If I'm not off hiding somewhere with a good book, chances are I'm chasing a toddler or a Jack Russell (or sleeping, because every mom can use a nap!). I found Prince Charming and married him, and now we enjoy the idiosyncrasies of life in an old farmhouse. Oh yeah, and we root for the Buckeyes. Every time.
Catholic Carnival 106: Better than a Box of Chocolates
This week's Carnival leaves nothing out! Sample some from the front or take a few from the back, or, if you're like me, start at the top and work your way down! Interested in more information about the Catholic Carnival? Click here and join in the fun!
A Taste of Religious Life (& Opinions on It)
From "Why I am Benedictine, Part 16," over at Dunmoose the Ageless, we get this thought-provoker: "I am a long way from perfection. I am still very sinful. Saying so is politically incorrect, but it is true. But, I have a very great Redeemer and calling. It is that I try to honour as well. This passage from the Rule is one of the things that encourage me to keep struggling onwards."
"Nuns should wear the habit," by A Catholic Life, is about the need for nuns in traditional habits. "The habit inspires women to leave their lives and gives themselves to God. The same is true for men who are inspired by the garments worn by priests and monks. To enter a religious order, one does not just experience a change of heart and soul, rather, there is also a change in the physical realm. For example, many religious orders require the women to adopt a new name when they become a nun in addition to wearing the habit."
Have you ever heard of a secular institute and wondered what it is? Here's your answer, at We Belong to the Lord's post, "What is a Secular Institute?" "Secular institutes are different from Third Orders because while they serve similar purposes, secular institutes are not a lay branch of a religious order. Rather, they an organization, structure and administration of their own." Go, catechize your mind.
"It is unofficial," at To Jesus through Mary, that Edward has been unofficially accepted by his Diocese. "Unofficially, I will be study at St. John Vianney College Seminary on the campus of the University of St. Thomas located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Although I still have a few things yet to complete in the application process, barring any unforseen future problems I will be studying for my diocese this fall." Yay!
Specifically for Bibliophiles
la nouvelle theologie just added to my reading list with "Most Important Works of Theology in the Past 100 Years." There's a very interesting discussion about the greatest works of theology in the last 25, 50 & 100 years. Go on over and check it out.
In "A Must-Read for Lent: His Suffering and Ours," Catholic Fire reviews an exciting new book that will draw you closer to the Heart of Jesus and that of His Holy Mother this Lenten season. "In our complex society today, suffering can take many forms. Kathryn offers her gift – her writing - as a healing balm for the soul suffering from spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and psychological wounds."
Integrity posts "The Importance of Experience," which includes great quotes from Fr. Giussani's book The Journey to Truth is an Experience, followed by commentary worth checking out. "Experience is the key to dicovering the truth of the faith within my life, as something not abstract, but real and valuable. Is is the key that transforms for St. Andrew the Baptist's claim, "Behold the Lamb of God," into "We have found the Messiah!". All too often I think Catholics make the mistake of thinking that experience is just subjectivism or sentimentalism and thus something that is at odds with the truth."
Devotions a la Marian Filling
From Hawaii (where I wish I was right now), and specifically from that fair blogger A Catholic Mom in Hawaii, we get "World Apostolate of Fatima and Pledge." "The pledge is a positive way for an individual to respond to Our Lady's Fatima Message of prayer and sacrifice. By pledging, a person offers daily to God the sacrifices in fulfilling the duties of their state in life and keeping His law, as acts of reparation for sinners. This is a daily offering, which includes the Rosary and other prayers, and while it is non-binding, it is an offering one promises to renew often, especially in moments of temptation."
Over at Catholic Matriarch in My Domestic Church, you'll find "Family Consecration." Think about changing the world, starting with your family. "I have a rather ambitious suggestion for Lent. The Apostolate for Family Consecration is all about dedicating your family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary."
Reflections & Ponderings of the Everday-Experience Variety
Here at just another day of Catholic pondering, the romance is a little...different...than you might expect. In "Bath Crayons - Not Just for Kids," I ask, "Why not consider getting yourself some bath crayons for Valentine’s Day? What would your spouse do when he or she jumped in for a routine wash and found…a love note?"
"I Will Run the Race," at SFO Mom, is inspired by a track meet. "How different are all of us from these runners? We too are in a noisy, chaotic environment. We have to listen carefully for the Voice that calls us to do what we are here to do. We must pay attention to the advice of those more experienced, with the goal in mind of achieving our own Personal Best. And only then can we win the prize."
