tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42139265291706626542024-02-18T22:06:23.362-08:00The Theology of the Body, Extendedthe spiritual signs of childbirth, impairment, and dyingThe Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-67556916916101975172016-09-22T21:12:00.003-07:002016-09-22T21:12:46.115-07:00Need a speaker?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6mBItbT1OFOl4tWE6160_eEAhKFzrsIgxgjjGTo3RrWDAEqhDFGIgNEBZK7Gt-ZwKBkAQQk-T_UnUkvikA5OQhmgtDhDNY0IxRWLkswhWGemGrsOgYGgxSJKGhTMq1VctgeDjhN5v0lt/s1600/Speaker+Susan+Windley-Daoust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6mBItbT1OFOl4tWE6160_eEAhKFzrsIgxgjjGTo3RrWDAEqhDFGIgNEBZK7Gt-ZwKBkAQQk-T_UnUkvikA5OQhmgtDhDNY0IxRWLkswhWGemGrsOgYGgxSJKGhTMq1VctgeDjhN5v0lt/s640/Speaker+Susan+Windley-Daoust.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
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Video clips coming soon! See the speaker endorsements and information tab for more details.The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-47013514050599534602016-09-02T05:46:00.000-07:002016-09-02T08:52:04.157-07:00Why You Shouldn't Kill Yourself: an excerpt from the introduction<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3F1VK8zyd8/V8l0ai5RKEI/AAAAAAAAAt0/ZoiQSmFkc_gumNAm49PHDGoOFG732DexQCLcB/s1600/woman-typing-writing-windows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P3F1VK8zyd8/V8l0ai5RKEI/AAAAAAAAAt0/ZoiQSmFkc_gumNAm49PHDGoOFG732DexQCLcB/s200/woman-typing-writing-windows.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Friends, I'm revising a new book now. It's titled <i>Why You Shouldn't Kill Yourself: Five Tricks of the Heart About Assisted Suicide</i> (to be published by Cascade Books, perhaps in 2017 yet?). This is more Theology of the Body related than you think! But obviously other theological matters are at play as well. I'll excerpt different sections as I work on them and will be requesting beta readers in October...but would appreciate any comments or feedback now, if you have it. This is the introduction for theologians and pastors. (There is a second, shorter introduction for the general reader). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Introduction for theologians and pastors</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nothing would seem more common, more inflexible, more
historically stable than the experience of death—our own deaths, or the death
of a loved one. And yet, how we perceive
and approach death has changed dramatically (both medically and culturally) in
the physician assisted past few decades.
The culmination of these changes is found in increasing public support
for physician assisted suicide. This
book tries to present the challenge of physician assisted suicide as a misguided
contemporary quest for “safe passage.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Phillippe Ariès (1914-1984), a historian of family and
daily life, argues that in centuries past human beings
died “a tame death.” That is, dying was
a known process that was expected and folded into the realities of everyday
life. People died at home, of course, because there were few hospitals. Medical care was largely palliative care,
focused on keeping the person comfortable.
The person dying was usually in the center of known ways of family life
until the very end…a bed brought into a living area, for example, and receiving
visitors: family, friends, doctors, a priest.
Although dying could be physically and emotionally difficult, there was
a reassuring sense of place in it.
Death, indeed, was part of life, along with birth, love, grief, joy,
pleasure, and sadness.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftn1" title="">[1]</a></span></span><a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftn1" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But with the rise of modern medicine, Aries says our
perspective on the place of death has tilted. Now, we perceive death as
inherently wild, and something that we need to domesticate through medical
care. The “wild death” is marked by an uncertainty throughout the experience of
dying: at the hospital or at home? Will this cure work, or not? How long should I fight? This looks like the
end--but wait, we have other options. Time
in an ICU, away from most family and friends, and surrounded by beeping
monitors, is likely. Aries argues that
modern medicine’s quest to cure—in itself a good thing—does unfortunately
result in a kind of “technological brinkmanship,” that results in people
actively fighting the disease or injury up to hours before they actually
die. People dying never leave fight
mode.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Because doctors and patients never leave fight mode, a
lack of cure is a perceived, by some, as a failure…as if death is not our common
end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Great work has been accomplished in the nascent hospice
movement—a movement that has called for people to have a relatively comfortable
experience of dying, ideally at home, with pain issues addressed, and family or
friends around. But most people, at this
point, do not know how to be around someone who is dying. We don’t know how to die at home. The only dying ritual we know is the one
defined by fighting and control. Hospice is quite the counter culture to many,
and those who find themselves facing the dying process may not see why anyone
would <i>not</i> choose to fight for
control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The contemporary experience of dying, the “wild
death,” has become, more and more, a human quest for safe pasage. But most people translate that understandable quest into a desire
for absolute control. They see that the only way to not hurt, to avoid pain, is
to maintain control. And physician
assisted suicide is the most intense formula for maintaining absolute control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Not
a moral treatment, but written to the spiritually lost<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As you can surmise, my approach to this topic is not,
in the first place, moral. I do think assisted suicide is gravely wrong, and
certainly moral questions are addressed in this text. (Although physician assisted suicide opens a
whole host of moral side issues that I do not touch on much at all: conscience
protections for doctors, nurses, and hospices, the voice of family members in
decision making, the influence of money--or lack of it--in decision making, the
rights of people living with disabilities, and so forth. But these are being addressed in many venues.<a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>) People know suicide is wrong. It takes a lot
of mental effort to intentionally end one’s own life: healthy people act to
preserve their lives. We actively try to prevent suicide in any other case. The
reason increasing numbers of people find physician assisted suicide attractive
is that people are spiritually lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I do not mean that in any accusatory manner. When you get down to it, we're all a little more lost that we think. But increasingly people have actively chosen not to have a spiritual home, and we know this
through the increasing number of surveys that indicate a sharply rising
increase in the “nones”—the segment of the population that does not identify
with a religion. Sometimes they
self-identify as “spiritual, not religious.”
Sometimes they bear this bumper sticker on their cars: “all who wander
are not lost.” I will be candid: many religions in the United States bear
responsibility for this. I can understand why people could say they believe in
God, but not fully trust religious institutions. We’ve made trust harder than it should
be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But…this move to “spiritual, not religious” is clearly
not <i>all</i> about institutional
trustworthiness.<a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
I know quite a few of these people—you do, too—and often they say that their
limited experience with a religious home was fine. Just not essential, and couldn’t compete
against the allure of the open road, the freedom of wandering and finding your
own way. We are a country of self-made
men and women—or we like to think so—and that is increasingly including our own
religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what’s wrong with that? Well, let’s begin with dying, and begin with
a story. One of the most poignant books
I have ever read is a memoir called <i>My
Own Country</i> by Abraham Verghese,<a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> an Indian-American
infectious diseases doctor working in the mountains of East Tennessee during
the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. The
book is about how medical doctors came to learn to diagnose and treat that
disease when all was mystery and fear--but even more so, the book is about
home. Verghese began noticing that all
these initial AIDS patients—mostly homosexual--were from big cities (New York,
San Francisco, Chicago). They were
dying, and they knew it. When they were
dying, he realized—all they wanted to do was to come home. Not even certain that they would be accepted,
seeking out a “foreigner doctor” for treatment, not even admitting publicly
what they were dying from—they just wanted to come home. That struck him, and me, as deeply poignant. In the end, when we are weak, and in some
pain, and maybe afraid—that is, dying--we all just want to go home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The problem with “all who wander are not lost” is that
when illness and mortality appear, they want to go home—but do not know how to
do so. When you have dedicated your life
to exploring, you probably don’t know where home is. So people increasingly are attracted to
treating dying in the same way that they have treated living—with a focus on
freedom, making choices, and being in control of the exploration. With physician assisted suicide, they are
“crafting an end.” When you have no
home, you build your own house, while you still can. We are self-made women and men. We take care of ourselves. Right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Of course, as Christians, we say there is a home: and that
home is God the Father. Jesus Christ is
our guide and mediator, and the Holy Spirit our advocate. But acknowledging that home, through our
Church, requires hanging up the traveling shoes and spending time at “with the
family.” Ultimately, it means allowing
God to take care of us rather than create our own end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This book is written to the traveler, to the
spiritually disoriented. I want to tell them about their journey, and to tell
them about home. The only key to
understanding the journey and the homeland is the human heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As Christians, we are well aware of the scripture “O
that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts” (Ps
95:7-8). Learning you have limited time
to live is undeniably God’s voice.
Hardening your hearts is being closed to God’s revelation in your life:
not just about your end of this life, but about the good news of the life to
come. The good news that God is not
finished with your life and loves you beyond all knowing, and has the power to
turn this difficult time to good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This book is trying to speak to the human heart,
encouraging it to be open to the good news that a natural death will be
challenging, but it can also be beautiful.
