Among Women ReadHER 5.19.12 ...the lite version (referring to the # of articles, NOT the content)

Blogging will be light this week as my daughter graduates and I tend to family, but I wanted to pass along these finds from the past week. 

Among Women ReadHER 5.19.12

In Celebration of the Feminine Genius
By Emily Stimpson at Our Sunday Visitor
Well put, with good reference works in the side bar. Also this piece by Emily Stimpson: Catholic Women in Their Own Words.


Live the Law of the Gift
By Kathryn Lopez at K-Lo at Large at Patheos
A highly excerpted review of Cardinal Timothy Dolan's Commencement Address last weekend at Catholic University of American in Washington, DC. Very good.


Love Both Conditional and Unconditional
By Father Robert Barron at Word on Fire
This is an audio podcast version of Fr. Barron's amazing sermon from last Sunday. Do listen. Consider subscribing to the podcast he puts out every week. It will really boost your faith.


The Face of Attachment Parenting
By Elizabeth Foss at her Real Learning blog
The best response by far to the TIME magazine cover that caused a stir with an full frontal photo of a mother nursing an older toddler. Elizabeth is one of the wisest women in the mothering circles. One day I hope to meet her in person to thank her for all I've "read" of her for years. I did have the delight of talking to her, together with Danielle Bean, for this AW podcast a while back.

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!

This makes me think...

As the world's first teachers of self-sacrifice and compassion, women are the foremost shapers of culture.  In [Pope] John Paul's view, then, women stand as a vital force for guarding against the modern tendencies toward the love of self, of money, and of pleasure.  Women wield this transformative power first and foremost in their own homes, by modeling, teaching, and nurturing their children in the ways of love and service.  But their influence is much broader in scope.  Through their professional work as well as their involvement and leadership in civic organizations, they hold the power to attest to and defend the very dignity of the human person. By their lives and the personal and professional choices they make, they can reveal to the world the way of attentive, humanizing, self-giving love...


But women can only achieve this tranformative influence in society if they recognize their own dignity and value as beloved children of God...


If women are to lead the way in the a renewal of culture, they must go constantly to the true source of all healing, power, and strength: Christ himself.


---Erika Bachiochi, Women, Sex, and the Church: A case for Catholic teaching (Pauline Books and Media, 2010)

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

Among Women Podcast #44

This week's Among Women focuses on the genius of womanhood -- not only as we are created by God, but also as explained in the title of a new book by Karen Doyle, The Genius of Womanhood.

And we also hear a story about the faith of St. Scholastica, the sister of St. Benedict of Nursia.

Also get early details about the forthcoming Catholic New Media Celebration to take place in Boston, Aug 6-8:  CNMC "MMX".

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.