I'm excited to announce an upcoming project for the blog! For June I will be putting up one post a day for a themed month! I've spent the past few weeks gathering up almost twenty stupendous Catholic bloggers to write on the theme "You Are Beautiful", and even some friends who aren't bloggers, but are still great writers. (You didn't really think I would subject you to thirty straight days of my own writing, did you?)
I've given them free rein to write their posts, only asking that they keep with the theme and relate it to God, so you'll get to read a fantastic variety of insights and views on beauty. For anyone who's wondering what these posts will be like, go to the #CathSoroity list and scroll through whichever blogs look interesting, as many of those women are my contributors. I'll credit each woman who posts (and the one fearless young man), so if you liked any particular one, you can go check out the blogger it belongs to.
As ever, if you really like something, please comment! The last guest post I put up received a phenomenal response, and I would love to be able to report back to the posters the positive response their writing receives. So get pumped for the month of June, because I can already tell it's going to be amazing!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
A Few Minor Changes
Hey everyone! Welcome to the newly revamped blog! I hope you like it as much as I do, since it took me forever to figure out how to make it look just a little bit more interesting than it did before. Other than the layout, you'll notice "My Writing Elsewhere" (which I'll add to when I have guest posts on other blogs), "Blogs I Love" (which is pretty self-explanatory, I think), and a rewritten "About Me" section. Also, I have a new email address, reflecting.catholic@gmail.com, where you can send any requests or suggestions for topics for future posts. I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best to get to any topics I'm sent. So have a look around and let me know what you think!
-Christina
-Christina
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
And So They Begin...
The Great Mandate Wars of 2012 have officially begun tonight in my household. I knew they would, since I am rather more moderate in my politics than my parents are, but I wish it hadn't happened so soon. I got home early Sunday evening, and I was hoping for at least a week or so at home before the needling and political spats started up. If you read my blog posts from last summer, you'll see that political arguments with my folks are nothing new, but they still bother me a great deal, especially since my parents don't seem to take too kindly to the fact that I went from having very similar political opinions to theirs to having quite different ones, and I'm not afraid to let that show. In any event, we've now entered the battlefield, and we won't exit it until I leave for Washington in mid-July.
Now in spite of the fact that we're all Democrats (much to the chagrin of my Republican friends at school), I've pretty much broken with the party on the social issues on which it and the Church disagree, and have sided with the Church. I do not do this out of spite or blind faith, but because I have read and researched these positions and issues, have thought them out, and have reached the same conclusions as the Church. I have no problem with this, although it does make voting a predicament, and ignoring all the cajoling from the other side of the isle, I will not register as a Republican because I do not see the world the way the Republican party does, nor do I desire to.
One thing I will say for this HHS Mandate is that it forces me to keep up with the news more than I ordinarily would. I have mentioned before that I am not keen on politics and why, but in spite of myself, I know that I should still be paying attention because that is what will make me a responsible voter. Another thing is that my mother loves debates, and to keep on top of my game with her means keeping on top of literally every new development in the situation. Additionally, it has forced me to look up some Church teachings and stances again, and become more familiar with what they say and why they say it. It's an exhausting game to play, but a necessary one, I suppose for a responsible American voter and Catholic.
If you haven't been hearing/reading/seeing about this situation with the HHS Mandate, I suggest you research it. It is a very important issue in terms of the Constitution, what's going on in the Church in America, and for all Catholics (and indeed, all serious people of faith), I think it should be an integral issue in the election this fall. I won't tell anyone how to vote, but I personally will not be voting for President Obama. I cannot do it in good conscience, although that does not mean that I will necessarily be voting for Governor Romney, either. I won't indulge in melodrama and say this election is going to effect the course of every American's entire life, but you would be a fool to think that what it means for the next four years is not enormously important.
I hope that everyone who reads this blog has the chance to get into one lively discussion with someone about the topic, but I hope that you will all be spared sharing the experience of the Great Mandate Wars of 2012. In the meantime, please pray that I will have patience and maturity in discourse on the matter, and of course, that Catholic institutions will have their conscience rights protected by law now as they have been in the past.
Now in spite of the fact that we're all Democrats (much to the chagrin of my Republican friends at school), I've pretty much broken with the party on the social issues on which it and the Church disagree, and have sided with the Church. I do not do this out of spite or blind faith, but because I have read and researched these positions and issues, have thought them out, and have reached the same conclusions as the Church. I have no problem with this, although it does make voting a predicament, and ignoring all the cajoling from the other side of the isle, I will not register as a Republican because I do not see the world the way the Republican party does, nor do I desire to.
