feminine-genius

The future of the family and the Church

I had a lovely discussion with Sue Brinkmann, the founder of Young Women of Grace, a tremendous program for Catholic girls ages 12 to 18 (and beyond, really!) I cannot recommend it highly enough -- it's beautiful, chock-full of very good information, profiles of young saints, catechesis, and inspiration. Listen to the interview to see how you can introduce the program in your area, or simply buy a copy for the young lady in your life!

Listen here:

Brinkmann

 

Initial reaction to Pope Francis

We've just completed our first 24hr period with the new Pontiff, and the dust is settling somewhat. I've written two reflections: the first is a short piece at Catholic Lane, which elucidates the very first homily -- the one on the balcony that hardly relied on words; the second is at my main site, and is a wry piece on how he's already set up house in my own head (that's a good thing!)

I don't know that he will offer any specifics on authentic femininity, but he is already shaking things up with his decades of witness to the dignity of the poor. That's a lesson we can all study. God is very good, and we will no doubt see the wisdom of this choice as the months unfold.

Pray for Papa, and share the joy with those around you. We are privileged to live here and now, and have just come through an amazing fortnight in our faith!

Blessed John and Our Lady

Today is the feast day of a brilliant son of Mary, although it was not always so. It was not that Bl. John Duns Scotus wasn't always devoted to the Mother of God, it was that he wasn't always brilliant. His intellect seems to have been a singular gift offered to him while still a youngster studying with the Cistercians -- for he wanted to be able to explain the truths of God. After having begged to be healed of his "dullness," he was infused with tremendous insights, leading one biographer to note:

He described the Divine Nature as if he had seen God; the celestial spirits as if he had been an angel;the happiness of the future state as if he had enjoyed them; and the ways of Providence as if he had penetrated into its secrets.

The Catholic Encyclopaedia explains where the gift led:

It was also in Paris that Bl. John came to be called as the "Marian Doctor" after he championed the privilege of Mary's Immaculate Conception. In England, Bl. John taught the truth of this Marian privilege without any opposition. But at Paris the situation was
reversed. The academic body of the University admitted only the purification of Mary in the womb of Her mother St. Anne, like St. John the Baptist. Alexander of Hales, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, the great Parisian Masters, were not able to solve the problem of the universality of original sin and of the efficacy of Christ's Redemption. They thought that even the Blessed Virgin Mary was included in this universality, and therefore subject to contract the original stain even if only for an instant, so that she may also be
redeemed. Scotus in his attempt to introduce and teach a theological position different from that upheld by the university, had to appear in a public dispute before the whole academic body, at the risk of expulsion from the university if he failed to defend his doctrine. Bl. John Scotus prepared himself for the event in prayer and recollection
and in total confidence to the Immaculate Virgin, the Seat of Wisdom.

When the fixed day of the dispute arrived, on leaving the convent, he passed before a statue of Our Lady and with suppliant voice entreated her: "Allow me to praise You, O Most Holy Virgin; give me strength against your enemies." Our Lady responded with a prodigious visible sign: the head of the statue moved and bowed slightly before him. It
was as if to say: "Yes I will give you all the strength you need."

Two Papal legates presided over the dispute. Then with powerful dialectic and with deep and subtle reasoning, Bl. Scotus refuted all the objections of the learned men in attendance, undermining the foundation of every argument contrary to Mary's Immaculate Conception. Bl. John Scotus pointed out: "The Perfect Redeemer, must in some case, have done the work of redemption most perfectly, which would not be, unless there is some person, at least, in whose regard, the wrath of God was anticipated and not merely appeased." Bl. John triumphed. From that day the University of Paris took up the same cause to defend this privilege of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mercy for the Asking

Having just come through Holy Week and Easter, we’ve been reminded once more of the terrible price that God paid for our sins. Perhaps you had a chance to go to confession before Easter, and the graces of the holy season penetrated your soul as never before. Or perhaps you looked on with the same weary eyes as before, wondering if God is faithful to his promises—if the glories of the resurrection can make a difference in your life. Has another season of grace come and gone without effect, causing you to keep God at arm’s length and to wonder at the meaning of it all?

