Take Up Your Cross -- A Lenten Reflection

My life is hard, I'll be honest. I have six children, one with significant special needs and five others with their own chronic health issues. I have had my own serious health issues and other trials over the years that have made living my vocation challenging. I have a heavy cross to bear, so shouldn't I be whining about taking on another penance during Lent? Don't I already suffer enough?

"If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Lk 9:23)

This passage reminds me of an email I received a couple of years ago that spoke about a man who wished to trade in his cross because it was too big. He went into a large hall to examine other crosses and chose one that was small and easy to carry. He journeyed through out his life contented with the small cross until it was time to pass over into heaven, he found that he needed to bridge a large chasm between this world and the next. His new, self-appointed cross was too small to help him get to heaven. Of course it was, that was not his cross to bear -- he had rejected the cross that was meant for him by God.

The Lord Jesus also tells us that we should take on the yoke of obedience, His yoke, and he will provide rest for our weary and burdened souls. (Cf. Mt 11:28-30) So, to find rest in Christ Jesus, we need to follow Him, offer ourselves in service and do penance to make up for offenses that we have committed against the Body of Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers this: "Taking up one's cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance." (CCC 1435)
Penance is a burden of love. It is a chance to offer back just that little bit more; to show Christ that, not only will I carry the cross He has given me, but I will add a little weight to it by choice. It doesn't have to be anything substantial, just a small act of love that deprives the senses of some pleasure. In this way we atone for those sins that harm the honor of God and add to Christ's Passion.

I want to come after Jesus. I want to be obedient and take up my cross. The weight of my cross is perfect for me because it was chosen for me by God. I don't despair over the cross that I have, because I do not carry it alone. I have the aid of my guardian angel who is there to protect and guide me; the holy saints in the Church triumphant, whose Queen is the Blessed Virgin, who bolster me on this journey with their prayers; the Lord Himself, Who in His mercy desires that I should be with Him for eternity.

So, no whining or lamenting -- I will take up my cross this Lent, adding just a little extra burden of love. I will do it because it is my hope to be with Jesus in heaven. I will do it with joy knowing that each little effort lessens the pain of Christ Crucified, who takes our sins upon Himself so that we may be saved.

Kennedy & Bayh Resignations -- Political Climate Change?

For the past week or so, Patrick Kennedy's announcement not to seek re-election for his congressional seat in Rhode Island has been on my mind. I have crafted a couple of blog posts that just seemed inadequate to the matter at hand, so I deleted them. Then the other day, I was driving along with my husband and we were listening to the news on the radio. The report was about Senator Bayh, Democrat from Indiana, deciding not to seek re-election in 2010.

"What could be going on here?" I wondered.

Ted Kennedy dies and a republican, Scott Brown, wins his seat in a special election -- in Massachusetts! Did Patrick Kennedy truly have higher motives than just poll numbers to cause him to step away from the campaign trail in 2010? Or, did he just see the writing on the wall?

I read a few blogs that gave Mr. Kennedy the spiritual benefit of the doubt, recognizing that he was still mourning the loss of his father, Sen. Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts. But, I have to admit, my cynical nature lead me to think that was probably just the spin -- a leopard from Camelot is highly unlikely to change his spots, and those spots spin. It's a pride thing, I think; he's not a sure bet for re-election, so exit looking noble and find a new Kennedy-esque thing to do. Cousin Joe's got Venezuelan oil all wrapped up, but Patrick did mention wanting to be more like Aunt Eunice in her work with the Special Olympics. Perhaps, he could judge the bowling competition?

Seriously, this announcement by Sen. Bayh speaks volumes, in my estimation, about the change in trend of American political thought. American's do not seem to be tracking with the hope and change platform any longer. It is less than what they hoped for and changing in a dangerously wrong direction.

More specifically, as Catholic Americans, we need to understand the principle of subsidiarity and the principle of solidarity with regard to our expectations of our government, and what our duty is toward others. It seems that perhaps these principles have been shelved by some politicians -- they are not a unique brand of Catholic doctrine, but universal in nature to all mankind. And now, innately, they are emerging as a battle cry from a collective American conscience, both Catholic and non-Catholic.

