Math in Life

Mathematicians get it.

To the brave

March for Life Reflection

Julie at The Corner with a View
"March for Life Reflection" by Trista at Not a Minx, a Moron, or a Parasite

"To the Brave" by Elizabeth at Startling the Day

The "Bright Maidens" were originally three from the oft-mentioned, widely-speculated upon demographic of young, twenty-something Catholic women. Now, we all take up the cross to dispel the myths and misconceptions. Welcome!

This one goes out to the brave. Thank you, women in mourning, who consistently share with us your heartbreaking stories of decades of pain.

Thank you for opening wounds with us that took years to acknowledge, let alone to heal.

This year I spent the March for Life doing what most of my fellow defenders of the sanctity of human life were doing: trudging through another work day, wishing I was marching among my brothers and sisters.

God knows I'm grateful for my job and that many who are not as fortunate as I am were homebound on Monday as well. I just wish I could have joined the voices and the media-slighted crowd.

Two years ago I was here in DC for an internship on the day of the march. I awoke with my normal routine, begrudgingly aware that I couldn't pound the pavement with the pro-life strangers, and walked toward the Metro station. I boarded a train bursting with the normal commuters, briefcases and cell phone chimes.

But when I exited for my stop, I noticed one woman carrying a sign as she de-trained with me. She was the only marcher in our train car and her sign was far too big to conceal.

She carried this sign

I don't know if she was one of the women behind the micro or megaphones that day, with thousands of voices to support her in sharing her story, but here she was in the middle of a DC commuter's morning, witnessing without the rest of the choir.

I can't imagine the pain of cooping with a decision to abort a child and I certainly can't imagine the kind of retribution she could have faced in risking to carry that sign as she traveled alone. That morning, I wanted to give a stranger a hug and to thank her.

When I returned home from my internship in DC, I started volunteering for Rachel's Vineyard. I encourage everyone to visit their website, inquire with your diocese about opportunities in your area, to donate (if you feel so called), and to volunteer.

You don't have to be one of the counselors in the room to give aid to the effort to provide a safe environment for post-abortive fathers and mothers. You can offer up the tedious but necessary jobs like cooking, setting up, and cleaning up.

The pro-life movement needs to be an activist movement for healing as well as a forward movement for saving lives. Consider helping with this wing!

Oh Canada - 7QT, Volume 41

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

It's been a while since I've gushed about my love for most things Canadian, so it may not make waves when I say:

Gilbert Blythe: My favorite Canadian

I'M FINALLY GOING TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH!

I will be in the Northwest of the United States next week and one day I will make the trip to fair Canada.

I'm so anxious. What should I do to prepare? Practice my "OU?" Read Anne of Green Gables? Watch anything with Ryan Reynolds, Matthew Perry, or Rachel McAdams in it? Play a game of hockey, eh?

I'm just kidding Canadians, I know you're much more than that. Stick (oh I didn't even mean to make a hockey pun) around and you'll learn I have a weird, pointed obsession with Canada.

*2*

Have you discovered VirtuousPla.net yet? Read a little about it here or check out the two posts I published there this week:

• Stay-cation World Youth Day
• Spiritual Heirloom

Thinking hard about these quick takes.

*3*

Liesl's has deep thoughts. Do you?

*4*

Emily tweeted this article about a man's perspective on NFP and it was a great read!

*5*

This week I read Jackie's take on politics. While we agree on many points, the main problem I have with politics is that I won't compromise my faith to fit into a political pocket. She and I just disagree on which points to "lead a charge." I'm still working on it...

This article about Papa Bene 16 calling for economies to have morals helps.

When I was looking into other posts on Jackie's blog, I used a Google search which brought me in contact with this advertisement about "gentle abortions." Gentle. Abortions?

My spirit is exhausted.

*6*

Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream

It doesn't solve my spiritual fatigue problem, but I bet it tastes pretty good.

*7*

This week was a weird post. Trista was in Spain, but posted anyway (because she's a champ). My post was very different than I expected and Julie's has been trolled by a rude commenter. Thanks to those who wrote on the topic: "Feminine Genius: The Dress!"

My post: "Month of the Dress."
Trista: "Dresses and the Apostolate of Beauty."
Julie: "Dresses Rule, Pants Drool, and Other Facts of Life." -- Which is getting a lot of silly comments.
Emily: "Tomboy fights back."
Chloe: "In All [Her] Splendor."

