Among Women ReadHER 4.28.12... converts, moms, daughters, and Stephen Colbert

Among Women ReadHER 4.28.12

A Letter to the Neophytes
By Dr. Timothy O'Malley from Oblation: Catechesis, Liturgy, and the New Evangelization 
An excellent read... for new Catholic converts, and the rest of us, frankly. If the joy of Easter is waning for you, this will jolt you back toward "Alleluia!"


How I Feel Out of My Mini-van and into My Identity
By Jennifer Fulwiler, book excerpt
This is a chapter excerpt from a new release, Style, Sex, and Substance, edited by Hallie Lord. You can dial back and listen to Hallie's visit to Among Women last year.


Stephen Colbert and Faithful Citizenship
By Katherine Schmidt at Archidiocese of Cincinnati
The role humor plays in getting important messages heard.


Why They Left
By William J. Byron and Charles Zech at America magazine
Just more ammo for why we need evangelization, and love... lots of love. Two professors with quotes from exit interviews regarding a study on why Catholics leave the Church. 


When "Sorry" Just Isn't Enough
By Rachel M at Catholic Sistas
A good start on what to say/do when someone faces miscarriage or baby loss. (Don't forget, Among Women recently had a two-part series on miscarriage.) 


The 30 Day Plan: Once a Month Cooking Can Be Easy and Fun
By Kate Wicker at Catholic Mom
So says Kate Wicker, and I usually love her cooking posts elsewhere. Hear Kate talk about her recent book, Weightless, on Among Women 107. 


Keep Laughing, Keep Listening, Keep Loving
By Marcia Morrissey at Patheos
Are we talking too much and not hearing God? Good one, Marcia! 


Calling a Truce between Mother-Daughter Conflict
By Elizabeth Bernstein in the Wall Street Journal
Dealing with adult - adult child relationship... some good tips here. The best advice? Ask what your daughter needs help with...


A great podcast with Dr. Meg Meeker and Dr. James Dobson on the subject of "Strong Fathers and Strong Daughters" - A Catholic pediatrician and an Evangelical Christian psychologist weigh in on this important topic.


Speaking of daughters, a little girl grows up before our eyes in this extraodinary video:
H/T Deacon Greg at The Deacon's Bench.


And one for road... this one for all the mothers... (yes, this is ultimately a Proctor and Gamble commercial, but very well done.)

This makes me think... about the things I might pass on to my daughter.

In general, I would want to witness to my daughter that it is worthwhile to "lay down one's life" for others in imitation of Christ. I would hope she would see from my own example that one does not need to be perfect to be a wife and a mother. Nor need one be perfect to be a single woman for Christ or to be a consecrated religious -- for Christ is all-forgiving, eager to erase the past and give us fresh energies to bear the burden of our womanly roles.


By being close to Christ, in the sacraments and in prayer, we can fulfill our great feminine vocation: to live our our love for others day by day in faithfulness.


Finally, I would have my daughter steep herself in Marian devotion and frequently read the lives of women saints so that she could see how beautiful they were in their feminine warmth, charm, and faithfulness...


I would want my daughter and all women to study John Paul II's apostolic letter "On the Dignity and Vocation of Women" (Mulieris Dignatatem). It is a remarkable document...


It this letter, the Holy Father insists that no matter how badly treated a woman may be, her essential dignity comes not from attitudes of weak and often sinful human beings, but from union with God. "This dignity consists in the supernatural elevation to union with God. (n.4)" Indeed, how many times have we faithful women of the Church found ourselves, after being beaten down by the world, kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament sensing gradually that, no matter what, we are beautiful in the eyes of God.

--Ronda Chervin, Feminine, Free, and Faithful, (1995)

Among Women #111 - Women: Bearers of the Good News

Among Women 111 completes the two-part series with Scripture scholar and author, Dr Mary Healy, of Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit.  Come hear an amazing talk that will raise your dignity as a woman as Dr. Healy unpacks the riches of Scripture and re-introduces to the qualities we know reside in our deepest selves.

Oh, and while Dr. Healy tackles some of the greats of the bible,  I'll do a brief survey of the life of Joanna, one of the "little women" of the bible.  Check it out here.

And may I ask for your prayers this week? This week I'll be off speaking and participating in the Catholic New Media Conference. Better yet, pray for the whole team and all the participants, too!

Among Women #84- Faith, Fashion, and Modesty

Among Women 84 delves into the question of modest dress for women with writer-blogger Hallie Lord, AKA Betty Beguiles.  Not only that, Hallie shares a bit of her own faith journey and entrance into the Catholic Church.

Also featured is the life and writings of Blessed Angela of Foligno, who has a powerful conversion story of her own!

Finally, we pray the Devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ as a form of intercessory prayer on behalf of others who may be undergoing pain, strife, and suffering.

If you like what we do at Among Women, kindly consider making a charitable contribution to SQPN. Thanks!

Among Women Podcast #72: Feminine, Free, and Faithful

Among Women 72 features another look at modern feminism in light of the feminine genius -- this time, philosophy professor Dr. Ronda Chervin  sheds light on the subjects as we delve into her book, Feminine, Free and Faithful.


We also discuss Pope Benedict's papal visit to the UK and the beatification of John Henry Newman, as well as take inspiration from one of the great mother-saints of history, the queen St. Margaret of Scotland, whose image is reflected in the stained glass you see here.

More on the new feminism

This video is an interesting post-script to the most recent conversation we had on Among Women 44, and a few months back on AW 31 and AW 32.

HT: Lisa Hendey, Faith and Family Live.com

Women and the Church

This article covers many of the topics we've covered on the Among Women podcast. Take a few moments to read it.

Here's a snippet:

Feminism has concentrated on equality and power in its quest for justice for women.  Because men and women complement each other, equality should not mean ‘exactly the same.’  Human dignity is the foundation for equality, and equality is enhanced by collaboration.  Kierkegaard said that, “Femininity is a lynchpin of human life; once it is uprooted, the consequence are disastrous.  In fact, experience proved that [radical] feminism benefits men and harms women.” (Kierkegaard, Either-Or, p ii, 260-1).

Pope John Paul II said that the “dignity and balance of human life depends at every moment of history and in every place upon who man will be for women, and who women will be for men.” (TOB 43:7).  In a letter to women, he wrote about the ‘genius of women’ and thanked them for all their contributions to society as mothers, sisters, and workers in the Lond’s vineyard.  Women are made for relationships, they possess great beauty, and have a deep element of mystery.  Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) said that women’s natural role was to “To cherish, guard, protect, nourish, and advance growth.”  Every woman is called to be a bride in some form or another. 

The author also lists a good reading list:


The Privilege of Being a Woman by Alice von Hildebrand
Theology of His/Her Body by Jason Evert
Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church by CDF/Joseph Ratzinger
Letter to Women by Pope John Paul the Great.
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis by Pope John Paul the Great.
Charter of the Rights of the family.
Apostolic Letter Proclaiming Co-Patronesses of Europe by Pope John Paul the Great.
Bible Women Speak to Us Today by Mary Jensen.
Elucidations by Hans Urs von Balthasar.