One thing I will say for this HHS Mandate is that it forces me to keep up with the news more than I ordinarily would. I have mentioned before that I am not keen on politics and why, but in spite of myself, I know that I should still be paying attention because that is what will make me a responsible voter. Another thing is that my mother loves debates, and to keep on top of my game with her means keeping on top of literally every new development in the situation. Additionally, it has forced me to look up some Church teachings and stances again, and become more familiar with what they say and why they say it. It's an exhausting game to play, but a necessary one, I suppose for a responsible American voter and Catholic.
If you haven't been hearing/reading/seeing about this situation with the HHS Mandate, I suggest you research it. It is a very important issue in terms of the Constitution, what's going on in the Church in America, and for all Catholics (and indeed, all serious people of faith), I think it should be an integral issue in the election this fall. I won't tell anyone how to vote, but I personally will not be voting for President Obama. I cannot do it in good conscience, although that does not mean that I will necessarily be voting for Governor Romney, either. I won't indulge in melodrama and say this election is going to effect the course of every American's entire life, but you would be a fool to think that what it means for the next four years is not enormously important.
I hope that everyone who reads this blog has the chance to get into one lively discussion with someone about the topic, but I hope that you will all be spared sharing the experience of the Great Mandate Wars of 2012. In the meantime, please pray that I will have patience and maturity in discourse on the matter, and of course, that Catholic institutions will have their conscience rights protected by law now as they have been in the past.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Constant Vigilance!
Ah home, I'm quite happy to be here, in spite of the coolness, rain, and chores. Things have changed a little bit since the last time I was here, as they are wont to do when one returns only three times a year, but they're nice changes. Except for the bat signal in the china cabinet, that's just my parents' weird sense of humor. I wanted to write today about the parting message I heard in the Mass readings for the Ascension, which I thought would be a great message for pretty much everyone, so listen up!
In the second reading from the letter to the Ephesians, Paul says, "I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace..." We're coming off a great year for Catholics, what with making our presence known and felt with Komen and the HHS Mandate, and I know things only going to get bigger from here on out. Now more than ever, it's important for us to continue to live as Christ commands us to, not only because now we've made a name for ourselves, but because summer is a time where we typically get a little bit lax because we have less to do (or at least we students do). I know that definitely happened to me last summer, but this year I hope every Catholic can keep the momentum rolling all through the summer, so that we can come back as the true tour de force that we are.
Relating to this passage, My school's chaplain mentioned in his homily that it is the joy and forgiveness of the Christian which draws people to him. Even if we're not all able to make it to daily Mass and Adoration (I definitely won't be able to at home), these are things we should be cultivating interiorly in preparation not only for this coming year, but for life in general. Nobody will want to come to Christ if they see gloomy, boring Christians, and that's exactly what we aren't! If we can draw people to Christ through our joy and forgiveness, then we will be doing more good than a thousand campaigns and lawsuits ever will.
In the Gospel, Christ says, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." This is called the Great Commission, and it applies just as much today as it did when He gave it two millennia ago. However, I'm also keeping in mind a quote from St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." I'm sure we've all been approached at some point by a well-meaning person wanted to tell us about Jesus, and were not really so keen on hearing what they had to say. Our thought has always been about presenting a message by the way we live and by the people we are, and that's worked really well. We should always remember that even though people may know us, we still need to be preaching the Gospel by our lives. The world still needs our witness!
Finally, and having nothing to do with the Ascension or preaching the Gospel, I have a great blog recommendation! If anyone is getting tired of reading my forceful, though attempting to be poetic, drivel, my friend Joe has an amazing blog called A Voice Cries Out: A Catholic's Journey in Faith. He is a great writer (much better than I am), and full of faith and common sense. He's a fantastic person to know, and his blog gives a glimpse of his stunningly beautiful faith. I hope you'll like his blog as much as I do, if you haven't already discovered it.
In the second reading from the letter to the Ephesians, Paul says, "I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace..." We're coming off a great year for Catholics, what with making our presence known and felt with Komen and the HHS Mandate, and I know things only going to get bigger from here on out. Now more than ever, it's important for us to continue to live as Christ commands us to, not only because now we've made a name for ourselves, but because summer is a time where we typically get a little bit lax because we have less to do (or at least we students do). I know that definitely happened to me last summer, but this year I hope every Catholic can keep the momentum rolling all through the summer, so that we can come back as the true tour de force that we are.
Relating to this passage, My school's chaplain mentioned in his homily that it is the joy and forgiveness of the Christian which draws people to him. Even if we're not all able to make it to daily Mass and Adoration (I definitely won't be able to at home), these are things we should be cultivating interiorly in preparation not only for this coming year, but for life in general. Nobody will want to come to Christ if they see gloomy, boring Christians, and that's exactly what we aren't! If we can draw people to Christ through our joy and forgiveness, then we will be doing more good than a thousand campaigns and lawsuits ever will.
