved those who thought people who had chickened out on martyrdom shouldn't be allowed back in the Church even if they repented.

We know that life experience tends to develop wisdom. History allows us to tap into the "life experience" of hymanity even as we would listen to and learn from the wisdom of a grandparent or older friend.

Studying history provides perspective in understanding the world today. Those who don't study history might conclude that things used to be great, but that it's all a hopeless mess now. This overly-pessimistic attitude often leads to a sense of complacency rather than a willingness to cooperate in our own small way with God's plan. The truth is that mankind has battled with (and at times lost to) great evil since the Garden of Eden.

History helps us to avoid the mistakes of others, to recognize errors in thiniking that are not-at-all-new and to have real hope that God raises up ordinary men and women in every generation to be saints and heroes who work to counteract evil and help bring God's love to the world.

A few examples of what Hope does for us...

Littleness

Our Lord says a very striking thing in the Gospel of Matthew. When He is asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He responds, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

How does this relate to hope? The virtue of hope calls for us to persevere in our tasks with faithfulness, but to entrust the rest to God. He is the one repsonsible for the "big picture" and expects us to cooperate in our own small way, with love and humility.

Littleness also implies a certain patience with ourselves, as St. Francis de Sales said, "Those who aspire to the pure love of God have not so much need of patience with others as with themselves."

Joy

Joy is contagious.

G.K. Chesterton: "Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian!"

Cardinal Ratzinger's words on this are so profound and beautiful, I didn't try to add much else. This is from his book Salt of the Earth...

Something I constantly notice is that unembarrassed joy has become rarer. Joy today is increasingly saddled with moral and ideological burdens, so to speak. When someone rejoices, he is afraid of offending against solidarity with the many people who suffer. I don't have any right to rejoice, people think, in a world where there is so much misery, so much injustice.

I can understand that. There is a moral attitude at work here. But this attitude is nonetheless wrong. The loss of joy does not make the world better - and, conversely, refusing joy for the sake of suffering does not help those who suffer. The contrary is true. 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. In this connection, it always strikes me that in the poor neighborhoods of, say, South America, one sees many more laughing happy people than among us. Obviously, despite all their misery, they still have the perception of the good to which they cling and in which they can find encouragement and strength.

In this sense we have a new need for that primordial trust which ultimately only faith can give. That the world is basically good, that God is there and is good. That it is good to live and to be a human being. This results, then, in the courage to rejoice, which in turn becomes commitment to making sure that other people, too, can rejoice and receive good news.

Willingness to Suffer

The Gospel is certainly demanding. We know that Christ never permitted His disciples and those who listened to Him to entertain any illusions about this. On the contrary, he spared no effort in preparing them for every type of internal and external difficulty, always aware of the fact that they might well decide to abandon Him. Therefore, if He says, "Be not afraid!" He certainly does not say it in order to nullify in some way that which He has required. Rather, by these words He confirms the entire truth of the Gospel and all the demands it contains. At the same time, however, He reveals that His demands never exceed man's abilities. If man accepts these demands with an attitude of faith, he will also find in the grace that God never fails to give him, the necessary strength to meet those demands." (Pope John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope)

But in truly great trials, where I must make a definitive decision to place the truth before my own welfare, career, and possessions, I need the certitude of that true, great hope of which we have spoken here. For this too we need witnesses - martyrs - who have given themselves totally, so as to show us the way - day after day. We need them if we are to prefer goodness to comfort, even in the little choices we face each day - knowing that this is how we live life to the full. Let us say it once again: the capacity to suffer for the sake of truth is the measure of humanity. Yet this capacity to suffer depends on the type and extent of the hope that we bear within us and build upon. The saints were able to make the great journey of human existence in the way that Christ had done before them, because they were brimming with great hope." (Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical on Hope)

Cultivating Hope in Ourselves and in Our Families...

In his encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God is Love) the Holy Father says,

Faith, hope and charity go together. Hope is practiced through the virtue of patience, which continues to do good even in the face of apparent failure, and through the virtue of humility, which accepts God's mystery and trusts him even at times of darkness.