I'm more than Pinterested - 7QT, Volume 38

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com


*1*

I pulled a muscle patting myself on the back an hour ago.

Not really, but I am happy that I posted three "substance" posts and one mini-announcement about Fire of Thy Love's Say Yes to Life blog carnival this week!

*2*

Speaking of the blog carnival, here are the contributions:

• Fire of Thy Love: My Post, The Truth About Sex 
• Fire of Thy Love: My Wife’s Post, Her Take on NFP  
• Day in the Life:YES to Life and No to Birth Control
• Isidore’s Digital Doorway: Say Yes! To Life 
• Team Orthodoxy 
• Startling the Day: Freedom 
• The Fringe Economist: Dissecting the Lies of the Pro-Choice Movement 
• Accepting Abundance: Six Years Later 
• The Corner with a View: Evil Don’t Look Like Anything 
• The Nerdy Wife: Children are Always Blessings 
• Rowles Family Four: Summer Loving 
• The Emmaus Road: Why the Pill is a Problem

*3*

Leah responded to my reaction to the Turing Test. She concluded that the test was ethical because it allowed for those being tested to know the potential consequences of their participation.

I respectfully point out that her test-making ethics were not in question. It's the intent of the test, where the rubber meets the road, that concerned me and Stacy (and Bryan). We didn't want to fill in a digital bubble to guess what someone's belief systems probably were when so many factors go into our faith.

*4*

My beau and I can't wait for World's Toughest Fixes to come back with new episodes... however, I fear this TV show has gone the way of many excellent shows that came before it. It's like Freaks and Geeks all over again. 

This guy cracks me up.

*5*

I think I decided I'm going to submit for this sketchbook project. I need to get back in the habit of indulging my visual creativity and this is a great kick-start. On top of that, I can attempt to use it as a forum for Christian witnessing! 

We all "know" what "most" artists feel about religion? Their stereotypical reputation precedes them... I will submit a sketchbook full of non-tacky, Christian messages.

That is, if I can get around to filling one. I'm almost done with my original.








*6*

Kendra, Emily and I discovered this week that our love for Pinterest may have reached obsession. Their servers were down for a full hour (I know, right?) and, as Kendra pointed out, we had to hold open tabs with those items we wanted to "pin" until it was back up and running.

Sound intriguing to you, run, don't walk, and get your own Pinterest account.

If this makes you think #FirstWorldProblems, then I will direct you to this link.

Preview: The Domino's Pizza tracker is not working. Now I don't know when to put my pants on.

*7*

Did you have time to hop over to see the Bright Maidens topic this week? Fr. Corapi and the importance of Christian witnessing.


Trista's, "Believe Me If You Like"
Julie's, "There’s A Wideness in God’s Mercy, And No Measuring Tape Can Reach"
Mine, "What do John Mayer and the Catholic Church have in common?"


Paige at S'aint Easy
Tony at Outside the Asylum

Say Yes To Life -- Freedom

Today, the National Women’s Law Center will be co-hosting a blog carnival with Planned Parenthood to discuss the upcoming decision by the Department of Health and Human Services on which preventive services will be covered without a co-pay by all new health insurance plans.  They are hoping and actively working to get artificial contraception, namely the prescription birth control pill, on that list, and have titled their event “Birth Control: We’ve Got you Covered.”

So this is the response. A pro-life, open-to-life blog carnival. Click here for more.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've already ranted about the ridiculous birth control commercials that feed our culture with untrue, blissful ideas of "freedom." Whether it be condoms, "the pill," an IUD, or the shots that trick your body into thinking it's pregnant, I stand in opposition to their fake "promises."

What about the flip side? What about the results of these commercials and the messages pushed by the birth control agenda? Who do they affect?

I've heard birth control be likened to the "greatest invention of the 20th century," especially for women. I've heard the arguments about how the existence of birth control is something I'm "just going to have to accept." I've been accused of neglecting to think about the poorer community or of judging those who do not have my beliefs and therefore don't agree with me.

I've been asked questions like, "Don't you know what having a lot of kids does to a woman?" Questions like, "Are you naive enough to think that you can be married and not have sex when you want to?" Things like, "What about over-population?" And finally, "Don't you think you should keep your opinion to your unmarried self?"

To the last question, I can only smile.

It saddens me to think that the culture of convenience and reverence to "science" and technology above all else has caused people in our society to neglect some of the most basic and natural parts of life.

Secularism tends to make some people more comfortable. God gave us the ability to find Him, no matter how hard we try to avoid Him, so I'll stay secular for five minutes.

