Bible Review-CSS Study Bible

Gail Buckley, Founder and Executive Director of Catholic Scripture Study International, the world’s fastest-growing Catholic Bible study program, sent me a copy of her CSS Study Bible to review and pass around to the girls in the St Gianna Vocation to Motherhood Group at my house on Tuesday mornings so they can check it out. Before I say anything else, let me just say that talking to Gail was an absolute pleasure... she has a tangible love for God's Word that shines through her personality, and as I was trying to book her to speak at my Catholic Women's group here in Fayetteville with very few resources, she was more than accomodating and helpful. I am truly encouraged by her attitude, her kindness, and her completely amazing work. She's an inspiration!

I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the COMPLETE Scott Hahn Study Bible, and getting discouraged with the wait. I looked around to see if there were any other attempts at creating an orthodox study bible for Roman Catholics that made understanding Scripture more accessible, and randomly found this little gem in my favorite Bible publishing house, no less..... St Benedict Press/Tan Books.

I was intregued! Though I hadn't heard much about it in Catholic Bible blogs (why not? Anybody know??), here was a bible that promised to combine my two favorite elements: Orthodox, Catholic Commentary from a reputable source and the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition of the Bible. I was ecstatic to check it out, and I am still elated even though it's about two months later (the Bible arrived just before my vacation and I wasn't able to do the review while I was gone.)  Of course, I read it every day on my vacation, used it to back up a point I was making in a dialogue with a French priest we had over, and have since passed it around to the girls in my Bible Study, who all seemed excited to check it out themselves. So as promised, here is my review of the St Benedict Press / Catholic Scripture Study International Bible.

First, the Cover and Design: 

I absolutely LOVE the Look of this bible. It is an exact replica of the St Benedict Press LARGE Print RSV with a redesigned cover. I was sad to see my St Benedict cross go on the cover, but at the same time, I love the CSS Logo and there's just something so incredibly AWESOME about having a Bible that says "tradition/scripture/magisterium" right on the cover. It has the thick, heavy look of lots of protestant study Bibles out there which appeals to me (I dig the black leather look. Some do not. ) It also has three different colored ribbons, which make it marvelous to use because you definitely NEED about three ribbons to do any kind of "studying" in a Bible (ie, flipping between passages, etc.) The leather on the cover is thinner and less substantial than the leather on the plain edition of the RSV sold through Benedict Press, but it is certainly nice and will stand up to a lot of wear.

Another thing I like is the size. It's BIG, which I wanted, but not so big that you need two hands to read it all the time, which means I can still read it in bed. Like! I also think St Benedict Press does such an amazing job with the bookbinding and all that. It lays pretty flat and is super flexible, which I LOVE in a Bible (can't stand stiff Bibles, which is why I am sad about the Baronius Press Douay Rheims.) On the other hand, it's not so flexible that you worry it's going to fall apart within a week of heavy use. This is a "lifetime" Bible investment. Some of us will wear it out in a few years, but you know what I mean. It is very good quality. Don't mind the wavy bits in the pictures here, I forgot to take out all the "add in" sheets I carry around everywhere when I took the pictures, and the wavy pages are actually not part of this Bible. 

Next, the features: 

As I said before, this bible is an exact replica of the St Benedict Press Large Print RSV-CE, with the addition of a series of glossy inserts on various topics ranging from apologetics to lenten traditions. These inserts are very informative, orthodox, and helpful. I used to carry around a two page printout I call the Apologetics Cheat Sheet on which I had printed all the scripture references for the various Catholic doctrines we must always defend.... it's amazingly brilliant that this bible includes that (FOR ONCE  a Bible that is as thorough as it SHOULD be in my eyes!) and I can now stop carrying around my nasty old laminated sheet. Yay! 

I also used to carry around various sheets with reference to the Church's teachings on specific topics, and they are ALL present here in this Bible, which is wonderful and very freeing for me. For once I feel like the people who designed this Bible are people who have the same concerns that I do: understanding the Faith, defending the faith, and hearing from God for my personal life. In that order. And they aren't afraid to make some enemies.... (hooray!) the inserts contain topics that address hell, the myth of overpopulation and the culture of death, and the errors of protestant biblical interpretation.

The last several pages are actually an amazing reference tool similar to the concordances we are used to seeing in Protestant Bibles. They contain an alphabetical list of subjects and their corresponding locations in scripture. The topics are practical in nature and applicable in daily life. It is a GIFT to Catholics everywhere, especially Catholics who are poorly catechized or don't really KNOW their Bibles, to be able to have such an easy reference table without having to make it oneself. I love this feature.

And lastly, the page design itself: 

Large print, beautiful typeface, very readable. I admit, I really want to have the footnotes in the text, but they aren't-- they are in the back of each testament. And they are sparse. Which is fine, as long as they are in there, but since the notes are just the regular RSV notes with nothing added, which was kind of a bummer. I had hoped the guys at CSS would have included additional notes to help us add meaning to the text bit by bit. At the same time, I find that since the RSV doesn't have footnotes, I'm not tempted to READ them instead of the text, which means that A) I read more scripture and B) I'm not as influenced by the notes in my reading since they aren't in my face. So even though it's less esthetically pleasing -- to me-- to have JUST the text without any breaks for notes, it's actually more profitable for my bible reading time.

The pages are thin.... I include some of the pages on which I have made notes so you can see that pen bleeds through pretty good. I don't personally care about that but many of you bible snobs out there (tee hee) will likely have a fit if you buy a bible that has pages this thin. Personally, I actually LIKE that it shows through... helps me to feel like I'm accomplishing some work in my daily Bible study. :D

A few notes on the translation: 

Many people wonder why we might read an RSV instead of the NAB, which is the version of the Bible selected and promoted by the United States Catholic Bishops for American Catholics. That alone might make people shy away from the RSV-CE, but let me reassure you: the Vatican ONLY uses the RSV-CE when publishing scripture quotations in English.

The RSV-CE is NOT the 2nd Edition revision of the RSV-CE. Therefore the text retains SOME of the thees and thous without overdoing it and rendering it unreadable to the average modern reader. However, it also retains some of it's eceumenical nature which has been weeded out in the RSVCE SECOND Edition. 

