High Anxiety

Remember that prayer that was on all those posters in the 70s: "Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen today that you and I together can't handle"?

I've been letting anxiety get the better of me a little (a lot?) more than usual recently. And really, this has got to stop. When I was talking about this with a good friend, she mentioned that, lately, she has been making an effort to pray when anxiety starts to overcome her. She asks God to help her hand over the situation, to guide her words and actions.

Good advice.

But I don't want to pray that prayer from the 70s posters. To be honest, I find that prayer a little arrogant. 

As Father Cavanagh says in the movie Rudy, "I have come up with only two hard incontrovertible facts: there is a God, and I'm not him."

Better to pray that God will guide me through a situation. I prefer this prayer, attributed to Father Mychal Judge, OFM, who perished in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center:

Lord, take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who you want me to meet;
Tell me what you want me to say, and
Keep me out of your way.

There's only one thing I may need to add to that: "Keep my foot out of my mouth."

Amen.

What is Virtue?

Sometimes you just never know where some wisdom is going to pop up.

I've been reading this book, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. Overall, this book is rather anti-religious, and certainly the author is opposed to many things that I believe in and hold dear. But the book is funny, and I'm inclined to read it until I get to the end--just for the laughs.

Who knew that today I'd run into this bit of truth:

"virtue isn't a condition of character. It's an elected action. It's a choice we keep making, over and over, hoping that someday we'll create a habit so strong it will carry us through our bouts of pettiness and meanness."
(Rhoda Janzen, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress. New York: Henry Holt, 2009, p. 175)

From Today's Homily

At daily Mass today, our pastor spoke about Jesus' response to the Pharisees who cared more about whether hands, feet, and dishes were properly washed, than their guests themselves.

He concluded, "As Christians, it is our responsibility to treat everyone with compassion and love, no matter how they act."

Why Moms Don't Want to Always Know Best

Read Sheila Wray Gregoire's column for this week! I think she's been peeking in my windows. Thanks, Sheila, for saying what I couldn't find the words to express.

I try not to bug my husband with the Little Stuff, because he really does deal with most of the Big Stuff. But a lot of the Little Stuff sure does come with Big Guilt. I really appreciate what Sheila has to say on this subject.

From My Inbox

A member of my family sent around this email today. She said to pass it on--so I thought I'd share it here. Some great advice!

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice..'

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together..
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it..
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life..
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego
33 Talk less; listen more..
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

'If God is for us, who can be against us?' (Romans8:31)

Friday's Finest

Gems from the Desk Drawer!

I have a habit of scribbling down (on whatever paper is handy) a line from the homily at Mass that particularly strikes me, so I can reflect upon it later.

Sometimes I wind up reflecting upon it much later, when that scrap of paper surfaces after who knows how long.

I found a few of those papers scattered among my desk drawers when I was cleaning the desk yesterday. So here they are, for your consideration:

Prophets remind us of the promises we have made.

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. Your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.

There is nothing Franciscan about depression, because depression involves a focus on the self.

Christians must not be sharp-tongued, cutting people to pieces, because that is of the Devil. He wants us to hurt each other.

And this last one came from reading the Summa Mamas blog a very long time ago (before I learned about using Bloglines and the handy "keep new" feature!) It's Pope Benedict XVI:

The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we were not created for comfort, but for greatness, for good.

Sticking With It

Denise at Catholic Matriarch in My Domestic Church shares a bit from Phil Lawler's reflection on living out Catholic culture:

But what if some of us were conspicuously unified in our beliefs and in our behavior? What if there were enough of us striving to live an authentically Catholic life so that our neighbors couldn't help but notice? Inevitably they would notice, too, if there was something a bit different about the way we lived: something distinctive, something attractive, something clearly in keeping with the teachings of the Church. We need to bear witness to the power of Christian principles, to act as the yeast within our society.

The quote is excellent--and is the inspiration by which I want to live out 2009--but don't miss the rest that Denise has to say! While you're at it, read the rest of Phil Lawler's piece as well.

Delicious Day-After-Christmas Links

Some things I found this morning--definitely worth the time!

Father Tom, ofm's Christmas homily: "Eat the Cookie!"

Adoro on "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and the idea of the perfect Christmas. She stated it way better than I tried to yesterday.

Eye Opening

Go over and lend Adoro some support today. She has a fabulous post about "rubrics v. charity" that will certainly inspire some discussion. There's a lot in there, and it definitely moved me to reflect on my attitudes and actions. I hope that in the future I will think and behave differently.

A highlight:

If we love the law so much that we ignore the needs of our neighbor, then we have also failed to love God. The two cannot be separated!

Go read the whole thing. And respond with charity, not with venom.

What we're up against

Michelle lays it on the line. I think she hits the nail on the head here:

The goal here is to marginalize anyone who is devout. Devotion is bad because it induces guilt in those who are not devout.

Read the whole thing. It's worth your time. And it's more worth your time to think about what you and your family will do in response to this.

The Bishops Have Spoken

Father Tom, ofm shares the text of the US Council of Catholic Bishops' congratulatory letter to our newly-elected president:

Dear President-elect Obama,

I write to you, in my capacity as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, to express our congratulations on your historic election as President of the United States.

The people of our country have entrusted you with a great responsibility. As Catholic Bishops, we offer our prayers that God give you strength and wisdom to meet the coming challenges.

Our country is confronting many uncertainties. We pray that you will use the powers of your office to meet them with a special concern to defend the most vulnerable among us and heal the divisions in our country and our world. We stand ready to work with you in defense and support of the life and dignity of every human person.

May God bless you and Vice President-elect Biden as you prepare to assume your duties in service to our country and its citizens.

Sincerely yours,
Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago
President USCCB

As a committed and pro-life Catholic, I am disappointed and troubled by the election of one so anti-life. But I will continue to pray and hopefully to find ways to work to defend those who are most vulnerable. It's time to move on and build a better America, one that values ALL people--not just those who are convenient.

Attention Shoppers:

The Church is Not Wal-Mart

Father Philip Powell, OP, lists 10 reasons why.

Think About This

Jean at Catholic Fire has a quote from Dr. Alveda King on the economy and loving our neighbor:

"If financial pressures cause us to stop loving our neighbors, to think only of ourselves, we have lost much more than money," added Dr. King. "If we stop giving to charity, cease donating our time to help others, or, in the extreme, abort a baby for financial reasons, we literally sacrifice the eternal for the temporary.... As my uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, 'The time is always right to do what is right'."

There's more over at Jean's site.

Common Sense

Via Colleen Hammond, I came across this column on personal responsiblity.

As Justice Casey Percell said, “It is not the responsibility of the government or the legal system to protect a citizen from himself.“ You made a poor choice, take your lumps and move on.

So true! Read the whole thing.

That Book I Just Read & Reviewed

Remember that book I just read and reviewed--A Civilization of Love by Carl Anderson?

Mr. Anderson really puts his money where his mouth is.

This morning over at Portiuncula (one of my favorite blogs on a Franciscan theme) there's an article called "Supreme Knight of Columbus Calls for a Long Overdue Change on Abortion."

One point made in this article:

"It is time that Catholics shine a bright line of separation between themselves and all those politicians of every political party who defend the abortion regime of Roe vs. Wade."

Don't stop here. Read the whole thing.