Sex between a man and a woman has several results and purposes:

• It bonds a man and a woman.
• It can provide pleasure for a man and a woman.
• It can result in a child; it always has the possibility of producing a child, no matter what time of the month it occurs or what precautions have been made to prevent a child from being produced.

These are biological results, broken down to their most simple forms.

I don't own the rights.

Chemical or barrier contraceptives attempt to divide an entire purpose from sex. This is spiritually unhealthy for a couple because they are interrupting something that would otherwise be a natural expression of their life outside of the bedroom.

Having sex as often as possible with reckless abandon, or anything more than in the infertile times of the month, while using contraception isn't a total example of Love for the simple fact that it leaves out part of sex's purpose.

It also invites lust, which would otherwise be left out if the couple were totally open to creating a new life.

No one should suggest we force people to have sex without contraceptives; that's impossible and unethical. But let's be faithful to our beliefs, not defeatist because our 7 billion person world is divided on one of our opinions.

"Keep your opinions to your unmarried self."

Nope. I explored this topic and completely changed my opinion of it. I'm now a young woman who looks forward to NFP and the discomfort that will accompany the abounding bond that it will bring with God and my husband.

Follow up: I recognize that many women take birth control as medical treatment for illness. While I still think there are alternatives for almost all cases, I recognize I am not in their position. If I was in this situation, I think I would try to follow NFP charting, while on the contraceptive medicine, so I can still keep the value for procreative sex, though my chances of producing a child are far less.

Say Yes to Life Blog Carnival Tomorrow!

Hello friends!

Tomorrow I will be posting a piece related to Fire of Thy Love's "Say Yes to Life Blog Carnival."

 

To post something to the carnival, enter your information in the form on this page.

To post the image I have here, paste this into your HTML side:

 <a href="http://fireofthylove.com/2011/07/16/y2l/%E2%80%9D"><img src="http://fireofthylove.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/y2lbanner2.png" /></a>

Also, LIKE Fire of Thy Love on Facebook. They need 6 more likes before they can personalize their username... I'm geeked out and excited to help them do that, so LIKE THEM!

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 35

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

in't this the truth?

Me: "The Vatican needs a new webmaster."
Julie: "Yeah, it's probably a cardinal being punished."



It turns out that they might have a new webmaster, as the site looks slightly different... Here is Brandon's (The Thin Veil) reflection on the NEW Vatican news website. Follow Brandon on Twitter, too!

*2*

ow cool is our Pope? Pope Benedict XVI tweeted about that NEW news site for the first time this week from the Vatican News Twitter handle, @News_va_en.

And what from what did he Tweet? An iPad.

 I guess that settles any debate about Mac vs. PC, right?

*3*

ne of the treasures of college that I miss the most is history and art history classes.

 Enjoy this video as it scans through 500 years of female portraits.

Ahhh culture, I love it.

*4*

f you have yet to learn about the University of Seattle's permitting Planned Parenthood on campus for student internships, please read here. To sign the petition, click here.

When it comes down to it, this is a CATHOLIC university. 

There are probably professors and students at the university who support abortion on principle or in general. There are people on campus (or who know about the issue from anywhere in the nation) who support abortion... this doesn't matter. 

Disclaimer: I don't think many people hold this opinion anymore.

This is not a political issue because this is a Catholic university. It receives funding from the Catholic Church, a body that opposes abortion and supports LIFE in every doctrine of its Magisterium.

Some Planned Parenthood offices cannot perform abortions. However, the organization funds all of its offices; all of that money is bloody. This university should become a public institution before it allows this publicly funded firm to offer opportunities on its campus.

I wrote my "Judgement for bloggers" post three days before I published it this week. I think it's well-timed because this is a topic that ruffles a lot of feathers. We who oppose abortion should always choose to love the women who have abortions and love those who hold a pro-abortion opinion. 

I love them, but I hate the sin. I hate how many people in my generation are not around today because of organizations like Planned Parenthood. I'm not going to keep my mouth shut on this one.

*5*

hat was heavy. Please enjoy this mental break:

*6*

y goals for July:

*Carve out the time to read and comment on more of YOUR blogs.

*Attempt to use a coupon or discount on every single thing I buy this month (attempt) and add up the savings, just to pat myself on the back.

*7*

eminder! The Bright Maidens are tackling the topic of "tattoos" on Tuesday!


