tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.comments2023-10-28T11:12:02.164-04:00The Philosopher MomErika Ahernhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11477804033751036631noreply@blogger.comBlogger1220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-48416589778457545302016-04-03T17:35:21.916-04:002016-04-03T17:35:21.916-04:00Love your article, I'm feeling very nervous le...Love your article, I'm feeling very nervous leaving a private Christian school because of judgment. I plan on doing it and feel I have no reason not to but I feel like everyone is making it out that I will ruin my child's education. We only have one child in 2nd grade, and financially stable to afford an excellent private school but I can teach her so much more about this Devine world.. we can travel freely. I'm just so scared. ... I'm scared because of the negatives in my life (meaning the people around me) I pull her our of school for 30 days to travel with me already to volunteer and meet the world. So it's like my foots out the door , I'm just filled with self doubt.... sorry for my rant... please keep the uplifting post some of us are clinging to these words until we've accepted the facts. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07407044375476024964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-45224643874653336552013-02-06T15:23:50.959-05:002013-02-06T15:23:50.959-05:00I am still waiting for my fairy tales post. Holdi...I am still waiting for my fairy tales post. Holding out, that is ;)<br /><br />Rest up and a blessed start to Lent for you!LPatterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01513484184251700148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-89029550254057756622013-02-06T15:09:16.025-05:002013-02-06T15:09:16.025-05:00Dude. Do it! :-DDude. Do it! :-DLizhttp://quickeyedlove.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-22666733457005553912012-12-24T09:25:36.591-05:002012-12-24T09:25:36.591-05:00Thank you, Erika. That's beautiful. And yes v...Thank you, Erika. That's beautiful. And yes very helpful. Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-39658684012591771582012-11-12T10:20:25.309-05:002012-11-12T10:20:25.309-05:00Wonderful commentary.Wonderful commentary.Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09264059472790843992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-75692374700529523792012-11-08T18:25:18.542-05:002012-11-08T18:25:18.542-05:00Beautiful! Well said.Beautiful! Well said.Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-11743059356256980932012-10-23T20:53:10.709-04:002012-10-23T20:53:10.709-04:00Dear Erika,
Have you read Solange Hertz? I often ...Dear Erika,<br />Have you read Solange Hertz? I often go back and read this bit from "Come Down Zacchaeus" when a cross is tripping me up:<br />“'I am become a laughing-stock all the day, all scoff at me,' foretells Jeremias, not only of the Son of God, but of anyone who follows Him. The Christian has to get used to being laughed at, because he’s bound to look ridiculous. This comes of carrying a cross.<br /> Actually, a cross is never carried. Our Lord never commanded us to carry it because that’s impossible, and God doesn’t command the impossible. If He appears to have said this---as He does sometimes in St. Luke (14:27)---it’s because a translator chose to adopt the secondary meaning of bastazei, a verb which means primarily 'to lift up' or 'to raise.' Our Lord himself endured the Way of the Cross to prove to us that even He in His human weakness couldn’t carry His cross any more than we can ours.<br /> What our Lord told us was, 'Take it up.' Once taken up, a cross is yanked, pulled, kicked, dragged, heaved, pushed or toted uphill. (If you’re carrying a cross, put it down. It’s not yours; you’ve picked up somebody else’s.) Eventually, like our Lord, you will have to submit to the humiliation of admitting it’s too much for you and you’ll have to accept help. Even so, you trip over it. You drop it---usually on your own foot---and often fall under it in sight of everybody. At the last, somebody else sets it up for you, nails you to it, and you die on it---slowly---stark naked as Adam. This is living the spiritual life, and the world will always laugh at it. Although transfiguringly beautiful from 'up there,' down here it’s very undignified."mwahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01368928749615345860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-40391195270603125092012-09-28T17:24:33.626-04:002012-09-28T17:24:33.626-04:00Dear Erika, thanks for the blog and your writing. ...Dear Erika, thanks for the blog and your writing. Your labors of love bear much fruit, I can attest! Here's something beautiful from Caryll Housleander (if you haven't read her in awhile, you should!) - one of her letters to a friend on suffering:<br /><br />"... About your question on suffering: I don't think you need to reproach yourself about your 'acceptance' of it. First of all, this is a matter of the will; naturally you could not possibly <i>feel</i> glad to suffer- if you could, it would not be suffering at all. I rather think that this fact is at the root of a lot of our worries and anxieties about suffering. We read a lot of stuff about the saints 'rejoicing in suffering,' and stupidly (though naturally) imagine from this that they actually <i>enjoyed</i> suffering! There are, of course, people who in a queer perverted way <i>do</i> enjoy suffering, but they are not saints! <br /><br />The acceptance of the saints must, of course, be the same as Our Lord's acceptance of His Passion - something before which He shrank and of which He felt every faintest quiver. If anyone who had to suffer became insensitive and did not feel it, but instead felt a certain smugness in their own ability to suffer, it would be utterly useless - it would not really be suffering