There is no reason to be afraid, take absolute control, and try to
“create an end.” A natural death is, ultimately, safe, and can lead you into
God’s life and your destined home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Physician assisted suicide and euthanasia are realities
that must be addressed through the human heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Phillippe
Ariès’ work is referenced a great deal in Daniel Callahan’s popular book <i>The Troubled Dream of Life: In Search of a
Peaceful Death</i> (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993), 26-27. Ariès’ <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">most relevant work</span> is translated in English as <i>The Hour of our Death</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> An
extremely useful compendium of concerns worldwide regarding assisted suicide
and euthanasia can be found in David Albert Jones’ “Assisted Suicide and
Euthanasia: A Guide to the Evidence,” Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford
University. <a href="http://www.bioethics.org.uk/evidenceguide.pdf">http://www.bioethics.org.uk/evidenceguide.pdf</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Michael
Lipka, “Why America’s ‘Nones’ Left Religion Behind,” <i>Fact Tank: News in the Numbers</i> blog of The Pew Research Center, <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/08/24/why-americas-nones-left-religion-behind/">http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/08/24/why-americas-nones-left-religion-behind/</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///U:/Why%20You%20Shouldn't%20Kill%20Yourself/Why%20You%20Shouldnt%20Kill%20Yourself%20manuscript%20full%20draft.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Abraham
Verghese, <i>My Own Country: A Doctor’s
Story</i> (Vintage Books, 1995).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-91708895936173108942016-04-09T20:42:00.001-07:002016-04-09T20:45:59.898-07:00Giveaway! Three copies of The Gift of Birth: Discerning God's Presence During Childbirth<br />
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<a href="https://www.gracewatch.media/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/BIRTH-COVER-SHADOW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://www.gracewatch.media/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/BIRTH-COVER-SHADOW.jpg" width="212" /></a><img height="320" src="https://www.gracewatch.media/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/BIRTH-COVER-BACK.jpg" width="202" /></div>
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<h4>
Friends, it is my pleasure to announce that <i>The Gift of Birth: Discerning God's Presence During Childbirth</i> is published and <a href="https://www.gracewatch.media/product/the-gift-of-birth-softcover/" target="_blank">available for purchase</a>! Hurrah!</h4>
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Many of you know this has been in the works for a while. Those of you who have read <i>Theology of the Body, Extended</i>, this book is a more practical, popular version of the exploration of childbirth as a sign created to point to God. It is rooted in John Paul II's Theology of the Body and Ignatius of Loyola's work in spiritual direction. In fact, it is structured to read a (short) chapter at a time as an evening spiritual reflection or "retreat at home" reading. It is written for women who are anticipating childbirth or processing their previous experience(s) of childbirth, and for all those who minister to pregnant women. I'm excited this is finally out (I'd say "born" but that is too awful a pun, even for me)!<br />
<br />
We are celebrating and trying to spread the word a bit by running a book launch giveaway! Gracewatch Media is providing three copies to give away...all you have to do is share the book through one social medium, like facebook (with a link to this blog post or the <a href="https://www.gracewatch.media/product/the-gift-of-birth-softcover/" target="_blank">Gracewatch book page</a>), and that earns you one entry. Another share (say, on Twitter) and you get another entry. If you have a blog and want to write a blog post with one of those links, you get ANOTHER entry. (And Pinterest, and google+, etc.) <b><i>And</i></b> you could, theoretically, do all of these once a day and it would count! (But no more than that, please.) Record your shares on the Rafflecopter widget below, and we will get Rafflecopter to randomly choose an three entries as book winners on April 17!<br />
<br />
Good luck and share away!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="f884efdc2" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f884efdc2/" id="rcwidget_x0gw3bhi" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-27434844126994493282016-04-06T12:13:00.003-07:002016-04-06T12:13:54.453-07:00Why is the Theology of the Body important to you?<br />
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A friend asked me to write on this, and my first response was "heck yeah!," and my second response was..."oh no...that's a whole new book!" There is so much in the Theology of the Body, and often it is so misunderstood.... Since I have written on this extensively (<i><a href="http://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php?b=3" target="_blank">Theology of the Body, Extended</a>: The Spiritual Gifts of Birth, Impairment, and Dying</i>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Gift-Birth-Discerning-Childbirth/dp/1944008128" target="_blank"><i>The Gift of Birth: Discerning God's Presence in Childbirth</i></a>, in the background (or foreground!) <a href="https://sojo.net/biography/susan-windley-daoust" target="_blank">of</a> <a href="http://www.hprweb.com/2013/11/the-sign-of-the-dying-body-how-the-theology-of-the-body-helps-us-to-die-in-love/" target="_blank">many</a> <a href="http://americamagazine.org/issue/709/article/fiery-gift" target="_blank">articles</a>, and certainly a deep part of the current book I am writing, <i>Why You Shouldn't Kill Yourself: Five Tricks of the Heart about Assisted Suicide</i>), I think I will do the <i>less</i> wordy thing and go for bullet points instead.<br />
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But first, a little candor: I am also a theologian, and part of my "stealth mission" is to introduce John Paul II's anthropology and the potential within it to a wider academic audience. The Theology of the Body is more appreciated in ecclesial circles than some academic circles. Mind you, good people can disagree on the value of a given argument (get a Thomist and Augustinian in a room and watch them go), but I honestly hold that most of the people who tell me they don't like the Theology of the Body haven't read it, or have encountered some twisted stereotype of it that has badly informed their reading. We need to be clear what the audiences are about: that God created human beings male and female as a form of incarnational revelation, a sign that we best perceive in relationship that points to our destined relationship to God. The Fall skewed our ability to see and live out this sign, but it remains the reason why humanity was created--and we <i>can </i>see it, with God's help. The audiences are rich (and occasionally difficult), but truly the tip of the iceberg. We live in a world that is desperately asking what it means to be human any more. There is wisdom here to answer that question. So the Theology of the Body is important to me, but I think it could be important to everyone, academic or not.<br />
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OK, a few bullet points about the importance of the Theology of the Body (or ToB):<br />
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<li><b>Revelation and sacramentality</b>. So many efforts theologically to recover a thick sacramentality of the human being...and John Paul II's is one of the very best. The idea that before there even existed the scriptures, there existed the human body--this is a radical notion that changes the way we see and treat the body, not as a machine or vessel or functionary, but as the visible sign of God's revelation in the world. Many Christians want to say the body is important. John Paul II's work reminds us why. p.s. I find it very interesting that many of my Protestant friends and colleagues in Theology (I went to an ecumenical divinity school) are deeply and favorably intrigued by this notion. It could be a point of ecumenical dialogue....</li>
<li><b>John Paul II's gift to spiritual direction</b>. I am trained as a spiritual director, and so much spiritual direction is informed by the groundbreaking work of Ignatius of Loyola, the saint who founded the Jesuits and famously proclaimed that we must learn to see God in all things. The Theology of the Body is about seeing as well, precisely, it is about perception of the divine in human bodies and their relationships. There are so many insights in ToB that work brilliantly with spiritual direction: the meaning of shame, fear, self-giving, receiving, God in the everyday, vocation, avocation, discernment of spirits, the work of the Holy Spirit.... OK, I'll admit, it's probably the next book!</li>
<li><b>It lends itself to a theology of childbirth.</b> You guys. Women make up half the human race and <i>we basically have no theology of childbirth</i>. How did that happen? I won't "go there" right now, but although John Paul doesn't say much about childbirth, he opens the door to it and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Gift-Birth-Discerning-Childbirth/dp/1944008128" target="_blank">all the possibilities are right there</a>. If the man and woman are created and told to be fruitful and multiply, and the body exists as sign, then doesn't childbirth serve as an extension of the sign of marriage? Might it be a form of revelation? Is that why many women name it one of the most spiritual moments of their lives?</li>
<li><b>It helps us learn how to give our dying bodies to God in love. </b> That is, it teaches us how to die. Many refer to the law of the gift or the hermeneutic of the gift as the dynamic heart of the Theology of the Body--and there is another word for it, usually applied to Jesus Christ's death on the cross. That word is kenosis, or "self-emptying." It is a rich and loaded theological term, but most importantly here, it teaches us how to die. Death is a consequence of original sin. But with Christ's redemption, we can approach death as he did--an emptying of the self into the arms of God the Father, a gift originally received and offered back to God. We simply don't know how to die in our culture--look at the 17 states considering passing laws on physician assisted suicide right now--and John Paul's insights give us a new art of dying (<i>ars moriendi</i>). </li>
<li><b>We are not trapped souls. We are, each of us, a unity of body and soul. </b>ToB speaks to this is clear ways, undercutting the gnostic tendencies that still reside in Christianity and the wider culture. Gnosticism is an ancient heresy that (among other things) held the human being was a good soul trapped in an evil body, just waiting for the release of death. Well, ToB says clearly we are both spiritual and bodily, and these realities are not opposites. It is a freeing teaching when absorbed, and brings a lens to what it means to be human that is not what our culture typically holds. ToB, in this regard, is a medicine to our culture.</li>
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There are many other things I could mention (understandings of marriage and sexuality, for example), but I wanted to go with some of the lesser known reasons I think ToB is important, the ones that I think need further exploration. </div>
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ToB is important, more important than some people know. I encourage you to read it with an open mind and discover for yourself. I'm here to talk about it anytime.</div>
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--Susan Windley-Daoust</div>
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This will be a a separate post later, but indeed, <i>The Gift of Birth</i> is now out and available for purchase! This is a more "popular" treatment of the sign of childbirth for any one who has given birth, plans to give birth, or is working with one giving birth. Lots of ToB, quite a bit of Ignatian spirituality, and many women reflecting on the spiritual nature of their varied experiences giving birth. Please feel free to share the news! Available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Gift-Birth-Discerning-Childbirth/dp/1944008128" target="_blank">Amazon in hardcover and softcover, as well as ebook</a>, and at <a href="https://www.gracewatch.media/product/the-gift-of-birth-softcover/" target="_blank">Gracewatch Media in hard and softcover editions</a>.</div>
