Journeys of a Catholic Poster Girl

While 2009 doesn’t start for another month, in the Church 2009 has begun today! The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the new Church Year. 

Last year I found a copy of the out-of-print Around the Year With the Von Trapp Family (yes, that Von Trapp family) on the internet (link on sidebar). Besides being wonderfully written, it also gives meticulous detail about how the large family celebrated every season of the Church year. I printed off the pages and placed them in a binder (sort of comprising a ‘book’), and have followed it since then. 

This is the first Advent I have with it, and one of the ideas is choosing a patron saint for the year. This year, I have chosen St. Francis, partially because there are several “Francis”es in my family, and also because I hope to be studying at Franciscan University in 2009, so I figure I better know some more about him and his order, other than he was kidnapped by pirates, rebuilt churches with his money, liked animals and founded the Franciscan order. 

So this year I will be praying/reading/studying St. Francis. If you know any good books or internet links about him, please leave them in the combox!

Another thing: Advent reading. I use the Magnificat Advent book, and Advent and Christmas with Pope John Paul II. (There’s a whole series of these–Padre Pio, G.K. Chesterton, etc., etc.) What books do you like to use? 

I have really fallen for this wonderful man and we have been dating for 3 years and seriously looking at marriage. Here is the problem: He goes to church. I really don’t mind the Christmas and Easter visits, but he insists on going every Sunday. It is so hard to plan weekends with his over-commitment to his church. On top of that he insists on “tithing” which means 10 percent of his income to this church. This drives me crazy! That is like a car payment! I love this man so much, but I don’t know how to approach the subject of his crazed over-commitment to his faith or church. I mean, people don’t do church like they used to, right? How can I drag this man out of his cave and get him to live in the real, modern world.

Carolyn Hax: Um. In my version of the modern world, each of us is entitled to live in whatever cave we damn please. Earth currently hosts about 6 billion people. Surely you can find one to love whose choices you respect.

Wow.

The above was part of today’s advice chat on the WaPo’s website.
A few comments:

Here is the problem: He goes to church. I really don’t mind the Christmas and Easter visits, but he insists on going every Sunday. It is so hard to plan weekends with his over-commitment to his church.

Um, going to church once a week is not an “overcommitment.” In fact, it’s just about the bare minimum you can do to practice your faith.

On top of that he insists on “tithing” which means 10 percent of his income to this church. This drives me crazy! That is like a car payment!

This is the second thing most people do when they attend church regularly–they tithe. You know, Biblical injunctions and all that, plus the general feeling of obligation when the basket is passed, usually lead to tithing. If he gives 10%, bravo to him!!!! That’s superb!

don’t know how to approach the subject of his crazed over-commitment to his faith or church.

Honey, “Crazed overcommitment” would be like taking you and hiding away in some cabin in Montana, waiting for the second Coming with an ammo stockpile and Spam. This ain’t it.

mean, people don’t do church like they used to, right?

If this is her definition of “do church,” then she’d be totally appalled by the practices of some of the readers of this blog (and its author)–prayer every day! confession! Sacraments! Spiritual reading! Oh my gosh! And some people still become priests and nuns and monks, and give themselves totally to God! Wow!

How can I drag this man out of his cave and get him to live in the real, modern world.

“Out of his cave?” Um, he believes in God. He’s religious. He is, apparently, Christian. I’m not seeing any caveman behaviors here.

I loved Carolyn’s response: “Wow.” That just about sums it up.

From Magnificat (with some of my own additions):

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was born on August 28, 1774, in New york City, to a wealth and distinguished Episcopalian family. She was baptized in the Episcopal faith and was a faithful adherent to the Episcopal Church of England. Her mother died when she was a child and her father was a physician. In 1794, Elizabeth married businessman William Seton, and they raised five children in New York City. Her husband suffered a catastrophic business failure which forced the family to sell their home and depend on the kindness of relatives. William contracted tuberculosis and Elizabeth and Anna, one of their daughters, accompanied him to Leghorn, Italy, where he sought a cure. Sadly, he died there, and Elizabeth and Anna went to live for a time with the Felicci family, wealthy Italians who were friends of William’s. Impressed by their deep faith, Elizabeth decided to convert to Catholicsm upon her return to America. She made her professsion of faith in 1805, much to the displeasure of her family. At the behest of Bishop John Carroll, Elizabeth established the her Catholic school in Balitmore in 1808, which was open to all students regardless of their family’s ability in pay. In 1809 she founded the Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Her two boys were educated at Mount St. Mary’s and joined the American navy. Elizabeth lost two of her daughters, Anna and Rebecca, to tuberculosis. Her daughter Katherine survived. Her community spread to New York state, and as far as St. Louis, before she died on January 4, 1821. She was declared a Saint (the first American-born) by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975.