If you haven't participated in a Bright Maidens post before, please join us! Write a little blurb that approaches the topic, grab our image here, and post the link to your POST on our Facebook wall on Tuesday!

Tattoo Tuesday... it has a nice ring to it!


The last topic was "Catholic Modesty" and it turned out really well! Lots of dicussion. Check out the full list of posts here.


Sure enough, Simcha offered her hilarity for the modesty debate (coincidence).

Sneak preview:

"It’s true that women have a responsibility to dress decently so as not to deliberately provoke lust in men. But they do not have a responsibility to make it impossible for men to lust after them."

I love 1st graders! Week 21

About what do you pray? What do you say when you talk to God? Do you only talk to Him when you're sad or angry? Or do you let Him in on the fun when you're happy?

This is a sampling of what our kids said:

This girl is the sweetest

That last one says "Casey and Elizabeth"... us!

This boy wanted to pray for pie, pizza, God, bugs, gold and games.

We went outside in the gorgeous 80 degree (about 27 C) evening to observe the things for which we are grateful.

Besides some ants-in-the-pants issues with one of the kids, it was a good class with a lot of discussion about why we thank God. The "innocence of a child" came to fruition in these sharing sessions.

This innocence became even more prevalent when we read the Passion story from the children's Bible. We learned about Judas and how he betrayed Jesus, even though he was his friend. The class clairvoyant made yet another poignant statement, "I can't believe he would do that to Jesus when he was His friend."

Choking back a severe case of the "Awwww"s, I agreed and told her about the pharisee's reward to Judas for his betrayal.

"I would rather have Jesus than 30 pieces of silver," she said.

Of course, Jesus needed to die so our sins could be forgiven, but we all choose the silver over Jesus on a regular basis.

Abortion is choosing the silver (the life you once foresaw for yourself, which this baby threatens). Taking the job that combats your ethical or moral conscious is choosing the silver. Yelling at or physically abusing someone is choosing the silver. Skipping Mass to go to a concert, to go to a movie, or to sleep in is choosing the silver.

"I would rather have Jesus than 30 pieces of silver," she said. Thirty pieces of silver seems pretty trivial compared to the great banquet.

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 20

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

God bless those of you who called the Canadian hospital that was planning to bulldoze and take out Baby Joseph's breathing tube. They released him and Fr. Frank Pavone accompanied him and his father to St. Louis' Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. The Catholic hospital is going to take care of Baby Joseph, no matter how long his life is.

If the bulldozing which the Canadian hospitals almost pulled off is any indication of what we have to look forward to with national healthcare (and after the last year I've spent around hospitals, I think it is), it's time to start praying hard.

*2*

The Bright Maidens are once again humbled by your response to our series! Keep an eye out because next Tuesday's topic is dating... it should get interesting. I will also publish my review for How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul within a week!

Look to the right (in my sidebar) and LIKE us on Facebook! Julie, Trista, and I thank you!

*3*

Consider donating to Caritas Japan. The bishops in Japan have launched an emergency appeal to fund the work needed in the aftermath of the horrible earthquake and tsunami events. I know I don't like donating to organizations when I don't know what kind of work my money is supporting.

*4*

Persuasion. This has been my favorite Jane Austen novels (whoops, just lost all the men reading this. Bye, guys!) for years.

It was the last Austen novel I devoured (because how else do you read an Austen novel? These are the original McDreamys) and I've read it twice since then. I realized why I love it so much:

A) I am Anne, especially her faults. Sure, add the blind stubbornness of Elizabeth Bennett to complete the picture, but I am mostly Anne Eliot.

B) It characterizes the kind of commitment to love that the world tells us doesn't exist. Also, we see men with strong reserve for the women they love.

The Crofts have the most amiable and loving relationship of any married couple in the book. Capt. Benwick speaks about a love that would never die and complains that novels illustrate and prove the fickleness of women.

He's hunky, but hunkier in the book.

Anne is quick to point out that those novels are written by men. It's a point that seems to have flipped in this society. We usually hear about the fickleness of men. Maybe we need to start listening to one another more often.

C) Captain Wentworth is a hunk. I mean that in the most respectful and Christ-like way possible....

*5*

Thanks for sticking around for that long one. Your reward is 80% off at Ignatius Press.

 

*6*

Cloistered nuns fascinate me. I know our vocations are essentially the result of our life experiences and how we digest them. That's how God says, "Hello? This is what you should be doing. See, I prepared you for it!

