Among Women ReadHER 6.30.12 Wow - Obamacare, Vat II, Cancer, SSA, and Crucified Love all in one post!

Among Women ReadHER 6.30.12

RE: Supreme Court Upholding Pres. Obama's "Affordable health care act"& the Fortnight of Freedom underway

HHS Mandate Lawsuits Charge Forward as Only Remaining Challenges to "Obamacare"
Posted at the Becket Fund
The Becket Fund does great work, and their legal perspective and prowess is vital to people of all faiths who oppose health care initiatives that step on human dignity and religious freedoms.


Here is the Official Supreme Court Decision in a .pdf file

Video: Fortnight for Freedom Forum on Catholic TV
You'll find very excellent talking points in a town hall-style show featuring commentary from Cardinal Sean O'Malley- Archdiocese of Boston, John Garvey - the President of Catholic University of America and a constitutional lawyer, Carl Anderson - leader at the Knights of Columbus, Kim Daniels of Catholic Voices, and Angela Franks, PhD- The Institute of the New Evangelization. Note: this show is 57 mins long... if you don't have time for the whole hour, listen to the first 25 mins... you'll get a lot in the opening commentary.

Launching the Fortnight for Freedom
By Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. of Philiadelphia at First Things
Necessary reading, that is fortunately, very readable. 


US BISHOP's website on Fortnight for Freedom
Articles and information.


Why Freedom of Worship is Not Freedom of Religion
By Peggy Luksik at Catholic Online
An awesome analogy that you can use to train others in the rhetoric that sticks and makes sense of these issues. I recommend this article to be shared within the family with youngsters learning the civil discourse needed in this fight for religious freedoms.


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Why We Don't Dress Up Anymore
By Jennifer Fulwiler at her blog at National Catholic Register
Are we getting too casual at Mass and at other special events? Good observations here.


Apple Launches Stand Alone Podcast APP
By Fr. Roderick at this blog
iPhone users may appreciate this for their Among Women fix!


Diary from Vatican II
By Fr Robert Barron at Real Clear Religion
One of my favorite classes in grad school was learning the history while reading and discussing all the documents of Vatican II. If that makes me a theology nerd, so be it. But I think you'll like this article with its look "behind the scenes" through journal notes made by Fr. Yves Congar, a leading theologian of the 20th century.


Archbishop Fulton Sheen Becomes Venerable
By Edward Pentin at National Catholic Register
Sheen is one of my favs, this is welcomed news for the new evangelization.


Life Interrupted: Fighting Cancer and Myself
By Suleika Jaouad in the New York Times
As a cancer survivor, I cannot help be drawn to articles on the subject. This young writer is writing a series of articles. I do not know this young woman, but I can pray for her all the same. Maybe you will too as she learns the hard lessons of surrender... she poignantly brought me right back to the hardest reality that anyone chronically ill faces: "It is difficult not to equate sickness or weakness with a feeling of failure." 

Change and Same Sex Attraction in Women
By Dale O'Leary at Crisis Magazine
Just another area where the church needs to expand her ministry.

Stunning Spoken Word Performance: Crucifixion Type Love
Posted by Angela Sealana at Inspired Angela
Wow, so glad to find this on Angela's blog... 

The Crucible of Conscience... my latest column at Patheos

The news is filled with conscience discussions where religious freedom and conscience clauses are concerned. The fathers of the Second Vatican Council give us one of the most profound definitions of conscience, and from that we discern the reason we must defend its preciousness. My latest column at Patheos addresses the subject. Here's an excerpt:

The conscience is hidden deep, yet it defines us; it is our interior sanctuary where we meet God. The interior defines everything we are exteriorly. 

We find out how deeply we know this God when we are in the crucible: when our conscience, seared by the heat of painful circumstances, is tried for all we are worth. 

There comes a point when you must reach into the deepest part of you and make a decision for or against… or you have to survey the landscape and say this is as far as I go and no further. 

These are the moments when you admit that life isn’t just a random freefall or that everything is unrelated or of no consequence. But rather, it is more about connections and integrity and things holding together in an abundant web of life and time in eternity. 

These are the places where we ascend or descend to…  where the boundaries of truth, beauty, and goodness leave off… and falsehood, ugliness, and evil begin. Our conscience helps us find and run our fingers along the outer edges of precarious ledges. Otherwise we might slip and fall, hurtling into danger. Or worse.

 There's more here. 

This makes me think... about faith and the exciting intersections of anniversaries in the coming year.

 The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord’s glorious return. 
(from par. 1)

...

I have decided to announce a Year of Faith. It will begin on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and it will end on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on 24 November 2013. The starting date of 11 October 2012 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text promulgated by my Predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, with a view to illustrating for all the faithful the power and beauty of the faith. This document, an authentic fruit of the Second Vatican Council, was requested by the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops in 1985 as an instrument at the service of catechesis and it was produced in collaboration with all the bishops of the Catholic Church. Moreover, the theme of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that I have convoked for October 2012 is “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”. This will be a good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith. 
(from par. 4)

...