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-8171091424463267322015-07-11T20:10:00.001-07:002015-07-11T20:17:49.728-07:00Presentations, retreats, and o.m.goodness, an awardHappy July, everyone. I hope summer is warm and restful and has a s'more or two in it.<br />
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First, since this is a "book blog," I do need to start with news about <em>Theology of the Body, Extended</em> and its research. The book has been published for a year now with <a href="http://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php" target="_blank">Lectio Publishing</a>, bless their brave souls. It's a tough, tough time to start a new academic press. That is one reason I was really happy that this book (my work and Lectio's work) actually won a national award! (I know--I'm still floored!) <em>Theology of the Body, Extended</em> won first place in the "Best Book by a Small Publisher" category in the 2015 Catholic Press Association Book Awards. Here's the jury's blurb:<br />
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Really, this is an enormously flattering honor, and I am grateful. <br />
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<strong>Other book-related news</strong>: I was happy to offer <strong>two workshops</strong> at the Diocese of Winona's Ministry Days in June, where 150 priests, deacons, and lay church workers gather to pray and learn for two days. One workshop was called "Beyond the Wheelchair Ramp: listening to people with disabilities in your parish," and the other was "A Theology of the Dying Body: helping the people of God learn how to die well." I really enjoyed the conversations with so many great people and getting feedback, and should anyone want me to give those workshops again, or you just want to know what they were about (I have powerpoints, people!), please <a href="mailto:tobextended@gmail.com" target="_blank">contact me</a>. I'd be happy to talk.<br />
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At the end of July, I will be offering a <strong>directed weekend retreat</strong> called <a href="http://www.fscenter.org/event.php?id=1973" target="_blank">"The Gift of Birth: Seeking the Holy Spirit in your Birthing."</a> Many thanks to the Franciscan Spirituality Center in Lacrosse, WI, for being excited about this and promoting it so well! There are spaces available if you are a woman who thinks she could become pregnant in the near future (or you are pregnant now). Please <a href="http://www.fscenter.org/event.php?id=1973" target="_blank">contact them asap</a> if you are interested. You do not need to be Catholic to attend, although I am speaking from that perspective.<br />
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Finally, I have written a spiritual direction-style book titled<em> <strong>The Gift of Birth: spiritual insights for expecting mothers</strong></em>. It is meant to translate ch. 2 in <em>ToB, Extended</em> to a popular audience. Well, at long last, it is getting published! If all goes well, it will be available in January of 2016. (Publisher to be announced...I know, I'm such a sneak, but there are decisions to be made about which imprint within the publisher is best suited to the text. You will know when I know for sure!).<br />
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Thank you, everyone, for your support of this book and the research and argument embedded in it. This has been a long road, but people's responses have been deeply encouraging. Honestly, the last and significant piece of this project is if you appreciate the book, get someone else to read it...ask your library to order it, use it in a class, or a study group/book club (I do Skype, if you're interested in me joining in). Lectio took a chance on this book, a new look at a topic so hot that some people won't even touch it. The editors at Lectio have been everything kind in this process, but selling the book is a grass roots movement of sorts. I honestly don't get lots of money from this; it is not about the money. It's about better conversation on what it means to be human, and now more than ever, <strong>we need those conversations. </strong>We need them in our church, and we need them in our culture.<br />
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It you liked the book well enough to recommend it, or review it, or give it to a friend: thank you! <br />
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Last but not least: Lectio has created a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Theology-of-the-Body-Extended/1448244305479197" target="_blank">facebook page</a> for the book. I will be posting there from time to time. Please "like" it if you want to keep up, and/or invite a friend.<br />
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Peace, Susan Windley-Daoust<br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-60785624762123893322015-03-17T20:12:00.001-07:002015-03-17T20:12:27.409-07:00Help us help families! And the story of my crazy few months....<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Blessed Lent, everyone. The revolution has begin, and I'm up in alms! (See what I did there?)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">Performance art is overrated.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I apologize about my absence on this blog, and hope all of you are well. I have been, um, busy! Let's see, I've been--</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">trying to get a second (fully written) ToB book published, called The Gift of Birth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">teaching a lot of general education theology in a country where we lost 7.5 million believers since 2012 <span style="color: #0b5394;">#frontlines</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">writing an academic article on reader-response criticism, genre, and the Theology of the Body (trust me, its better than it sounds)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">trying to start a second academic article on a Theology of Disability. The non-academic version is getting published in a couple of weeks (in Sojourners)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">lassoing my five kids into school, back home, to various events</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">negotiating my son Alex's great big surgery to alleviate his CP spasticity this coming May</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">getting named chair of my department at work, because I guess I looked bored (don't congratulate me, its all the responsibility and none of the power)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">continuing to promote my book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Theology-Body-Extended-Spiritual-Impairment/dp/0989839753" target="_blank">Theology of the Body, Extended: The Spiritual Signs of Birth, Impairment, and Dying</a></i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">considering starting a new book on ToB and physician assisted suicide</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">pondering my friend Rob Kroese's brilliant statement: "<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">If Pi Day, the Ides of March and St. Patrick's Day could get their act together, they could combine into one awesome celebration of beer, pie, snakes and stabbing." </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.6181812286377px;">We <i>so</i> missed an opportunity here.</span></span></li>
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<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh, and this thing: my husband has been <b>starting a small press devoted to making it easier and more practical for families to pass on the faith</b>!</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here comes the pitch....</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the thing. We Catholics have a problem, a big problem. Parents are not teaching the faith to their children. They may be taking them to mass, or enrolling them in Catholic schools. But they aren't talking about the faith--and all the studies say this has devastating effects. But to be fair, a lot of parents don't know what to do. They had poor catechesis themselves, or just aren't comfortable being in a teaching role of any sort. These parents need family faith helps that are as simple as slapping together a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich: easy, tasty, solid nutrition for the next couple of hours.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h_hHLeVIwgFsInjyEo4a6iTVSsQttEOfI5isDxVfpcm2gD-Sw8iRtCSrS7-IwLLqQfgjTllErjeznrtI0vjI00pKhplHW78ZmfFP4BviU4M3VAUNgw_VPpNQiVmGypQiM6-ojbyggA8/s1600/Joyful+Mysteries+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h_hHLeVIwgFsInjyEo4a6iTVSsQttEOfI5isDxVfpcm2gD-Sw8iRtCSrS7-IwLLqQfgjTllErjeznrtI0vjI00pKhplHW78ZmfFP4BviU4M3VAUNgw_VPpNQiVmGypQiM6-ojbyggA8/s1600/Joyful+Mysteries+cover.jpg" height="200" width="196" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjL1m8EJlIdhvLLGsBPd3akgqZfX6I8NrXFVoReNGwZeDSnIRIccCvmTG93qjTG2JKSWLUZsvHL-zgvnyN9ZiXFsRvXtQqXUU-aFOc3t6Arc6eMOT_iW8SPt5biJWozCOmUCpPiyYXVcU/s1600/77W-pray-coverbuild-1231pm1+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjL1m8EJlIdhvLLGsBPd3akgqZfX6I8NrXFVoReNGwZeDSnIRIccCvmTG93qjTG2JKSWLUZsvHL-zgvnyN9ZiXFsRvXtQqXUU-aFOc3t6Arc6eMOT_iW8SPt5biJWozCOmUCpPiyYXVcU/s1600/77W-pray-coverbuild-1231pm1+(1).jpg" height="200" width="126" /></a><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My husband used to work as a development editor at a press, and has been doing free lance writing and editing for years. He's good at design and social media engagement. he has a solid background (including a master's degree) in Catholic theology. He can create these books and more. So in October, he decided to take the plunge and do it. He created an imprint called <a href="http://www.pbgrace.com/" target="_blank"><b>Peanut Butter and Grace</b></a>: books and resources for parents to better teach, pray, and live the faith with their kids, and books for kids to read with their parents.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_CZBShEGB22gDvyUIJ0KDS8x_mYNE9LMfDKVs72VGRNkMQIFsC-BR481SlKPcK1L35RPnFEd4sJhU8dizkm_OKxdYiG5p35_F1t9P3icdeaY_eyXarx7Q2HyesLJQwQ8zOCst4LC2bY/s1600/the-little-flower-cover-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_CZBShEGB22gDvyUIJ0KDS8x_mYNE9LMfDKVs72VGRNkMQIFsC-BR481SlKPcK1L35RPnFEd4sJhU8dizkm_OKxdYiG5p35_F1t9P3icdeaY_eyXarx7Q2HyesLJQwQ8zOCst4LC2bY/s1600/the-little-flower-cover-2.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Amazingly, my teaching career at a small liberal arts mission college and sporadic success as a blogger (erp) has not put us on easy street. He got a little help to begin this ministry and has made it work so far based on a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Lack of sleep has factored in too. But the time has come to fundraise some money to get these items out more quickly. He has published three books (<a href="http://www.pbgrace.com/product/the-joyful-mysteries/" target="_blank">two books that help children and adults pray the rosary</a> with a classical art image for each prayer, and one book for parents needing ideas beyond saying grace, called <a href="http://www.pbgrace.com/product/77-ways-to-pray-with-your-kids/" target="_blank">77 Ways to Pray With Your Kids.</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s2nLcXdBwbI" width="560"></iframe> <span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">He wants to publish seven more books by the end of the year. But there are some costs--paying illustrators, copyright permissions, editing costs, and especially marketing. People love these books so far; if you go to the <a href="http://www.pbgrace.com/">www.pbgrace.com</a> website, you can read the effusive reviews. But there needs to be marketing so others know they exist!</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To that end, in addition to the top ten items I am also the current "campaign manager" for a month long crowdfunding endeavor to raise some funds to move this press forward quickly and well. There is a lot more at the website: all about the books, published and upcoming, FAQ, the weekly newsletter with ideas to implement in your family's life this week, and more! But consider this passing the collection plate. Brother, if you have a dime, could you drop it in here? There are perks for this almsgiving, and you have our heartfelt gratitude as well. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you don't have a dime, maybe you could spread the word. Just like you spread peanut butter? OK, OK, I'm done. Thanks for reading and I promise to get to writing more ToB related blogs...just...living a very busy and embodied life right now. Thanks for reading!