I don't own the rights -- these are Christ's brides :)

I have no idea what kind of background a woman would have to lead her to the cloistered nun's life, but I certainly respect it. Kevin has filmed and directed "Cloistered: God's Women of Steel" about a cloister that prays for the world 24/7. Learn more about it here.

*7*

This is probably a site built for meditation.... but we can use it for prayer!! When you're at work and you need some time, rather than setting an alarm that is going to mess up your prayer time, try this calming "Do nothing for 2 minutes" site.

Beyaz Yourself

 Week Two: Contraception

"Evil Don't Look Like Anything" by Julie at The Corner with a View
"Wearing Crucifixes and Condoms" by Trista at Not a Minx, a Moron, or a Parasite

"Beyaz™ Yourself" by Elizabeth at Startling the Day 

This is the second post of a Lenten blog post series called "Bright Maidens." We three are from the oft-mentioned, widely-speculated upon demographic of young, twenty-something Catholic women. We're here to dispel the myths and misconceptions- please join us for the discussion!

 

***I'm tempted to not put a disclaimer here. The reason I will disclaim is because I want you to know my intentions are to spread love. "The road to hell" being what it is, I know the diaspora that occurs between intention and effect. I understand many women are on hormonal birth control for medical reasons. Just consider what I'm saying, I'm not attacking anyone... except maybe the interns who concocted this commercial...***

"You know what you want today, but you never know what you might want tomorrow. It's good to have choices..." This is the introduction to the most recent Beyaz™ commercial.

Hey ladies! Life is like shopping! Yeah, in your designer outfits, perfect hair, and thin bodies, you walk around a pale pink store placing life decisions in the shopping cart, one by one!

First stop: grad school. How could you pick up a degree? Well, having sex outside of marriage is a given, of course. Are you expected to complete a degree without the occasional stress release? So, the next logical step is birth control.

(I don't own the rights)

Now, which birth control should I use? According to the Bayer people, Beyaz™ is formulated with a little extra folate. Yup, that's right. Prenatal vitamins built in, just in case you get pregnant.

Good choice! You're hitting the world with a double whammy of responsibility. Wack, wack, take that.

However, as the next shot shows, if you get pregnant, though your baby will have sufficient calcium, he or she will make the diploma fly off into the air to another part of the store of life.

In our walk around the store, we see other admirable life goals like "picnic at a waterfall," "trip to Paris," and "buy a house." People with babies don't do these things. Celibate people definitely don't do these things.

When picking out a significant other, as the label portrays on the shelf, one must choose carefully, but not too carefully. After all, there is a whole shelf of them and you're "protected."


In fact if you had sex and used this birth control, you'll probably go to Paris with the goofy Ken doll you just picked out two tables ago.

(I don't own the rights)

Oh, but watch out. Don't turn down the wrong isle or you'll bump into the stork carrying a purple, heavy-looking sack. Awkward. No need to worry, this birth control is 99.99% effective. Just shake your head at the silly bird and move on.

To be clear, there are no men in the commercial. No wining, no dining, no actual romantic dates, just little miniature ones trapped in glass boxes like action figures.

The women are strolling along, presumably having sex figuratively as they walk in this dream-like state through the store without concern.

Natural

Why would a puritan like me disagree with this "freedom" these women have over their own bodies? The world tells us, "Sex is natural" and it is.

Let's talk about what is unnatural. Birth control. Contraceptives. Separating an entire reason for the marital bond in order to use your significant other, husband or wife for pleasure only. That is unnatural.

Literally: look at the ingredients in hormonal birth control or barrier contraceptives, ask a 3-year-old to pronounce it for giggles. Then ask a 15-year-old to pronounce it. After that, try pronouncing it yourself.

Woooo blod clots. Actual Beyaz girl.

Crystalina and Jason Evert break down the carcenogenic that is "the Pill" in this article and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a scientific answer to your question.

As a sneak preview, hormonal birth control can cause heart attack, blood clot, stroke, liver cancer, breast cancer, gallbladder disease, headache, bleeding irregularities, ectopic pregnancy, weight gain, mental depression, yeast infection, changes to the curvature of the eye, excessive hair growth in unusual places, loss of scalp hair, acne, partial or complete loss of vision, and more.

Put that in my shopping cart, right away!

My ex-boyfriend, who is very involved in the pro-life movement, once exclaimed that the anti-contraceptive voices should be detached from the pro-life movement. Detached.

No. The pro-life movement gives away too much when it says contraception is okay.