In the Gospel, Christ says, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." This is called the Great Commission, and it applies just as much today as it did when He gave it two millennia ago. However, I'm also keeping in mind a quote from St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." I'm sure we've all been approached at some point by a well-meaning person wanted to tell us about Jesus, and were not really so keen on hearing what they had to say. Our thought has always been about presenting a message by the way we live and by the people we are, and that's worked really well. We should always remember that even though people may know us, we still need to be preaching the Gospel by our lives. The world still needs our witness!
Finally, and having nothing to do with the Ascension or preaching the Gospel, I have a great blog recommendation! If anyone is getting tired of reading my forceful, though attempting to be poetic, drivel, my friend Joe has an amazing blog called A Voice Cries Out: A Catholic's Journey in Faith. He is a great writer (much better than I am), and full of faith and common sense. He's a fantastic person to know, and his blog gives a glimpse of his stunningly beautiful faith. I hope you'll like his blog as much as I do, if you haven't already discovered it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Greatest News Ever: God's Love
I've been stuck for an idea for a blog post for a little while, and as I was thinking of what to write about, God hit me over the head with a very lovely gospel passage which is also wonderfully all-encompassing for the events in my life lately. In the past four days I have heard John 15:8-17 four times, and hearing it again last night I figured there must be something for me to glean from it, or else I wouldn't have heard it every day for almost a week.
This passage is what my school's chaplain likes to call "the greatest news ever", perhaps a play on the translation of "gospel" as "good news". In it, Jesus says, "By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."
The first thing that jumped out at me was the use of the word "love". Jesus says it eight times, and it is from the Greek agapao, which is the word for an unconditional, self-sacrificing love. So Jesus is telling us that He loves us unconditionally, as we see when He dies on the Cross, but He is also commanding us to love one another in that same way. Of course, the likelihood of any one of us being crucified is much less than it was in His time, but the principle stands that we should love each other sacrificially, and put each other's good before our own.
In the past week, I have both succeeded and failed at this. I have helped a few friends by offering advice, cleaning with them, and cooking for them, but I have also lashed out in anger at people I know, rather than offering them a more dignified response. Several people have benefited from my willingness to help them out as they finish the rest of their finals work, or just from my desire to have something to do to occupy my time, and so I've been cooking and cleaning like a fiend (which I enjoy tremendously, don't get me wrong) mostly because they didn't have the time to work and maintain order. However, I was also recently engaged in some verbal sparring in which, though my argument was right, the way I presented it was wrong. I spoke angrily in the heat of the moment, forgetting that I was actually talking to God's other children on the other end of the computer. I've said before that nobody cares if you're telling the truth if you don't do it with love, and I proved myself right, as evidenced by the fact that nobody would listen to me because of my tone and a few colorful adjectives which I still have to confess.
Another thing that jumped out at me from the gospel passage is Jesus' distinction between calling His apostles "slaves" and "friends". The exegetical notes for the passage hearken back to the Old Testament, where Moses, Joshua, and David are all called "slaves" or "servants of Yahweh", and only Abraham was called a "friend of God". This is clearly very important, as Jesus is saying that these men will be those to whom future generations will look as the patriarchs of the faith, and indeed they are. He uses the Greek word philos, which is literally "friends", or in John's interchanging uses of philia and agape, "those whom one loves".
This relates directly back to my friends, both in Washington and at home, whom I miss dearly now, or whom I will miss dearly over the summer. Though we have had our share of struggles, and they have not all left yet, saying goodbye to the ones who have has been sad and painful. Spending eight or nine months a year here with them is a big deal, but that only really hits me when we're not together. At the same time, going home to my friends in Connecticut is a big deal, because I don't live with them for nine months of the year anymore, and I miss them terribly during the school year. Truly, whether I'm at home or in Washington, I'm blessed and so have to have these people around me, as Jesus would call them, those whom I love.
And finally, what stuck out the most was Jesus' first mentions of love, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you." I've had a trying few weeks recently, and while I struggled it seemed to me as though this may or may not have been true. I received an ominous email about the health of a friend back home with whom I was close in high school (praise God, I have had much better news about him since then), and it was a huge struggle for me to do much of anything. Had not taking my finals not meant I'd fail, I likely would not even have shown up. I barely survived them, but God proved He loved me that much in the friends who upheld me every day- thank you very much to those of you who did- and since then in the grades I have received, which I was certain would be much lower than they were. I know a great many people struggle with believing that God loves them at all, and it hurt to realize that I was not invulnerable to those struggles, but I am so grateful that God has shown His love for me again and again.
I guess there are just a few take aways from this post. God loves you so much that He sacrificed Himself for you. You should love others so much that you sacrifice for them (including God). Love is all you need, as is God, therefore God must be love itself. And that is a beautiful thing.
This passage is what my school's chaplain likes to call "the greatest news ever", perhaps a play on the translation of "gospel" as "good news". In it, Jesus says, "By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."
