Peace

How to achieve peace in our lives?

I found peace, inspiration, love and grace .. on Monday. ( Don't ask about Tuesday, however..)

I prayed at Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

Now, don't take this in a bad way but...I needed that Mass. To worship Jesus, to receive Him, without attendant, unnecessary noise or activity or distractions. Without clapping and jokes. Without a sloppily intoned Alelluia ( not during Lent, of course). Without shaking hands and chatting.

Just praying, silently, reverently, with others, with the priest, before Our Lord.

The sursum corda-the lifting up of our hearts-is the first requirement for real participation in the mass. Nothing could better obstruct the confrontation of man with God than the notion that we "go unto the altar of God" as we would go to a pleasant, relaxing social gathering. This is why the Latin mass with Gregorian chant, which raises us up to a sacred atmosphere, is vastly superior to a vernacular mass with popular songs, which leaves us in a profane, merely natural atmosphere. The Case for the Latin Mass Dietrich von Hildebrand

Yesterday, after a particularly exhausting and draining day, I had a phone call from an always supportive friend. Later that evening, after the weekly Mass and Novena to St Anthony in our parish, I went to another friend's house, watching The Jane Austen Book Club with other homeschooling mothers.

Our world is an English village. The Jane Austen Bookclub.

It is true. Our world is a village, in other words, in many ways, people and relationship and work and life oriented. But is that all there is? I love the friend I spoke to, the friends I spent time with yesterday. I love my family and friends, the little glimpses we give each other of who we really are. I get it ~ that pleasant, social gathering of which von Hildebrand talks ~ and I get more. I get love ( without being too soppy..here..I think).

All Jane Austen, all the time. It's the perfect antidote.
To what?
To life.

It is. But we are made for more. I am made for more. There is that God shaped vacuum of which Pascal spoke, that restlessness of which St Augustine spoke..these can only be satisfied by worship of God. By that Perfect Love.

And, in human, every day terms, by private prayer and public worship. By the sacraments; the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and of Reconciliation.

Which, to quote von Hildebrand again, must be that sursum corda, that rising up of our hearts, that sacred atmosphere.

I think if you read Austen's novels...
Oh, I have. You wanted me to, and I did.
I think you'll see she always writes in favor of order and self-control. Nothing unwise.
So what, this is a rulebook?
We could do worse.

We can have our rules, our Jane Austen code of life....rules and codes are needed. To cast them away, to undertake what amounts to a momentary act of pleasure, without thought for other good, can destroy peace..and thus what appears to bring joy, brings only short term pleasure and gratification and sometimes long lasting sorrow..Which is why I cried out ( apologies to my fellow film watching friends!) Don't when I thought Prudie ( in the film) was going to throw it away, throw away cautions and that rule book, for something temporary and ultimately shoddy....

Prudie didn't. She remembered What Would Jane Do?

We can remember these rules, these codes. Yet, just as we need something more than these human relationships to satisfy our souls thus we need more than rules to live by.

We need a foundation for that rulebook.

A foundation of Love.

That going up to the altar of our Lord, meeting God, heart to heart.

How to achieve peace in our lives?

We find peace with God, with Our Lord.

And we find this peace again and again, within our High school's never over lives ( the Jane Austen film again ), in our prayer and worship, via the sacraments.

In reverent Masses, full of awe .

Worshipping Our Lord.. with the angels and the saints.

When you hear talk about so-called ‘traditionalists', some think that they are a group with a stubborn and nostalgic attachment to the past. That is not true. In fact, here we find ourselves before a dynamic Christian view of the life of faith and devotion, shared by so many families and their children who are attached to those ancient liturgical and devotional forms which have accompanied the Church through centuries of her history and have formed legions of saints. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos interview for Il Giornale, May 31, 2004

Into literature

We get into little crazes, or rabbit trails, or passions, in our unschooling home.

One person's passion inspires another's.