It means we're okay with irresponsibility. You can have all the pleasure you want without "risk," but if biology WHOOPS gives you a baby, then you have to start being responsible. Let's be clear, a baby is always a potential result of sexual intercourse, even if it's "protected." A baby is never the result of not having sex.

Unless you're Mary.

The only "safe" sex is that between two people who are entirely committed to one another. This doesn't include people who are paying rent together, people who have bought meals for each other, or people who met ten minutes ago. This includes those bound in matrimony.

Two bound in matrimony are not granted permission to lust for each other and "have at it." That corrupts sex. They are invited to share in God's gift of making love, or the "intimate sphere," as Alice von Hildebrand calls it. This is only fully realized when the two unite in pleasure and understanding that a child may result from their physical manifestation of love.

More pet peeving

You know what is most annoying about this commercial? Most of the things that these women are shopping for are related to men. If you're so independent and you haven't been "duped" by your biology like those of us who are oppressed by abstinence, why are you still tied to how a man sees you and how you spend time with a man?

The picnic by a waterfall and trip to the "most romantic" city in the world are certainly supposed to be shared with one of the Ken dolls in an earlier shot. How are you more independent with this birth control?

I was going to share with you the video for the commercial, but it has been removed. I can't find it anywhere. Perhaps they made a sour choice and now they see the backlash?

UPDATE: John Jansen found it!

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 17

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

"Boys will be boys."

Personally, I think this is the worst phrase in the English language. It makes me want to say it with an annoyed voice with my finger turning my nose up to look like a pig snout, "Boys will be boyyyyyys."

Girls will be girls isn't a phrase because girls are expected to be ladies. Gentle ladies who don't tread on toes. I don't want to tread on toes, but why do we give boys the excuses that are tethered to this phrase?

Men and women are different. This is not a feminist rant. It's a rant because the phrase immediately recalls the social teaching that males are basically expected to lose their virginity before they are married because "boys will be boys." It also gives little boys an excuse to be terrors because "boys will be boys." NO! They should be human beings, children of God, brothers in Christ. They shouldn't get this kind of excuse.

<rant/>

*2*

I have been on more airplanes than I know. I love the subtleties of traveling like the cheap thinness of the printed boarding pass, the efforts to make miserable airport workers smile, and the attempt to speed my way through airport security like a pro.

But I still panic inside during take-off.

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee...

*3*

Do you notice that whenever a TV show or movie features an unexpected pregnancy, the writers RARELY plot that the mother has an abortion? No, I don't think it's evidence of more pro-life writers making their way through Hollywood. These writers are only going for drama and a new life opens new responsibilities for their characters.

With the exception of Private Practice, which apparently makes pro-abortion (I'll go so far as to say anti-life because of euthanasia themes) episodes very frequently, TV shows tend to keep the babies. Even pro-choice, super-feminist Miranda chose life for her unexpected baby on Sex in the City.

Remember that these writers consider the alternative: "Can I write in an abortion without losing some of my audience?" or "If I write in an abortion, how will it affect my character?"

Even if the writer is pro-choice, he or she knows the reality is the character won't emerge from the clinic unscathed. Any bending to the pro-life movement (showing signs of depression, breast cancer, or emotional health issues) will be admitting too much.

*4*

Liesl, you'll love this (or you'll already know about it...). Jason Evert joined substitute host Patrick Madrid on Catholic Answers on Valentine's Day to talk about the book he and his wife wrote, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul. I mentioned last week that I ordered this book and that I'd soon review it.

Their talk was very affirming (both of my book purchase and my faith in the need for more Theology of the Body in our society). You can listen to it here.

If you don't know about it already, visit their website, http://chastity.com. You can buy the hardback book for $24.95 today, or you can wait and buy an $80 case of 40 books (yep, $2/book) and give them out at will! What a great evangelism tool!

*5*

We need a word for...

Screenshot of a YouTube video

The successful delusion when you have convinced yourself you might actually meet a favorite music band. In my case: Boyce Avenue. To further the delusion, I'm sending them Rosary Army-style bracelets.

Someone, please slap me in the face.

*6*

I went to Las Vegas for work this week (yes, for work) and I have a lot of reasons to be grateful:

* I lost a total of $13, but I made up for it by ordering a couple free drinks.

(I don't own the rights)

* I have a spectacular boss and work team. We really are a work family.

* We stayed at the Venetian. Super swankified and well-rested, heck yes.