I absolutely love the RSV, which I think is more readable than the Douay Rheims but far closer to the DR's "perfect" translation than the absolutely frustrating New American Bible, which contains notes using the historical-critical method that absolutely boggle the Orthodox Catholic mind.  (and not in a good way.) I also love that the RSV retains much of the original style we have come to love... in psalm 23, for example, we don't "dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come" as we did in the New American Bible. We dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER. As it was written. (why the NAB does this is beyond me. I've lost enough sleep over it and am not even going to bother ranting... but do know that -- praise God-- the NAB seems to be doing a little better with the release of the NABRE (revised NAB) in which we, for example, now "dwell in the house of the Lord for endless days.")

Anyways, all this to say that like any translation, the RSV has it's bad points, but to me the good outweighs the bad... if only they would get some more thorough footnotes going it would be hands down the ideal Bible Version.

So that's it.... the CSS Study Bible is incredible, as perfect a Catholic Study Bible is going to get until we are able to have some textual notes that don't make us cringe and that actually contain the Old Testament, which is, you know, half the story. I am so thankful for CSS putting this Bible together and I will be passing it around to everyone I know and making it my every day Bible. Go ahead and pick yourself up a copy. You will be so glad! 

Those of you who are local will probably get to hear all about how it came to be this year when we finally get Gail to come out and speak. I know you're going to love it. 

If you have any questions about this Bible, please feel free to comment below. I don't make taking additional pictures and what not if you need them. Thanks!

ADDITION: In an email this morning, Gail pointed out a few things that I thought should be included. First, she explained that she thinks of this bible as a reference Bible and not a Study Bible, and upon reflection I can definitely see that calling it a reference Bible is the optimal explanation.... it contains all of the bits and pieces many of us carry around in our bibles, but doesn't contain all of the notes that would be required to dig into the actual text line by line.
She also mentioned the origin of the illustrations, which I forgot to mention. They are beautiful!! They came from a monk in Europe who loves to take pictures of stained glass windows. It is so refreshing to own a bible that doesn't have pictures of Jesus that look like they walked off the walls of some 1970s CCD class. These are pictures of stained glass windows that are uplifting, beautiful, and calming. Soul-stirring. and the rest of the design of the Bible (borders, etc) on the notes pages go along with the illustrations perfectly.
Enjoy this Bible..... from my discussions with her and just from having used the thing myself for a couple of months now, I can see what a beautiful labor of love it really is.

Wordless Wednesday--Hurricane Irene Sunsets

Pre-Irene

Post Irene

Story of a revert.

Found this video this morning through the CLAA forums.... this man's family is schooling their children using the CLAA and he was featured on EWTN recently.
I initally watched it out if interest based on my interactions with his wife on the forums, but really enjoyed hearing about his conversion experiences and loved the insights. Thought you might like it too.

Tasty Tuesdays- Pompe a L'huile (Bread from Provence)

La Pompe a L'huile is a specialty from my neck of the woods. Aside from making a great teatime treat, a perfect breakfast food or an easy desert when served with delicious jams or fruit.... it is a staple on the Provencal Christmas Table, and it would be unthinkable not to have one there. What is it? Think of it as a brioche-type bread... kinda like Challah. It's name means "pumped with oil" (oh yes, it's true!) because it's MADE with olive oil! Remember to tear the bread into pieces—tradition says that cutting it might sever your friendship with the people at the table.

So let's get started. :)



Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 packages of yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons orange flower water
3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the sugar, olive oil, egg, salt and orange flower water. Stir in 2 cups of the flour and mix well. Add the next 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time to form a stiff dough.

Knead the dough for five to ten minutes until smooth, adding the final 1/2 cup flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Allow dough to rise until double in size - about two hours.

Punch dough down and spread in a large oval shape on a greased baking sheet. The dough should be about 1/2 inch thick all around. Using a knife, cut seven large slits in the dough and separate them into seven holes each several inches wide (without tearing through to the edges of the bread). Allow dough to rise another hour.

Bake in 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

An alternative, easier recipe can be seen below:

Ingredients
3 3⁄4 cups flour
1⁄3 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
1 7-gram package active dry yeast
3⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt

1. Make a poolish: Put 1 1⁄2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, and 1 cup warm water into a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon to combine. Let the mixture sit in a warm spot until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

2. Add remaining 2 1⁄4 cups flour, 3⁄4 cup of the oil, and salt to the poolish and stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5–7 minutes. Grease a large clean bowl with the remaining 1 tbsp. oil, place dough in the bottom, and cover with a clean towel. Set the dough aside in a warm spot to let rise until doubled in bulk, 3–4 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 400°. Gently turn dough out onto a large sheet of parchment paper and gently stretch it with your fingers to form a 12" circle. Using a small, sharp knife, cut out five 2"-long slits, each about 1" wide, starting from the center of the bread and cutting toward the edge, so that the dough will resemble a sand dollar (discard dough scraps or bake them separately as a cook's-bonus nibble). Using your fingers, gently stretch the holes open a little wider so that they won't close up completely when bread is baked. Carefully transfer the dough—on the parchment paper—to a large baking sheet and bake until golden brown and puffed, about 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and immediately brush the top and sides with 2 tbsp. hot water to soften the crust. Transfer the bread to a rack to let cool, or serve warm, if you like.

Mama Mondays- All I really need to know about parenting I learned from knitting

This is the work of Jamie Clegg, a fellow raveler and Christian parent, and a blogger over at: www.thepreparedhomemaker.blogspot.com. She posted it the other day in a parenting group we are both part of and it really resonated with me. She gave me permission to publish it here, and I pray it will touch you too.

As of late I’ve been overwhelmed with the awesomeness of the task and responsibility of raising my children. For certain there are so many things that I need to do differently, experiment with what works best, or totally drop. As an only child there are no references from my childhood dealing with sibling issues, and particular character issues (as I was always on the receiving end and not the teaching). So my only references must come from resources around me, particularly books on Christian parenting. And in that area I feel as I am one who learns but never comes to knowledge. I feel like I am standing at a great chasm with a book that tells me that I can fill it up, if I use the right tools. But the book doesn’t list what tools those are.

But today as I was putting my girls down for a nap with my busywork knitting in front of me, it was like God sent me a note on my needles.

Busywork knitting is something to occupy my time, while I can still be productive without putting much thought into it. Its great for letting the wheels in my head spin around the issues I’m dealing with. For the last while its been a pattern for leprosy bandages. Essentially home made ace bandages with thin crochet cotton on tiny needles. Only twenty six stitches wide and knit every row. At aprox. 18 rows per inch, Ive managed almost 2 1/2 feet.

While knitting away and thinking about the task of child raising “How do I teach them what they need to know? How can I be that example?” , the verse “line upon line precept upon precept” popped up on my needles.