The first thing that jumped out at me was the use of the word "love". Jesus says it eight times, and it is from the Greek agapao, which is the word for an unconditional, self-sacrificing love. So Jesus is telling us that He loves us unconditionally, as we see when He dies on the Cross, but He is also commanding us to love one another in that same way. Of course, the likelihood of any one of us being crucified is much less than it was in His time, but the principle stands that we should love each other sacrificially, and put each other's good before our own.
In the past week, I have both succeeded and failed at this. I have helped a few friends by offering advice, cleaning with them, and cooking for them, but I have also lashed out in anger at people I know, rather than offering them a more dignified response. Several people have benefited from my willingness to help them out as they finish the rest of their finals work, or just from my desire to have something to do to occupy my time, and so I've been cooking and cleaning like a fiend (which I enjoy tremendously, don't get me wrong) mostly because they didn't have the time to work and maintain order. However, I was also recently engaged in some verbal sparring in which, though my argument was right, the way I presented it was wrong. I spoke angrily in the heat of the moment, forgetting that I was actually talking to God's other children on the other end of the computer. I've said before that nobody cares if you're telling the truth if you don't do it with love, and I proved myself right, as evidenced by the fact that nobody would listen to me because of my tone and a few colorful adjectives which I still have to confess.
Another thing that jumped out at me from the gospel passage is Jesus' distinction between calling His apostles "slaves" and "friends". The exegetical notes for the passage hearken back to the Old Testament, where Moses, Joshua, and David are all called "slaves" or "servants of Yahweh", and only Abraham was called a "friend of God". This is clearly very important, as Jesus is saying that these men will be those to whom future generations will look as the patriarchs of the faith, and indeed they are. He uses the Greek word philos, which is literally "friends", or in John's interchanging uses of philia and agape, "those whom one loves".
This relates directly back to my friends, both in Washington and at home, whom I miss dearly now, or whom I will miss dearly over the summer. Though we have had our share of struggles, and they have not all left yet, saying goodbye to the ones who have has been sad and painful. Spending eight or nine months a year here with them is a big deal, but that only really hits me when we're not together. At the same time, going home to my friends in Connecticut is a big deal, because I don't live with them for nine months of the year anymore, and I miss them terribly during the school year. Truly, whether I'm at home or in Washington, I'm blessed and so have to have these people around me, as Jesus would call them, those whom I love.
And finally, what stuck out the most was Jesus' first mentions of love, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you." I've had a trying few weeks recently, and while I struggled it seemed to me as though this may or may not have been true. I received an ominous email about the health of a friend back home with whom I was close in high school (praise God, I have had much better news about him since then), and it was a huge struggle for me to do much of anything. Had not taking my finals not meant I'd fail, I likely would not even have shown up. I barely survived them, but God proved He loved me that much in the friends who upheld me every day- thank you very much to those of you who did- and since then in the grades I have received, which I was certain would be much lower than they were. I know a great many people struggle with believing that God loves them at all, and it hurt to realize that I was not invulnerable to those struggles, but I am so grateful that God has shown His love for me again and again.
I guess there are just a few take aways from this post. God loves you so much that He sacrificed Himself for you. You should love others so much that you sacrifice for them (including God). Love is all you need, as is God, therefore God must be love itself. And that is a beautiful thing.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Unworldly, Unattractive, and Unpleasant
In case you were wondering about today's title, I've decided to tell you a secret I was just let in on about pro-lifers: apparently we're unworldly, unattractive, and unpleasant. You can imagine my surprise, when I regularly hang out with pro-life folks like these:
I think you get it, though. And because pictures don't convey one's personality in everyday life, allow me to assure you that these are wonderful, joyful, intelligent people. They're a blast to hang out with, and are absolutely, 100% in love with the pro-life cause.
According to the woman who wrote the article I linked to, people like us either don't exist or are being kept down by the Pro-Life Man. She claims that we are the 10% of the pro-life movement whose creativity is shunned and who are ignored because we lack "seniority". I have no idea what has given her this notion, but it is incorrect. Yes, there are middle aged and elderly pro-life folks, but I have never seen or heard of a great idea from someone my age being shot down by one of them because us young whippersnappers haven't clocked enough time with the movement. In fact, one of the biggest and boldest pro-life groups around, Live Action, was founded and is run by a woman who is not even four years older than I am.
Although I disagree with the article's main premise, its author does link to another article, to which I would like to call your attention. The author of this one points out four unfortunately common mistakes made by many pro-life folks when they argue or present their case to people who are pro-choice or neutral: arguing for life using the Bible, neglecting to educate about the consequences of sexual activity and other options a woman has when she gets pregnant, using graphic photos of dead babies, and making abortion a women vs. children issue. He's right, of course, that doing these things is a detriment to the cause for life, but I think he expresses undue pessimism about the situation. This might just be me, but none of the pro-life folks I know even use these tactics with each other, let alone with people who aren't pro-life. They're ineffective, and I think the author ignores the fact that people are smart enough to realize that these things don't work, although there is a minority that thinks they do.