* Though I'm sure many of the women (and men) probably thought I looked like a librarian, I felt pretty darn classy. I tried my best to hold to Rebecca at Modestia's standards, but I know my fashion sense fell short. Modesty, however, stuck with me. Thanks, Rebecca!

* Patrick Madrid's book, 150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know, was a fantastic read on the trip to Vegas.

* Mass at the airport might be my new favorite location for Mass (excluding Vatican City) because it is so intimate and the community feels so specifically strong.
* Though my plane home was canceled because of a mechanical error, the good people of United put me on a plane a few hours late, put me in a really nice hotel (for 3 hours) and then flew me home at the crack of dawn. I'm also grateful for a bed to sleep in tonight at my new bedtime (6:45pm).

*7*

One more reason to be grateful:

Whatever whim that God sent through my heart/mind a few months ago that manifested itself into this blog has been grand a blessing on my life. I have met so many beautiful people through it, though I have not actually "met" them (yet). You know who you are.

If you want to make me even happier to be in this blog world, making new friends, email me. :D Have a great weekend! 

7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 16

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

Last week I told you about Patty and Phil who are looking to adopt and are printing their advertisements in many Virginia and university newspapers. Thank you, faithful readers, for clicking on the link to their website.

The attention provoked Patty, of Patty and Phil, to email me. In our exchange, it became even more clear how driven and called this couple is to adopt a new member of their practicing Catholic family (what are the odds?!). If you're new to this blog, check out Patty and Phil.

Even if you are not currently pregnant or in the situation that so many young women are in at this time, visiting the website will drive more traffic and may introduce this couple to the woman who can make their expanding family hopes come true.

You're reading this for a reason, so take it a step further and click.

Their daughter helped decorate the website!

*2*

My mom emailed this to me this week:

"Perhaps we, at times, see God as a kind of rival. Perhaps we too are blind to His signs, deaf to His words, because we believe that He puts limitations on our lives and does not allow us to dispose of our existence as we wish. When we see God in this way we end up feeling dissatisfied and discontented, because we do not allow ourselves to be guided by the One Who is the foundation of all things, We must remove all idea of rivalry from our minds and hearts, the idea that giving space to God is a limit to the self. We must open ourselves to the certainty that God is omnipotent love which takes away nothing, which threatens nothing. Quite the contrary, He is the only One capable of offering us the chance to live a full life and to experience true joy." 

-Homily, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Vatican Basilica, 6 Jan 2011

*3*

Last Friday, my mom and I went to a fundraiser for the Catholic, all-girls school alma mater we share (I'm a third generation alumnae, whoop whoop!). It was fun and I enjoyed getting dressed up. I saw a lot of people I knew and met more that my mom grew up with in Catholic Richmond (it's a very small world and I'm related to half of it, making dating difficult).

There was a photo booth with a professional photographer snap*snap*snapping away. When he set up the picture (he put my mom on a little stool, I'm not that short), I thought he was going to make us do the classic prom picture with my back to my mom... thank goodness, he had more sense than that. 

Look at my beautiful mom! Yes, we got the "you could be sisters!" comment.

 *4*

If this was 1951, I would probably be a female failure. Good thing it's not 1951... because I'm not a cook. I'd like to get better (and not because I'm a woman. Because I'm someone who eats food) and I love the idea of being creative with food. A GUY told me about a book, Ratios, that teaches you the basics of flavor combination and the chemistry behind cooking.

I haven't gotten it yet, but I will soon.

*5*

In our Monday CCD class, I told the kids that Jesus was arrested and one boy said, "No He wasn't!" I proceeded to tell him, essentially, "Yes, huh." 

I told them why He was arrested and that the people who arrested Him hurt Him and then hung Him on the cross. The one girl who is the source of MANY of my post catalysts says, "But that's really mean. Why did they do that?" It was the cutest, sweetest little thing I've ever seen. She was so concerned for Jesus and how unfairly He was treated. 

Basically, I told her that the people didn't believe Him and they didn't like what He was saying and she said, again, "But that's so mean. Just because they didn't like what He was saying?" 

This girl asks the best questions that bring up a lot of thoughts. Just because they didn't like what He was saying, they killed Him. And He went through with it. 

"We love because he first loved us." -1 John 4:19

*6*

I don't own the rights.

I bought Jason and Christalina Evert's new book, How to Find Your Soulmate, and I'll soon write a review. I trust these co-writers of my Theology of the Body textbook will do justice to the teachings of the Church. I'm interested in doing God's will, no matter what that is...

