Material Cooperators

". . . unfortunately, the enemies of God and Christ have succeeded in overcoming many lukewarm and timid souls who, although they adore God in the intimacy of their consciences, nevertheless, either through human respect or through fear of earthly evils, have become, at least materially, cooperators in the dechristianization of a people that owes to religion its greatest glories."

 -- Pope Pius XI in his encyclical, Firmissiam Constantiam, which was written in response to the persecution of Cristeros in Mexico in the '20s but applies equally well today

Freedom and Modesty

Although I am obviously not Muslim, I am a woman who chooses to dress modestly and to cover her head in certain situations. I, too, have heard that choosing modesty means being oppressed or giving in to brainwashing or giving up my agency simply because I express my faith and my belief in modesty through the clothes I wear.

I think this video is a nice answer to such accusations.

My Gorgeous Rosary by Allison Kinyon

A month ago, I entered a contest hosted by Clan-Donaldson, and I won a beautiful Advent rosary made by the very talented Allison Kinyon. It came at an opportune time for me. I have been looking to replace my late father's rosary, which is sadly broken and missing beads.

I received the rosary a few days ago, and it is even prettier than I imagined. I tried to get a few good shots, but it's gray and raining here, and the lighting is awful. I did manage to get a few, but they fail to capture just how pretty this rosary actually is. It's sturdy and heavy and feels great in your hand.

Here are the shots I've gotten so far. When the sun finally decides to  grace us with its presence, I'll try to get a few more to show you how lovely the colors really are.

Discerning Wordliness

“Lord, give me the discernment to recognize the subtle conspiracies of worldliness that lead us to negotiate our values and our faith.”

-- Pope Francis

Excerpt from "Praying Drunk" by Andrew Hudgins

Praying Drunk by Andrew Hudgins : The Poetry Foundation

I’m sorry for the times I’ve driven
home past a black, enormous, twilight ridge.
Crested with mist, it looked like a giant wave
about to break and sweep across the valley,
and in my loneliness and fear I’ve thought,
O let it come and wash the whole world clean.
Forgive me. This is my favorite sin: despair—
whose love I celebrate with wine and prayer.

Welp

Was that the purplest prose you ever did hear in that opening post or what? You can thank deciding to start this blog in the middle of the night and in the middle of a depressive funk for that one. Still, I believe it's true, no matter how badly it's written. When the light of the Divine pierces the soul, something inside opens up.

I'm a woman who was claimed by Christ a long time ago, ran away from him for years, came back, ran, and did it over and over. I think I'm finally ready to surrender now.

This blog is a record of my coming to terms with Christ and Christianity. I am not a conventional Christian by any means, though I am pretty traditional in a lot of ways. If you're looking for conservative Christianity, this is probably not the place for you, though who can say what will happen as I open my heart even further to the light of Christ?

Holy Heartsong

The heart sings when it finds the truth and when the midnight sun, the light in the darkness, cuts through the shadows to find it. Inside, a rose blooms and opens under the nourishing sunshine of the holy light.