</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 14.6181812286377px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><iframe frameborder="0" height="445px" scrolling="no" src="https://www.indiegogo.com/project/pb-grace-helping-parents-raise-catholic-kids/embedded" width="222px"></iframe>The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-16142809531409080802014-12-18T11:06:00.000-08:002014-12-18T11:08:41.785-08:00Looking for deep theological reading this Christmas?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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" 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My <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/yhYXYiMRunHyp6MxfGAc/full#.VJMiVjHF_Ks" target="_blank">review</a> of Jeffrey Tranzillo's <i>John Paul II on the Vulnerable</i> is up over at the <i>Journal of Disability and Religion</i>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeffrey Tranzillo has compiled a thick text here: exhaustive, but not exhausting; multi-faceted, but focused. The book is an impressive analysis of the theological anthropology expressed in John Paul II's life and written corpus, with a focus on the category of persons Tranzillo calls “the vulnerable.” As Tranzillo writes, the aim of the book is “to articulate philosophically and theologically the principles that allow us to affirm true personhood and personal agency in vulnerable human beings” (p. xviii). It is an aim generously met.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The vulnerable, in a certain sense, includes everyone: the vocation to be human necessarily involves vulnerability through bodily reality. When Tranzillo speaks of vulnerability, however, he pays particular attention to the most vulnerable: children (in the womb and those already born), the aging, the poor, the socially marginalized, and the disabled. Tranzillo makes a huge contribution here to scholarship on John Paul II and Catholic anthropology in general by tracing the explicit and implicit attention to the vulnerable throughout John Paul II's life work. This book could stand as a rich resource for Catholics (and all Christians) interested in a specifically Catholic approach to a theology of disability.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If Tranzillo had focused entirely on the social encyclicals of John Paul II, there would be little new here. Indeed, John Paul II has been widely acknowledged as a champion of the poor and marginalized, and credited with a renewal in Catholic social teaching across the board. What is new about this work is ....</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, a cliffhanger! If you want to read more, you need to follow the above link. Or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Paul-Vulnerable-Jeffrey-Tranzillo/dp/0813220114" target="_blank">buy it </a>at Amazon. This is definitely an academic text, suitable for upper level undergrads and graduate students in Theology and Philosophy, or people who really love Pope John Paul II and are up for a good challenge. </span></div>
The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-17666731348695711942014-10-29T21:00:00.000-07:002014-10-30T07:02:25.210-07:00How Green Tomatoes Made Me Think Of Original Sin, the Eucharist, and Hope<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-q9FfulctFe2o7l9pS6B4ph1dDBDDEH9-uH6AtQCO5Mv8UBIjkl2b1Tv_MLurY8ux0W9FUwg6Ykp2d2niKozJ4GmL9Yy7V3UWY9yHW5a_0dW7KoP7euUrMvGwdqxHxNJtSM9hyphenhyphenIvgLo-/s1600/green+tomato+pickles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-q9FfulctFe2o7l9pS6B4ph1dDBDDEH9-uH6AtQCO5Mv8UBIjkl2b1Tv_MLurY8ux0W9FUwg6Ykp2d2niKozJ4GmL9Yy7V3UWY9yHW5a_0dW7KoP7euUrMvGwdqxHxNJtSM9hyphenhyphenIvgLo-/s1600/green+tomato+pickles.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not mine, but mine look just like that.</td></tr>
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I was making green tomato pickles the other day, a new experiment forced by a motherload of small green tomatoes and a dying sun. Green tomatoes are humble little creatures, to put it mildly. I love them fried, but these were too tiny to fry in nice big slices. So I got on the internet and <i>voila</i>: green tomato pickle recipes.<br />
<br />
That's when things got theological.<br />
<br />
(Admittedly, with me, it doesn't take much.)<br />
<br />
I pulled out ingredients in this recipe to make rag tag leftover inedible fruits into something my hungry kids would eat, and the first ingredient: water with salt. In our case, blessed salt. Hmmm.<br />
<br />
Add the washed inedible throwaway fruit. Some peppercorns and garlic cloves for a kick.<br />
<br />
Then throw in a generous number of mustard seeds. As in "The kingdom of heaven is like."<br />
<br />
Submerge fruit. Cover. Wait.<br />
<br />
<i>Aha. Transformation.</i><br />
<br />
When we are baptized--submerged--with the water and exorcised with the salt, the kingdom of God is introduced. It is tiny, perfect, round like a mustard seed. But seeds don't stay seeds. They change things. <br />
<br />
In the case of the green tomato, something stunted becomes something wonderful--crunchy, tart, well-loved.<br />
<br />
In the case of us...maybe we're still waiting to find out. But reminding ourselves that we humble, stunted with sin creatures are submerged in God's transforming work, for his Kingdom, is a good thing. We take on flavor of the salt, the water, the Kingdom. Until one day, we are fully changed.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
One thing I haven't talked about regarding the Theology of the Body is eating. There is a lot to work with there, too. Emily Stimpson addresses food and eating and sacramentality in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/These-Beautiful-Bones-Everyday-Theology/dp/1937155153/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414639568&sr=1-1&keywords=these+beautiful+bones" target="_blank">These Beautiful Bones</a>, and Mary DeTurris Poust doesn't address John Paul II's Theology of the Body perspective explicitly, but does excellent reflection on the subject of defining true desires in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cravings-Catholic-Wrestles-Food-Self-Image/dp/1594713057/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353787695&sr=1-2&keywords=Cravings" target="_blank">Cravings: a Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God</a>. The end of a blog post is not the place begin considering that huge subject. But the same week, while I'm making pickles, there is a mission at a local parish, and I attend. It is on eucharistic adoration (and what I was able to attend was great). The two priests giving the mission gave talks on the theology of eucharistic adoration, how to pray with Scripture at adoration, the saints' recourse to it, etc. <br />
<br />
But one piece of it struck me hard, and it was this: "Why does anyone think it is crazy that our Lord would veil himself through the appearance of bread? He wants to save us from our first parents' choice to eat veiled death! He does this crazy thing to tempt us to take in life, for life, eternal life. He gives himself to us in the most natural manner we can accept--almost everyone on earth knows how to eat. It is a necessity. We must eat to live. He needs to give us the medicine of veiled Life, the veiled Christ. There is no trickery. He tells us flat out: This is my body; this is my blood. There was little trickery for Adam and Eve: they knew what they were doing was wrong, God said they would die is they ate it. The veil is no trick at all, but it is a bit of a test: do you believe God's word or not? In the Gospel of John, chapter 6, Jesus announces "I am the true bread, come down from heaven...whoever eats this bread will live forever." And people grumbled, disciples left Jesus (keep in mind this comes right after the multiplication of the loaves and Jesus walking on water--and some left anyway)--and Jesus turns to the twelve, and asks 'will you also leave?'"<br />
<br />
It was the one word from the Son of God that some could not trust...could not handle the mystery of it...God wants to give you life, wants to save you from an inheritance of death, But you will have to trust him and eat what he points to--his body and blood, true bread and true drink. <br />
<br />
Angels can't do that. They are entirely spiritual beings. But humans can. It is a gift of our embodiment, that we can share in God in this act of communion and trust.<br />
<br />
Well, back to the stunted green tomatoes, rescued from the creeping frost. The green tomatoes aren't veiled anything...just an extended metaphor of an overly theological cook. But trust God to transform. What looks hopeless may change remarkably with water, salt, and the Kingdom of God tucked into it. The Lord indeed works in mysterious ways.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-37981246614122756182014-10-09T07:33:00.000-07:002014-10-09T06:33:13.356-07:00Teaching college/seminary theology next semester? Need a ToB book?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O-mOXx1ZXkgoBCDyOfaH2jSlywwnOxA59FRh3MoeNbJLh1bR3KG_OTJAJhJTl36E0Jph6mtypPhiJ-Kd-JDYTn1rA_deQvO6OVHT0cDwtpFAsH7WS-_SbfSaG-MY3W8J7TD620q4viyU/s1600/ToBExtended+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O-mOXx1ZXkgoBCDyOfaH2jSlywwnOxA59FRh3MoeNbJLh1bR3KG_OTJAJhJTl36E0Jph6mtypPhiJ-Kd-JDYTn1rA_deQvO6OVHT0cDwtpFAsH7WS-_SbfSaG-MY3W8J7TD620q4viyU/s1600/ToBExtended+cover.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a>I was politely reminded by my own campus bookstore that book lists for Spring courses are due at the end of this month.<br />
<br />
(!!!)<br />
<br />
<br />
If you are in the same boat, I humbly ask you if you want to consider using <i>Theology of the Body, Extended</i>. I'm a teacher at heart--and this book was created to contribute to a conversation, but also for classroom use. The first chapter is an introductory review of the literature--mostly, what makes John Paul II's Theology of the Body "tick"--and the next chapters consider what it would look like to apply ToB insights to the foundational human experiences of giving birth, living impaired, and dying. It is a theological anthropology with a definite pastoral edge for those teaching seminarians or pastoral theologians, and the tone is "readable academic" enough to be used in a college level theology course.<br />
<br />
The book has also been of real interest to those working in the Theology of Disability and those doing hospice work.<br />
<br />
If you are interested, you can read the first chapter and learn <span style="font-size: large;">how to buy the book <a href="http://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php?b=3" target="_blank">here</a></span>. The <span style="font-size: large;">exam copy policy is <a href="http://www.lectiopublishing.com/feedback.php?e=red" target="_blank">here</a></span>. And if the book doesn't quite suit for your classroom use, I know Lectio Publishing would be thrilled if you could get your university or seminary library to order the book as a resource for their research. As a "New Kid on the Block" publisher, they are in the midst of creating those institutional connections. You could help them out!<br />
<br />
Thanks, everyone!<br />
<br />
--Susan Windley-DaoustThe Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-43451601516252592412014-10-09T06:25:00.001-07:002014-12-19T09:27:11.809-08:00My Obligatory Synod on the Family Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6amqhO4zUd8ebX76U38pb9V09BfJePrgeOQgBl9nZl0ewaifM67U6RbypikRKikrh9ubEO3J8Brz27gCrqs8gxsCfGmx5NBsmBNpWng9C3033Zt2sebALjgx2xBFCBQYCWQzVz-pVBxGZ/s1600/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6amqhO4zUd8ebX76U38pb9V09BfJePrgeOQgBl9nZl0ewaifM67U6RbypikRKikrh9ubEO3J8Brz27gCrqs8gxsCfGmx5NBsmBNpWng9C3033Zt2sebALjgx2xBFCBQYCWQzVz-pVBxGZ/s1600/family.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
A few people have asked me my opinion on the Synod on the Family occurring in Rome this week and next. I'll admit I have been quiet in part because of being sick with the flu, revising a book, and generally being swamped with work and (ironically!) family. But...synods do not lend themselves to "breaking news." It's a time for reflection and consultation, for checking in as a global Church. While it is truly wonderful that there is a synod currently devoted to this issue, it seems appropriate to me that what I want to say on this subject, I said two years ago...and in more depth in the <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Theology-Body-Extended-Spiritual-Impairment/dp/0989839753" target="_blank">Theology of the Body, Extended</a></i> book:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tobextended.com/2012/12/family-as-model-of-church-and-as-sign.html" target="_blank">What happens if we lose the "Family as Sign"?</a><br />
<br />