Wheelie Catholic brings us "Crankiness as a Spiritual Nudge." "At some point I realized that my crankiness was a spiritual nudge for me to "get" that giving into my feelings just because I didn't like what was going on was wrong. It's just not a state of mind I aspire to. It's not the best I can do. I, as an adult, can exercise better self control than that."
"Lives of Loveliness- Romance" at My Domestic Church is the story of the great romance of Elena's grandparents, which she got to witness first-hand. "Living with them gave me a unique opportunity to see a marriage of love first hand. They fought and shouted sometimes, but they always made up. My Grandma's sharp tongue never made my Grandfather love her any less. They would comfort and support each other when they suffered the loss of a loved one. They would tease each other. A couple of times I even caught Grandma sitting on Grandpa's lap and they would laugh about it. Everyday she packed his huge lunch box full of sandwhiches, fruit and a big thermos of coffee. It was her daily labor of love."
Using logic and a dose of his own experience, Aggie Catholic posts "The existence of God, miracles and Richard Dawkins." He ran off of a post by Mark Shea in his response to some atheists and continue on to give some arguments of his own, with some good youtube flicks at the end.
Thoughts of a Catholic Girl shares thoughts on "Imaginary Friends": "...it can't hurt to have your child blessed by a priest if they do have an imaginary friend. I talked to the child whose comment alarmed me later on in the day and it turns out that she was in fact Cinderella talking to Lucifer the cat. Did I overreact by blessing all the children? I would say no. A blessing is always a welcome thing, it is inviting God into your day. So whether or not you feel you are in need of God's presence, a blessing is asking Him to be there with you and to watch over you. And as a teacher and future mother, I feel that a child's soul is one of the most important things to protect and nourish."
The Chocolate-Covered Scripture-Filled Posts
"Hebrews 12," over at CatholicLand!, is a reflection on prayer, using Hebrews 12 as a guide. I'd love to include a quote, but it just wouldn't make sense if I did. But do go read it. (Eat your chocolate - it's good for you!)
From HMS Blog, we get "The Way of Salvation in Christ: Poverty/Perseuction vs. Parentage," which takes a look at Sunday, Feb. 11's Mass readings and what Jesus meant in the Beatitudes and Woes. "As many have observed, whereas the Beatitudes in the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew begin with "Blessed are the poor in spirit," in the Sermon in Luke, we find, "Blessed are you who are poor." There is no "in spirit." Furthermore, as for each of the four Beatitudes here, there is a corresponding "Woe": "But woe to you who are rich." Does this mean that it is literally and automatically true that those who are materially poor will be saved, and those who are materially rich, damned?"
New to the Carnival, Fr. Ben Hawley, at The Good News, posts "God Forgives Me. Can I Forgive Myself?" "An important note: Don’t worship your emotions! Feelings don’t always reflect reality. “I feel unloved,” but God loves you nonetheless. “I feel afraid,” but there may be nothing to fear. If there is an object or cause of fear, channel your anxiety into specific steps to respond to the object or cause. If not, tell the feeling to go away and leave you alone. “See” goodness. Take positive action. Drive the negative out."
A Look at the World Around Us
The Global Conservative brings us "Multiculturalism: Islam's WMD." "What can mankind do to alleviate or lessen the horrors of faction? What method should we apply, what standards shall we keep, in order that we could best address the horrors of life? These are worthwhile questions, no doubt. Multiculturalism seeks to address these questions."
Intentional Disciples take a look at "Missionaries as "Seekers of Lost Sheep"." ""Jesus' mandate is still there: Leave the ninety-nine who haven't strayed and go after the one who has strayed. Today, however, the default seems to have shifted and it's perhaps more a case of leaving the one and going after the ninety-nine."In other words, we may be spending too much attention on those who are in the pews, rather than those who might be there, but aren't." Go there. Read the rest. It's a bookmarkable post for everyone who's Catholic.
"One Day to Change the World" at Living Catholicism gives us a different take on Ash Wednesday. "There's a big effort this year to make February 21st (Ash Wednesday) a day of fasting and prayer to feed the poor, fight injustice, and foster peace throughout the world. Called "One Day to Change the World" they are asking for Christians everywhere to fast and pray for these causes in the belief that prayer can change everything. You can also dedicate your Mass attendance that day to these causes - and you'll be fasting anyway!" Stop on over and read the rest.
Completely Unrelated to "Catholic"
Over at Cognitive Reserve and Lifestyle. It's not Catholic, near as I can tell, but because I was intrigued, it slipped past and made it in... Here's a little definition of cognitive reserve to whet your appetite: "...the concept of cognitive reserve has been defined as the ability of an individual to tolerate progressive brain pathology without demonstrating clinical cognitive symptoms."
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