I appreciate the authors' concerns about making the pro-life movement more vibrant and successful, but I think their scope is too narrow, and these kinds of circular firing squad tactics rarely solve anything. If the pro-life movement is going to gain more ground and convince more people that we're right, we need to be firm with each other when we're doing things that hurt the cause, but we shouldn't be displaying this kind of angry cynicism. Yes, some of us are doing things wrong, but you're doing it just as wrong if you think writing insulting articles about other people is going to get them to do things right. Unity is just as important as being correct, which is why the pro-choice movement is effective: they're cohesive, if tragically wrong.
So let's hear it for banding together to make the pro-life movement a joyful, hopeful, loving, worldly, attractive, and pleasant thing! It will make all our jobs easier, and imagine the lives we could save. Let's not forget, we're not doing this for ourselves, we're doing it for the babies.
Aren't we adorable?
How can you not love them?
Alright, so these two could use a little work....
According to the woman who wrote the article I linked to, people like us either don't exist or are being kept down by the Pro-Life Man. She claims that we are the 10% of the pro-life movement whose creativity is shunned and who are ignored because we lack "seniority". I have no idea what has given her this notion, but it is incorrect. Yes, there are middle aged and elderly pro-life folks, but I have never seen or heard of a great idea from someone my age being shot down by one of them because us young whippersnappers haven't clocked enough time with the movement. In fact, one of the biggest and boldest pro-life groups around, Live Action, was founded and is run by a woman who is not even four years older than I am.
Although I disagree with the article's main premise, its author does link to another article, to which I would like to call your attention. The author of this one points out four unfortunately common mistakes made by many pro-life folks when they argue or present their case to people who are pro-choice or neutral: arguing for life using the Bible, neglecting to educate about the consequences of sexual activity and other options a woman has when she gets pregnant, using graphic photos of dead babies, and making abortion a women vs. children issue. He's right, of course, that doing these things is a detriment to the cause for life, but I think he expresses undue pessimism about the situation. This might just be me, but none of the pro-life folks I know even use these tactics with each other, let alone with people who aren't pro-life. They're ineffective, and I think the author ignores the fact that people are smart enough to realize that these things don't work, although there is a minority that thinks they do.
I appreciate the authors' concerns about making the pro-life movement more vibrant and successful, but I think their scope is too narrow, and these kinds of circular firing squad tactics rarely solve anything. If the pro-life movement is going to gain more ground and convince more people that we're right, we need to be firm with each other when we're doing things that hurt the cause, but we shouldn't be displaying this kind of angry cynicism. Yes, some of us are doing things wrong, but you're doing it just as wrong if you think writing insulting articles about other people is going to get them to do things right. Unity is just as important as being correct, which is why the pro-choice movement is effective: they're cohesive, if tragically wrong.
So let's hear it for banding together to make the pro-life movement a joyful, hopeful, loving, worldly, attractive, and pleasant thing! It will make all our jobs easier, and imagine the lives we could save. Let's not forget, we're not doing this for ourselves, we're doing it for the babies.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Help, Help! I'm Being Repressed!
A very good friend of mine, who is currently studying abroad, sent me this amazing blog post from CatholicVote.org today, and after reading it I decided that not only do I HAVE to share it, but I'm going to write my own takes on the author's points. I read CVote quite often, and while I don't agree with everything I find there, I love Emily Stimpson's pieces, especially since she often addresses them to single women, which I am. So without further ado, let's get going, shall we?
First off, I attend a very secular university, where Women's Studies does not want for majors in both men and women, political correctness is painfully present, and license is the supreme good. I have nothing against Women's Studies theoretically, though I find it to be whiny and annoying (and yes, I have taken a WSTU course), and too in line with radical feminism. I don't particularly object to political correctness, either, though here in Washington it's a rather uncomfortable and annoying art form. License, however, I take unabashed issue with. License is what's gotten society in a lot of pickles, and I see it as the primary driving force behind this debacle with the HHS mandate.
Tying all of these things together are the whinings I hear from so many people (mostly women, though some men) that men are still oppressing women. Really? I don't know about you, but I know of no oppressed woman in this day and age who is not actively being abused. Do you know who does oppress women, though? If you guessed WOMEN, you would be entirely correct. Women have come up with a thousand utterly ridiculous ideas about how to "liberate" ourselves from the oppressive yoke of men, and in the process we have pushed ourselves down more effectively than I think men ever have. Below are my thoughts on Emily Stimpson's ways women can truly liberate themselves from their self-oppression.
