Solidarity.  John Paul II made this a household word as he invited the world to stand in solidarity with the oppressed people of his native Poland. 

I was given a lesson in solidarity last month.  Meet Tanisha*.

She was walking on the side of a downtown highway that "people like me" never go on.  With toddlers on both shoulders and two more little ones in tow, ( Read more... )

The most common cosmetic surgery in America continues to decline.  Down from close to 85% in the 60's, only 56% of Southerners - the same as the national rate - are circumcising their baby boys.  By the time our boys are grown, the numbers will be low enough (perhaps rivaling Europe, where only Jews & Muslims circumcise, same as America 150 years ago) that those circumcised young men will be asking some difficult questions of their parents.

I just ask, please do your research thoroughly.  :)  The AAP is against routine infant circumcision.  The Catholic Church banned it explicitly for centuries and its principles continue the implicit ban* today.  If there is no medical & no religious indication for routine infant circumcision, what reason remains?

As a final thought, the Jewish circumcision of Jesus' time was nothing like the modern medical procedure - only the tip was removed.

It's Linkie Day!

From my hometown - Scattered, Smothered, Covered, & Hitched: A Waffle House Wedding.  Do NOT miss the slideshow!

From my archdiocese - To Radical Feminism and Back

And last - Columbians attribute hostage rescue to the Rosary

Thought-provoking article on a tactic for addressing the root cause of impurity. Postulating that images of Mary breastfeeding the Divine Infant teach us that the body is for giving, not taking, he gives Maria Lactans as the patron of those struggling with lust (which is, at its heart, wanting someone else's body to satisfy our own desires).

Wow! 

The official newspaper of the Holy See has "declared it is time to undo four centuries of church disapproval" of public depictions of the Blessed Mother nursing the Infant Jesus, according to this British periodical (quoted below for you, since it's the press' job to find the most provocative image they can).

Explains Italian Church historian Lucetta Scaraffia, "when the early Christian artists represented the Virgin breast-feeding they had sought to reveal the reality of God's incarnation."

What an explanation!  I've long enjoyed the collection of images of Mary nursing Jesus at the Fisheaters website, but I have to admit I was a bit confused as to how it was consistent with the idea of Marian modesty to have such depictions not only exist, but be common.  I decided (based on other evidence) that it may well be that breasts were not commonly seen as objects of seduction until we deprived them of their primary purpose, but after reading this, there is yet another strong impetus for the images.  The Incarnation - when God took on flesh in Christ.

Ultimately, all Catholic teaching & tradition about Mary is really about Christ. As she did at Cana, Mary always points to her Son. 

I was once told that the Roman emperor Constantine was the "father of church buildings."  It was said that, prior to his introduction of countless pagan features into Christianity, the early church met in houses, & fellowshiped & worshiped God as a casual group, not funneled through a pastor or worse, a priest.

Constantine was born about 285 AD.  This church dates from approximately 230 AD.  It's just one of many.  Notice that the architecture is nearly identical to a Catholic or Orthodox church of more recent times - the apse at the back of the sanctuary; the rectangular, forward facing nave; the mosaic on the floor; the whole congregation + priest facing the altar together.

But that's not new.  This is - a cave was discovered below it.  Archaeologists have found that this cave is where Christians worshiped before the legalization of Christianity meant they would no longer be thrown to the lions.  They believe it may date from 33-70AD.  Among lamps, a cemetery, a cistern, and a dwelling, they found stone seats, an apse, and an inscription of the "70 beloved by God".  Some great photos are here.

It's clear that after living and worshiping literally underground (in the catacombs of Rome and caves like this) for centuries, when allowed to worship freely, early Christians did what they always intended to do - build edifices to lift the mind & heart to Heaven and to bring glory to God. 

Previously, the oldest known church edifices found have been from the 200's.

Just sitting here reflecting on what a wonderful life I've been given.  Sure, we're not suffering from any major natural calamities, poverty, or diseases ... but the things that make my life so wonderful have little to do with that.  I did used to think that comfort, talents, & acclaim were necessary for my personal happiness.  Now I know better.

Just watching my children watching turtles swim across the pond, or play water ski w/ a rope as they pull each other across the yard brings so much joy ... it's irrational, I know, but the satisfaction of being a mother is beyond what I could have imagined.  A husband who dearly loves me, and whom I absolutely adore, a God who gave all for me and inspires me to give my all for others, the glory of the natural world, the rich beauty of the Catholic faith I have stumbled onto by no merit of my own, extended family who love & guide us. 

We are truly blessed.

The blessings we have are not available to all people now - but it's not for lack of money.  It seems that in our increasing lives of comfort & leisure, many of the most satisfying things are sometimes lost. 

Where would I be without my family?

He flung himself at the feet of the Holy Father.

Before we were married, I dreamed my husband was kissing the ring of the Pope, and it totally scared me.  Some symbol of the last vestiges of my anti-Catholic emotional blocks, I suppose, even after being thoroughly intellectually convinced that I must convert.

This moment brought me to tears.  (Placido Domingo sings for the Pope)