I would only add one point to that post: the reason so many people want to claim the word <i>family</i> is because it is primordially important. It is the core social group of our society, and created by God as such. The reality that people want to name social groups as "families" that stretch (at best) the definition is a backhand way of acknowledging that the idea of family is primordially important, and of high value. This point gives me sympathy for people who are accused of trying to "hijack" the langauge: they recognize the primordial expression of love and community, and they want it as well. Maybe not in the best ways. But, deep down, they recognize the goodness of family. After all, people who grow up in dysfunctional families usually go to great lengths to create or name a new family (a gang, a school, a clique, a sexual relationship started too young, etc.).<br />
<br />
I hope the synod speaks truth in love as to how to recognize the goodness of the sign of the family...and encourages us all to live it honestly, supporting families who are struggling. There are many, and I would surmise every family struggles at one point. I hope the synod points to the sign and gives families needed hope, courage, and concrete help in living their vocation as domestic church.The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-63924411082145966362014-10-01T13:23:00.002-07:002014-10-01T17:17:08.088-07:00A New Book....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2W2O547WIJTgu0ADgBFSx7KbLKGdk_lQEuAsy4sstuqxby2fYLykFH76B5L2G_wIPi1i52dsYVzLd1zzV3enWzitB5lkGv8bDvXcyx7pHrnpKGvfOxy6LZf-5kPJn6kYnw-KABPT5jFt/s1600/childbirth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2W2O547WIJTgu0ADgBFSx7KbLKGdk_lQEuAsy4sstuqxby2fYLykFH76B5L2G_wIPi1i52dsYVzLd1zzV3enWzitB5lkGv8bDvXcyx7pHrnpKGvfOxy6LZf-5kPJn6kYnw-KABPT5jFt/s1600/childbirth.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello. everyone! My silence is more than being reflective or generally busy. I have been writing a new book! (Explains the circles under my eyes too....)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm in the final stages of a draft of what I am calling <i>Giving and Receiving Birth: a spiritual theology of childbirth</i>. I have my spiritual director hat on, and am offering Catholic women a way to reflect prepare for and reflect upon their childbearing as a sign that points to God. After all, if the body was created as a "pre-given language of self-giving and fruitfulness," (Waldstein) childbirth is a privileged place to reflect upon our life as we participate in the Holy Spirit. He is, after all, the Lord and Giver of Life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I address this in some academic depth in <i><a href="http://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php?b=3" target="_blank">Theology of the Body, Extended</a></i>...but this is angled more specifically to new mothers. The book is broken into small chapters meant to serve as daily musings on how to "perceive" the spiritual nature of childbirth, stage by stage, with spiritual exercises and reflections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To that end, here is a very short reflection that I just cut. (I cut it because it had been covered elsewhere in the book, and better.) It gives you a flavor of the book to come, with more birth stories to flesh things out. Enjoy... and anticipate more coming!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 200%;">Preparing
to give birth: how can I pray in and through unexpected complications?</span></i></b><span style="line-height: 200%;">This
is for women who have not yet given birth, but are using this book to pray
through their pregnancy. Although we’ve
spent time considering what the signs of birth look like, according to broad
patterns, it’s best to be honest: not all births fit the pattern. Most do, but some don’t. What do you do then?</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Remember
the three spiritual keys in the process: 1) Give God permission to work in your
life and relax, 2) Cooperate with God’s intention to realize your motherhood
through your body now (be ready to give), and 3) Yield to the prompting of the
Holy Spirit. When the birth process
seems to throw you a curve ball--the unexpected--it is time to lean on yielding
to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">It
sounds so easy, but it may not be. At
best these “curve balls” can be confusing and disorienting. At worst they can be frightening.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Remember
these things:<br /> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">1)<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 200%;">It
is wise to ask the Holy Spirit to help your medical team and other supports
offer good advice and make good decisions for you and the baby.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">2)<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 200%;">Sometimes
people pray in a way I call “wrapping prayer”: you ask the Holy Spirit to wrap
you and the baby in His protection. You
can imagine this as you like, including being covered in cloak. You may even bring, or re-purpose, a blanket
or shawl to be used in this way, as a reminder.
Scripture has many examples of using clothing as a form of spiritual
protection.</span><span style="line-height: 200%;">3)<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 200%;">Often
the Holy Spirit is called the Sustainer, and that may be most appropriate
now. Pray, or have your husband or doula
pray, for His sustenance and protection.<br />
<o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">4)<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 200%;">Listen,
or if you cannot listen, have your husband and/or doula listen. What is the medical team saying? What are the medical options in moving
forward? You can only make the best
decision you can under the circumstances; God and no one else expects any more
than that. You can ask for peace as a
sign of a good decision, and often it is given.
But if the decision needs to be made quickly, do it, and leave it in the
hands of God.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="line-height: 200%;">Whatever
happens, God is present.</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">God loves this
child and you.</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Whatever happens, that
never changes.</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">He will give you what you
most truly need.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-62086254787279172392014-08-07T20:19:00.000-07:002014-08-07T20:19:01.277-07:00Interviewed by Karee Santos: "The Theology of the Body is More than Sex: Author Interview with Prof. Windley-Daoust"Read it <a href="http://canwecana.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-theology-of-body-is-more-than-sex.html" target="_blank">here</a>! And thanks, Karee, that was a fun interview. Much appreciated....The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-82963936373780453072014-07-14T20:04:00.003-07:002014-07-14T20:06:38.705-07:00My daughter's review of Theology of the Body, ExtendedI'm back from the Theology of the Body Congress, and I had a great time. It was a moving event and I really encourage people to go and check it out--I heard talk that this could become an annual event. In any case, I also was really affirmed by people who had read the book and loved it (hey, their words, not mine) and people who were very interested in reading it. Janet Smith even gave it a kind plug in her keynote! But the best review came from my daughter at home, who spontaneously wrote this review while I was gone. She recently turned nine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1XCEX_wgSVY/U8SYzTMvjjI/AAAAAAAAAf0/p7vBcdOdwY8/s1600/julia's+review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1XCEX_wgSVY/U8SYzTMvjjI/AAAAAAAAAf0/p7vBcdOdwY8/s1600/julia's+review.jpg" height="400" width="330" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">How awsome mom's book is. Moms book is the book you want. I thing [think] everyone shoud have one. If you read one setenc of it you will not stop reading it. Mom's book is like having your favorit treat. Mom's book will help you learn about Jesus and the trinidy. Plus it is inthooseastic [enthusiastic]. Why do you think it got published? because it's the best book ever! Plus Dad hase published a lot of books too. I think everyone should have his books too! All of my family's books are cool and awesome!</span></div>
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Well, my week is made! Plus I laughed for hours.<br />
<br />
If you want to buy it, check out the "<a href="http://www.tobextended.com/p/buy-signed-copy-of-book.html" target="_blank">buy the book" tab </a>on top of this blog.<br />
<br />
If you want to review it, Amazon, Goodreads, and IBooks are open 24 hours and accept reader reviews anytime.<br />
<br />
Peace and all good, everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-38263941907219206052014-07-11T12:00:00.000-07:002014-07-11T12:00:00.923-07:00Last day for the giveaway!...through Goodreads. If you are interested in winning a copy of the book, hurry up and put your name in! Follow the link to Goodreads and they'll tell you how.<br />
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by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/591359.Susan_Windley_Daoust" style="text-decoration: none;">Susan Windley-Daoust</a>
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Giveaway ends July 12, 2014.
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The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-81512649920355435552014-07-07T19:36:00.000-07:002014-07-07T19:36:39.746-07:00See you at the Theology of the Body Congress, July 9-11<img alt="Theology of the Body Congress" src="http://tobcongress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014_TOB_congress_logo_emmafinal-300x91.jpg" /><br />
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If any of the folks reading this blog are attending the Theology of the Body Congress in Phillie this week, let's meet! It's fun to have these email and social media conversations, but even better when we can put names to faces and meet in person. If you are not attending, I hope to be tweeting it. My handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/ironiccatholic" target="_blank">@ironiccatholic</a> (named after my humor blog). See you there...?<br />
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FYI: a couple of people have asked if the book will be for sale at the conference. The exhibit tables are really expensive to rent, so, no. But I will have 5-6 of the signed copies with me, if you want to buy them. They are $25; just talk to me at the conference. You can even use your smart phone or tablet to order it in my presence, using a credit card, through <a href="http://tobextended.tictail.com/">http://tobextended.tictail.com/</a> . The wonders of technology! (You can use that link to order it for me to send to you, as well.)<br />
<br />
The book is also for sale as an ebook at<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/theology-body-extended-spiritual/id884186070?mt=11" target="_blank"> IBooks, for $15.99</a>.<br />
<br />
It's also at <a href="http://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php?b=3" target="_blank">Lectio Publishing</a>, and other online retailers (like the one named after a very, very large river), for the regular retail price. If you are a professor, see Lectio's site for their exam copy policy.<br />
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Hope to hear some great speakers and have phenomenal conversations in Phillie!<br />
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<br />The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-19914545584375759252014-06-22T19:47:00.001-07:002014-06-22T19:47:11.629-07:00On Corpus Christi: "When you have loved, really loved, have you not wanted to become bread for your beloved?" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbnhLoZFfHQ32lzymXjXjOi-V9m12cRaq-2Qt79sGIVN5kE1AoYVv4g7_7WacnMLIck7tKPdwC_LXsXqnSFw-ZZtDu5tPVblvFOE-rFstAzi1coFE3VgJ0VuGMYAWkWDOoCA3Xva1-j0r/s1600/Institution-of-the-eucharist--Sassetta--Siena_Pinacoteca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCbnhLoZFfHQ32lzymXjXjOi-V9m12cRaq-2Qt79sGIVN5kE1AoYVv4g7_7WacnMLIck7tKPdwC_LXsXqnSFw-ZZtDu5tPVblvFOE-rFstAzi1coFE3VgJ0VuGMYAWkWDOoCA3Xva1-j0r/s1600/Institution-of-the-eucharist--Sassetta--Siena_Pinacoteca.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></div>
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Blessed Feast of Corpus Christi, everyone.</div>
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I deeply appreciate Carlo Carretto, and think his spiritual writing ought to be better known. I was glad to be able to include a clip on how radical the idea of "Corpus Christi" is, through his eyes and work. From the book, ch 3:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">...An
even more exacting reality is the Eucharist as the chosen self-limitation of God.
