I found a great new site via the Curt Jester - it is dedicated to the theology of the body and as such is of great importance to understanding human sexuality in a Catholic Christian context.
Religion: March 2003 Archives
The Official Site for the movie Thérèse is good. Click on 'flash site' for a brief trailer. I think the site is still under construction, as there were not many live links and I could not find my way to the advertised message boards. Still, you might want to check it out, especially those of you with the Carmelite focus to your spirituality. I am looking forward to the film, as I hope it can cure me of my overreaction to some of the more saccharine portrayals of the little flower.
update: I wrote to the webmaster for the site, and was told that I could find the links by clicking on the roses in the pop-up window after the intro. I still wonder how I was supposed to figure that out, though!
Sacred Heart Church - Stations of the Cross
A Lented devotion, done well. Link courtesy of Dappled Things .
My 14 year old daughter is a freshman at a public high school. Recently, we have had some interesting conversations about the ways in which she has been a defender of her faith in the classroom. It is through stories like this that I am coming to realize how subtly yet profoundly anti-Catholicism has pervaded our culture and society, even in a state where Catholics are the largest single religious group.
My daughter is taking geography and history. Her class has been studying World War II. When they were studying the Holocaust and Naziism, she pointed out that there were Catholics and other Christians who were also put into concentration camps and murdered for their faith. A classmate retorted something to the effect that he thought it was the Catholics who were putting the Jews into the ovens. My daughter brought up the example of Maximilian Kolbe, of whom apparently none of her classmates (even the Catholic ones) had heard.
In science, she is told by classmates that Catholics don't believe in various scientific theories. She gets taunted with the example of Galileo (on whom she did an "A" grade report and poster display in the 7th grade). She is accused of geocentrism, flat earthiness, and who knows what else. She and I have had some long conversations on these issues.
A great resource I have found is the book Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons? by Matt Pinto. Even though she herself hasn't read it through, we have found good answers to many of the questions that have arisen over the last few months. We are still looking for some zingers for her vegan friends, though.
Two Sleepy Mommies have an interesting thread going about economics, social justice, a living wage, stay at home moms, and Rerum Novarum (one of my favorite encyclicals, along with Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae). I strongly suggest you go there and read the posts and the comments - there is a lot of wisdom to be found.
I have been ruminating on this topic for years. Part of what has inspired some of the deeper thoughts has been from C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity. It is the chapter on social morality. Let me qupte you a few lines.
There is one bit of advice given to us by the ancient Heathen Greeks, and by the Jews in the Old Testament, and by the great Christian teachers of the Middle Ages, which the modern economic system has completely disobeyed. All these people told us not to lend money at interest: and lending money at interest - what we call investment - is the basis of our whole sytem.
It does give one pause for thought, no?
I would also suggest that anyone seriously pursuing thoughts about family structure, work, and morality, should read G.K. Chesterton. There is a compilation of his writings on the topic entitled Brave New Family that is truly excellent. Among the content in this volume is a comment about how the book Brave New World (the famous dystopia) simultaneously mocked and celebrated the famous Anglican Lambeth conference, where the Church of England broke ranks with history by approving artificial contraception.
One last random thought. The term Utopia was created by St. (Sir) Thomas More, as his title for a book that he modeled after Plato's Republic. He was looking to design an ideal society based upon Catholic Christian ideals. Also worth reading.
'Crunchy Cons' Creating New Religious Subculture
Finally, a group that I can hang with!!!!! Especially in the next to the last paragraph. Thanks to Two Sleepy Mommies for the link. (They got it from HMS blog).
Pdawwg: So you say you want a Sexual Revolution?
This really does say it all. My take - women lost the sexual revolution - big time.
An Ash Wednesday reflection from The Lady in the Pew. Excellent, as usual.
Te Deum laudamus
Thank to Jeanetta at De Fidei Oboedientia for finding me this in Latin, as well as a really nice Latin Language website that I have added to the blogroll.
Oregon Euthanasia report
Read it and weep.