I would like to sketch a path intended to help us understand more profoundly not only the content of the faith, but also the act by which we choose to entrust ourselves fully to God, in complete freedom. In fact, there exists a profound unity between the act by which we believe and the content to which we give our assent. Saint Paul helps us to enter into this reality when he writes: “Man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved” (Rom 10:10). The heart indicates that the first act by which one comes to faith is God’s gift and the action of grace which acts and transforms the person deep within.

The example of Lydia is particularly eloquent in this regard. Saint Luke recounts that, while he was at Philippi, Paul went on the Sabbath to proclaim the Gospel to some women; among them was Lydia and “the Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul” (Acts16:14). There is an important meaning contained within this expression. Saint Luke teaches that knowing the content to be believed is not sufficient unless the heart, the authentic sacred space within the person, is opened by grace that allows the eyes to see below the surface and to understand that what has been proclaimed is the word of God.

Confessing with the lips indicates in turn that faith implies public testimony and commitment. A Christian may never think of belief as a private act. Faith is choosing to stand with the Lord so as to live with him. This “standing with him” points towards an understanding of the reasons for believing. Faith, precisely because it is a free act, also demands social responsibility for what one believes. The Church on the day of Pentecost demonstrates with utter clarity this public dimension of believing and proclaiming one’s faith fearlessly to every person. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that makes us fit for mission and strengthens our witness, making it frank and courageous. 

(from par. 10)

---Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter, Moto Proprio Data, Porta Fidei. (For the Indiction of the Year of Faith.)

Among Women ReadHER 10.22.11 You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll read, you'll wonder.

Among Women ReadHer

10.22.11

The Lessons of St. Gerard
by Sarah Reinhard at Snoring Scholar
We passed St. Gerard's feast this week, but it's never too late to give praise to one of the great patrons and advocates of mothers and mothers-to-be everywhere. You'll find Sarah was an AW guest way back in the earliest podcasts -- AW 11 -- and she recently added her comments to our special rosary edition. Speaking of patrons, Sarah has been one of the great ones of this podcast, a debt I cannot repay save to ask you to check out her new books and blog


Prayer and Theology
by Dr. Anthony Lillies from his blog Beginning to Pray
Yeah. What he said. 


The Evolution of Organic Sex (Part of an ongoing series.)
by Dr Tim Muldoon, from his column at Patheos
A bit of theology and a bit of history puts where we are today in perspective.


Revolution is Calling
by Elizabeth Scalia, her weekly column on Tuesday at First Things
Weighing in on more than just Occupying Wall Street... 


Robert Downey Jr Asks Hollywood to Forgive Mel Gibson
by Frank Weathers from Why I Am a Catholic
One of the best pieces I've read on this subject. 

What an MBA and a Spiritual Director Taught Me about Being Overwhelmed
by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary
Still blogging at Conversion Diary, and NCRegister, I'm in awe of Jennifer's prolific output... not just prolific, but well-balanced, meaningful posts time and again. Gotta get her to visit us Among Women... not that I want to add to her stress or anything...


Our Catholic Faith at Work 
by Randy Hain at The Integrated Life
Always a great writer on the subject of faith "on the job", here's Randy's latest post.


Easier Than You Think
by Elizabeth Cosgrove at Virtuous Planet
Taking it from being single friends to being "in a relationship" for 6 months.

Protestant Pumpkins
by Hilary McRee Flanery at Catholic Lane
This is one of those sad-but-happy pieces that you really can't make your mind up after you've read it, but you decide it's a lovely tribute to the Catholic life well-lived-even-when-we-live-it-awkwardly all in the same moment. May God bless the Sacramental Soldier, and this beloved family who will dearly miss this young boy.


Notes from A Dragon Mom
by Emily Rapp in the NY Times
It is not often that I would dare post two articles that talk of the early demise of children, however, this article is powerfully poignant for all families who deal with disease and the challenges of a poor prognosis for their loved one. Let us pray send up a prayer for the families involved.


The Mighty Macs: More than a Game
by Maria Morera Johnson, of the Catholic Weekend Podcast, at Patheos
One of my delights at the CNMC was sitting next to Maria -- former hard-core high-school hoops star herself -- and my pal, Lisa Hendey, at this pre-screening. What fun! What a game! 


And finally, some "coming attractions" ... this video not only talks about next year's 50th anniversary of the start of Vatican II, (FYI, it also is the 20th anniversary of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church), it just so happens that this will also kick off amid the Pope's gathering of the Synod of Bishops whose theme will be on the New Evangelization... again, all this coming next October 2012. See how our Pope thinks with Augustine: our faith is ever ancient, ever new!

Buckle up!


If you have time, go read the Pope's letter announcing it. As a theology geek and a catechist, I think this rocks!

This makes me think... about not separating "spiritual life" from "real life"...

In discovering and living their proper vocation and mission, the lay faithful must be formed according to the union which exists from their being members of the Church and citizens of human society.