At first thought that verse is a pretty common “well duh” kind of verse that I’ve seen in Child rearing books often. But when put in context of my knitting it pretty much punched me in the face. ( I told God to be clear about the answer now didn’t I?)

I am the knitter- Gods chief means of building the character of this child. The needles are the tools God uses to shape us, the thread is His precepts and guidelines. Each stitch is each day. God is the pattern I’m following.

At first when the piece is begun it seems tedious, as there is not much to show, and so far to go before there is even a recognizable resemblance to the pattern. The stitches are small and each one dependent on the one behind and underneath it. And yet if there is any hope for reaching the conclusion there must be a start made. After that consistency is key. If I lay my work aside and forget about it nothing happens, it never grows into the pattern as planned. If I leave it on the needles too long, after continuing again, there will be evidence that the work had been stagnant and create a blemish on the fabric. If I am haphazard about what circumstances I leave my knitting sitting around, the influences around it may very well unravel my work (ever have children pull the needles out?), This can cause serious damage indeed, and happen frequently if you are not vigilant. If I am not careful to give an account of my work on a regular basis, attention to details slip and I am now knitting with one less stitch than I had been previously. Closer inspection reveals a dropped stitch, that depending on the strength of the surrounding circumstances, can cause a run, ripping through the foundations I have so carefully put on before.

What to do? Do I stop and give up? Do I get mad and throw the whole stupid business in the frog pond? Do I carefully frog back and begin with a new set of rows? Or do I employ and plead the tool of the crochet hook (God’s Holy Spirit) to fix each marred stitch? Ask a lace knitter with a run in a circle shawl 5 rows back which is easier!

And when I am finally done with the piece and I have built upon the foundations, and I am satisfied that it matches what the pattern intended, what then do I see? This bandage seems fit for the purpose which the pattern intended, but I notice that over the long time I’ve been knitting and building that the thread, which, when once on the ball was a beautiful and resilient white, is now less than glorious. Many outside influences have left their mark on this piece that must be addressed before it can be used to heal the wounds which the world makes. It must be washed and bleached and tried in order to be of any use. This process can make a knitter quite nervous. Will there be shrinkage? Will it unravel. Will the process reveal any hidden flaws from inattention? Will it be deemed worthy of using? One would see the importance of the duty and responsibility a parent takes on. May God help us as parents!

So much of this lesson sprang into my mind at a moments notice. So now I know. God has been faithful to show me. May I be faithful to follow The Pattern, and keep moving along, one stitch, one row, one inch at a time, till in the end God’s likeness is embedded in my child.

Copyright 2010 Jamie Clegg

Mama Mondays- Preparing the School Uniform

Part of our adventures into CLAA this past week have included time spent in the forum, in which I have learned so much of the practical, "how to" aspects of the structure of many amazing Catholic families whom I have secretly wanted to spy on but never had the opportunity to meet on their home turf.
Part of this is because I live in an area where there are very FEW large Catholic families, at least, large Catholic families who have well behaved, well educated children (they all seem to live in Dunn, where the Extraordinary Form is.... hmmmm. Well, I shouldn't be too harsh, there are a growing number of large families at my little Maronite Parish, too.)
Part of this is also that those large families that do make me suck in my breath and say "wow, you are awesome, how do you do that??" don't really have the same lifestyles as the majority of people and young families I see around Church. Whereas we have mommy groups and coffee dates and playdates and school til noon, these families I WANT to meet, who seem to be doing it right, are hardly ever "out," let alone "around."
We know they exist because we see their ten kids sitting quietly in a neat row at mass. But we never see them at the mommy/kid groups the Parish hosts or at women's events around town. I've asked moms like this to come speak at playgroups to encourage younger moms, especially because I'm encouraged by their clearly amazing parenting skills. And I laugh, bewildered, because.... they always say no.
I also find it amazing that many of my friends who don't have families that look like these families have many negative things to say about them. Here are some snippets of conversations I've had or overheard  people having about large, well behaved families we might see at mass.
"You know how they get those kids to behave like that? They go home and beat them."
"She can't really be that happy. She's probably medicated."
"If their kids are always like that, they must be stifling their personalities."
"Why don't they ever DO anything?? They are weird."
"There is NO WAY their kids are always that good."
Over time, I've come to learn through life experience and spending time with them at home that those families are often the happiest, the least violent, the most creative and expressive, and the most active. And yes, the kids are really almost always THAT good.

Once, my husband did some work on a house where the family had ten amazing kids. The whole time he worked, he couldn't get over how well the household operated. Mother was in the dinning room overseeing the schooling. The littles were playing nicely outside. The children took turns doing chores. The children didn't back talk, weren't rowdy, and were extremely nice. On the third day, they invited him in to eat lunch, and he accepted. Lunch was pleasant, delicious, simple, and fun. He discovered the family was Catholic, and that they went to the closest Parish near us where the Latin Mass is offered. He came home and told me I needed to meet this mother and learn from her.
A week or so later, we were meeting our priest out for dinner and drinks and their family walked in. I saw the mother and observed her with the kids... my husband was right. They were an amazing family. I stared in awe and amazement. And then dinner was over, and we went home. We haven't seen them since then.
I've considered dropping a note in her mailbox:

Hello! I noticed your family is incredible and I want to know the secret. No one out here seems to get it. Please help!

Of course, I never have. But I did pray, a lot. I wanted to know how she (they) did it. I wanted (and my husband wanted) a family that looked and behaved like that. Not just externally, but internally-- we wanted the benefits we saw in their personal holiness. So I prayed.
And God led me to something even better than this particular family, which God knows would have probably ended up disappointing me somehow. :D
Instead, He led me to the CLAA, which we enrolled in for the academics but which turns out to be a literal "how to" of what all these families I see and think... "WOW!" about are doing. And not because they are telling us what to do, but because the purpose of a classical education sort of encapsulates a certain idea: the pursuit of wisdom being tantamount to a "pure and perfect" education. The CLAA encourages you not just to talk about and think about holiness but to actually do those things which you talk about and  think about. It's not for the weak minded or faint of heart.

As a parent, I am not exempt from my children's call to holiness. I have to be the first one to make the sacrifices, to live right, to reach sainthood, if I expect them to follow. And that has been a revelation for us, because although we knew it on a practical level, we didn't realize how little we were actually doing it. In fact, in just two weeks of CLAA, we have realized that our lives were completely ordered around the wrong things and anchored in self-defeating ideas. Our actions didn't match our purpose, even though we thought we were so "different" from everybody else. Really, we were the same, just calling ourselves different.
What do I mean? I mean that instead of having a simple life anchored in prayer and work, we had a complicated life anchored in leisure. And it showed in our kids.

