Common theme links

Another numbered post, with a few links I have come across in the last few days:

1. Liturgy.  Here are some reflections on the Easter Triduum from Pope Benedict today.  One of the things I appreciate most about the Holy Father is how incredibly accessible his writing and speeches are.  It is in contrast to Pope John Paul II, who I admit I occasionally struggled with because of the denser nature of a lot of his writing, including his original Love and Responsibility (though it's not just him - high-level philosophy is always challenging for me).  Pope Benedict has an amazing gift for making his words understandable, illuminating, and relevant.  Every time I read his reflections on theology I learn something new.  He concludes his main reflections today with this exhortation, which I will try to keep in mind: "On reliving the Holy Triduum, let us dispose ourselves to receive also in our lives the will of God, conscious that in the will of God, though it seems hard, in contrast to our intentions, is found our true good, the path of life."

2. Vocations. Saw this interesting article yesterday about Catholics and the practice of law as a vocation.  The writer, who went to ND Law School, says he found his way into law school without ever really thinking about whether it was his vocational calling to practice law.  Given the crushing weight of debt many students incur and the lack of enjoyment many have practicing law, and the pressure that comes from being trapped in the second because of the first, many people might be better off thinking more seriously about law school in the first instance.  In addition, the "billable hour" that rules at large law firms in particular has a way of creeping into your whole life, where you start to measure your worth by the number of .25 or .1 hour increments that can be billed to clients.  The author argues it crowds out spiritual life. 

Leaving a large law firm has helped me break out of the "billable hour" mindset (although I do still think about it pretty constantly at work, since I'm not in-house or in public service) but the practice of law is still not, and wasn't from the begining, about "vocation" for me.  I enjoy my corporate practice ("the law"), though I keep my interest in bigger picture/theory ("The Law") up through Federalist Society and St. Thomas More Society events and reading on Catholic traditions in natural law.  I don't think the profession is harmful to my faith, but the article made some good points for reflection.

3. Family Life.  Very interesting discussion on NFP the other day on the Catholic moms' blog I read, taking off on a recent study that apparently found only 3% of married Catholics practice NFP.  Now, I understand the study had a lot of limitations and that number comes with a lot of caveats - it may not include people currently pregnant who have practiced it, people who don't practice anything at all, or people who are post-partum or trying to conceive, with or without NFP - plus I'm not clear whether that percentage is higher among Mass-attending Catholics.  Regardless, it's dismally low, the percentage of Catholics using ABC is dismally high, and the discussion about it brought up some very interesting points.  The most interesting one to me is how many people just flat out never realized what the Church teaches in this area.  I'm usually skeptical of the effect of "raising awareness" campaigns, but it seems like this is one area where raising awareness, along with compassionate education and careful teaching, might actually be quite effective over the long term.  Kind of overwhelming odds given the 45-year head start (and pervasive success) of secular mores in this case, but not insurmountable.

God's plans

Before the week is over, I wanted to link to the USCCB's resource page on this year's NFP Awareness Week, which falls during the anniversary of the release of Humanae Vitae. They have a lot of great information about natural family planning itself and what the Church teaches about contraception, married love, and openness to life, and also have testimonials from couples practicing NFP and resources on where to learn more about it. The best summary there I saw was that NFP is "unique because it enables its users to work with the body rather than against it. Fertility is viewed as a reality to live, not a problem to be solved."

Instead of viewing fertility as a threat, or a woman's problem to address, or an obstacle to be overcome, with NFP it is treated as a natural part of a marital relationship that should be integral part of a couple's communication on responsible family decisions -- whether trying to achieve or avoid pregnancy as you go through different life stages. It can be challenging to live out at times (and we'll soon be heading into the less certain period again of postpartum fertility awareness, which I admitted here last year was freaking me out a little) but it really can be rewarding. Knowing that you are on the same page with openness to life -- or revisiting the subject on a regular basis to strive to be on that same page -- is hugely beneficial to a relationship. Plus, for women, I think it is great to give us greater awareness of our own bodies. I had no idea on a lot of it until I took the classes before marriage. Every woman is different but NFP teaches tools to figure out what's going on with your own body and sometimes can alert to health or fertility problems that might have gone undetected otherwise.  No matter what, it gives you regular cause to reflect and pray on what God's plan for your marriage is and how you can seek the grace to be open to that plan.

Open to life

I've found a couple of new favorite blogs to read, which I've added to the sidebar along with an established standby, The Anchoress (she used to blog pseudonymously, like I do, but then she went public as Elizabeth Scalia when she joined First Things). The new ones are Faith and Family, a group blog by a Catholic magazine that talks about exactly what it says it does, and Conversion Diary, by a convert Catholic, NFP-practicing mom of four who just five years ago was a hipper-than-thou atheist with absolutely no plans to have children. I recommend all of them!

Jennifer at Conversion Diary got me thinking this past week more about being "open to life," as married couples are supposed to be. I have to admit, having a baby has been way more of an adjustment than I thought it would be -- that is, I knew it would be an adjustment, of course, but the reality of it has still been a lot to handle. I've always thought I would have a lot of kids, since Mike and I both come from large families, but with one now, I look at all those "mega-moms" with six, seven, eight or more children and cannot truly say I am "open" to that right now!! And NFP is not always easy to practice, although in light of the principles I mentioned in the last post, it is something that Catholic couples who seek to practice "responsible parenthood" (as described in Humanae Vitae) should strive to understand and, if warranted, follow. We're certainly committed to it, but sometimes conviction follows actions rather than the other way around. I know in my head that we are open to life, but I don't always feel that way! How can you actually manage with that many children? How did our parents do it so well??

The post that made me feel better upon reflection was Jennifer's on how God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. I love that. She said if she could talk to herself from 5 years ago and tell her what her life was going to look like, old Jennifer would freak out and think there is no way she could handle that. But the reality is, you get time to adjust to each new reality and God works with you to give you the grace to handle new challenges. I really like that thought -- and I think it's helping me feel more open to life.