at all. <br /><br />Very well, it's no use hoping to <i>enjoy</i> what we have to suffer, or even that we may have a feeling of accomplishment or some such thing: everything in human nature, if our suffering really <i>is</i> suffering, must smart and agonize under it, and we must confess with Our Lord that it is something wholly and absolutely against our will. <br /><br />I am afraid in the first place the acceptance has to be a sheer <i>act</i> of the <i>will</i>. It is true, as you say, that I did suffer enough... to understand a little of what you feel, although I know I did not go through anything approaching your grief. I suppose we each have to take the measure of our capacity and no more, since more we <i>can't</i> take... <br /><br />I'm afraid there is no short cut, and no hope of suffering without <i>feeling</i> it. The only thing to do, so far as I know, is to go on and on repeating this prayer, even if it seems to be a mechanical repetition - "Lord, into Thy hands" - and then say, 'I confide X, or myself' - and perhaps it can help to meditate on what you mean by 'into Thy hands' - hands of infinite tenderness, infinite love, absolute power..."<br /><br /><br />I'll be praying for you, Erika! God bless your whole family.caroline&philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248598078092164554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-69630194362845214592012-09-27T19:09:53.613-04:002012-09-27T19:09:53.613-04:00Sometimes simply knowing that "This Too Shall...Sometimes simply knowing that "This Too Shall Pass" is enough. Sometimes surviving is all you can do. I wish I was better at suffering as well, but I'm not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-65741662364591846922012-09-27T11:15:30.840-04:002012-09-27T11:15:30.840-04:00Perhaps a bit of Julian is appropriate: "All ...Perhaps a bit of Julian is appropriate: "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." How deeply she must have been at rest in the unutterable Presence... in the cloud of unknowing. You are truly in the midst of a dark cloud! I am praying with much love and desire.mmumsienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-75707476305555310662012-09-25T09:57:00.939-04:002012-09-25T09:57:00.939-04:00Thanks, Lissla and Jen! And... JEN! That's won...Thanks, Lissla and Jen! And... JEN! That's wonderful. I'll offer some up for you, too. Thanks for the prayers.Erika Ahernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11477804033751036631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-54506359483616922342012-09-24T21:34:22.006-04:002012-09-24T21:34:22.006-04:00What exciting news!!!! I'm extra excited becau...What exciting news!!!! I'm extra excited because I also just found out I'm pregnant and am also miserably sick (though it's not nearly as bad as what you deal with). I'll be offering up my morning sickness for you!Jennifer @ Conversion Diaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11894992378619176830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-19457791444113401732012-09-21T19:56:55.425-04:002012-09-21T19:56:55.425-04:00Congratulations! That's wonderful news!Congratulations! That's wonderful news!lissla lissarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05354424704358588553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-15554192551373001292012-09-19T11:05:28.962-04:002012-09-19T11:05:28.962-04:00Erika! I've been caught up in the craziness of...Erika! I've been caught up in the craziness of life and the new school year and haven't stopped by in a while. But you had that happy, yet not-feeling-great look on Sunday which made me wonder. Congratulations! Of course you will be in our prayers that everything will go as smoothly as it can, despite difficulty.<br />As you say, God is the only one who knows what each of us can handle and why we must. I often find myself metaphorically hugging my own crosses to myself and begging God, "Please, leave me these! I don't want anyone else's!" But He gives us grace as we need it, not before...and we can do all things through Him.Faith E. Houghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03823750019164801104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-66906769491695940122012-09-04T18:43:42.632-04:002012-09-04T18:43:42.632-04:00nothing like a vocation to bring out the true phil...nothing like a vocation to bring out the true philosopher/theologian! <br /><br />I had no idea...LPatterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01513484184251700148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-39976425286355451432012-08-26T16:00:13.398-04:002012-08-26T16:00:13.398-04:00You should read the beautiful writings of the devo...You should read the beautiful writings of the devout Catholic Thomistic Psychiatrist, Conrad Baars. They're really beautiful and the sense of God is always there.Rivkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15411813031385028803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-64204038447829621722012-08-26T15:58:45.060-04:002012-08-26T15:58:45.060-04:00You should really read the beautiful writings of C...You should really read the beautiful writings of Conrad Baars, a devout Catholic Psychiatrist. The things he says are really beautiful and God is always present. :)Rivkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15411813031385028803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-53645629823326964902012-08-24T21:46:15.593-04:002012-08-24T21:46:15.593-04:00I can't tell you how honored I am by your kind...I can't tell you how honored I am by your kind words, Erika! Thank you!!<br />Jennifer @ Conversion Diaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11894992378619176830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-61624144397817485472012-08-11T23:58:25.556-04:002012-08-11T23:58:25.556-04:00You. are. awesome.
Wow!
