"It's Like My Grandfather Decided to Retire"

If I could pick anywhere in the world to be during this next month besides Rome, it would be Franciscan University of Steubenville.  Every other conversation I overhear on campus is about the Pope's decision to retire.  And every one is full of love for the soon-to-be former pontiff.  The classmate who spoke the title of this post into being had it right.  The head of our family, filled with love, wisdom, and grace, is stepping down.

In 2005, as I prepared to graduate high school, the only Holy Father I had ever known passed away, leaving the world mourning the loss of a deeply holy and unbelievably charismatic man.  When Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope, I had barely heard of him and was sure that I could love no one as much as my Polish pontiff.  A few years later, as I began my M.A. program, I started reading more of the new Pope's writings and changed my mind.  He impressed me as a scholar and a shepherd, a man of sharp intellect and great wisdom, whose love of Christ reached through him to his fellow man.  Now, as I prepare to leave graduate school, I find myself once again awaiting a new shepherd.

Papa Benedict, on February 28th, will join the ranks of retired popes -- making the third one in Church history.  Celestine V retired in 1294 after a five and a half month papacy.  He returned to his beloved ascetic life and, after his death, was canonized.  Gregory XII was one of three claimants to the pontificate in the early 1400s.  In order to reunite the Church, he agreed to retire after convening a council to elect a new pope.  (The two anti-popes were deposed.)  Neither of these stories end well for the retired pope, so we don't have a clear idea of the role of the former pope.

One thing is for certain, however.  He will continue to act under the guidance of the Spirit, as he has done for years. In the words of Timothy Cardinal Dolan:

The Holy Father brought the tender heart of a pastor, the incisive mind of a scholar and the confidence of a soul united with His God in all he did. His resignation is but another sign of his great care for the Church.

St. Peter, pray for us, for the Church, for Papa Benedict, and for our next Pope!

The 98%

With the HHS mandate making all kinds of news (and a compromise being proposed, though I don't have details on that at the moment), a number has been bandied around.  "98% of Catholic women use contraception."  I've spent much time being indignant about this line of argumentation and questioned the number; I even blogged a bit about it.

However, I didn't do one thing that a more serious Catholic blogger did: ask about these women.  No matter what the number, these women matter.  Jennifer Fulwiler writes about her interaction with the 98% and offers an analysis that startled me, although it probably should not have.  Many of these women are not setting out in blatant, pig-headed opposition to the Catholic Church.  They are misled in their thoughts and knowledge about the position and seriousness of the Church on this issue.  Which seems surprising to me, but I come from a very Catholic family in a very conservative diocese.  Other people do not.  As Fulwiler points out, no matter what the other fallout of this debate, at least it is making the Church very clear about her position and thus aiding her in guiding her sheep a little more closely.

Huggies Loves Babies

Every now and then, the pro-life attitude is just so common-sensical that it bursts out in unexpected places, from people who aren't pushing a pro-life message.  Such as the creators of this Huggies commercial.



On a less positive note, it highlights a fundamental discord in our society's view of pregnancy.  A wanted pregnancy is "a human being growing inside your stomach!"  An unwanted one is "a blob of tissue" that becomes "medical waste."

A History of Chocolate Chip Pancake Day

The time of year has come when Facebook, Pintrest, Walmart, and the Dollar Tree explode with red and pink vomit in honor of Valentine's Day, while single women everywhere express their bitterness about said vomit or said singlehood.  In honor of the occasion, I would like to offer an alternate route with this brief history of Chocolate Chip Pancakes for the Romantically Disadvantaged.

In 2006, the women of Nicholson 2nd Upper decided to honor Valentine's Day in all-girls-dorm style.  Chocolate chip pancakes seemed like a perfect way to go, and I led the way to the birth of Pancake Day.  The next year, 2007, a year dedicated to the Rusty Spoon of Vengeance, saw it christened "Chocolate Chip Pancakes for the Romantically Disadvantaged," a bitter, celebratory dig at my hard-won singlehood.  The next two years at the College solidified both my lone wolf status and the tradition, to the consolation of my single friends, both male and female.

When I left the College, I carried the tradition with me to St. Louis and I discovered that my friends carried the fond memories, as I received emails, Facebook posts, and G-chats wishing me, "Happy Pancake Day!"  So of course I continued to celebrate when I moved back to the 'burg, this time making the important discovery that having long-distance girlfriend* counts as a "romantic disadvantage," so that Asher could come to Pancake Day.

This February 14th will mark the 7th Annual Chocolate Chip Pancake Day and the second that Ohio has seen.  I am already getting excited for the occasion.  To those friends who have participated and find themselves far away: you are dearly missed.  To anyone sans Valentine this February 14th: consider Pancake Day as a DIY project to enjoy the best the holiday has to offer (i.e. chocolate and red wine.)



[*Full disclosure: I had to put in the bit about Asher to explain that I am not creating an exemption for myself this year, since I have a beau whose presence in my life does not count as a "romantic disadvantage."  Added advantage: he also does not like Valentine's Day.]

Crazy Love

Facebook led me to this TED Talk today.  I don't really have anything to say about it, other than that you should watch:

War & Forgiveness

Through some link-following, I stumbled across this article on forgiveness in The New Yorker.  Forgiveness, or atonement, though I have to admit to being a tad fuzzy on the meaning of the second term.  If you have a few moments, lend them to this soldier who killed several civilians early in the the Iraqi war... and then sought out their family, to make peace with them and himself.

Hello Again

About a week into Christmas break, I realized I hadn't posted anything on the faithful blog in a while, maybe a week.  I checked and realized that it had been closer to two.  And I didn't want to take time away from my reading (The Brothers Karamazov with Thom) or spending time with awesome Virginia people (too many to name) to give to the wonderful world of the interwebz.  So I embarked on an unannounced Christmas break hiatus.  And now, I have returned!  I might post stories from Christmas break.  I might not.  I haven't decided yet.

For now, I want to share something that appeared in my Facebook world this morning.  It is a short, encouraging piece about femininity and fitting into our female bodies and our female selves.

I read it at the perfect time -- after I read a Buzzfeed blurb bashing Taylor Swift as an anti-feminist.  That might appear later when my frustration has slowed from a boil to a simmer and I can put together more coherent thoughts than !!!adifha uar8wer7y893hefzduyf7igusitr!!!!!  WHY???? adhifahty f f8e6yr7yweh auify7aie!!!!!!!  Oh, the title is fairly catching as well -- here's the link again to "On Skinny Jeans, Daughters, and Singleness."