Where fear and doubt prevail

“I have never talked about impurity. . . . But I have spoken many times, as I have to do, about chastity, purity, and the joyful affirmation of love.”--St. Josemaria Escriva

I don't know about you, but I feel like news and life events lately have been...heavy. Whether it's world news, a situation the Church is dealing with, or something going on in lives of people I know, everything seems weighty, urgent, and difficult.

I think it's turbulent times like this that sometimes open the door to new dangerous trends. The new one is the "game" that took over the internet last weekend amongst teens...using balancing pencils over a piece of paper to ask a deceased boy/demon/unknown spirit named "Charlie" to answer their question. Whether you chalk it all up to gravity, or see the eerie semblance this has to ouija boards, it's dangerous and scary...but is it surprising?

The youth are being oversaturated with negative images and all too often experience negative life events. They have questions. They want answers. This new game emphasizes a couple points:

• This is an amazing reminder that parental supervision of web browsing and internet use is essential. I think it is all too common for parents to throw up their hands at pop culture and think that they can't keep up with what "kids these days" are doing. But it is so important that parents do know and keep up with the latest trends, no matter how fast they move, so that they know how to respond and protect their children. Even in harmless things. Remember the ice bucket challenge? It took some observant people to realize that even that had its downside of where money was being donated and for what it would be used...so many Catholics started donating money to a Catholic research group instead. We need to be aware of movements in our lives.
• We need to be willing to address children's and teen's fears, questions, and anxieties. Though questions made during such games are usually surface level fun and games, these are some ultimately deep questions: Does *such and such* like me? What will I do when you grow up? Are you here, Charlie? We need to assure our youth that their questions are valid, and that they are best taken up in prayer.
• Along the lines of addressing demons... The many wise educators in my life I think did best to not focus on satan and demons. But they did tell stories of exorcisms and spiritual activity when teaching moments arose. This new trend is such a teaching moment. One of the best articles I read on the new pencil game emphasized that satan is boring. Jesus Christ is dynamic and exciting. While stories of spirits and exorcisms can be wisely used, they should not be made to be exciting or to be sought after. They should be reminders that such spirits do exist, but ultimately do not  have the power of Jesus Christ. Remember always: "We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song." 
• For example: I know a young priest who would use exorcism stories at TEC events as teaching tools. He did this, not to scare the candidates, but to show them the power of the spiritual life. Stories of ouija boards reappearing after being thrown away and of a lonely old lady who allowed evil spirits to possess her were used to show the power of prayer over such scary instances.
• In contrast, stories of Eucharistic miracles, incorruptible saints, and miraculous healings offer hope, protection, and peace. This is so much more needed in our lives. They address the uncertainty and scariness of our times while at the same time offering the real hope of grace received through Christ. These are the stories we need to be sharing over social media. These are the impactful spiritual occurrences that should be drawing us in, not a pencil game.

Fruitfulness

It seems like it's been ages since I wrote a life update. In reality, it's only been a month, and really not a super full month at that. We have had some events: my Goddaughter's first Communion, new (and last!) semester beginning, just today our parish had their last day of school, and this weekend we will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary! While topics have come and gone in my head about what to write on here, one has been sticking:

Fruitfulness in marriage when there are no children (yet).

All in all, I love Mother's Day. It's a good chance to dote on my loving, sweet mom, and this year was my first having a mother-in-law to send love to as well. They have both formed my husband and I into the people we are today, and I'm so grateful. Mother's Day also had an added depth this year being a new wife. Facebook this year was filled with all types of provoking articles, about motherhood itself, about mourning motherhood lost, even about the spiritual motherhood of religious sisters.

While it did not necessarily sadden me, it did leave me feeling a little out of the loop in a new way I had never felt before, and I know it was the added dimension of marriage. Truth be told, I felt some amount of "Catholic guilt." Through no person's or group's fault, there is still this expectancy for motherhood to accompany marriage, and that has not found it's way into my life yet. There is the hope that it will, but in the mean time, where is the fruit of our marriage? Married women with children get to celebrate this day, religious sisters get to celebrate, what about married women without children? Am I broken, or not contributing, in some way?

It has given me a good chance in prayer to ponder the past year of our marriage and the fruit, both spiritual and physical, that has come of it. We have given our time, talent, and treasure to the Church...fruitfulness. We have found new ways to express our love within our marriage, a new reminder of our ultimate destiny for beatitude with God...fruitfulness. We have tangibly experienced sacrifice in our daily lives, positively influenced others through our example, and witnessed to the power of Christian marriage...fruitfulness.

And so, yes, Mother's Day held new meaning for me this year. It was a reminder to pray for all the lovely women in my life raising beautiful children with their spouses. It was a reminder to pray for everyone trying to become a mother and those who have children in heaven. It was a reminder to pray for my sweet friends in formation who are spiritual mothers themselves. It was a reminder that my own marriage has been fruitful in real ways, and I am no less a "mother" in those aspects.

St. Margaret of Cortana

(Dear Readers: I am still here, I promise...just busy with beginning of the semester and some other projects. Will update soon!)

St. Margaret of Cortona:

1. At the young age of nine, she moved out of her house because life with her stepmother (her mother died when she was seven) was difficult. She entered into a relationship and bore a son.

2. After she found her lover dead in the forest, she converted...her son became a friar even!

3. She herself became a Franciscan tertiary and committed herself to serving others.