To be sure, the season hasn’t ended, and we continue with “little Easter”—the second Sunday after the Passion, which has now been dedicated to the Divine Mercy. In the midst of the 20^th century—that bloody century marked by wars, gulags and unspeakable devastation—God repeatedly emphasized his abiding love to a young Polish nun named Sister Faustina Kowalska in messages that spanned from 1931 to 1938. Did the horrors from which so many suffered end with those revelations? Not at all—and indeed they only grew worse—but his children were comforted amidst the darkness with the truth that no human sin is more powerful than his mercy.

No matter what cunning devices humans concoct to evict God from his creation, no matter what depraved behaviors they insist on calling enlightened, God will still be God, and he will remain here in our midst, hoping for the slightest response to his solicitousness. He cannot be scared off, nor can he be horrified at our degeneracy, for he has already walked the gauntlet of wickedness and conquered it.

What is mercy, this curious dimension of God that makes him so steadfast in his love for creation, and particularly his love for us? Is all mercy love, or is it different? We hear that God is love, and we’re familiar with the explanation that love is his very essence—he must love, for that is who he is—but how can he love us, especially when we find ourselves so unlovable?

While we understand the relationship between sin and justice, whereby reparation must be made for offenses against God, sin also adds to our understanding of his love. When a person bears love for that which is perfect, it is simply love, but when love embraces that which is imperfect, we see that perfect love includes mercy, for now there is the forbearance of a defect that wasn’t previously necessary. In that sense, our intransigence didn’t change God—he is immutable—but we subsequently learned that the love which was intrinsic to his nature included an unquenchable mercy, which does not shrink from us even in our corrupt state.

Is there no limit to what he will forgive? Evidently not, as he stressed to Sister Faustina that his mercy and kindness are always at the disposal of all people—especially those who suffer—and he pointed to the gift of his passion and death as proof of his desire that we be freed from the consequences of our sins. That gift stands for all time, and just because our depravity seems to have intensified in recent decades, that doesn’t mean that he’s withdrawn his offer in disgust. In fact, the greater our propensity for self-destruction, the more radical, the more astonishing is his healing by contrast.

How instructive it is that Eastertide is longer than Lent, and now is the time for celebrating God’s great mercy. Embrace it—and let it embrace you!

Looking for a Lenten project?

I have a review at Catholic Lane of an excellent study for women -- it would be perfect to do alone, with friends in your living room or even in a more formal parish setting. With larger events swirling about us and making us wonder about how we'll be able to live our faith (with integrity) in the coming years, we would do well to remind ourselves of those who did the same over the centuries in the most trying of times. These books will be a practical and well-grounded help for all of us!

Pascal for Parents

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a brilliant French philosopher and mathematician who offered a suggestion to those who struggled with faith. Since reason cannot be trusted and faith cannot be proven, there is a choice: to believe or not to believe. Weighing the cost of being wrong in either choice, he argued that it is far safer to believe (and enter oblivion after death) than to reject God (and risk eternal damnation). Furthermore, living as though one believed is a gesture that cannot go unnoticed by God, who will surely provide the grace of sincerity in due time.

This concept came to mind as I considered how difficult it is to teach our children to prioritize virtue and the sacramental life. It has ever been thus, as the familiar story of Saint Monica reminds us, but today's saint inspired me to twist Pascal’s “wager” into a slightly different form.   

In reading about today's saint, Basil (330-379), I learned that his mother raised three children honored by the Church: Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa and their sister, Saint Macrina; two other brothers were bishops. His grandfather was martyred for the faith, and both parents were known for their piety.  Nevertheless, Basil writes of his early life:

Much time had I spent in vanity, and had wasted nearly all my youth acquiring the sort of wisdom made foolish by God. Then once, like a man roused from deep sleep, I turned my eyes to the marvelous light of the truth of the Gospel, and I perceived the uselessness of ‘the wisdom of the princes of this world, that come to naught.’ I wept many tears over my miserable life, and I prayed that I might receive guidance to admit me to the doctrines of true religion.