When the boys were little, it was dress ups...and war..and Star Wars ( it is still Star Wars; we are Star Wars nerds) .. and Lego..and TMNT with rosary beads...sparkly, shiny rosary beads.

Or the big kids invented games of Kings, with casinos and constitutions and government and building cubbies, and our very-close -friends joined in..and the toddlers and preschoolers clamoured to be included, as army guys or slaves or servants..and they were!

This week we are Into Literature.

It all started with watching the DVD of the TV series Cranford, a gift from a friend.

And discussion about The Giver by Lois Lowry and discussion of pro life issues.

Our Homeschool logging blog, St Anthony Academy, tells some of the story.

After the second glass of wine...

..and no dinner..well, I really enjoyed the movie He's Just Not That Into You.

Quotes?

I had this guy leave me a voicemail at work, so I called him at home, and then he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It's exhausting.

I play the technology run around a lot. But not the rejection one!

Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you. Never try to trim your own bangs and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. Every movie we see, Every story we're told implores us to wait for it, the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. But sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. How to tell from the ones who want us and the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe... it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is... just... moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the unreturned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope.

We are told a lot of stuff growing up. Little messages that stick in our brain; haunt us, almost surreptiously, at odd moments.

Like Beth ( or was it Janine?) in the movie, whose husband cheats on her and who automatically thinks it is her fault he cheated, that if she had been more loving/fun/whatever then he wouldn't have cheated, never mind that he was a first class jerk...well, like Beth (or Janine) I was programmed to think that, when things go awry, it is my fault. Programmed for automatic blame and apology.

I may dissect each little thing and put myself out there so much but at least that means that I still care. ... You may not get hurt or make an ass of yourself that way but you don't fall in love that way either. You have not won. You're alone. I may do a lot of stupid shit but I'm still a lot closer to love than you are.

I do a lot of stupid shit. (Excuse the language but it is just so descriptive. Or, perhaps, that is the wine talking?Anyway...) I over think, over analyze, over dissect. But at least I do care. I try. I move on.

That striving has to make a difference.

We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can / namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us. St Teresa of Avila. My current reading.

St Teresa of Avila. The Way of Perfection. He's Just Not That Into You. Family time.

And another quote. From The Survivor's Guide to Homeschooling.

My time is something I can give my children now in a way that I won't be able to give them later. It is time that I can be with them....I WILL NEVER HAVE THIS TIME AGAIN. MANY THINGS CAN WAIT BUT KIDS GROW UP.

Many of mine are grown. But the family time, the movies and texts, they are important.

All part of that striving. Part of my vocation as wife, mother, teacher. Part of my dissecting. Part of who I am.

National Lampoon's American Vacation

This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest, a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun and your gonna have fun. We're gonna have so much (bleep) fun they're gonna need plastic surgeons to remove the smiles from our (beep) faces. We'll be whistling zippity-doo-dah out of our ....

Sometimes, a movie quote just simply, beautifully describes a day.

(And I removed the expletives to protect my readers....)

Being Julia

Being Julia. As in Julia Child. Inspired by the book and movie Julie and Julia.

I skipped the pearls.

I skipped the high heels.

But I made stuffed artichokes.

After a very busy, exhausting day, it was even fun.

And yummy. Especially with wine.

I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I'm cooking Julia Child

And Julia's thoughts on dieting?

In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal.

So, how does the book Julie and Julia inspire you?

It makes you want to do something with your life.

It makes you laugh at yourself, and at your blogging.

It makes you want to cook.

It makes you hungry...for food, for life...Went to bed, hungry last night, hungry in more ways than one, past midnight, after seeing the film Julie and Julia.

Julia Child wants you -- that's right, you, the one living in the tract house in sprawling suburbia with a dead-end secretarial job and nothing but a Stop-n-Shop for miles around -- to master the art of french cooking. (No caps, please.) She wants you to know how to make good pastry, and also how to make those canned green beans taste alright. She wants you to remember that you are human, and as such are entitled to that most basic of human rights, the right to eat well and enjoy life.And that, my friends, blows heirloom tomatoes and first-press Umbrian olive oil out of the fucking water.Julie Powell

St Anselm and Child Discipline...and Our Unschooling...

