Redland Catholic

"This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

Father Stephen Hamilton at the Catholic Ragemonkey blog has an excellent post about Sunday's  (8/27/06) New Testament reading.  If you went to Mass, you might not have heard the whole thing.  If you heard the part beginning with "Husbands, love your wives..." and were left wondering whether St. Paul has something to say to wives, well, he does.  So if you didn't hear the whole thing yesterday, open your Bible to the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 21, and read from there to verse 32, or click to get "the big picture" from the USCCB website.

The reading explains that husbands and wives are to be subordinate to one another, then goes on to explain how this "mutual subjection" should manifest itself.  A wife is to be subject to her husband, and a husband is to love his wife, giving himself up for her, as Christ gave Himself up for the Church.  Thus, the relationship between a husband and wife reveals something of the "great mystery" of Christ the Bridegroom and His Church His Bride. 

This is a hard teaching for several reasons, the least of which is our 21st century sensitivity ("wives be subject...").  This teaching is hard, as Mark Shea writes, "for the reason stated by Paul's master: we must die in order to live."  Much could be said on this topic (and has been said, I will add some links below so you can read more), but I am just going to stick to how my heart is coming to accept this teaching.  Read the extended portion of this post for more.  I also am including links to some helpful articles on the matter.  I'm sure I'm rambling, but this is just where I am right now.

Mother Angelica's Habit

When you have a blog, you get to see how people get to your website, including any Google searches that bring them to your site.

I noticed someone found my website doing a Google search "Mother Angelica Changes Habits."  Maybe they were watching the 25th anniversary special on EWTN (Happy Anniversary EWTN - I watch over the Internet sometimes) and saw pictures from the eighties when she and her sisters wore a modified habit. She and her sisters wear very traditional habits now.   Click the "click to continue reading..." link below to get the story of why her community went back to wearing traditional habits.  I got this information from Raymond Arroyo's book about her, Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles. 

You'll never guess...

Check out the picture below.  It is a screen shot I captured from a website advertising a certain product, I first read about it a couple of weeks ago on Rebecca's blog Doxology:

Can you guess what they're selling?  If this helps: the site has cool music and make-up tips.

Read this post at Rebecca's Blog (Doxology) for more (she has taken down her pictures though).  She will give you a hint on how to get into the website if you want to examine it further.  Or, click below to see what it's for.

The Authentic Catholic Woman

I finished reading Genevieve Kineke's book The Authentic Catholic Woman a couple of days ago, and was not disappointed.  The question "what does it mean to be a woman?" is a big one - is there a  timeless answer that will apply to women around the world- single, married, or consecrated?  Genevieve's answer is yes.  She sees the Church as a paradigm for women to follow.  She writes about how women's lives mirror the sacraments, how the vocation of women is linked to the vocation of men, how women image the Church as Mother, Teacher, Bride, and builder of culture.  This is not merely a one-size-fits all glove that she presents, but a thoughtful and well-studied description of the Church as a model for women to follow in order to fulfill their critical role in their families, the Church, and the world. 

For a woman like me who is trying to understand what it means to be a woman, this is a great help.  Much of what she say may not be easy for women raised in a feminist-influenced culture to hear, especially on the role of the wife and husband in marriage.  It is important to remember that the relationship between man and woman in Holy Matrimony is meant to be an image of the Trinity, and is meant to show how much Christ loves His Church (hence, each and every member of the Church).   

Anyhow, I highly recommend this book.  When you read it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a journal or notebook and write about how this paradigm fits your life (if you're a woman).  My next reading project is going to be John Paul II's Theology of the Body, along with Christopher West's Theology of the Body Explained.  I will probably re-read Genevieve's book afterwards.

PS - I am going to start turning on Trackbacks.  I'm not exactly sure what they are but I'm curious...

Authentic Femininity

I just got Genevieve Kineke's book The Authentic Catholic Woman in the mail today From St. Anthony Messenger Press and I can't wait to read it!  I am looking forward to the chapters on mirroring the sacraments and Spousal love. 

I have been trying for a long time now to understand what it means to be a woman.  Having been diagnosed with Turner's Syndrome at the age of 7, I have always known that I would never be able to conceive a child, and my physical development was very clinical and came with a lecture from my mom about hygiene.  I struggle with my identity as a woman, not that I want to be a man or have some kind of "gender identity disorder," but I don't identify with the current culture's understanding of femininity.  I have never felt oppressed or repressed by a "male-dominated society."  I have only recently discovered what the Church has to offer women via the Theology of the Body, and I'm sure Genevieve's book will offer a beautiful perspective.

I am going to begin reading it tonight, and put Morag Joss' book on hold - as a British mystery it's a bit disappointing.