1. Just say “No”…to men who don’t love you enough to pursue you, work for you, and, old-fashioned as it may seem, wait for you. THANK YOU! I wish more people today would say this. And for anyone who's wondering, I am not yearning for neanderthal men who see women as prizes, women to start pretending to be idiots to draw men in, or a "simpler time" of any kind. I am, however, desperately yearning for women to have the strength and desire to be virtuous, and for men to do the same. Too many women, myself included, have fallen prey to the idea that sex = love. Sex does not equal love. I'll say it again: Sex. Does. Not. Equal. Love. Extramarital sex of any kind is a mortal sin, because it reduces man and woman to objects. Extramartial sex robs people of their dignity, dignity with which God imbued them before they were born, and for which Christ suffered and died on the cross. A woman should be strong enough -and have an adequate support system- to wait until marriage to have sex, to make the promise with her words and actions that not only will she love this man until she dies, but that she will remain faithful to him, and help him get to heaven.
2. Put the kibosh on porn. Can say this from experience, PORN IS EVIL. Porn creates addicts, hurts people, hurts relationships, breaks the viewer's bond with God, put viruses on their computer and a hefty dent in their bank account, and that just the tip of the iceberg. Like extramarital sex, porn makes people into objects and takes away their dignity, on top of which it's not even real. Additionally, porn creates unrealistic expectations in men and women about what women should look like. How many women have you seen walking around with perfect hair, perfect nails, perfect make-up, a nearly non-existent outfit, and a 36-24-36 figure in their everyday life? None! No women actually do that, and porn helps make us ashamed of the way God made us. I'm not a shapely woman, and porn helped me damage my self-image to the point where even a couple years on, I'm still learning to find an accentuate my natural beauty, rather than striving to attain an impossible standard because it's what men who have been led astray think is the norm.
3. Feed yourself. Diets are fine if you need them, starvation is not. I know too many women who have this absolutely disturbing idea that food is a bad thing. Food is not a bad thing, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a skinny Italian! I love food, and I don't know anyone who doesn't. Food is a connection to culture, to other people, to places, to memories, and to unlocking feel-good chemical rewards in your brain. You are hardwired to want and need to eat, it's in your nature, just like sex (for procreation) and survival. I have had friends restrict, and have myself restricted, my food intake before because of the emphasis society has placed on being thin. Thin is not any sort of ideal! The idea of what makes a woman beautiful is not static! Some times and cultures call fat women beautiful, some call plump women beautiful, some call average women beautiful, and some call thin women beautiful. Me? I call healthy women beautiful. God put your body on a specific frame, and made your size unique to you, so work with it, not against it. I was given a small, somewhat rectangular frame, which needs some doing to look shapely. You know what it's great for? Running and climbing, which I love to do. Eat and exercise in proportion. It's better for you that way.
4. Ditch the Pill. If I went to a doctor today, and complained I had a habit that caused me to gain weight, have acne, go through weird mood swings, and increased my risk of heart attack, cancer, and lupus, he or she would probably tell me to stop doing whatever that was posthaste. That habit is taking birth control pills. I know that hormonal birth control can be used to treat PMDD, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and other serious medical conditions, but outside of that, it does no good. Even used perfectly, it's not 100% effective at preventing pregnancy, it can't prevent diseases, and it can help make you seriously sick. Taking the pill makes it so a woman is seen as being available for sex whenever it is desired of her, and reduces her to a fleshy blowup doll. Birth control makes a person (man or woman) with feelings, ambitions, opinions, an intellect, and a story into a two dimensional cardboard cutout whose only function is providing pleasure on demand.
5. Stop confusing “Sexy” with “Beautiful.” There's nothing wrong with sex appeal, that's part of how babies are made. And there's nothing wrong with beauty, it's a reflection of God. That being said, sex appeal is not necessarily beauty, and is much more dangerous than people give it credit for being. Women who strive after either are seeking to be beautiful, which is how God made us. It's how God made everything, and that is why people are always trying to create beautiful things, because they are looking to find God through whatever medium they are pursuing. I see so many beautiful women on my campus cheapening themselves by going for sex appeal rather than true beauty, and it saddens me tremendously. Striving after sex appeal, in my experience, is a woman's cry to be found beautiful. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be beautiful, but sex appeal can lead you and others into mortal sin, and create deep emotional and psychological wounds as well. Sexy has a terrible capacity to harm, beauty can only heal.