It will not surprise me in the least if a new sense of moral fortitude emerges from pruning away these branches from the political vine. As spring emerges, I envision a new shoot stretching out with a different perspective on hope; an ethic based on the Constitution will push up from under the fertilizer that has been shoveled thick above it. From beneath the muck and mire, the voice of the people, like a burgeoning crocus, will arise to see the sun. All this is possible because of our country's freedoms mandated in the Constitution and its Bill of Rights.

The American people appear to be loudly and clearly expressing their desire to have control over their own health care decisions; their disgust with government takeovers in the private sector; their impatience with the continual bashing of past administrations for frivolous spending sprees when both this administration and the last had some serious issues with spending. Americans simply want their money to belong to them. They wish to control how to spend and give as they see fit, and they want for their grandchildren to be able to live without shouldering a debt that will soon be into the quadrillions of dollars. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that the people who do the living and breathing and working and dying in this town, Mr. Potter... -- Oh, wait...I seem to have channeled George Bailey --the average American, wishes to live in a secure country in which the rights of the citizenry are respected and their concerns are heard and represented in Washington, DC by their elected officials.

Did Mr. Kennedy really bail because of his commitment to family and the desire to actually have one of his own? Did the words of admonishment from Bishop Tobin make him take stock of what is truly important in life? Or, like Sen. Bayh, did Patrick Kennedy just realize that his brand of politics is losing ground with his constituents and it was time to investigate other prospects? I pray that our elected officials will stop and assess the political climate change (pun completely intended) in our country and resist thinking they know what is best for the American people without first listening to what the people want from their elected officials -- respect and sincere consideration regarding matters that concern them.

Attende, Domine

"The Catholic Girl's Guide" (1906)

Advice from Father F.X. Lasance to young ladies (married and unmarried) and wives. Read it online

Hat tip: Vivificat, who has a treasure trove of links to spiritual books.

5 Do-It-Yourself Skills Every Woman Should Have

Lefty-loosey, righty-tighty! So, which of these five have you taken on?

I've tried #1 but was defeated and had to get a plumber's help. #2? Way too proficient at it (those toddler wipes may be flushable but not a box at a time. #3 I want to try.

Fat Tuesday!

It's Mardi Gras!  Any big plans?  Mary's posted a pancake recipe!

Our previous plans were scuttled due to the weather, so I'm musing on how best to mark the day.  Pancakes sound good, with plenty of bacon; maybe I'll even rummage around and find the molds to make dinosaur pancakes.

I'm also thinking about making a pan of brownies -- an au revoir to the pleasures of dessert before tomorrow.  So, that takes care of the fasting; in the prayer department I plan to use my Magnificat regularly....

How about you?  Any plans for this day?  How about the next forty?

You don't have to be a genius to have a genius

Feminine genius?  Yes, you, Mary!   And -- cooler yet -- you not only are a feminine genius, you HAVE a feminine genius!

If we hop in to our Etymological Time Machine and steer it to ancient Rome, we'll see the word "genius" referring to a kind of local or familial spirit.  Towns and gates had their own genius; so did clans, families, and individuals. 

The concept lives on in the idea of personification (for example, "The Spirit of St Louis", the "Spirit of Christmas", Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty, and so on.)  

The Genius of America, Adolphe Yvon, 1858

As for the word itself, it didn't begin to take on its contemporary meaning of "super-smart individual" until almost the 1700's, and even now I don't know if it carries this meaning in languages other than English.  Its older meaning carries the idea of an essential spirit or character.  It comes from the same root as "generate" and "genial", and is a cousin to the word "nature."

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The idea of  "the feminine genius" takes my mind in so many different directions, I hardly know where to start.  Certainly it involves giving proper respect to the vocations of mothering and childrearing.  But how does the feminine spirit manifest in the lives of women who are married but struggle with infertility -- and may not be called to adopt children?  For women who are single, who aren't mothers, who don't see Mr Right on the horizon but who don't feel called to religious life?  How does that spirit play out for them?  What about when the children grow up?

How does the feminine genius manifest itself in the workplace -- especially in a workplace that isn't part of the traditional teacher-nurse-housekeeper realm of women?  (And how did some work come to be considered "women's work" anyway?)   And are there ways that we should be taught to develop and express that spirit?