Can I please be half a...You. are. awesome.<br /><br />Wow! <br /><br />Can I please be half as eloquent (an eighth?) at our opening rel ed meetings?! <br /><br />I love Edith and I know far less than I should about her as her feast is my birthday - I feel close to her spiritually without knowing much or having read much because I just trust she's got my back, and what I do know I am in awe of! THanks for the terrific quote/prayer. <br /><br />Best wishes and blessings to you as you journey forward - I can't wait to read more (when time permits!) about this endeavor - it sounds amazing. You are well suited for your place at the helm of such an undertaking!!! <br /><br />God bless you dear Erika!LPatterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01513484184251700148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-84237756414767144082012-08-10T20:17:49.401-04:002012-08-10T20:17:49.401-04:00I wish you all the best on this new endeavor. Thos...I wish you all the best on this new endeavor. Those students are in wonderful hands :)Patrice Fagnant-MacArthurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15146572541496916259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-86898594126606964912012-07-23T08:14:11.190-04:002012-07-23T08:14:11.190-04:00LOVED Undset's bio of St. Catherine of Siena. ...LOVED Undset's bio of St. Catherine of Siena. MUST get this volume as well. Interesting that many hated Catherine--or tried to hate her--but their problem with her wasn't that she was a woman acting out of place, but that they thought she was putting them on.Phoenixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05250233541111523269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-27937446624662849762012-07-18T18:22:03.678-04:002012-07-18T18:22:03.678-04:00One of the things I've loved about Undset'...One of the things I've loved about Undset's biography of Catherine of Siena is how often she takes the time to set the scene and interpret the medieval worldview for her modern readers. <br /><br />I hadn't heard of this book but will definitely add it to my wish list. Sounds awesome.Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-16545296514390468322012-07-16T22:29:38.233-04:002012-07-16T22:29:38.233-04:00Beautiful. I've got to show this one to Bella ...Beautiful. I've got to show this one to Bella and Sophie tomorrow. I think the latest report on Bella's vocational discernment is that she feels called to Carmel. Of course that seems to change frequently though she is steadfast in her assurances that she is going to be a nun. Dom's is rather campaigning against Carmel (in a half-joking kind of way; but I do think it would be hard on him for her to enter a cloister) but I am all for it.Melanie Bettinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557248434888642114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-35959145339904150232012-07-15T16:33:39.893-04:002012-07-15T16:33:39.893-04:00Of all the methods, only NFP requires a great deal...Of all the methods, only NFP requires a great deal of cooperation between the married couple. This strengthens the marriage bond. The other methods, including sterilization, lead to promiscuity.Robert Callinonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4865004314650777465.post-22823516299585514052012-07-08T09:36:03.401-04:002012-07-08T09:36:03.401-04:00 I'm going to present two cases and then yo... I'm going to present two cases and then you are going to have the last word and I am not going to rebut you.<br /> Case one in the West: a rural Catholic young couple each with only a high school degree have one child who has extreme autism with therapy bills not covered by insurance that make them debtors til death. Ergo, they have a serious reason to have one child only. <a rel="nofollow">They can use NFP for the next two decades and worry or they can both be dual sterilized and not worry.</a> About ten Popes out of 265 have expounded on this area at all throughout history. The other Popes have obeyed the decretals on it rooted in several Councils and in the Fathers who at times were influenced by stoicism ( Lactantius, Clement, Jerome) which decretals also stated that a child born to a slave mother was also a slave. Much in Catholicism is perfunctory if you aspire to being Pope. Popes actually interested in a topic can be few. Popes opposed contraception and supported slavery in the decretals for the same centuries and perfunctorily.<br /> 29 Popes from Sixtus V to Leo XIII ( noninclusive) cooperated proximately with the castrati system introduced by Sixtus V into the papal choirs which exercised alteration of the generative member which Pius XI, one Pope, forbade and called mutilation...others then repeated him. The 29 Popes did not call it mutilation when it filled the churches due to ethereal singing...if you like that type of singing.<br /><br /> Case 2<br /> China....1/6th of the world's people. In most provinces, a second or subsequent pregnancy to a young couple will be forcibly aborted, the young couple fined three times their poverty income or jailed...leaving their one child with relatives ( few exist). We are saying again that they must choose not worry free dual sterilization but NFP used perfectly if that's possible in their case. With dual sterilization, they can obey I Corinthians 7:5 in which God, not simply Paul, urges many (not all) ....to not overdo abstaining except for prayer but come together again lest satan enter their marriage.<br /><br /> Is this going to be another usury redux? Saints denounced whole towns for taking interest for 1400 years much like Fr. Euteneuer denounced Hannity<br />for being a heretic on birth control....and then in 1830 word went out from Rome that Catholics could finally take moderate interest....a position Calvinists held in 1545. Instead of praising Calvin, our apologetics people said that the nature of money changed and the Church wisely recognized it in 1830. Permit me to roflol.<br />Money didn't change it's nature from early 1830 when you sinned til late 1830 when you were sinless for the same exact action. Nor did money change from 1766 til late 1830. Whole towns were denounced for usury by saints and now the issue is invisible in the Catholic world except each Council and catechism will mention it once for future apologetics people should they need it in 3012 AD as uom.<br /> bill bannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09737277581167437670noreply@blogger.com