However, I'm very excited to hear the Evert's explanation of how women called to marriage can transcend this secular world and find who God knows is best for them.

*7*

After a Twitter conversation with the lovely Julie Robison on Wednesday, I determined for the 2,546,541st time in my life that I over think things routinely.

I talked to my wise sister, Christine, who told me to pray the Hail Holy Queen every time I'm starting to over think. "It is less familiar, so it will be less automatic than the Hail Mary," she said.

It will also be good to use an already existing prayer for these moments. Otherwise, my prayers sound more like, "MARY, WHAT THE HECK?! Help me!"

Theology of the Body, Week 5

Truth and freedom: this is the chapter I should turn to every time someone says, "You teach Theology of the What? Isn't that just a bunch of rules? Wouldn't you rather be free?"

I'm often tempted to write these TOB posts from a slightly secular perspective so as not to turn off any non-theist readers. If you will just bear with me, push through the little cartoon flags labeled "annoying" that pop up, it will be five to ten minutes of your life. The words won't bite.

We often confuse independence with freedom. We were created for freedom, true freedom that we get to choose because of the gift of free will. "It is for FREEDOM that Christ set you free." Galatians 5:1

Rules

Does freedom mean no rules? Are we free if we throw off every rule we can recall, ignore any guilt that creeps in (because it is just a result of a conservative society anyway, right?), ignore how often we lie to keep up the lifestyle we want to live, and call ourselves "liberated?"

If you believe in God or if you do not, I guarantee those guilt pangs crop up occasionally, faint as they may be. Maybe it happens when you change the bedsheets, maybe when you realize you saw that rushed trip to the store for condoms as an "emergency," or maybe it's when you finally have to sleep alone one night after several nights with your significant other or several insignificant others.

"Freedom is not the ability to do anything we want. Rather, freedom is the ability to live responsibly the truth of our relationships with God and with others." - JP2

I often hear the argument, "Wow, that's great. You're waiting for marriage, I admire that. I just don't believe it's right for me." Right for you versus right for me?

Okay, so if I walk up to you and slap you in the face for no reason and say, "It felt right to me," how does that argument hold up? If I hired a guy to come into your house while you're sitting at the breakfast table with a bowl of Frosted Flakes to tie you up and steal your flatscreen... it felt right to me, so you shouldn't have a problem with it. How is that argument sounding right now?

Objective truth exists. Sometimes it feels inconvenient to us, so we "change the rules" or throw them off all together.

In a speech he gave to college men, the Venerable John Paul II said:

"I feel that I must make God's Truth and will fit into my perspective, and my concern is whether or not they are convenient for me. If it is convenient or helpful to me, well and good, but if not, I refuse it and leave. There is the temptation to place myself above Christ, especially when he asks something of me. Maybe this temptation to follow our own inclinations and wishes to place ourselves beyond Christ is found particularly in the field of sexual morality because it is here that Christ makes demands on men."

It is so true that our society more often applies relative moralism to sexual topics than to anything like racism, murder, theft, etc. It extends to abortion, which abortion supporters say is not murder, perhaps because the baby in question is a result of a sexual act.

Deep in our hearts, there is a standard that sends out red flags and guilt. We try to ignore it because we worry following it is going to confine us or make us un-free.

The way to freedom is by desiring to do what is good. Your actions must line up with what is true in your heart. Your hearts must desire the good so the rest of our lives can be about doing what is good.

If freedom comes from desiring what is good and choosing it, happiness comes from those who do not need "the rules." Choose God above all else and your actions will lead you to happiness and freedom.

There is a reason you feel good after you help someone. When you use your free will to do what is good, you have tasted freedom. Attempt to release the internal constraints (selfishness, lust, pride, etc) that keep you from doing what is good. Train yourself in freedom.

Passions

Either you will control your passions or your passions will control you. Many of you may have heard the song that came out before I even knew what sex was, "Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang:

"You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals / So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel."

Uh, do I have to comment on that?

If you're upset while reading this post, if you're thinking "but it would be so hard not to have sex so that can't be right," if you're wondering why someone like me who is sitting on her high horse thinks they can tell you that you're stuffing down the guilt... ask yourself why it's upsetting you. Why does it bother you to read this post?

Is sacrifice worth it if freedom is the goal? Any fear we feel when thinking about controlling our passions may be a sign that our hearts are seeking true freedom.