There cannot be two parallel lives in their existence: on the one hand, the so-called "spiritual" life, with its values and demands; and on the other, the so-called "secular" life, that is, life in a family, at work, in social relationships, in the responsibilities of public life and in culture. The branch, engrafted to the vine which is Christ, bears its fruit in every sphere of existence and activity. In fact, every area of the lay faithful's lives, as different as they are, enters into the plan of God, who desires that these very areas be the "places in time" where the love of Christ is revealed and realized for both the glory of the Father and service of others. Every activity, every situation, every precise responsibility-as, for example, skill and solidarity in work, love and dedication in the family and the education of children, service to society and public life and the promotion of truth in the area of culture-are the occasions ordained by Providence for a continuous exercise of faith, hope and charity.

The Second Vatican Council has invited all the lay faithful to this unity of life by forcefully decrying the grave consequences in separating faith from life, and the gospel from culture: "The Council exhorts Christians, as citizens of one city and the other, to strive to perform their earthly duties faithfully in response to the spirit of the Gospel. They are mistaken who, knowing that we have here no abiding city but seek one which is to come, think that they may therefore shirk their earthly responsibilities; for they are forgetting that by faith itself they are more than ever obliged to measure up to these duties, each according to one's vocation ... This split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age". Therefore, I have maintained that a faith that does not affect a person's culture is a faith "not fully embraced, not entirely thought out, not faithfully lived".

-- John Paul II, Christifidelis Liaci,  par. 59.

A Mother in the Order of Grace

I'm happy to announce that I'll be contributing to the Catholic portal over at Patheos.  You'll find me at the "Summa This, Summa That" blog... "where ancient faith meets modern life."

(As you might expect from the likes of me, I must credit Our Lady for her influence and for every writing gig that comes my way... and so my first post is all about her!  Thanks, too, to Elizabeth Scalia for the vote of confidence.)

Here's a snippet:

She stands out in my garden, hands open wide to transmit love and grace to the world.  In this posture she is known as “Our Lady of Grace.”  My 3-foot statue depicts Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mother, through whom God did some of his greatest work.

To some of my neighbors, she represents “old school” Catholicism – a relic from bygone days. To others, she may be nothing more than outdoor décor – somewhat taller than a garden gnome, but more dainty than an animal cast in stone.

To me, her graceful motherly image reminds me that this ancient faith is, indeed, ever new, intersecting with my modern life. The Blessed Virgin Mother’s influence still holds sway in my life, and in the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Read the rest here.

It Makes Me Think...

Therefore in the Church, everyone...  is called to holiness, according to the saying of the Apostle: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification"....

The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection, preached holiness of life to each and everyone of His disciples of every condition. He Himself stands as the author and consumator of this holiness of life: "Be you therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect". Indeed He sent the Holy Spirit upon all men that He might move them inwardly to love God with their whole heart and their whole soul, with all their mind and all their strength and that they might love each other as Christ loves them. The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace. They are justified in the Lord Jesus, because in the baptism of faith they truly become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. Then too, by God's gift, they must hold on to and complete in their lives this holiness they have received. They are warned by the Apostle to live "as becomes saints", and to put on "as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience", and to possess the fruit of the Spirit in holiness. Since truly we all offend in many things  we all need God's mercies continually and we all must daily pray: "Forgive us our debts".

Thus it is evident to everyone, that all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; by this holiness as such a more human manner of living is promoted in this earthly society. In order that the faithful may reach this perfection, they must use their strength accordingly as they have received it, as a gift from Christ. They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history.

---Lumen Gentium, paragraph 39-40, (From the Documents of Vatican II).

It Makes Me Think...

Each individual lay[person] must stand before the world as a witness to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and a symbol of the living God. All the laity as a community and each one according to his ability must nourish the world with spiritual fruits. They must diffuse in the world that spirit which animates the poor, the meek, the peace makers-whom the Lord in the Gospel proclaimed as blessed. In a word, "Christians must be to the world what the soul is to the body."


----Lumen Gentium, paragraph 38, (From the Documents of Vatican II).

It Makes Me Think...

In the human nature united to Himself the Son of God, by overcoming death through His own death and resurrection, redeemed man and re-molded him into a new creation....

The Head of this Body is Christ. He is the image of the invisible God and in Him all things came into being. He is before all creatures and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the Body which is the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the first place. By the greatness of His power He rules the things in heaven and the things on earth, and with His all-surpassing perfection and way of acting He fills the whole body with the riches of His glory.

All the members ought to be molded in the likeness of Him, until Christ be formed in them. For this reason we, who have been made to conform with Him, who have died with Him and risen with Him, are taken up into the mysteries of His life, until we will reign together with Him...

Christ loves the Church as His bride, having become the model of a man loving his wife as his body; the Church, indeed, is subject to its Head. "Because in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily", He fills the Church, which is His body and His fullness, with His divine gifts so that it may expand and reach all the fullness of God.

---Lumen Gentium, paragraph 7 (from the Documents of Vatican II).