Pray

The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifically recommends the Our Father: "Hope is expressed and nourished in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that hope leads us to desire." (1819)

I find the Liturgy of the Hours - especially the Night Prayer - to be very consoling and hopeful.

Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously!

It's quite liberating to realize that God doesn't want us to take ourselves too seriously! (Read Chesterton - he's great in this area)

...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)

Give

Clear out your clutter by giving your excess belongings to those in need. When I'm feeling overwhelmed with life, this always brings some immediate relief. Dig deep! It's incredibly freeing to reduce the number of things you own. Some inspiration in this regard:

Matthew 6:28-34:

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Luke 6:38:

...give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

Help others

When we focus too much on ourselves and get carried away with worrying about what other people think of us, perhaps the easiest solution is to turn our gaze outward - to look at those around us and to see their needs.

Stay engaged

I struggle with this one at times. Life is filled with sorrows AND joys. If we try to hide from it, we will miss out on both. Get away from the computer or out of the house when you find yourself falling into escapism. Busy families need unhurried time at the park or the zoo.

We can try to limit suffering, to fight againt it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it, and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love. (Pope Benedict, Encyclical on Hope)

Turn off the news

The news industry is a profitable business built on finding things (mostly bad news) that will keep us watching and reading (and this can be very addictive for some of us!). While we do need to keep informed to a certain extent so that we are able to recognize and fight evil where we are able (and pray where we are not able), we need to shut off or limit the information flow if it has become a source of despair and distraction in our lives.

Music

This can be very soothing - for kids and adults! Bach is my go-to guy, but there are many inspiring, uplifting and soothing choices available.

Rejoice in the Good!

Make a list of things you are grateful for. Oftentimes when our lives are easy and comfortable, we take things for granted, take ourselves too seriously, and start to get overwhelmed by the little things. Deliberate gratitude (accompanied by the cultivation of an atmosphere of appreciation in our homes) can be a powerful antidote!

Fr. Ronald Knox said:

If ever you have felt, in the contemplation of a sunset or any perfect work of nature or art... in the thrill of good news or in the passion of first love, that it was really worthwhile being alive - then that moment was a revelation to you, if you had the heart to understand, of what you owe the Almighty for having created you.

Age Quod Agis

Story about being at the library... one thing at a time.

Age quod agis. (Do what you are doing.) is a helpful reminder to live in the present and concentrate on the task at hand. Embrace the wonder and joy of your children - enter into their "little life." Take the time to share their beautiful interests and delights. Read fairy tales! Take walks. Talk and pray together. Expect some chaos.

Read

Be inspired by great witnesses to hope. Take the time to reflect upon and study the virtue of hope yourself (and related concepts like littleness and trust) through Church teaching on hope (like Pope Benedict's Encyclical on Hope), saint stories and uplifting history, literature and movies.

G.K. Chesterton on the importance of Fairy Tales in particular: "The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides him is a St. George to kill the dragon."

Chesterton, in his book, Heretics, specifically recommends The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. Our family have a number of Lang's Fairy books and have really enjoyed them.)

Pass it On!

Saint Peter shares with us the need to persevere in hope and confidence: "Have no fear... but in your hearts reference Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you" (1 Pet. 3:14-15). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (quoting Vatican II) asserts: "One is entitled to think that the future of humanity is in the hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with reasons for life and optimism." (1917)

We offer this hope to our children, first through the simple gifts of love, patience, and even joy. Perhaps they may not seem like much, but when these are missing, the consequences can be dire indeed. Cardinal Ratzinger, in Seek that Which is Above, tells a story about a generation of young people who grew up during wartime and did not understand hope. He reminds us of this important truth: "The person who has never experienced goodness and kindness simply does not know what such things are." (pgs. 9-10)

One final quote I ended up tacking onto the end (with thanks to my daughter who had this quote with her in her Commonplace Book - I haven't read the Screwtape Letters since High School):

(And for those who aren't familiar with the book, it's a book of "letters" from the devil to one of his underlings.)