As modern desert father Carlo <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">Carretto</a></span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">said, “Either Christ is a raving
madman, or He is truly omnipotent and merciful Love, who has found the most
direct road to our hearts, a road that will not frighten or scare us, a road
that is as simple as could be.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="file:///C:/Users/Susan/Desktop/TOBextMergedcomrespFactCkSG.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> </span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><a class="msocomanchor" href="file:///C:/Users/Susan/Desktop/TOBextMergedcomrespFactCkSG.docx#_msocom_2" id="_anchor_2" language="JavaScript" name="_msoanchor_2">[s2]</a><!--[endif]--> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Sharing his very life—body and
soul, humanity and divinity--through the humble, sustaining consumption of
transubstantiated bread and wine is as divinely self-limiting as one can
possibly imagine. But do imagine, as Carlo <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">Carretto</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> does, what that tells us about
God:<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Why do you find it strange that I
should have wanted to become bread through love?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Have you no experience of love?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When you have loved, really
loved, have you not wanted to become bread for your beloved? …</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You can argue about the Eucharist
as much as you like, but on the day love really takes hold of you, perhaps you
will understand that Jesus is not a fool or a madman.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">To be able to become bread!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">To be able to nourish the whole
world with his flesh and blood!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I am terribly selfish and fearful
when faced with suffering, but if I could become bread to save all humanity, I
would do it.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If I could become bread to feed
all the poor, I would throw myself into the fire at once.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">No, the Eucharist is not
something strange: It is the most logical thing in the world, it is the story
of the greatest love ever lived in the world, by a man named Jesus.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Susan/Desktop/TOBextMergedcomrespFactCkSG.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If
we cannot understand the Eucharist through the strange logic of love, we cannot
understand the incarnation. The Eucharist is a natural extension of the
Incarnation of God. It is also a divine extension of the law of love: “You
shall not … stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake” (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">Lev 19:16</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">).<a href="file:///C:/Users/Susan/Desktop/TOBextMergedcomrespFactCkSG.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a><o:p></o:p></span><br clear="all" /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Susan/Desktop/TOBextMergedcomrespFactCkSG.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Carlo Carretto, <u>The God Who Comes</u> (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1974),
pg. 113.<br /><a href="file:///C:/Users/Susan/Desktop/TOBextMergedcomrespFactCkSG.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Ibid., 115-6. Also, as my colleague Jeff Tranzillo noted, Carretto’s insight
could be extended fruitfully to the “confinement” of the Eucharistic Jesus in
the tabernacle, waiting for union with us.<br /><a href="file:///C:/Users/Susan/Desktop/TOBextMergedcomrespFactCkSG.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
The Leviticus passage is from the New English Translation. In his first post-synodal apostolic
exhortation, Pope Benedict offers a beautiful reflection on how the self-giving
of the Eucharist, understood as Carretto describes, draws humanity into Jesus’
gift of self to the Father, altering the very dynamic of the world. “The
remembrance of his perfect gift consists not in the mere repetition of the Last
Supper, but in the Eucharist itself, that is, in the radical newness of
Christian worship. In this way, Jesus left us the task of entering into his
‘hour.’ The Eucharist draws us into Jesus' act of self-oblation. More than just
statically receiving the incarnate <u>Logos</u>,
we enter into the very dynamic of his self-giving. (21) Jesus ‘draws us into
himself.’ (22) The substantial conversion of bread and wine into his body and
blood introduces within creation the principle of a radical change, a sort of
‘nuclear fission,’ to use an image familiar to us today, which penetrates to
the heart of all being, a change meant to set off a process which transforms
reality, a process leading ultimately to the transfiguration of the entire
world, to the point where God will be all in all (cf. <u>1 Cor</u> 15:28).” <u>Sacramentum
Caritatis</u> #11. </blockquote>
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***</div>
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If you are interested in buying a signed copy of the book, I have a few left. You can purchase one for $25 plus shipping at <a href="http://www.tobextended.tictail.com/">www.tobextended.tictail.com</a>. However, I am on vacation visiting family, and will not be able to mail any out until July 7. Blessings on your summer!</div>
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The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-87642959671429315762014-06-19T20:35:00.004-07:002014-06-22T19:29:04.106-07:00"The story that you should have no story but the story you chose when you had no story is a lie."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlwMCfjQH324CHBwZE164c3Xw4pjPzz8O6l10X2ubRCm6MUjlQtxV3ULs5eayj_Jj2cFNolaDneW4YmeteMNdgQlbSPATsbOS4H2b9e0l29-eTEeoBC5iLsmD8ZUY-L_YqtoyN1eLgFBp/s1600/hauerwas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlwMCfjQH324CHBwZE164c3Xw4pjPzz8O6l10X2ubRCm6MUjlQtxV3ULs5eayj_Jj2cFNolaDneW4YmeteMNdgQlbSPATsbOS4H2b9e0l29-eTEeoBC5iLsmD8ZUY-L_YqtoyN1eLgFBp/s1600/hauerwas.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm a big fan of Stanley Hauerwas' work. Even when I disagree with his positions, the way he puts things never fails to make me think, and think hard. He spoke at the Fifth Summer Institute of Theology and Disability today, and delivered this line--one of his best.<br />
<br />
But what does it mean? Hauerwas argues that we cannot understand our lives--or Christianity--outside of narrative. We are all part of the Christian story, and we all have individual stories that comprise it. This basic idea is under attack, he says, when the Enlightenment argues that we have no story. We create ourselves, same the modernists. We're blank slates. Further, the idea of a universal story is hogwash, according to the Enlightenment. Modernists say we're making up our backstory and plot as we go, out of the shards that we pick up along our way.<br />
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Naming the Enlightenment self-creation project as a lie is particularly important when we engage with those who have been handed a challenging story: people who live with disabilities. It is only honest to say that disability is part of the story. None of us can whisk that reality away--unless we try to prevent people with disabilities from being born. And that's not prevention, that is murder. That is the reality of the story.
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<br />
One of the ways I think Hauerwas' theology of disability is in fruitful complementarity with the Theology of the Body is that story is not possible without relationship. John Paul II begins, first of all, not with ontology, but with sacred story: the creation of Adam and Eve. But the point he draws out of Genesis is that human beings are created as a sign that points to God's desired union with us, and with a spousal meaning that speaks to our need for fulfillment in relationship. There is no story without relationship. It is part of the plot. It is much of the characterization. Relationship and our need of it makes the story matter, and serve as more than popcorn entertainment. The human being created for relationship is the heartbeat of every story, including God's story.<br />
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The other way Hauerwas' theology of disability is in fruitful complementarity with the Theology of the Body is in their common conviction that God is the writer of this story, and it is told through the Church. It may seem odd to need to affirm that God is the writer of the story (isn't it obvious? Apparently not to modernity), and its true that free will has its role. But not all Christians seem to hold that God is in charge of the story. Our free will is part of the story, but it is granted to us: free will is not the core principle. God is in charge and desires to shape a story that brings us to Himself. And the Church serves to witness to that, to foster that! It is a story told through the Church and is the Church. And what is the Theology of the Body but a witness to the mysterious relationship--story, if you prefer--between Christ and the Church? That, in fact, is the <i>whole point </i>of Ephesians 5, according to John Paul II....<br />
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Our story is the story of Adam and Eve. It is the story of a humanity loved, created, designed, broken, ashamed, confused, and wanting. It is the story of Jesus Christ. It is the story of the Church as it unfolds under the power of the Spirit, and the sin of its members, through the centuries. It is a story that we take on faith will end with the Second Coming. And our smaller stories (including the disability stories) cannot be ignored or erased or eliminated. They may be tragic and difficult, or they may be triumphant, or both, or neither. But they all make up the storied fabric of the Church. To say otherwise is to deny reality, live a lie, and reject the Author, God.<br />
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Just some thoughts after a frankly overwhelming conference. <br />
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***<br />
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Interested in buying the book? I do refer to Hauerwas' work (more clearly than I just did above!). Links to buy a signed copy, a regular new paperback copy, or the ebook are listed <a href="http://www.tobextended.com/p/buy-signed-copy-of-book.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<br />The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-5421304917072592882014-06-11T05:37:00.001-07:002014-06-11T06:24:41.054-07:00Lo and behold! ToB Extended is now an ebook!<b><i>Theology of the Body, Extended</i> is now an ebook!</b> It's even in color if you get the ebook version (for a couple pieces of art and the formatting design.) If you use ITunes, you can <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/theology-body-extended-spiritual/id884186070?mt=11" target="_blank">buy it there for $15.99</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8IJNzA-Ek70/U5hMGRxJGJI/AAAAAAAAAfY/Ikcwo-8m5rM/s1600/iPad+guy+excited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8IJNzA-Ek70/U5hMGRxJGJI/AAAAAAAAAfY/Ikcwo-8m5rM/s1600/iPad+guy+excited.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy just found out the ebook was available. Well, no, actually he saw a Cinnabon store.</td></tr>
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For those of you who like paperbacks (that's me too), I still have a handful signed and available <a href="http://tobextended.tictail.com/" target="_blank">here</a>, and of course you can buy it through the publisher, <a href="http://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php?b=3" target="_blank">Lectio Publishing</a>, or other online/on land retailers. Of course, it is a little more expensive, but as my brother-in-law said upon first seeing it, it's a whole lot of words!<br />
<br />
More seriously, thanks for the positive feedback, everyone. If you would be so inclined to write a short review of the book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Theology-Body-Extended-Spiritual-Impairment/dp/0989839753" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21912949-theology-of-the-body-extended?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, that would help Lectio (and the visibility of the book) a great deal. It's easy to do and makes Amazon's logarithms happy...or something like that. <br />
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Next week I am going to be at the <a href="http://bethesdainstitute.org/Summer-Institute-Theology-Disability" target="_blank">Summer Institute for Theology and Disability in Dallas</a>. If you are attending, please say hello--I'd love to meet you.<br />