The saint for April 21. Yesterday.

St Anselm was treated harshly by his father. He resolved to leave his home when a young man...As a monk and abbot, he pondered on how we treat children and wrote about the discipline of children, of the boys in the schools.

An abbot told Anselm, then Archbishop of Canterbury, of the difficulties he was having in bringing up boys in his care.

The abbot was a disciplinarian, beating the boys for each and every misdemeanour.

Anselm could not contain his disagreement:

"In God’s name", he burst out, "I would have you tell me why you are so incensed against them. Are they not human? Are they not flesh and blood like you?"

The boys, he said, need "the encouragement and help of fatherly sympathy and gentleness", not blows.

Don't you love that line about encouragement and sympathy..about remembering that children are people ( very Charlotte Mason-ish)?

So, Tuesday, I thought about St Anselm's words. While we worked through a French Reader together and I did Kumon work.

We read about Julie and her friend Marc, at school in Paris. How tout le monde parle francais ...Everyone, literally, all the world, speaks French!

We went to a birthday party..we went to Borders and I bought the book Inkheart for us to read, as French Class is going to the cinema next week to catch that movie - after our French lesson, of course! I admit to having a bit of a crush on Brendan Fraser ( he's so cute).

St Anselm...discipline of children..French..Inkheart..Brendan Fraser..we have such full and illogical unschooling days!

Revolutionary Road

How do you break free without breaking apart?

The movie based on the novel by Richard Yates.

Saw the movie tonight. Now I want to read the book. .

The trailer states that the film is about American marriage.
I feel it was about more than that...

I feel it was about society. About life...About choices. A statement on women and views of women. About communication, or lack thereof. About when to be quiet. When to analyse. When to just live and pray and shut up. And stop thinking...

About being strong. About being compassionate.

Or not.

Someone said that the Wheelers, the couple portrayed by De Caprio and Winslett, should trust their home to Christ. To the Sacred Heart.

But is it really that simple?

Perhaps it is.

Be who you are and be that well.

A good vocation is simply a firm and constant will which the called person has to serve God in the way and in the places to which Almighty God has called him.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings. St Frances de Sales

St Agnes

Collect
O God, among the wonders of Your power You have granted even to the weaker sex the triumph of martyrdom: mercifully grant that we who celebrate the heavenly birthday of Agnes, Your virgin and martyr, may, through her example, advance nearer to You.

Today is the feast of St Agnes. And my family will know why I want to post the prayer above...from my missal.....

Just back from seeing the film Doubt. A very powerful film. You watch this film and you think of situations in life where those who have done wrong have tried to cover their wrongdoings with big words. Supposed words of love and compassion. Manipulation.

Or have made you question yourself, even though you are in the right, by their authority, their hiding behind obedience or name calling, their making you question yourself and your humility. When it is all a cover up for their faults.

Meryl Streep's character is strong. And, yet, like all of us, she has doubts .

Even though the direction is a little too static, Doubt is a study in how a play can be successfully adapted to the screen (it does not always work). It is also a masterclass in acting. Seymour Hoffman, Streep, Adams and Viola Davis, who plays Donald’s mother, have already picked up nominations for the major acting awards in the USA. On their own, the scenes between Streep and Seymour Hoffman are worth the price of admission. The range of emotions these two can convincingly explore in ten minutes of screen time is mesmerising. From the above, linked review.

Liturgically, there are mistakes in the film. But the human drama is exquisite .

We are reminded of the words of St Augustine ~ Hope has two lovely daughters, anger and courage: anger so that what cannot be, may not be; and courage, so that what must be, will be.

And thus I come full circle, back to St Agnes. Courage. St Agnes had courage. Courage to remain faithful to Christ even though it meant the sacrifice of her youthful life.