He [God] is prepared to do a little over-riding at the beginning. He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs - to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in this state of dryness are the ones that please Him best.

We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them for the table, and the mroe their will is interfered with the better. He cannot 'tempt' them to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending to do our Enemy's will, looks round on a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters)

I love this!

"Do not sow a crop of good intentions in your neighbor's garden, but cultivate your own with diligence."
~St. Francis de Sales

Which is related to a point I included in one of my talks in Memphis this past weekend, that we shouldn't be living our lives as a reaction to the culture (or even to what others are doing) but live as a reaction to Christ's love and sacrifice for us to the best of our own ability.

hat-tip Elizabeth

Seven Quick Takes

1.

John just got back from a two-week stint in Taiwan yesterday morning. Boy are we glad to have him home. I really don't know how the military moms do it - I pray for them when I'm frustrated!

2.

I was thinking a little more about my post on love being the most powerful weapon against relativism. My best argument for that would be Mother Teresa. Enough said. :)

3.

Okay, I know you've already seen it everywhere else, but I had to say that I really like this video and all it has to say about (and even make fun of) bad days.



4.

I don't like to admit on the blog when John's away, but now that he's back I can share this little tidbit. The younger 5 kids and I had a great video chat with John early this week. Since we don't yet own a webcam, he had set up our old (as in falling-apart) video camera on this end. The kids were naturally clamoring for the camera space the entire time which he found highly amusing. He showed us around his room, including the amazing view from his 15th floor hotel room. His room overlooked a park (which he walked through to get to daily Mass quite a few times) and an incredible view of the Taipei skyline, including the famous Taipei 101 in the distance.

5.

Speaking of Taiwan, John took a few pictures of the lovely little chapel where he went to Mass.

Isn't it beautiful? There were only four other people there for daily Mass (and each of them had a job!). He said there were about 40 people there on Sunday.

6.

As mentioned in the previous post, the little Irish dance group that my daughter and her friend have been teaching for the last three years had a lovely little pre-Saint Patrick's Day recital at a local nursing home. There were about 15 dancers in all (with nice costumes) with a variety of dances plus a few Irish folk songs (I accompanied on guitar). Afterwards the kids went around and shook hands with pretty much everyone in the audience. Here's Kate with a few of her friends...

7.

I've been working on the Lenten decluttering thing quite a bit and it sure is nice to get the extra nudges through the 40 bags project I've seen around online. I'm probably up to 20 bags or so plus a couple pieces of large furniture. Quite a few of the bags - I think twelve - were books. Sometimes it's difficult to part with books since I don't know if they'll be used elsewhere, so I was delighted when our parish library accepted 4 bags of Catholic books. We have SO many books that it's almost easier to use them well after we get rid of some.

Singing Dancers

These are the youngest of our Irish dancers, who also sang some Irish tunes at a nursing home this week.

The Best of Merchants

Today is the feast of St. John of God (Portuguese saint!) who died in 1550. I really liked this tidbit from today's Office of Readings - it's from one of his letters:

If we look forward to receiving God's mercy, we can never fail to do good so long as we have the strength. For if we share with the poor, out of love for God, whatever he has given to us, we shall receive according to his promise a hundredfold in eternal happiness. What a fine profit, what a blessed reward! Who would not entrust his possessions to this best of merchants, who handles our affairs so well? With outstretched arms he begs us to turn toward him, to weep for our sins, and to become the servants of love, first for ourselves, then for our neighbors. Just as water extinguishes a fire, so love wipes away sin.

The Recipe that Almost Died (A Google Story)

Once upon a time, about a year ago, in fact, my aunt decided to try to resurrect her mother's potato pancake recipe. After trying it out to be sure it tasted just the way she remembered it tasted, she sent it out to our extended family e-mail list, explaining at the end that, "It's scary to think Mom's recipe almost vanished!"

I was interested in trying it sometime so decided to post it here to Studeo for my own convenience. (Recipe here.)