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Peace these early summer days! -- Susan<br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-86913155440947822992014-05-28T20:40:00.002-07:002014-05-28T20:51:09.442-07:00"The Prophetism of the Body": learning to live in truth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5wgfmqunwqe19YR-bqWWZ-VmipG9AKmPm2OutgpROwyjucgRDlycQF50BH3UxfbvETv4ZrFTwsXtEiS6UPxo2UtrjMN9-Tzhx8ilPTkomB6YcbSblwcM6bkskjrAb-Um5iPKxYsF1jZE/s1600/Venice-da-Vinci_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5wgfmqunwqe19YR-bqWWZ-VmipG9AKmPm2OutgpROwyjucgRDlycQF50BH3UxfbvETv4ZrFTwsXtEiS6UPxo2UtrjMN9-Tzhx8ilPTkomB6YcbSblwcM6bkskjrAb-Um5iPKxYsF1jZE/s1600/Venice-da-Vinci_02.jpg" height="253" width="320" /></a></div>
I recall reading a Protestant theologian many years ago in grad school (Rita Nakashima Brock, if you care to know) who has written passionately about human embodiment and incarnation. Honestly, I have long since forgotten much of the particular book, but I do remember one golden line: <i>the body does not lie</i>. <br />
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It's true, isn't it? The body does not lie. We can rationalize our way out of aging ("I feel young, and with the right surgery, I look it too"), out of violence ("it's not really abuse, a little makeup and ibuprofen and I can carry on"), out of illness ("most people my age have chest pains, right?"). Happiness is physically expressed. Anger is physically expressed. Grief is physically expressed. Psychologists are trained to catch these expressions, since the words from the client's mouth may not match. There is a speaking that the body does, a language, that is starkly honest. Literally, the body cannot lie.<br />
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Of course, the mind can. And does. When John Paul II says that the original sin resulted in a seismic disharmony between body and soul, felt and manifested as shame, he says that original sin opened the door toward wanting to live a lie. Thank God, we have the grace of Jesus Christ to help us confront those dark tendencies and realities. But we also have another help to support and receive that grace: the ensouled body, prophet to the self and God's community.<br />
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<i>Body as prophet?</i> One of the phrases that John Paul II used in the audiences was "the prophetism of the body" (and to those who say John Paul II said nothing new, I counter with this phrase!). How is the body a prophet to the self? Well, the body does not lie--which means the body, in its own blunt way, tells the truth. The body is a truth teller. It tells us who we were created to be. That is prophetic work. In a powerful way, the body, even in its fallen and imperfect state, can be a spokesperson for God (that is, a prophet to yourself!).<br />
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But the other role of the ancient prophet was to call God's people back to the covenant. This is even more interesting. How does the body call us to covenant? If you take the body seriously as sign, as a "pre-given language of self-giving and fruitfulness," then the body points to and expresses the covenant we are called to with God. The body was very precisely made for an exclusive covenant with the other. God's covenant is nothing if not unmerited gift, and the audiences' "hermeneutic of the gift" is expressed and seen through the ensouled body!<br />
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I do not mean to push this too far--honestly, I am thinking through the implications myself. But today's gospel, when Jesus Christ says he will send us a Spirit of Truth, got me thinking. Perhaps we can recognize the Spirit of Truth because we were created to welcome truth in our very ensouled bodies. The body as a temple of the Holy Spirit gains a new meaning here: truth holds Truth. We live in a world that needs gentle truth tellers. Perhaps one of the gifts of the theology of the body is recognizing that there is need for courage, but no need for despair: in addition to the Power of God and a Spirit of Truth, we carry the seed of the prophetic word in our very bodies. And that word is "God did not create us to be alone, but for love, healing, and communion." Good news indeed.<br />
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May we all realize the body does not lie, and seek to live in better harmony with its message.<br />
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***<br />
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<i>Theology of the Body, Extended</i> is for sale, and I still have a few signed copies. If you'd like to buy it, please, check it out <a href="http://www.tobextended.com/p/buy-signed-copy-of-book.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Thanks!The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-1405611034893894812014-04-19T00:00:00.000-07:002014-04-21T05:51:01.617-07:00The Book Is For Sale! or, how you can win or buy Theology of the Body, Extended<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Easter to everyone! I hope you had a joy-filled Sunday (and if you didn't, we've got 49 more days to go!<br />
<br />
And...<b><i>Theology of the Body, Extended: The Spiritual Signs of Birth, Impairment, and Dying,</i></b> the paperback version, is hereby released and for sale!<br />
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There are ways you can buy the book, of course. You can buy it through Lectio Publishing (and read a one chapter excerpt to boot), you can buy it through Amazon, and while supplies last, US and Canadian residents can buy it through me! Check the "buy the book" tab up top. And thank you!<br />
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However, you also have the opportunity to win a copy. All you have to do is announce the book release to your friends on facebook and/or through twitter and/or through Google +. Here's the thing: you need to do it by the end of the day, Tuesday, April 22. <br />
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(If you buy a copy through me and then win a copy, I can simply refund your money, so go ahead and try!)<br />
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Those playing to win a copy, please make your entries through the Rafflecopter widget below:<br />
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And thank you so very much for your support. It has meant the world to me. Blessings this Easter octave and season! <br />
<br />
p.s. If you are interested, there is an ebook version coming...expect it in mid-May on ITunes. In other words, watch this space!<br />
<br />
--SusanThe Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-41497931547668816662014-04-17T20:58:00.000-07:002014-04-17T21:05:25.833-07:00"We have a God who fights for us."<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pEsXwHAefIQ/U1ChsKu_a1I/AAAAAAAAAdg/7xiqvWQ8XwA/s1600/Feuerbach_Mirjam_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pEsXwHAefIQ/U1ChsKu_a1I/AAAAAAAAAdg/7xiqvWQ8XwA/s1600/Feuerbach_Mirjam_2.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miriam. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Feuerbach_Mirjam_2.jpg" target="_blank">Image credit.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">One of the privileges I have as a college professor is that I teach a class called the Christian View of the Human Person, and the students have an option to write religious autobiographies. Sometimes these autobiographies are wrenching, other times, joyful, other times, seeking. But often, they are touching. Like this one: a couple of days ago, one of my students wrote--after a litany of real challenges in her young life--"<i>But thank God: we have a God who fights for us</i>."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">We have a God who fights for us. I immediately thought of Miriam's triumphant song in Exodus, "The Lord is a warrior; The Lord is His name." We have a God who--for <i>us</i>--fights. I've never thought of the warrior language in particularly positive ways before; at best, it's not my preferred image of God. But it's a true image. It's just that the fighting is not violent, not power-over. Our God fights for us like a physician saving a dying patient, a lover wooing to win his love's attention, a father seeking a child lost in the woods, a teacher using every trick to help the student learn the lesson. Like a God who is willing to take every measure, short of taking away our will, to lure us into healing relationship with him. Even becoming human and dying on a cross.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">St. Therese de Lisieux, in her autobiography <i>Story of a Soul</i>, tries to explain why she was preserved from being a great sinner, since she feels it was through no merit of her own. I can't find the passage (feel free to tell me where it is!) but her thrust is that she felt she was in some way preserved from sin, received mercy before she could even commit the acts of sin. I see some unusual relevance here. What if the Lord fights for us, even before we sin? What would that look like?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Well, it would look like the Theology of the Body. Original humanity, before the fall, was given the gift of the sign of the ensouled body. Our bodies speak a primordial language that points to God, before a single word of revelation is handed down. That sign was created by God. That was God fighting for us, giving us direction, before we even stepped into the abyss. But the fighting is not violent. It is not brutish. It is <i>gift</i>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">After the fall, the hermeneutic of the gift remains: the ensouled body remains as primordial prophet, and the gift becomes most clearly revealed in the death of the Son of God, a gift of salvation. God never stops fighting for us. It is, as David Power wrote, a "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Without-Calculation-Reflection-Kenosis/dp/0824522834" target="_blank">Love Without Calculation</a>."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">And after the resurrection, the gifting continues, because that is how God fights for us. "I will send you an Advocate," says Jesus Christ, and the apostles receive the Holy Spirit, become temples of the Holy Spirit and agents of God. If we need to fight, he promises to fight with us: "do not plan what you are to say should they take you to court, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The law of the gift boils down to this: we have a God who fights for us. The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is his name. But like all of Christianity, it's not the fighting we expect. It's a sacrifice that costs everything--but also changes everything. We expect God to jig, and he jags. No matter: soon enough, we realize that God isn't the one writing with crooked lines; we are. He has fought for us from the beginning of time, in unexpected but entirely consistent ways. When we listen to Miriam's song this Easter Vigil, let's keep in mind the upside down sacrificial gift of a God who fights for us.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="highl" style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">"The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.</span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> (Exo 15:2-3)</span></span></blockquote>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-79956137145301438282014-04-04T10:24:00.001-07:002014-04-04T10:25:50.053-07:00...and we have a cover!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eSYwnKTe2Ek/Uz7qKCnNzvI/AAAAAAAAAdA/VBPMUBmhh14/s1600/cvr_tobe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eSYwnKTe2Ek/Uz7qKCnNzvI/AAAAAAAAAdA/VBPMUBmhh14/s1600/cvr_tobe.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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The book is set for release at Easter. <br />
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I promise not to abuse your email or sell it to anyone, and you can opt out anytime. Blessings on your weekend, everyone!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-63142941234512973122014-03-25T10:38:00.000-07:002014-03-25T10:40:53.924-07:00Thoughts on the Annunciation....<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Happy Feast of the Annunciation!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Part of the text addresses the spiritual motherhood of Mary, and how it is related to the physical motherhood of millions of women. In particular, it addresses what it may mean that Mary received the news of her motherhood with love, not fear, and that resistance to fear may well be a witness not only to her love and trust in God, but her immaculate conception....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The book is scheduled to be released at Easter. More news as I know it! Meanwhile, from the text: </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">...[W]e do know <u>how
Mary received</u> the conception and birth of the Son of God: and this gives us
all the insight we have about her as a person, and her call to motherhood. That
is, she did not give in to fear, and lived out her vocation in utter
fearlessness. At the annunciation, being approached by an angel and the Holy
Spirit, she asks a simple clarifying question (How can this be…?) and then
responds “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your
word.” No flash, no drama, only humble assent. In an age of historical-cultural
criticism, we know that the stakes were high for her personally, in her
culture: she was betrothed to Joseph but not living with him, and this
seemingly illicit pregnancy could result in being stoned to death.