The first step in CLAA is not enrolling the kids and diving into the academics. The first step is to re-organize your family life so that you can handle the academics. Before enrolling, most families take a year or two just to teach their kids the basics of a simple, ordered life: family prayer times, chores, discipline, obedience, respect, sacrifice, etc. They learn to par down their meal plans so that they are healthy and sensible and not gluttonous. They learn to be a little self-sufficient and get their finances in order so they don't have to depend on anyone. They learn to be less social and more sacrificial. Then, once they have figured out the basics of the simple life, (which does NOT have to mean a farming life, of course-- just to be clear)  they can begin the academics. It's like enrolling in a saint factory (as if Marriage wasn't enough. :D) The hardest thing about it is just doing it..... because it's one thing to say "I start tomorrow!" But it's quite another to actually make the changes a good home education for your children requires. We already thought we were there. Now it is clear that we haven't even begun to scratch the surface. In fact, here I am writing a blog at 6 am instead of going for a morning run. You see what I mean? Guess I better write the rest in a few minutes, when I get back. :)

One of the first steps to a working schedule is to purge your home. Family watching too much TV? Throw the TV out. Spending too much time doing laundry? Get uniforms. This is something that my husband and I actually enjoy-- people are always amazed/annoyed at how easy it is for us to throw away/get rid of stuff that we have been given/had for years etc. We hate clutter, and when we live alone again, our house will be much easier for us to live in. (His dad is a packrat.) The reason CLAA families tend to do this step is twofold.
First, because "stuff" gets in the way of a holy life. It's a slap in the face of materialism to say: "I don't need or want that." It's also because CLAA families adhere to a rigid work schedule according to their family's needs. The best advice I have ever received thus far about time management has been this: "Make the family schedule. Get rid of EVERYTHING that gets in the way of the schedule."
Now, before you go thinking this means that at 7 AM you better be done cooking breakfast, or else, let me reassure you.... it's not so much the rigid time frame as it is the rigid structure of the schedule that matters: "Don't fool around," is the message. "Life is too short and we are supposed to be becoming saints. Is this activity/ conversation/ etc. wise? Is it helpful according to your goals?" It is serious. Too serious for many.

One of the first steps of purging is paring down the clothes. We have too many clothes. We stuff them in closets and forget about them. We vainly keep a million combinations of clothes around and for what? To leave off doing laundry for days on end?? To gripe at the mountain of laundry that ensues? Especially for large families, the clothing is usually the first thing to go.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to create family uniforms. Now I know what you're thinking... because I thought it too. UNIFORMS??
However, you have heard me say over and over again here that the best times of my life were the simplest-- in particular when I was in Basic Training in the US Army. And what did I have in the Army? A locker, containing three sets of work clothes, one set of dress clothes. A Bible. a pen. a journal. a flashlight. Some soap. a toothbrush. A hairbrush. The thing with the Army uniforms was that they were the best, most practical outfit for women and men to get pretty much ANYTHING done. There is nothing in the known universe you wouldn't be totally comfortable doing in BDUs. They are amazing. Once I was out of the army, I had so many clothing choices, and they were largely appealing and attractive, but none of them were as liberating as my old BDUs. We hardly wasted any time doing laundry, worrying about how we looked.... All we had time for was work, prayer, and a really rewarding rest period. (if we earned it.) Which is kinda the point of what we are trying to do here... only less.... military. or is it?
Sacrifice is the key to the Christian life.... and the Christian life is meaningless without it. We are weak, so we need discipline to help us do the impossible. I can tell you that nothing in the world is more rewarding than succeeding at a difficult task after enduring sleeplessness, hunger, and angry drill sergeants. The thrill of having overcome is like nothing else. The Christian life is good, but only if we endure to the end, and only if we allow ourselves to be disciplined into sacrifice. There is glory on the other side of pain.... we shouted it all day long during difficult field exercises: Pain is temporary, pride is forever. Pain is weakness leaving the body. Etc. etc. Kinda like my favorite quote from St Josemaria Escriva: "Blessed be pain. Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain. . . Glorified be pain!" (The Way, 208)

Sacrifice requires courage, and uniforms require courage, because we are essentially getting rid of everything that stands between us and God with regards to our lengthy list of excesses in the vanity department. (and no, that doesn't mean that a uniform should be UGLY. On the contrary.... we should never look frumpy or unattractive.) It doesn't mean that your uniform should be SIMILAR (like, the same thing every day. It can be one Monday outfit, one Tuesday outfit, one Wednesday outfit, etc.) What it does mean is that your clothes should be simplified. It shouldn't take half the day to determine what to wear to a certain event or on a certain occasion. Time wasted we will never get back. Simplify.

The considerations when making a uniform for yourself or for the kids are really simple:

1. What does modesty mean to your family?
2. What does your family do in a day?
3. How does your family manage laundry?

When it comes to uniforms, quality should always win over quantity (the French know this intrinsically, since they traditionally own very few items that are very good, high quality clothing. Americans, on the other hand, have closets overflowing with cheaply made clothes.) Colors choices should be harmonious so that you can mix and match if needed. And most people who have been doing this a while recommend about 10 pieces of clothing per person. (on average.)

So for example, in my house:

Modesty in dress means hiding those parts of our bodies which need not be revealed. At one time, it meant covering completely. But over time we came to see how this alienated us from the very world we lived in, and didn't fulfill our purpose of being "just like everyone else, only different." For us today, this means wearing decent clothes that don't give away our bodies. (General rules of thumb for us girls, for example, would be skirts past the knee and sleeves that reach the elbows as much as possible. Collars that aren't too low. Etc.)

In one day, we exercise, cook, clean, play, walk, garden, stand, sit, hostess, etc. So we need clothes that suit all of those purposes. (Good luck figuring it out, I STILL am.) An important consideration here is looking feminine-- it would be easy for me to order some BDU pants and tee shirts and be done, but is that really giving my husband the best of my womanhood? Not really, because he enjoys me looking girly.

My family does laundry as it comes in. We don't have a laundry day, we just do it as the hamper gets full.

I will post what our uniforms end up being later once we have figured it out, but for now suffice to say that I like the idea, that we are going to be implementing it, and that it isn't something that will happen all at once, but rather happen over time. I've been thinking about it for a few weeks now.

