Some Thoughts..

I was thinking yesterday that being pregnant puts a woman in such a unique position. I think it's really hard to convey to women who haven't ever been pregnant (and to men!) just what it's like. I admit that I used to be more than a little weirded out by the thought that a human being would someday live inside of me. You mean, he just lives in there? And you can't do all of the things you used to do or want to do? And sometimes you can actually feel and SEE him moving? Gross! Ahh, how things and minds change. Anyway, back to the unique position idea. You see, yesterday, after I had written out my Lenten goals, I doubted my success. Father Euteneuer (in the link at the bottom of yesterday's post) warned against an Icarus-like Lenten goal list - quality versus quantity, and such. And I started thinking, Am I really going to go to daily Mass? I certainly have the time, but am I really going to go? Do I actually desire enough to show God my love that I am willing to sacrifice my time every day? Lent always makes me realize how truly selfish I am.

But then another thought struck me - every time I go to Mass, so does my son. Every time I receive Communion, so does my son. Now, I had vaguely thought about this throughout my 7 months of pregnancy, thinking of it more as something the two of us shared than anything else. But yesterday I realized that, while pregnant, if I don't take my son to Mass, no one else will. Really, no one else can. It is my unique duty at this point in my life to bring my son to God's house. Of course, motherhood itself opens a whole new world of opportunities for a woman, as she steps into a role that a dad or other relative could never fill in quite the same way. And others can pray for him, now and after birth. Once he is born, others can take him to church or tell him about the mysteries of the Rosary, or read him the Gospels. But at this moment in time, if I don't sacrifice and take him to Mass, no one else can. What an incredible and awesome responsibility.

Lenten Links and Lofty Goals

I can hardly believe Lent starts tomorrow! It seems like it was just Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, and then New Year's, and then Valentine's Day...and suddenly, after months of excess and overeating, here we are. I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of person for whom deadlines are a double edged sword - they instill a creeping anxiety in me while simultaneously giving me the slap to the face that helps me get things accomplished. At the risk of sounding crass, Lent is like a term paper deadline for me. The thought that we are going to be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus in a little over 40 days is what I need every year to make me reevaluate the way I live my life and take stock of the material excesses and habits that serve to distance me from God. My plan for this Lenten season is:

- cut out watching any television during the day and to fill that time with prayer and/or daily Mass
- make daily prayer with my husband a priority
- eliminate all joking at others' expense (this applies to two particular people who shall remain nameless at this point) and gossip - actually think about what I say before I say it!
- spend free-reading time reading Catholic literature instead of Sherlock Holmes stories, etc.

So that's the plan. I think that making it "public" (for the 3 people who read this blog) will help me stick to it and achieve the personal conversion that is the heart of Lent. 

And to help you with your Lenten journey, here are some good links and articles I dug up while wasting time on the internet:

We Could All Use a Little More Deprivation
Recommended Reading for Lent
Fr. Euteneuer on Wasting Lent
All Your Lenten Questions Answered
More Lenten Reading
Death on a Friday Afternoon

A YouTube Video Is Worth a Thousand Words

Digital food for thought on two of America's most irritating, botoxed, hairsprayed women in politics - one from the national scene and one who aspires to the same:

1. Not that I'm Jack Cafferty's #1 fan or anything,  but as Laura Ingraham said about The Situation Room correspondent, "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." Here he tells Wolf Blitzer how he really feels about Nancy Pelosi. Amen, Cafferty.

2. If you're not familiar with Massachusetts politics (or Massachusettes, as Coakley seems to think it's spelled), a special election next week will determine who will fill the Senate seat formerly known as "Ted Kennedy's." Scott Brown (R) has taken on Martha Coakley (D); his election would be a massive upset for Democrats on a national level, and a triumph in a state that is so ridiculously left-leaning that Coakley barely had to wage a campaign for the seat - or so she thought. As her public appearances (though few and far between) consistently show how uninformed and pathetic she is, Brown is seriously closing the gap. To add insult to Coakley's injury, one of her staffers recently assaulted a reporter from The Weekly Standard who attempted to question Coakley about her statement that "there are no more Taliban in Afghanistan." She reponds with, "I'm sorry, does anyone else have a question?" and her staffer responds by shoving the reporter to the ground. Politics as usual in Massachusettes - after all, the race is for the Kennedy seat. The reporter's last name? No, not Kopechne.

Back to Basics

I always thought that I was a bit old school, even before I really committed to Catholicism. I felt uncomfortable in immodest clothing; I enjoyed cooking for people and liked family dinners; I preferred to read a book instead of watching tv; I thought Amish people were interesting; even swearing felt forced...the list goes on.