Think for a moment of how rich their family life must have been, and how many times young Basil had heard accounts of persecution and courage. Surely he was offered excellent moral formation and enthusiastic catechesis—and yet he still proved vain and foolish for a time.

This brings me to my variation on Pascal, which may help parents find peace in this new year. Either God exists or he doesn’t. If he does—as witnessed by the resurrection of Our Lord—then he loves your children dearly, is intimately familiar with their inner journey, and passionately wants them to be with him for eternity. Moreover, our omniscient and omnipotent God offers abundant graces specifically to make this happen—but do we really believe that? Do we pray as if we believe that?

Conversely, if God doesn’t exist, then all that we’ve been trying to teach our children is virtually useless (other than the earthly benefits that some moral guidelines provide).

Basil said that his eyes were opened one day when read the Gospel—but surely he had beeen familiar with the Gospel message since infancy. What must have transpired upon that particular reading of Scriptures was that “in the fullness of time,” he embraced the graces won by Christ (and for which his extended family, living and dead, must have begged).

When considering many conversion stories, one is baffled by what exactly supplies the critical piece for a soul—the “aha moment!” as it were. For some it may be a passage in a book, for others it’s a seemingly inconsequential passing comment, for others it may be a particularly scenic view. Rather than seeking “a silver bullet” (as so many parents do, accompanied by handwringing, tears and anxiety—revealing our lack of faith) perhaps we should embark on a year of trust, for the graces are there. Without a doubt, peaceful parents who pray and sacrifice with confidence are placing the surest bet of all. In the words of Padre Pio, “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”

Sts. Joachim and Anne, A Family Prayer

Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Your Blessed
Mother Mary and Good St. Joseph we ask You to bless,
protect and guide our family. Humbly we approach Your
Eucharistic throne of grace and pray that You mold us into a
Holy Family.  By the power of the Holy Spirit please help us
to do the will of Our Heavenly Father, during our earthly
sojourn, for Your honor and glory and the salvation of souls. 
Help us to lead others to You in the Most Blessed
Sacrament.  At the end of our journey please gather us
together, again, that we may be a family in Your heavenly
paradise and with the angels and saints sing Your praises
for eternity.

(From the book Family Hours of Adoration)

God only knows...

Saint John of Damascus explains the Assumption of Our Lady:

As the most glorious Mother of Christ, our Savior and God and the giver of life and immortality, has been endowed with life by him, she has received an eternal incorruptibility of the body together with him who has raised her up from the tomb and has taken her up to himself in a way known only to him.

It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God's Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God.

Mary's Tears, Christ's Blood

The tears of the Mother of Sorrows fill the Scriptures and spill over the ages. All the mothers, widows and virgins who weep, add nothing to that superabundant effusion which would suffice to wash the hearts of ten thousand despairing worlds. All the wounded, the naked and the oppressed, the cumbersome, suffering processions we find at all of life's desperate crossroads, are a perfect fit in the generous folds of the azure-blue mantel of Our Lady of  Seven Sorrows.

Each time someone bursts into tears, in a crowd of people or all alone, Mary is the one crying, because all tears belong to her as Empress of Beatitude and Love. Mary's tears are the very Blood of Christ, shed in a different way, since her compassion was a sort of interior crucifixion of the holy humanity of her Son.

Mary's tears and Jesus' Blood are the double effusion of the same heart and one can say that the Blessed Virgin's compassion was the Passion under its most terrible form. This is the meaning of the words that were addressed to Saint Bridget:

Christ's affliction was my affliction, for his Heart was my heart; for as Adam and Eve sold the world for only one apple, my Son and I have redeemed it with only one Heart.

Tears are a legacy of the Mother of Sorrows; such a formidable legacy cannot be squandered in vain worldly attachments without committing a sacrilege. Saint Rose of Lima used to say that our tears belong to God and that whoever sheds them without thinking of him, steals them from him (Leon Bloy).