About two years ago, a friend approached me with the idea of having a "mommy uniform" to help keep me sane. I liked it, and over time, I implemented it to some degree. (I currently switch off wearing one of three long tiered skirts and a 3/4 sleeve tee from Old Navy during the week. On Tuesdays I usually wear jeans and a shirt because I have a bunch of mommies over and want to look less.... little house on the prairie. :D) It had never occurred to me to give the kids a uniform too, but now it makes so much sense! And something else I noticed.... here in North Carolina, even the PUBLIC SCHOOL children have uniforms!! Why wouldn't we?

For those of you who are interested, here is a link to the original article on the CLAA website that got me thinking. Do you have school uniforms? Mommy uniforms? Workout or Work uniforms? Tell me about them.

Saints on Saturdays- Saints who were mothers

St Gianna, pray for us!

Here is a compiled list of saints who were mothers. Take some time to look them up one day or over several days, and learn from them what they knew to get themselves and their families into heaven.

Blessed Angela of Foligno
Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno
Blessed Anne Marie Taigi
Blessed Antonia of Florence
Blessed Dorothy of Montau
Blessed Émilie d'Oultremont d'Hoogvorst
Blessed Eurosia Fabris
Blessed Helen of Poland
Blessed Ivetta of Huy
Blessed Margaret Pole
Blessed Marie of the Incarnation Guyart
Blessed Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin
Blessed Michelina of Pesaro
Blessed Santucci Terrebotti
Blessed Victoria Strata
Blessed Virgin Mary
Eve the Matriarch
Rachel the Matriarch
Ruth the Matriarch
Saint Adela of Pfalzel
Saint Adeltrude of Aurillac
Saint Aelia Flaccilla
Saint Agia
Saint Amalburga
Saint Amunia
Saint Anne
Saint Bathilde
Saint Begga of Ardenne
Saint Bridget of Sweden
Saint Candida of Bañoles
Saint Candida of Naples
Saint Candida of Rome
Saint Candida the Younger
Saint Cecilia Yu Sosa
Saint Clotilde
Saint Crispina
Saint Darerca
Saint Dionysia the Martyr
Saint Ebbe of Minster-in-Thanet
Saint Elizabeth
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal
Saint Ermenilda of Ely
Saint Felicity of Rome
Saint Frances of Rome
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
Saint Gladys
Saint Gorgonia
Saint Gwen
Saint Hedwig of Andechs
Saint Helena
Saint Hereswitha
Saint Hilaria the Martyr
Saint Hildegund
Saint Humility
Saint Ida of Boulogne
Saint Ida of Herzfeld
Saint Ida of Nivelles
Saint Jacoba
Saint Jeanne de Chantal
Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac
Saint Judith of Prussia
Saint Ludmila
Saint Macrina the Elder
Saint Margaret Clitherow
Saint Margaret of Cortona
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Monica
Saint Natalia
Saint Non
Saint Nonna
Saint Olga of Kiev
Saint Osith
Saint Patientia of Loret
Saint Patricia of Nicomedia
Saint Paula of Rome
Saint Perpetua
Saint Plautilla of Rome
Saint Priscilla of Rome
Saint Publia
Saint Richrudis of Marchiennes
Saint Rita of Cascia
Saint Sadalberga
Saint Saxburgh of Ely
Saint Sigrada
Saint Silvia of Rome
Saint Sophia
Saint Theopistes of Rome
Saint Valeria of Milan
Saint Waltrude
Saint Wastrada
Saint Wilfrida
Saint Zedislava Berka
Saint Zoe of Pamphylia
Sarah the Matriarch
Venerable Margaret Bosco

Freaky Fridays-- the prophetic pulse and the core of contemplation

Well, it's 06:48 here and we are waiting on a hurricane, the first of the season, called Irene, to get here by the end of the day.
In the seven or so years I've lived here we have had a hurricane or an almost-hurricane a year, and only once has the weather been bad enough to make me think: oh em gee, the world is falling apart. For me, the tornadoes this past year were FAR more terrifying than any hurricane experience we've ever had. However, since in the last six or so  months we've had before-our-eyes devastation due to tornadoes, a nuclear fallout problem due to a tsunami and subsequent breakdown of a nuclear power plant, the hottest summer I can remember, an EARTHQUAKE (thought I left those behind in California??) and now this, so I'm a little bit.... edgy. Maybe as a child I was less aware of the gravity of all the weather scenarios I endured. We thought earthquakes, even big ones, were like roller coasters, and the great El Niño had us paddling down the streets on our surfboards for fun. Now that I'm a grown- up (?) though, it's a little bit different.
There are a million and three zany prophecies out there warning of end times storm scenarios, beginnings of apocolypses, storms unleashing economic problems unleashing world instability, etc. Is there truth to them? Quite honestly, I neither know nor care anymore. I think it's absurd to sit on these prophecies or look at world events with a "the world is ending" mentality. After all, the world started ending for me the day I was born, and it could end today as I step outside and into the street, or truly at any given moment. St Joseph, keep me ready!
On the other hand, I think it's foolish to DIScredit the fact that things are changing around here. Something is up in the air, and I can see it/feel it everywhere. For me, it's a tingling, spaced out, airy feeling of simultaneous dread and displacement I get in the pit of my stomach and somewhere along the lines of my heart. Since I started really paying attention, I can think of a handful of times I have experienced that same "woah, this is serious" feeling. Once at a rave, in Los Angeles. Once while sitting in my driveway here in Fayetteville, NC looking up at the clouds in the sky. Once at a pro-life rally in Raleigh, NC when the spiritual opression was thick in the atmosphere as a "feminist pro-lifer" ranted about rape and destruction. Once on my front porch the day the tornadoes came. Once when I was sitting in church listening to some god-awful protestant song that had no place in mass whatsoever, and watching the people in the pews either clapping along or sleeping. Once in an airport, watching the planes take off. Once while I was praying for someone who needed deliverance from demonic oppression. Once when I was in a walmart during Valentines' day while the hurried, materialistic world swirled around me. It's a general feeling of unease and certainty that what I see in front of me is passing away... is dust.  A feeling that I'm standing in the middle of a wildly swirling mess and that I see it but I don't know how to escape it. Probably similar to the feeling a deer gets when caught in the headlights of a passing car: "Here it comes. This is it. Oh, Sh*t!"  Some people call that feeling "anxiety." Maybe even a "panic attack." I call it.... a spiritual wakeup call.
It's just obvious to me that while the wold has been ending since Jesus rose again, we are now at a "turning point" of sorts. It's in the air. I imagine the "air" felt charged like this around the time just before the crucifixion in Jerusalem... we get a picture of it when we watch Mel Gibson's movie The Passion-- a tangible feeling of "something" in the guts of the people. Just like it was in the air for my parents when they lived through the sixties. The times, they are a' changin.
Recently, I upset a Catholic friend by posting a prophetic word given by a protestant charismatic regarding the intensity of the coming storm and its relationship to the end times. To me, the core of all these prophetic messages is the same, and it is good: repent, turn to God, amend your lives. The Kingdom is nearer today than it was yesterday. Whether or not the prophecy is "accurate" doesn't really make a difference. We may feel personally implicated and then respond with personal decisions: like selling a stock, or not buying a house. We may feel disconnected and totally reject it. But at the end of the day, what all these "prophets" have to say, Catholic or not, has no relevance whatsoever because there are no secrets that need be revealed. We know the gospel message. We know what we must do. We must do it, and there are no shortcuts.
As people called to be Contemplatives (and I do believe we are ALL called to contemplation) in the world, we must realize the great wisdom of what Mary did: She took all these things and kept them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)
So take all these things, and keep them in your hearts. We don't need to pass judgment on every prophecy, every news story, every new ideology that emerges. We don't need to pass judgement on trends, what other people are doing, thinking, saying....we don't need to pass judgement on every new weather system and natural disaster and economic failure and war. We need to pray and work, taking all these things, and keeping them in our hearts.
People look to prophecies because they want to hear a magic word that gives them all they are searching for. They don't realize that Jesus does that from the altars of every Catholic Church in the world without saying a word. He is there: a silent witness that HE remains the same -- FAITHFUL-- though the world moves like mad. If you read prophetic words long enough, you begin to get a picture, and that picture becomes clearer and clearer as time goes by, like a camera lens focusing... and what you see is JESUS. Only Jesus.
In the midst of all the hurricane preparedness my friends up and down the coast are doing, my prayer is that we would keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and -- as my friend Sandy so aptly put it last night as she was trying to determine whether to evacuate or not-- "drown out all other voices." Drown out the news, the world, the stores, the radio. Drown out your TV and the internet, your facebook and twitter feed. Drown out your parents, your friends, your boss.... and turn to Jesus, who commands the winds, and walked on water, who created the heavens and the earth. He is here, and He alone is sovereign over all the earth.

