— 1 —

This Week’s Mythbuster: Myth #4:  Men/Women Are Defective

I pray my post blesses you in your walk with the Lord and convinces you to wait for the one God has for you!

— 2 —

Ignitum Today:  If you haven’t yet check out this site, please do so.  It has these awesome, young Catholic writers who love and are faithful to The Catholic Church. This post by Arleen Spenceley titled “The Goal of Chastity” is great.  The combox included this comment and I cannot help but agree:

“…Sad to say, it is women that have ruined men. I know that sounds terrible but maybe men just aren’t as strong as women, who knows, but men have always been the same. One hundred years ago, men would sleep with the ‘easy’ girls but if they wanted an attractive woman with good qualities, they had to wait until marriage for ‘sex’. Today, a man doesn’t have to be manly, virtuous, gentlemanly, lovers of God, and kind to women. No, since most women will satisfy our most selfish and base desires, why wait for the real jewels? The fact is that today if a man won’t love God and a woman enough to live chastely until marriage, he probably will not show true love to his wife. If you don’t believe me, look at the divorce rate, rate of domestic violence, adultery, etc. We don’t even have to commit to a woman anymore, just shack up and everything is good until we get bored.”

— 3 —

Facebook Blunders:  I could easily include several Facebook blunders each week but here are two from this week:

1.  A teenager’s photo of the gifts her boyfriend gave her.  Including the ‘naughty seduction’ body lotion.  TMI
2.  A girl posted a photo of her boyfriend and herself….in bed.  TMI

I believe that deep down these girls are experiencing doubt about their worth.  So, they post these photos as a way of showing the world that they are worthy of a man and attention.  But really, all it reveals is that they are having sex outside marriage, being used and that they don’t have the good sense to not share this with the world with details on Facebook. Keep it classy girls.  Remember your dignity.

— 4 —

Pro-life Must Read:  Brianna from the blog Just Showing Up is a young wife and Mother who somehow produces these profound articles while juggling, oh let’s see…7 children, 4 adopted, 2 with Down Syndrome.  And she home schools her children.  Her writing is impeccable and solidly Catholic. Finally, she is a….Convert!! Please check her out and follow her. You won’t be disappointed!

 As we approach the March For Life next Friday, this post hits home.  Here is a quote from it:

“….But so long as women seek salvation and freedom via Planned Parenthood escorts, vacuum aspirators and forceps, they fall prey to the culture’s narrative which says that pregnancy renders women as little more than host to a parasite.

See, it is the culture that fails to acknowledge a woman as anything more than a body with a uterus.

It is the culture that fails to acknowledge that a woman is a person….”

— 5 —

 St Ignatius of Antioch:  Love him.  Even his name is cool.  Here is a quote from him:

“Take heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever you do, you may do it according to [the will of] God.”

 — 6 —

Symeon the New Theologian:   (c.949-1022), Greek monk, saint of the Orthodox churches 

I am not sure why he is named the “New” Theologian but how about this quote from the sermon, The light that leads me by the hand: 

“…We know well the love you have granted us: love without limit, inexpressible, that nothing can contain. It is light – light inaccessible, light that acts in all things… Indeed, what is there that this light does not do? What is there that it is not? It is delight and joy, sweetness and peace, mercies without number, abyss of compassion. When I possess it I do not notice it; only when it goes away do I see it. I hasten to grasp it and it all flies away. I do not know what to do and spend my strength. I learn to ask and seek for it with tears, in great humility, and not to think that what exceeds nature, what comes from God’s compassion and infinite mercy, is either possible or the result of my own power or human effort… 

This light leads us by the hand, strengthens and teaches us, revealing itself and then fleeing away when we need it. It is not when we want it to (for that belongs to the perfect) but when we are at our wits end and completely worn out that it comes to our help. It appears from afar and lets me feel it within my heart. I am suffocated with sobbing so greatly do I want to grasp it, but all is night and my poor hands are empty. I forget everything; I sit down and weep, despairing of seeing it again like this. When I have wept heartily and consented to stop, then, having mysteriously come, it holds my face and I dissolve in tears, not knowing who it is who is there illumining my spirit with sweetest light….”

I don’t want to embarrass myself here but this description of God being so subtle and mysterious matches my experience with Him.  I wish I could say I have a grasp on God.  But, I don’t.  I find Him very, very elusive which is both frustrating and reassuring.  So, I simply try to submit my will, my intellect and myself to Him. 

— 7 —

Fever:  To complete my Saint ‘hat trick’, I will present something by a Saint who is very near and dear to my heart:  Saint Jerome (347-420), priest, translator of the Bible, Doctor of the Church 

Homilies on Saint Mark’s gospel, no.2C :  He is Present by Faith 

“..If only Jesus could come and cure our fever with a word! For each of us has their fever. When I fall into a fury, I have a fever; however many my vices, so many are my fevers. Let us ask the apostles to beg Jesus to come to us, to touch our hand. If he does so, the fever will at once vanish for Jesus is an excellent physician. He is the true, the great doctor, supreme among all doctors… He knows how to uncover the secrets of every illness: he does not touch our ear, our face… but our hand, that is to say our evil deeds… “

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow” button. Thank you and God Bless!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!