I like simpler things. I assumed I was just weird.

But today I learned about a movement called voluntary simplicity! The blogger at A Woman's Place... noted that she is reading a book called Back to Basics, I clicked on the Amazon link, and was immediately intrigued. Apparently the general concept of voluntary simplicity has lots of levels (I'm not the kind of person who's going to start using an outhouse! Let's be serious.), and people choose to pursue simple living for many reasons - a cursory Google search leads me to believe that most of these simplicity seekers are anti-consumerist or those trying to reduce their carbon footprints. I really don't fall into either of those categories. But for those of us (like the blogger at A Woman's Place) who strive to live an authentically Catholic life, reducing our dependency on material goods and earthly affirmations of our worth could only be a positive thing. This makes me think of the number of Catholic speakers I've listened to (Peter Kreeft, Matthew Kelly) who talk about people being slaves to technology - tv, cell phones, ipods, Facebook. These things are created to make our lives easier, simpler, more efficient - but they end up consuming chunks of our day, until there is no time for prayer or talk or authentic relationships with those around us.

Zach, I would be interested to see if/how the simpler life fits in with Pieper's Leisure.

This post, interestingly enough, coincides with the week that my husband and I have decided to cancel our cable services - Comcast has increased our prices and, while saving for our home, it just seems ludicrous to waste money on a luxury like HDTV. Thus begins our journey into the depths of voluntary simplicity...

At Skip Hop, "we're in tune with the cool person you were before parenthood."

What if I wasn't cool, even before parenthood? Where are the products for those of us who are lame to begin with? That's what I want to know. Don't these companies understand that some people are just normal? Thanks for pouring salt on the wound.

Skip Hop seems to think that having a kid (MAYBE two. But seriously, isn't one enough?) is something cool people have all agreed can now be added to the 'hot' column of some cosmic 'hot or not' list. I guess it does open up a new realm of Facebook groups to join and events to attend. And yeah, it would be pretty sweet if my kid could be "cooler" than I ever was (having set the bar pretty low should help him in that arena), but I'll spend my efforts on developing a moral, God-loving (and fearing) child instead.

Anyway, check out their website and you'll see what I'm complaining about.

Although I do really want the funky farmyard activity gym and the build-a-barn blocks....

Mind Control

As part of a New Year's resolution to become more familiar with the word of God, my husband and I have decided to start our own little Bible study. Our process is inspired by a combination of a blogpost on the First Things website and a talk we received from Lighthouse Catholic Media by Matthew Kelly called "Building Better Families." The First Things post is called "How to Change Your Mind," and its author makes the bold claim that following his four step program will transform your life - not in the way that a January detox program will rid you of non-organic toxins in your colon, or some "Auras for Dummies" book from the New Age section at BN will help you determine the color of your own chakra. Nope. Following his advice, he says, will transform your life by helping you to truly internalize the message that is meant to give us real peace and shed light on the real purpose of our lives. What are these magic 4 steps, you ask? Simple:

1. Choose a book of the Bible
2. Read it in its entirety.
3. Repeat step #2 twenty times.
4. Repeat this process for all books of the Bible.

Easy enough! As the author says, Christians often talk about having a Biblical worldview yet most have only a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible. They attempt to build a framework without first gathering the lumber and cement needed to create a solid foundation. The benefits of following this process should therefore be obvious. By fully immersing yourself into the text you’ll come to truly know the text. You’ll deepen your understanding of each book and knowledge of the the Bible as a whole. So true. And so simple. If you're going to have a religion based on the word of God, you should probably be familiar with that word. Just a thought.

Anyway, you can check out his post for more detailed info. about how to go about this process, and a list of of NT and OT books from shortest to longest. My husband and I have started with the Letters of John (since the author recommends working shortest to longest, NT to OT). We read all three of them last night, and will try to read them each night for a week, moving on to the next shortest book when this week is over.

For someone like me, who is torn between having too little familiarity with the Bible and being overwhelmed by the thought of plunging in, solo, on page 1, I think this little experiment is going to work really well - if my husband and I can just stick to the regimen. So what does God give us? A little encouragement - today's NT reading for daily Mass is from John's first letter. Looks like I might be on the right track...

Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4-6).

This is my inaugural post! Welcome to my blog, where I'll write about things I read in books, ideas I find on the internet, how super cool it is to be a 20-something Catholic, stuff I talk about with my husband, and how our Baby Boy (due April 24!) is doing.

Try to control your excitement.