Additionally, if it is true that she was dedicated as a child to the Temple as
a virgin (as some legends offer), this pregnancy would look to the world like
another grievously broken vow. It’s hard to see how anyone in such
circumstances would have received this “good news” well.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But
the encounter with the Holy Spirit may have assured her and strengthened her to
travel 50 miles to tell the other person mentioned in the annunciation, a
cousin with another miraculous pregnancy, Elizabeth. And her words are not “I’m
afraid,” “I’m so worried,” or even “I’m confused” but:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">...My soul magnifies the Lord, </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior, </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">for he has looked with favor on
the lowliness of his servant. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Surely, from now on all
generations will call me blessed; </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">for the Mighty One has done great
things for me, </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">and holy is his name (Lk 1:46-49).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That
is, her response to Elizabeth’s awe-filled “you had faith” was to redirect
Elizabeth’s awe to God: “Look! Look at the goodness of God! Look at what God
has done! In me, in Israel, in all the small ones of this world!”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mary’s
acceptance of the pregnancy, the child, and her vocation to motherhood is
rooted in a fearlessness that comes from a harmony of body and spirit, and
total trust in God. If she was indeed without fear—that psychological
consequence of dissociation—then perhaps she saw the birth of her son
(whatever that would look like) as work, as effort, as cooperation with the
Holy Spirit, but not pain. That is, perhaps she did not anticipate or experience
pain because she did not give in to fear, from her acceptance of the
annunciation onward. Perfect love cast out all fear.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">For Mary, accepting
motherhood meant to focus her energy and attention—in her case quite literally
and directly—on God, fearlessly and without reserve. This was her untarnished
experience of motherhood....</span></span></blockquote>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-29212919912891897572014-02-07T07:27:00.000-08:002014-02-07T07:27:45.660-08:00"Unto Us A Child Is Born"Hello, everyone! <br />
<br />
The ToB Extended book is getting formatted and ready for publication soon (hurrah), and I'm talking to another publisher about a popular presentation of what Theology of the Body could say about childbirth, more of a "spiritual direction for birthing mothers in a book" project. Life keeps me busy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l6cKY_KcEak/UvT66v1nvCI/AAAAAAAAAaM/DFaPOHZXtTA/s1600/sojo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l6cKY_KcEak/UvT66v1nvCI/AAAAAAAAAaM/DFaPOHZXtTA/s1600/sojo.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In pulling that together, I realized that this 2010 article I wrote on childbirth is available online--but after Feb 17, <i>Sojourners</i> is going to ask you to pay for access (don't blame <i>Sojourners</i>--all online publishers are trying to figure out how to make things work in this dragging economy). So, if you are interested in reading my earlier thoughts and experiences on giving birth and the Christian life, please, go ahead and <a href="http://sojo.net/magazine/2010/12/unto-us-child-given" target="_blank">read here</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
A snippet from mid-article:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: blue;">....</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: blue;">Of course, there are times when drugs and other medical interventions
are absolute life-savers, and we thank God for them. But the rest of
the time, I think there are many gifts in a natural childbirth that make
flouting current medical convention worth it. And one of the biggest
gifts is that natural childbirth helps us realize we cannot do this
alone.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">We cannot do this alone. Well, isn't that why most of us go
to hospitals? Although there can be exceptions, anyone going to a
hospital craving companionship for this journey is very likely to be
disappointed. I know some women who go to the hospital, get the
routinely offered and accepted epidural, and watch TV with their husband
or friend until it's time to push. After all, there’s nobody else to
talk to, you can’t get out of bed, and there's nothing to do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">When
I suggest that we cannot do this alone, I am suggesting that we need
something more than medical interventions, as necessary as those
sometimes are. When we become, in the fullest sense of the term, new
mothers, we are aware as never before of all our relationships and
connections -- with the baby’s father, the baby, the siblings, the
grandparents, the friends. And through those relationships, we see and
step into a calling that God has given us: Being a mother. This child is
your son, your daughter. Love this child with Me. Let us all love this
child, together. An amazing thing has happened: A child, loved by God,
created in God's image and desired for God’s kingdom, has been given to
us. </span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: blue;">....</span></blockquote>
<br />
Enjoy! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4213926529170662654.post-50729904685170103212014-01-15T19:40:00.004-08:002014-01-15T19:49:33.887-08:00Down Syndrome and reading the language of the bodyThis note (from facebook, used with permission) is from Fr. Vincent Daily, brother to my friend Eileen Daily and both of them sister to Connie Daily, who has DS. Connie is an adult, had a bad case of pneumonia last week, and is still in recovery...and Fr. Daily picks up the story there:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: blue;">Just left my sister at the rehab hospital. She's got a roommate for a
few days. Anyway, Connie just went out of her way to go over to this
person whom she has never met ... Extends her hand and says, "Hi, I'm
Connie". The poor lady says, "Sorry I'm not better company, I'm going
through chemo". Connie hugs her and says <span class="text_exposed_show">"it's
ok"... Con sat next to her for a few minutes holding her hand. The poor
lady had a beaming smile on. An occasion of grace.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: blue;"><span class="text_exposed_show"> As I do my
night prayers, I just thank God for my sister's greatness of heart and
being an example of what it means to a genuine Christian.</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">This made a lot of people smile, but it's more than a nice story. It reminds me of a question I raise in the manuscript, where I focus on what we think of the spiritual capabilities of people with Down Syndrome:</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">V<span style="color: blue;">anier
prods us continually: do we really believe in the holiness of people with
disabilities? If we want to see a “sign” of witness that usually holds deep
meaning to Catholics, there is a small order of religious sisters in France
called the Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb. It is a small contemplative
community of nuns who have Down Syndrome in community with other nuns who do
not. From their own literature:</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnG70409FXeUgzSnX-U9GKB7uRkE4pUNMNHFxpCDwnnMOcbgoNiA_Nwm7FNDCNe_XAUcwN8mNOsaSb5HE7rvylugomvukA9A8xJ7nEgO_o0W-GciS7JFtFA5keurGocKiNOZ9Bu94bnz8/s1600/psrsdiscagneaublessingpicture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnG70409FXeUgzSnX-U9GKB7uRkE4pUNMNHFxpCDwnnMOcbgoNiA_Nwm7FNDCNe_XAUcwN8mNOsaSb5HE7rvylugomvukA9A8xJ7nEgO_o0W-GciS7JFtFA5keurGocKiNOZ9Bu94bnz8/s1600/psrsdiscagneaublessingpicture.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Guided by the wisdom of St
Benedict, we teach our little disabled sisters the manual labour necessary for
their development. We live poverty in putting ourselves at their disposal. With
them, we share the work of everyday life.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The office, adoration and the
praying of the rosary are adapted to their rhythm and their capacities. In a
spirit of silence, our prayer feeds every day on the Eucharist and on the
meditation of the Gospel. ….</span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“We
follow every day the ‘little way’ taught by Saint Therese; knowing that ‘great
actions are forbidden to us’, we learn from her to receive everything from God,
to ‘love for the brothers who fight’, to ‘scatter flowers for Jesus’, and to
pray for the intentions entrusted to us<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="mso-comment-date: 20140103T2116; mso-comment-reference: S_3;">.”</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4213926529170662654#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 1;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 2;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 3;"><sup><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[i]</span></sup></span></sup></span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 2;"><span style="mso-comment-continuation: 3;"><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: comment;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: comment;"></span><span style="mso-special-character: comment;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: blue;"></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> It
is striking, and produces a smile, to see the pictures associated with this
small group of consecrated women: one never sees women with DS in a full habit.
The description of their life together reminds one a bit of L’Arche. But
perhaps the most salient reactions I have had are when I share this group with
other Catholic women who have children with DS, or love someone with the
diagnosis: they sometimes break down crying, with comments such as: “I would
wish this so much for my daughter/niece/friend. I know she is so close to God. Why
don’t other people see how holy these people can be?” Granted, a habit does not
make one holy. And choosing the religious life needs to be a free choice, so I
assume they practice ways of discernment that make certain that this calling is
from God and a truly free choice for these women. But the habited nuns with DS
stand as a stark visual reminder of the universal call to holiness. That
indeed, regardless of any limitation, we are called to a spiritual infinite—we
are called to union with God.</span></span><span style="color: blue;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<span style="color: blue;"><br clear="all" /></span>
<br />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4213926529170662654#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: blue;">
“Little Sisters of the Lamb,” <u>Laodicea</u>, Jan 11 2010, <a href="http://exlaodicea.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/little-sisters-disciples-of-the-lamb/">http://exlaodicea.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/little-sisters-disciples-of-the-lamb/</a>.
The order was established in 1985.</span></div>
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If we do believe in the holiness of people with DS, that they bear witness to Christ through a theology of the body as well as anyone else, the first story should not surprise anyone at all. Indeed, too much surprise should convict us.</div>
The Ironic Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12990289461877567408noreply@blogger.com1