Say it with me: Jesus, I trust in You.

Theology Thursdays- On Infant Baptism

"Let the children come to me
. . . for to such belongs the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:15-16)

One of the first theological conundrums we came across as we were slowly becoming Catholics was the idea of infant baptism. At the time, we had begun to understand the salvific necessity of baptism, thereby wanting it for our kids, but we saw baptism as the outward expression of an internal faith our children did not yet profess, and thus we sort of hesitated to allow what we saw as a "ceremony" that could potentially stall our children's spiritual progression. 

Of course, looking back, I can say that I was thinking like a true protestant and not like a Catholic at all. Had I been thinking like a Catholic, I would have been also thinking like an Israelite. You see, when we consider issues like this it becomes so totally clear (at least to me) that the Catholic faith is the continuation, in Christ, of the Jewish faith in every way that it is absolutely mind boggling to me now that more people don't make the connection. Are you ready? Here it is.

Why should we baptize our babies into the faith?

Because JEWS circumsized their babies into the faith.

What does circumcision have to do with baptism?

Baptism replaced circumcision.

Wait a minute.... huh??

Turning to Col. 2:11–12, we read:

11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[a] was put off when you were circumcised by[b] Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Did you catch that? St Paul calls baptism a circumcision made without human hands here. Jewish children were circumsized in anticipation of the faith in which they were to profess, and so Catholic children are also baptized in anticipation of their coming Christian faith.

Further, because it is a sacrament, baptism brings certain graces which are simply not receivable in other circumstances.... such as the grace to erase original sin. Not convinced?


After Lydia was converted through Paul's preaching, "She was baptized, with her household" (Acts 16:15)
The Phillipian jailer who converted: "the same hour of the night . . . he was baptized, with all his family" (Acts 16:33)
And here Paul remembers: "I did baptize also the household of Stephanas" (1 Cor. 1:16)

Still need more? Below, find a more complete list compliled from John Salza over at  Scripture Catholic:

Gen. 17:12, Lev. 12:3 - these texts show the circumcision of eight-day old babies as the way of entering into the Old Covenant - Col 2:11-12 - however, baptism is the new "circumcision" for all people of the New Covenant. Therefore, baptism is for babies as well as adults. God did not make His new Covenant narrower than the old Covenant. To the contrary, He made it wider, for both Jews and Gentiles, infants and adults.

Job 14:1-4 - man that is born of woman is full of trouble and unclean. Baptism is required for all human beings because of our sinful human nature.

Psalm 51:5 - we are conceived in the iniquity of sin. This shows the necessity of baptism from conception.

Matt. 18:2-5 - Jesus says unless we become like children, we cannot enter into heaven. So why would children be excluded from baptism?

Matt 19:14 - Jesus clearly says the kingdom of heaven also belongs to children. There is no age limit on entering the kingdom, and no age limit for being eligible for baptism.

Mark 10:14 - Jesus says to let the children come to Him for the kingdom of God also belongs to them. Jesus says nothing about being too young to come into the kingdom of God.

Mark 16:16 - Jesus says to the crowd, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." But in reference to the same people, Jesus immediately follows with "He who does not believe will be condemned." This demonstrates that one can be baptized and still not be a believer. This disproves the Protestant argument that one must be a believer to be baptized. There is nothing in the Bible about a "believer's baptism."

Luke 18:15 – Jesus says, “Let the children come to me.” The people brought infants to Jesus that he might touch them. This demonstrates that the receipt of grace is not dependent upon the age of reason.

Acts 2:38 - Peter says to the multitude, "Repent and be baptized.." Protestants use this verse to prove one must be a believer (not an infant) to be baptized. But the Greek translation literally says, "If you repent, then each one who is a part of you and yours must each be baptized” (“Metanoesate kai bapistheto hekastos hymon.”) This, contrary to what Protestants argue, actually proves that babies are baptized based on their parents’ faith. This is confirmed in the next verse.

Acts 2:39 - Peter then says baptism is specifically given to children as well as adults. “Those far off” refers to those who were at their “homes” (primarily infants and children). God's covenant family includes children. The word "children" that Peter used comes from the Greek word "teknon" which also includes infants.

Luke 1:59 - this proves that "teknon" includes infants. Here, John as a "teknon" (infant) was circumcised. See also Acts 21:21 which uses “teknon” for eight-day old babies. So baptism is for infants as well as adults.