From St. Elizabeth’s writings:

O Father, the first rule of our dear Saviour’s life was to do your will. Let his will of the present moment be the first rule of our daily life and work, with no other desire but for its most full and complete accomplishment. Help us to follow it faithfully, so that doing what you wish we will be pleasing to you.

Lord Jesus, who was born for us in a stable, lived for us a life of pain and sorrow and died for us upon the cross; say for us in the hour of death, “Father, forgive,” and to your Mother, “behold your child.” Say to us, “This day you shall be with me in paradise.” Dear Saviour, leave us not, forsake us not. We thirst for you, Fountain of Living Water. Our days pass quickly along; soon all will be consummated for us. To your hands, we commend our spirits, not and forever. Amen.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is one of my favorite saints. I’ve seen the movie A Time for Miracles many times, and it helps butress my own feeling of vocation. In my ideal life, I would like to be her–married to a man she loved, children, a nun, a foundress, a teacher, etc. Her life was hard, I know. But still, she encompassed every part of a woman’s life in a truly unique way.

In grade school my parents took us to Emmitsburg to see St. Elizabeth’s home and school. You can still see the original school house she and the sisters used. St. Elizabeth is buried on the property, along with her children. It is a beautiful and peaceful place.

Some links:

On her life

Seton shrine in NYC (lower Manhattan)

The Emmitsburg Shrine (National shrine)

Today I got my registration email from the SMME in Ann Arbor for the vocations retreat in February! I am so excited!

For great gifts that support religious life, go to the Cloister Gift Shoppe, run by the Dominican Nuns in NJ. Their soaps are wonderful–I ordered three scents and they arrived yesterday. I am so happy with them!

I have also put a link to them on my sidebar, so you can shop their year ’round!

These are the two communities I am discerning/talking with:

 Nashville Dominicans of St. Cecilia

Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist (SMME for short)

Please, all of you in blogger land:

please pray for me and for the order I am contacting, that they will be open to the idea of giving me a chance to try my vocation with them, even with my crazy health history!

I have never felt so strongly drawn to anything as I have to this order.

Jesus and Mary, pray for me!

With the release of Mother Teresa’s new book of letters and writings, a lot of people in the press seem amazed at the discovery of her “dark night,” as if they had never imagined such a thing. Personally, I feel that this is one of the more comforting parts of Catholicism, and it reassures me to know that even God’s chosen (well, OK, what we think of as chosen (saints), since we’re all chosen, technically) experience the absence of God.

Maybe it’s something with the name–both Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux experience the dark night. In fact, in The Interior Castle, Teresa talks about it being one of the steps on the way to perfecting your soul. Only souls that are truly close to God, she says, can experience the dark night. If you’re not spiritually “advanced” enough, then you can’t.  God knows you won’t be able to handle the “aridness,” the dryness, the feelings of abandonment, that come with the Dark Night St. John of the Cross wrote about (OK, maybe it’s a Carmelite thing. :-)).  Jesus on the cross cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Taken from Psalm 22) The theme of God’s silence, or abandonment, is a very common one. The fact that Mother Teresa experienced it really shouldn’t surprise us.

Teresa of Avila was right when she wrote about it. You have to have a certain spiritual maturity to face the Dark Night. Otherwise the faith will just wither and fade, like the seed that falls amidst the thorns in Jesus’ parable. It’s great when you feel that communion with God, the sense thatyou and He are one, that He is communicating with you and you feel his presence. But most of the time, it’s not there, right? We’re at Mass and we’re not feeling that joy, the Presence of God. We’re feeling irritation because the people in front of us came in late, a baby’s crying, kids are dropping the hymnals all over the place and their parents are oblivious, people are wearing tank tops and cut-offs, etc. We aren’t focused on Mass. Or we’re praying, and we’re not feeling anything come back. It’s like we’re in empty space. That’s when it’s so easy to give up and think that God doesn’t care. But we have to pray, to go on, to have faith, even when we aren’t sure God is listening or present. That’s what faith is, right? “We walk by faith, and not by sight.” “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet believe.”

We haven’t seen. But we have to believe. It’s the only way to truly come to God.

I went to Mass today, and as today is the Feast of St. Benedict, the (Very short) homily was about his famous idea of “everything in moderation” for the members of his order.

I’ve always wondered exactly what that meant. If I’d rather be reading all day, but I only read for 3-4 hours, is that moderation? It’s easier with food–don’t eat all the cookies at one time!, etc. But more leisure activities, I find it harder to discern what exactly is moderation. Work, however, can sometimes require more effort to reach a moderate level; I’m sure most of us would rather do less work and more leisure than try to have moderation in all things.

How to you keep this maxim? Any ideas?

If you feel like you’re being called to be a sister/brother/priests/etc., what do you do when the orders thwart your calling? Does that mean it wasn’t a real calling to being with? Were you just imagining things?

Every order that I am interested in requires “good physical health,” even the Carmelites, which I think is sort of ironic, given their legacy (i.e., St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese). But no matter.

Any suggestions?