Thanks once again to our host Larry D. at Acts of the Apostasy, without whom Tuesdays would be so . . . different.
1.
I don’t see an official announcement yet, so I won’t spill the beans on the details, but I’ve been instructed to spend the next month or two pondering the word women. I can’t decide if I was the intentional choice for that one, or just lucky. There are so many seriously-girlesque-with-hearts-on-top ladies out there in the Catholic blogosphere, and here I am, feeling pretty fashionable when I’ve got on a new black t-shirt and jeans instead of an old black t-shirt and jeans. Then again, I am not the only Catholic homeschooling mom at my parish who played rugby in college.
But anyway, it’s got me thinking about that word. Okay I’m familiar with the biological details, but what, exactly, is it that makes girls different enough to get their own apostolic letter?
2.
Ladies, will somebody please tell Larry the secret code for getting all those cute little post-it-notes above his frog? Dorian? Hallie? Fulwilinator? Anyone? Anyone? Please? He’ll never even own half of Tuesday, if that frog keeps hiding away his linkfest inside the frog cave. Maybe someone should check with Mrs. D. to confirm he’s in good standing and can be admitted to auxiliary membership.
UPDATE: Larry says you get what you pay for. Not his fault he’d rather spend his cash on the worthy Mrs. D. Masculine genius, right there. I’m with it.
3.
Internet Valentines:
At CWG, Karina Fabian applies the bacon analogy to the new non-compromise. If you like her post, she asks you to please share it around.
Also hidden in the CWG Monday line-up (yes, I am personally responsible for the post pile-on, go ahead, flog me), Ellen Gable Hrkach tells you the cold hard truth about the work required to succeed at self-publishing. Now you know what it is traditional publishers have been doing all these years.
And super-bonus: Today we have an actual Valentine-themed post. Ordinarily Kathryn writes on third Tuesdays, but I bumped her up a week when I saw what she had planned.
I think the similarity of color-schemes between the CWG blog and the Vatican website is coincidental. Only Ann Lewis knows for sure. Has anyone noticed whether she’s got the Vatican-spy secret decoder ring?
If you know someone who takes that last question seriously, you need a dose of masculine genius:
Perfect valentine for your budding junior apologist. Nothing like a good argument with a lunatic to really make an adolescent boy enjoy religion.
Free girl-book, today only: My friend’s mom Christine Bush has her kindle romance Cowboy Boots on sale today for Valentine’s Day. Free download. I haven’t read it yet, but thought it was worth a look at that price.
From my inbox: The Catholic Company is offering 14% off all orders today only, use coupon code LOVE14 during checkout. Timely if you owe your godchildren across-country some good Lenten reading. I imagine there are other discounts to be had today, feel free to share your info in the combox.
3.5
Sursum Corda? I saw it on a Confederate battle flag. SC’s 7th Batallion. The full motto is Sursum Corda – Quid Non Pro Patria? on a field of blue with a cross made of stars in the center. It was made by the Ursuline nuns in Columbia. Very cool detail: metal sequins on the stars.
If you go [no visit to the Inferno is complete without a quick stroll right past the inner door to the State Museum and on to the end of the hall where the good exhibits hide], call ahead and arrange a tour with the curator for education, Joe Long. He isn’t Catholic, but ask him to tell you his St. Anthony story. It’s a classic.
Jen – it’s not my fault, nor my ineptitude at things Innerwebz. It’s a quirk between WordPress.com and inlinkz. Now, if I had AoftheA at WordPress.org, the post-its would show.
So – anyone wanna give me $$ to migrate AoftheA to WordPress.org?
Okay I updated. Though I totally support the work of any generous benefactors out there who decide to underwrite AoA.
(Gosh ‘specially after I mistakenly thought you were being cranky about the NCReporter columnists, then discovered, that no, not. Oh dear wow. I’d end up in the confessional, fast-like, if I tried writing on that. Marvelous display of self-restraint on your part.)
Marvelous display of self-restraint on your part.
The day’s not over yet. Plenty of time left to let ‘er rip…
Hehe.
Ah, yes, the dreaded plague on those of us who blog for free. Hmmnpfh. For some reason I had it in my brain that you were using your own domain — probably because I didn’t look carefully and also I had brain failure.
Yeah, all those ladies who own the internet, they pay for the privilege of neat-o features. I think I make Sarah R. cry every time she sees I’m still using a free blog. I got serious smackdown for suggesting the CWG could do such a thing.
(So instead, we have different limits on the functionality of our site, that come with using our own domain but wanting to keep costs down.)
Re #1: Women have the babies and men don’t. As far as I’m concerned that explains pretty much everything, and the older I get the more it explains.
It especially explains what happens when women don’t have the babies: men treat them less like women, and more like men with some interesting bits.
Re: #1: Yes, I think that’s at the heart of it. It’s confusing because many very feminine holy people never have babies (and masculine, holy people never father them) But yes, I think that is where the soul and the body ending matching up and making the distinctive package.
Like you say, when men don’t undertake fatherhood, it likewise causes things to fall apart.
Of course nuns have their own allure, which is also based on women’n’babies.
I think you might be right. Wanna flesh that out into about 500 words . . .?
(Just kidding. I’ll write my own %^&$ guest post. I’ve got another month and a half to discern.)
I think the feminine mystique was most elementally expressed in Mary Renault’s “The King Must Die.” It’s not much read nowadays.
You’ll be pleased to know that when I googled that, I decided to speed-scroll through the plot summary on wikipedia, just in case there were spoilers. Yes, we’ve fallen that far. Jon (the spouse) looked at me in horror last night, as he suddenly realized, “Wait a minute. *We’re* the devout Catholics. This is bad. Bad.”
The plot’s pretty rude per those primitive times, but the depiction of matriarchal society was very memorable. And of course it had to do with women having the babies.
Re #3 back when I was teaching RCIA we would go through Jack Chick’s “Death Cookie” page by page, and learn how to respond to its fabulous accusations. I used to think of that class as a type of inoculation.
Yes. Essential part of RCIA, I would say. I -heart- your religious ed.