Acts 10:47-48 - Peter baptized the entire house of Cornelius, which generally included infants and young children. There is not one word in Scripture about baptism being limited to adults.

Acts 16:15 - Paul baptized Lydia and her entire household. The word "household" comes from the Greek word "oikos" which is a household that includes infants and children.

Acts 16:15 - further, Paul baptizes the household based on Lydia's faith, not the faith of the members of the household. This demonstrates that parents can present their children for baptism based on the parents' faith, not the children's faith.

Acts 16:30-33 - it was only the adults who were candidates for baptism that had to profess a belief in Jesus. This is consistent with the Church's practice of instructing catechumens before baptism. But this verse does not support a "believer's baptism" requirement for everyone. See Acts 16:15,33. The earlier one comes to baptism, the better. For those who come to baptism as adults, the Church has always required them to profess their belief in Christ. For babies who come to baptism, the Church has always required the parents to profess the belief in Christ on behalf of the baby. But there is nothing in the Scriptures about a requirement for ALL baptism candidates to profess their own belief in Christ (because the Church has baptized babies for 2,000 years).

Acts 16:33 - Paul baptized the jailer (an adult) and his entire household (which had to include children). Baptism is never limited to adults and those of the age of reason. See also Luke 19:9; John 4:53; Acts 11:14; 1 Cor. 1:16; and 1 Tim. 3:12; Gen. 31:41; 36:6; 41:51; Joshua 24:15; 2 Sam. 7:11, 1 Chron. 10:6 which shows “oikos” generally includes children.

Rom. 5:12 - sin came through Adam and death through sin. Babies' souls are affected by Adam's sin and need baptism just like adult souls.

Rom. 5:15 - the grace of Jesus Christ surpasses that of the Old Covenant. So children can also enter the new Covenant in baptism. From a Jewish perspective, it would have been unthinkable to exclude infants and children from God's Covenant kingdom.

1 Cor. 1:16 - Paul baptized the household ("oikos") of Stephanus. Baptism is not limited to adults.

Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2 - Paul addresses the "saints" of the Church, and these include the children he addresses in Eph. 6:1 and Col. 3:20. Children become saints of the Church only through baptism.

Eph. 2:3 - we are all by nature children of wrath, in sin, like all mankind. Infants are no exception. See also Psalm 51:5 and Job 14:1-4 which teach us we are conceived in sin and born unclean.

2 Thess. 3:10 - if anyone does not work let him not eat. But this implies that those who are unable to work should still be able to eat. Babies should not starve because they are unable to work, and should also not be denied baptism because they are unable to make a declaration of faith.

Matt. 9:2; Mark 2:3-5 - the faith of those who brought in the paralytic cured the paralytic's sins. This is an example of the forgiveness of sins based on another's faith, just like infant baptism. The infant child is forgiven of sin based on the parents' faith.

Matt. 8:5-13 - the servant is healed based upon the centurion's faith. This is another example of healing based on another's faith. If Jesus can heal us based on someone else’s faith, then He can baptize us based on someone else’s faith as well.

Mark 9:22-25 - Jesus exercises the child's unclean spirit based on the father's faith. This healing is again based on another's faith.

1 Cor. 7:14 – Paul says that children are sanctified by God through the belief of only one of their parents.

Exodus 12:24-28 - the Passover was based on the parent's faith. If they did not kill and eat the lamb, their first-born child died.

Joshua 5:2-7 - God punished Israel because the people had not circumcised their children. This was based on the parent's faith. The parents play a critical role in their child's salvation.

STILL not convinced? What about some early church fathers?

Irenaeus

"He [Jesus] came to save all through himself; all, I say, who through him are reborn in God: infants, and children, and youths, and old men. Therefore he passed through every age, becoming an infant for infants, sanctifying infants; a child for children, sanctifying those who are of that age . . . [so that] he might be the perfect teacher in all things, perfect not only in respect to the setting forth of truth, perfect also in respect to relative age" (Against Heresies 2:22:4 [A.D. 189]).

"‘And [Naaman] dipped himself . . . seven times in the Jordan’ [2 Kgs. 5:14]. It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized, but [this served] as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean, by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions, being spiritually regenerated as newborn babes, even as the Lord has declared: ‘Except a man be born again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ [John 3:5]" (Fragment 34 [A.D. 190]).



Hippolytus

"Baptize first the children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them" (The Apostolic Tradition 21:16 [A.D. 215]).



Origen

"Every soul that is born into flesh is soiled by the filth of wickedness and sin. . . . In the Church, baptism is given for the remission of sins, and, according to the usage of the Church, baptism is given even to infants. If there were nothing in infants which required the remission of sins and nothing in them pertinent to forgiveness, the grace of baptism would seem superfluous" (Homilies on Leviticus8:3 [A.D. 248]).

"The Church received from the apostles the tradition of giving baptism even to infants. The apostles, to whom were committed the secrets of the divine sacraments, knew there are in everyone innate strains of [original] sin, which must be washed away through water and the Spirit" (Commentaries on Romans 5:9 [A.D. 248]).



Cyprian of Carthage

"As to what pertains to the case of infants: You [Fidus] said that they ought not to be baptized within the second or third day after their birth, that the old law of circumcision must be taken into consideration, and that you did not think that one should be baptized and sanctified within the eighth day after his birth. In our council it seemed to us far otherwise. No one agreed to the course which you thought should be taken. Rather, we all judge that the mercy and grace of God ought to be denied to no man born" (Letters 64:2 [A.D. 253]).

"If, in the case of the worst sinners and those who formerly sinned much against God, when afterwards they believe, the remission of their sins is granted and no one is held back from baptism and grace, how much more, then, should an infant not be held back, who, having but recently been born, has done no sin, except that, born of the flesh according to Adam, he has contracted the contagion of that old death from his first being born. For this very reason does he [an infant] approach more easily to receive the remission of sins: because the sins forgiven him are not his own but those of another" (ibid., 64:5).



Gregory of Nazianz

"Do you have an infant child? Allow sin no opportunity; rather, let the infant be sanctified from childhood. From his most tender age let him be consecrated by the Spirit. Do you fear the seal [of baptism] because of the weakness of nature? Oh, what a pusillanimous mother and of how little faith!" (Oration on Holy Baptism 40:7 [A.D. 388]).

"‘Well enough,’ some will say, ‘for those who ask for baptism, but what do you have to say about those who are still children, and aware neither of loss nor of grace? Shall we baptize them too?’ Certainly [I respond], if there is any pressing danger. Better that they be sanctified unaware, than that they depart unsealed and uninitiated" (ibid., 40:28).