What are some customs for the feast of St Agnes? One can bake bread. One can cook lamb - or make a cake in the shape of a lamb. See here.

Life and Dr Who

We had a Dr Who TV series marathon today.

I laughed. I yelled out "No!" I cringed over David Tennant leaving the series. I hid my eyes. I cried.

I just about never cry In Real Life when sad, but cry over books and movies. A psychiatrist would have a field day with me!

I forgot that the recent Dr Who series was so sad. Mirrors life. Creates pathos.

The 2007 Christmas special. The self-sacrifice of some of the characters. The pain of the Doctor. Those for whom he cares leave. Or die.

Self-sacrifice. There are times when we are all called to die to self. Many times, in my life, it is in the little things. Giving up an activity to be with a family member, to please them, make them feel wanted.

A little sacrifice. Seemingly. Yet hard. Hard to put away a little of oneself.
Even in love.

I cried "no" to the act of self-sacrifice of a character in one of the Dr Who episodes today. Yet I know, in my depths, that sacrifice can be necessary. Can be good, especially long term. I have experienced the pain, though pain is too grand a word, I have experienced the unpleasantness of my oh so little sacrifices but have also experienced the fruitful consequences.

Do everything for the love of God and His glory without looking at the outcome of the undertaking. Work is judged, not by its result, but by its intention.
St Pio of Pietrelcina

Choices. David Tennant-as-Doctor had to make a terrible choice, between two unpalatable options. And then live with the results.

I want everyone to in my life to be happy . I want to have it all, do it all, have few limits, live my faith, please everyone and still be me.

I strive to iron out contradictions and problems.

Yet, I really can't please everyone. The Doctor couldn't save everyone; he had to do what he could.

In my life , I can't please everyone all the time. In our lives, we can't please everyone. We have to choose, make right choices, knowing that our choices may be uncomfortable for another. For ourselves. We just have to choose, to act, in prayer.

It is our part to seek, His to grant what we ask; ours to make a beginning, His to bring it to completion; ours to offer what we can, His to finish what we cannot. St. Jerome




And then the Doctor smiles at his companion, Donna. Agrees with Donna, that "Sometimes, I do need someone."

Don't we all? We make choices, we decide to sacrifice something dear to us for a loved one but we don 't do this on our own. We have God's grace. We have our friends and family. Sometimes we have a special companion or confidante.

We , too, need to remind ourselves, that we do not have to act on our own, without support. That we , like the Doctor, need someone. A companion or companions. Someone to advise us.

And we need the graces of the Sacraments.

It is not enough for me that God has given me grace once, but He must give it always. I ask, that I may receive; and when I have received, I ask again. I am covetous of receiving God's bounty. He is never slow in giving, nor am I ever weary of receiving. The more I drink, the more thirsty I become. -St. Jerome


I love the new Dr Who series. I love how it knits life with science fiction and entertainment. I love how it makes us think and discuss. And laugh. And cry. Although I was the only cry baby today!

Donna tells the Doctor "Don't try to be clever in Latin!". I caught Alexander's eye. We laughed. Especially at the Latin reference.

But don't try to be clever. Just be, learning and trying to do what is good. Smiling along the way.

To be perfect in one's vocation is nothing else than to perform the duties and offices to which one is obliged, solely for the honor and love of God, referring all to His glory. Whoever works in this manner may be called perfect in his state, a man according to the heart and will of God. St. Francis de Sales

A Dr Who party

..for the last episode of of Dr Who in this series.

Sob. I am sad. Very sad.

I won't give spoilers but if you mised Sunday's epiosde, go and buy the DVD. NOW.

Addicted

Well, after tonight's episode of Dr Who, all I can say is that I am addicted.

Addicted to Dr Who and to Battlestar Galactica.

Hooked. Line and sinker.

Been reading spoilers at the Digital Spy website.

Don't look if you don't want to know what happens!