6. Avoid women’s magazines. Once upon a time, I was an absolute Cosmo devotee. I devoured Cosmo like it was food for my brain, which it was. Cosmo was my brain candy, requiring no thought and containing no substance, but making me feel good. Like candy, Cosmo, Glamour, Vogue, Elle, and any other trashy rag aimed at women cause cavities. They wear away what is good and replace it with painful holes that can be might expensive to fix. I, not unlike many other women, thought that these magazines were harmless. They show you pictures of celebrities, help you pick out a new flattering wardrobe, tell you which hair and make up products are the best, contain entertaining little tidbits, scandalous and "proven" sex tips for pleasing your man (i.e. not you), and for the naughty girl, there's even a little snippet of erotica to read. These things (save the erotica and weird sex tips) are not harmful necessarily, but are they edifying? Do they build you up or lead you closer to God? Do they make you more productive, or even happy? They're based on profit margins, doctored photos, and making you feel bad about yourself. There are better ways to amuse yourself, and better ways to spend time and money than on this trash.
7. Get to know God. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Let me repeat: I cannot recommend this highly enough. Since I found Christ and came back to the Church, my life has never been better. Literally, living my life has never been a more fulfilling, joyful experience than it has been since coming back to my faith. I have struggled, yes. It has been painful, it's true. Some things still hurt and annoy me, I'm not going to lie. My exterior life has changed drastically, but my interior life has changed so much more. God is my beginning and my end, my life, my hope and my happiness. Without Him, I don't even want to imagine where I would be right now, though I would guess that I would not look as good, feel as good, have my friends, have true peace, or know what contentment is. God has made my life complete, and I never want to be separate from Him. I love Him, and the words of St. Augustine ring true, "Fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te." You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. My heart rests in God now, and it is my most profound hope that it will always do so. I hope that your hearts may also come to rest in the eternal God who will always love and provide for you.
So there you have it. I realize this has been an exceedingly long post, but as ever, I have a lot to say, and these things get me fired up. Please, if you know any woman who may want or need to read this, send it along. Everyone could benefit from this advice, including me. Ladies let's stop being our own worst enemies, and gents, please don't be afraid to help us. I leave you tonight as did the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen at the end of his talks: God love you.
First off, I attend a very secular university, where Women's Studies does not want for majors in both men and women, political correctness is painfully present, and license is the supreme good. I have nothing against Women's Studies theoretically, though I find it to be whiny and annoying (and yes, I have taken a WSTU course), and too in line with radical feminism. I don't particularly object to political correctness, either, though here in Washington it's a rather uncomfortable and annoying art form. License, however, I take unabashed issue with. License is what's gotten society in a lot of pickles, and I see it as the primary driving force behind this debacle with the HHS mandate.
Tying all of these things together are the whinings I hear from so many people (mostly women, though some men) that men are still oppressing women. Really? I don't know about you, but I know of no oppressed woman in this day and age who is not actively being abused. Do you know who does oppress women, though? If you guessed WOMEN, you would be entirely correct. Women have come up with a thousand utterly ridiculous ideas about how to "liberate" ourselves from the oppressive yoke of men, and in the process we have pushed ourselves down more effectively than I think men ever have. Below are my thoughts on Emily Stimpson's ways women can truly liberate themselves from their self-oppression.
1. Just say “No”…to men who don’t love you enough to pursue you, work for you, and, old-fashioned as it may seem, wait for you. THANK YOU! I wish more people today would say this. And for anyone who's wondering, I am not yearning for neanderthal men who see women as prizes, women to start pretending to be idiots to draw men in, or a "simpler time" of any kind. I am, however, desperately yearning for women to have the strength and desire to be virtuous, and for men to do the same. Too many women, myself included, have fallen prey to the idea that sex = love. Sex does not equal love. I'll say it again: Sex. Does. Not. Equal. Love. Extramarital sex of any kind is a mortal sin, because it reduces man and woman to objects. Extramartial sex robs people of their dignity, dignity with which God imbued them before they were born, and for which Christ suffered and died on the cross. A woman should be strong enough -and have an adequate support system- to wait until marriage to have sex, to make the promise with her words and actions that not only will she love this man until she dies, but that she will remain faithful to him, and help him get to heaven.
2. Put the kibosh on porn. Can say this from experience, PORN IS EVIL. Porn creates addicts, hurts people, hurts relationships, breaks the viewer's bond with God, put viruses on their computer and a hefty dent in their bank account, and that just the tip of the iceberg. Like extramarital sex, porn makes people into objects and takes away their dignity, on top of which it's not even real. Additionally, porn creates unrealistic expectations in men and women about what women should look like. How many women have you seen walking around with perfect hair, perfect nails, perfect make-up, a nearly non-existent outfit, and a 36-24-36 figure in their everyday life? None! No women actually do that, and porn helps make us ashamed of the way God made us. I'm not a shapely woman, and porn helped me damage my self-image to the point where even a couple years on, I'm still learning to find an accentuate my natural beauty, rather than striving to attain an impossible standard because it's what men who have been led astray think is the norm.