John Chrysostom

"You see how many are the benefits of baptism, and some think its heavenly grace consists only in the remission of sins, but we have enumerated ten honors [it bestows]! For this reason we baptize even infants, though they are not defiled by [personal] sins, so that there may be given to them holiness, righteousness, adoption, inheritance, brotherhood with Christ, and that they may be his [Christ’s] members" (Baptismal Catecheses in Augustine, Against Julian 1:6:21 [A.D. 388]).



Augustine

"What the universal Church holds, not as instituted [invented] by councils but as something always held, is most correctly believed to have been handed down by apostolic authority. Since others respond for children, so that the celebration of the sacrament may be complete for them, it is certainly availing to them for their consecration, because they themselves are not able to respond" (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 4:24:31 [A.D. 400]).

"The custom of Mother Church in baptizing infants is certainly not to be scorned, nor is it to be regarded in any way as superfluous, nor is it to be believed that its tradition is anything except apostolic" (The Literal Interpretation of Genesis 10:23:39 [A.D. 408]).

"Cyprian was not issuing a new decree but was keeping to the most solid belief of the Church in order to correct some who thought that infants ought not be baptized before the eighth day after their birth. . . . He agreed with certain of his fellow bishops that a child is able to be duly baptized as soon as he is born" (Letters 166:8:23 [A.D. 412]).

"By this grace baptized infants too are ingrafted into his [Christ’s] body, infants who certainly are not yet able to imitate anyone. Christ, in whom all are made alive . . . gives also the most hidden grace of his Spirit to believers, grace which he secretly infuses even into infants. . . . It is an excellent thing that the Punic [North African] Christians call baptism salvation and the sacrament of Christ’s Body nothing else than life. Whence does this derive, except from an ancient and, as I suppose, apostolic tradition, by which the churches of Christ hold inherently that without baptism and participation at the table of the Lord it is impossible for any man to attain either to the kingdom of God or to salvation and life eternal? This is the witness of Scripture, too. . . . If anyone wonders why children born of the baptized should themselves be baptized, let him attend briefly to this. . . . The sacrament of baptism is most assuredly the sacrament of regeneration" (Forgiveness and the Just Deserts of Sin, and the Baptism of Infants 1:9:10; 1:24:34; 2:27:43 [A.D. 412]).



Council of Carthage V

"Item: It seemed good that whenever there were not found reliable witnesses who could testify that without any doubt they [abandoned children] were baptized and when the children themselves were not, on account of their tender age, able to answer concerning the giving of the sacraments to them, all such children should be baptized without scruple, lest a hesitation should deprive them of the cleansing of the sacraments. This was urged by the [North African] legates, our brethren, since they redeem many such [abandoned children] from the barbarians" (Canon 7 [A.D. 401]).



Council of Mileum II

"[W]hoever says that infants fresh from their mothers’ wombs ought not to be baptized, or say that they are indeed baptized unto the remission of sins, but that they draw nothing of the original sin of Adam, which is expiated in the bath of regeneration . . . let him be anathema [excommunicated]. Since what the apostle [Paul] says, ‘Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so passed to all men, in whom all have sinned’ [Rom. 5:12], must not be understood otherwise than the Catholic Church spread everywhere has always understood it. For on account of this rule of faith even infants, who in themselves thus far have not been able to commit any sin, are therefore truly baptized unto the remission of sins, so that that which they have contracted from generation may be cleansed in them by regeneration" (Canon 3 [A.D. 416]).

Baptize your children. Give them the gift of faith.... and a running start on the spiritual journey!

My family with Fr. Michael Cassabon and the Godparents of our third daughter at her baptism.

Wordless wednesday-- Highlights from our trip home to France

On How to Hear Women's Confessions (for priests)

Confessions of Women. 

A dangerous rock which the priest encounters in the stormy sea of the world is the hearing of women’s confessions. The knowledge of this fact and a sense of dread are his best safeguard. He must persevere in a state of indifference and insensibility towards female penitents; he must keep his heart hermetically sealed against human sentiments of affection and avoid every sign of familiarity, though cherishing a holy respect and reverence for the sex of our mothers. 

Woman needs the sacraments more frequently than man. Her good influence in the home-circle is of the highest value for the faith and morality of those who come in daily contact with her. Her presence should spread about her the perfume of Christian devotion and charity. It is the duty of a confessor to cultivate the virtues of humility and purity in the queenly heart of the Catholic woman and to fit her for the exalted position which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, won for her in the Church of her Son. 

Guard your eyes: Averte oculos tuos, ne videant canitatem. The eyes are the windows of the soul; close them to keep sensuality aloof. Do not look at a female penitent either before, during, or after confession. It would he injurious to you and others for several reasons. Non permittas illas ante confessionale accedere, ut tibi loquantur, et multo minus, ut manus deosculentur. In actu confessionis non ostendat, se eas agnoscere (St. Alph.). Guard your tongue; never use expressions of friendship and familiarity; put the fewest possible questions. 

With young women observe the advice of St. Augustine: Sermo brevis et rigidus cum his mulieribus habendus est; nec tamen quia sanctiores, ideo minus cavendae; quo enim sanctiores sunt, eo magis alliciant. St. Liguori says: Cum junioribus in confessionariosis potius rigidus quam suavis. Speak to a woman in the confessional as if you were addressing her spirit, separated from the body and standing before the judgment-seat of God. Be kind and respectful to old women, especially if they are afflicted with deafness or some infirmity peculiar to their age. Obsecra anus ut matres (1 Tim. v. 2). 

Do not permit them to tell more than their sins, and check garrulity. Piarum praecipue muliercularum garrulitatem graviter ac moderate coerceat (Conc. Balt. IT. 281). Be not deceived by tears: they may be sincere, but women’s tears are always cheap and handy. Frequently raise your heart to Mary Immaculate that it may not be moved by human sentiment. St. Alphonsus gives another important advice: Abstineant Confessarii a munusculis recipiendis, et praecipue ad illarum domus non accedant. 

Rev. William Stang, D.D., Pastoral Theology (Second, Revised and Enlarged Edition) (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1897), 178-180. 

NOTE
Born in Germany, William Stang (1854-1907) taught theology and was a parish priest before he came to the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island. The book cited above was meant to be a practical guide for future priests. In 1904 he was named the first Bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts. He died following surgery in 1907. Bishop Stang High School was founded at North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in 1959. The school is coeducational and sponsors weekly reconciliation services.