Well, the recipe didn't die (and we tried it and liked it and have made it several times - we're looking forward to making it soon with some homemade maple syrup from our own trees).

Well, anyway, if you Google "Potato Pancake Recipe" right now, you'll find that it's #1. Yep, right above the recipes from allrecipes.com, cooks.com, epicurious.com and foodnetwork.com.

And I suspect that somewhere, up there, Grandma is smiling. :)

Got Love?

I'm just starting Pope Benedict's Encyclical Caritas in Veritate (I actually started it soon after it came out, but never finished). This paragraph was really a revelation for me!

Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the "economy" of charity, but charity in its turn needs to be understood, confirmed and practiced in the light of truth. In this way, not only do we do a service to charity enlightened by truth, but we also help give credibility to truth, demonstrating its persuasive and authenticating power in the practical setting of social living. This is a matter of no small account today, in a social and cultural context which relativizes truth, often paying little heed to it and showing increasing reluctance to acknowledge its existence. (2)

I think what he's basically saying, (and I certainly believe it's true, though I never thought of it in quite this way before) is that our most powerful weapon against relativism is love. Wow.

Final List for 2009 Library Tree

Here are the books that made it into our local public library from "Holiday Tree" project (in no particular order - I'm typing from the ornaments I just received back from the library):

A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn Lasky

The Wall by Eve Bunting


An Octopus is Amazing by Patricia Lauber

Everybody Serves Soup by Norah Dooley

Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town by Warren St. John

Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno


The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray


What's Your Angle Pythagoras? A Math Adventure by Julie Ellis

Painting Aalesund by Tod B. Steward

Cryptomania: Teleporting into Greek and Latin with the Cryptokids by Edith Hope Fine

Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving by Greg Tang

1001 Things to Spot in the Sea (Usborne)

Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace


Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride by Marsha Amstel

Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardoe


Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull

The Wright Brothers for Kids: How They Invented the Airplane (21 Activities Exploring the Science and History of Flight) by Mary Kay Carson

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer

Secrets of Lost Empires: Inca (DVD)

A Parent's Guide to Montessori Play and Learn by Lesley Britton


Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression by Kate Lied

Heaven to Betsy and Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace

Betsy Was a Junior and Betsy and Joe by Maud Hart Lovelace


To Whom Shall We Go? Lessons from the Apostle Peter by Archbishop Timothy Dolan


What's in a Chinese Character by Tan Huay Peng

I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer by Carole Boston Weatherford

The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive by John Graham-Cumming


Who Carved the Mountain? The Story of Mount Rushmore by Jean L.S. Patrick


My Brothers' Flying Machine: Wilbur, Orville, and Me by Jane Yolen

Make: The Best of 75 Projects

The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders: From Novice to Master Observer by Robert Bruce Thompson

I think there were a few more that I didn't get the ornaments back on - there were apparently 40 sold all together. Also, the library is planning on purchasing the remaining Betsy-Tacy books. The old copies had worn out and been discarded (and I don't think they had had the high school level books around in years, if they ever did), so the only thing relating to Betsy-Tacy in the library before we started last year's tree was a children's biography of the author. Glad to help fix that omission! :)

"Kathrin and the Goat gos Fishing" by Kate

Wans apon a tim thar was a litle grl namd kathrin and a goat namd jese. Kathrin cold (called) to hr mom "can i go to my frends house to go fishing?" Hr mom said "yes, bring jese with you." "I wil" said kathrin. She got jese and went to hr freds house and got in the cor (car). Jese lookd awt (out) the windo. Thay wr thair. Thay got awt the dor. Jese saw to (two) horns in the gras. It was a wan (one) av (of) hr freds (friends). Kathrin cot (caught) to (two) fish and gaiv them to hr frends and thay went home. Wen thay got home it was nit tim so kathrin went to sleap. Jese shard hr bed with hr frend and thay ol (all) went to slep. The End

(Typed into the computer by Kate, with a little punctuation and capitalization help from Mommy for the benefit of the reader.)