3. Feed yourself. Diets are fine if you need them, starvation is not. I know too many women who have this absolutely disturbing idea that food is a bad thing. Food is not a bad thing, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a skinny Italian! I love food, and I don't know anyone who doesn't. Food is a connection to culture, to other people, to places, to memories, and to unlocking feel-good chemical rewards in your brain. You are hardwired to want and need to eat, it's in your nature, just like sex (for procreation) and survival. I have had friends restrict, and have myself restricted, my food intake before because of the emphasis society has placed on being thin. Thin is not any sort of ideal! The idea of what makes a woman beautiful is not static! Some times and cultures call fat women beautiful, some call plump women beautiful, some call average women beautiful, and some call thin women beautiful. Me? I call healthy women beautiful. God put your body on a specific frame, and made your size unique to you, so work with it, not against it. I was given a small, somewhat rectangular frame, which needs some doing to look shapely. You know what it's great for? Running and climbing, which I love to do. Eat and exercise in proportion. It's better for you that way.
4. Ditch the Pill. If I went to a doctor today, and complained I had a habit that caused me to gain weight, have acne, go through weird mood swings, and increased my risk of heart attack, cancer, and lupus, he or she would probably tell me to stop doing whatever that was posthaste. That habit is taking birth control pills. I know that hormonal birth control can be used to treat PMDD, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and other serious medical conditions, but outside of that, it does no good. Even used perfectly, it's not 100% effective at preventing pregnancy, it can't prevent diseases, and it can help make you seriously sick. Taking the pill makes it so a woman is seen as being available for sex whenever it is desired of her, and reduces her to a fleshy blowup doll. Birth control makes a person (man or woman) with feelings, ambitions, opinions, an intellect, and a story into a two dimensional cardboard cutout whose only function is providing pleasure on demand.
5. Stop confusing “Sexy” with “Beautiful.” There's nothing wrong with sex appeal, that's part of how babies are made. And there's nothing wrong with beauty, it's a reflection of God. That being said, sex appeal is not necessarily beauty, and is much more dangerous than people give it credit for being. Women who strive after either are seeking to be beautiful, which is how God made us. It's how God made everything, and that is why people are always trying to create beautiful things, because they are looking to find God through whatever medium they are pursuing. I see so many beautiful women on my campus cheapening themselves by going for sex appeal rather than true beauty, and it saddens me tremendously. Striving after sex appeal, in my experience, is a woman's cry to be found beautiful. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be beautiful, but sex appeal can lead you and others into mortal sin, and create deep emotional and psychological wounds as well. Sexy has a terrible capacity to harm, beauty can only heal.
6. Avoid women’s magazines. Once upon a time, I was an absolute Cosmo devotee. I devoured Cosmo like it was food for my brain, which it was. Cosmo was my brain candy, requiring no thought and containing no substance, but making me feel good. Like candy, Cosmo, Glamour, Vogue, Elle, and any other trashy rag aimed at women cause cavities. They wear away what is good and replace it with painful holes that can be might expensive to fix. I, not unlike many other women, thought that these magazines were harmless. They show you pictures of celebrities, help you pick out a new flattering wardrobe, tell you which hair and make up products are the best, contain entertaining little tidbits, scandalous and "proven" sex tips for pleasing your man (i.e. not you), and for the naughty girl, there's even a little snippet of erotica to read. These things (save the erotica and weird sex tips) are not harmful necessarily, but are they edifying? Do they build you up or lead you closer to God? Do they make you more productive, or even happy? They're based on profit margins, doctored photos, and making you feel bad about yourself. There are better ways to amuse yourself, and better ways to spend time and money than on this trash.
7. Get to know God. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Let me repeat: I cannot recommend this highly enough. Since I found Christ and came back to the Church, my life has never been better. Literally, living my life has never been a more fulfilling, joyful experience than it has been since coming back to my faith. I have struggled, yes. It has been painful, it's true. Some things still hurt and annoy me, I'm not going to lie. My exterior life has changed drastically, but my interior life has changed so much more. God is my beginning and my end, my life, my hope and my happiness. Without Him, I don't even want to imagine where I would be right now, though I would guess that I would not look as good, feel as good, have my friends, have true peace, or know what contentment is. God has made my life complete, and I never want to be separate from Him. I love Him, and the words of St. Augustine ring true, "Fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te." You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. My heart rests in God now, and it is my most profound hope that it will always do so. I hope that your hearts may also come to rest in the eternal God who will always love and provide for you.
So there you have it. I realize this has been an exceedingly long post, but as ever, I have a lot to say, and these things get me fired up. Please, if you know any woman who may want or need to read this, send it along. Everyone could benefit from this advice, including me. Ladies let's stop being our own worst enemies, and gents, please don't be afraid to help us. I leave you tonight as did the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen at the end of his talks: God love you.
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