Quick Takes or What I've Been Doing

1.

My grandmother, who is 78 and in the last stages of Alzheimer's, fell yesterday. She put a big hole in her head and knocked out her remaining front teeth as well as busted up her lip. I grew up my entire life having her around so much so, she's like a second mother to me. Please pray for her.

2.

On the same note, I don't know if she's been baptized or not. I keep wanting to bring up Last Rites to my Mom and pose it to her in a "don't you want to do it just-in-case?" (Remember, my family is protestant and vehemently so). But how do you give last rites to a person who is sometimes and sometimes isn't lucid? That person can't really make a good confession of faith. Heathcliff says a priest probably wouldn't do it.

3.

There's not a patron saint of Alzheimer's patients or caregivers. That's a crying shame. Both of those types people need prayers and need someone in heaven as their advocate.

4.

It seems every time I start to make some spiritual progress about this or that, I am often slapped with huge distractions, namely midterms and paper grading, at work. I haven't been able to finish my veiling set of essays because it hasn't been at the forefront of my mind lately. There are particular people and student problems at work that I'm spending all my energy on just so I won't have to go to confession. And this is about the second or third time in a row just when I start discovering a new facet of spiritual life, I get slammed with all these things happening at work.

5.

Also, I'm becoming more painfully aware of how Catholic I am and how non-Catholic everyone else is. For example, did you know that stores are selling rosaries as necklaces? necklaces?!?! I have one student, who as a nervous habit, chews on his rosary "necklace" in class. I have to bite my tongue every time I see him do it. When teaching Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," I was trying to explain how her Catholicism factored into the meaning of the story. I had one student say, "Did the grandmother wind up in that in between place where Catholics go? I don't know. I don't get this. Catholics are weird."

6.

In the process of moving, my cat snagged my wedding dress. There are now two runs on the front satin panel that are visible to the naked eye. I cried and cried. Heathcliff was over and assured me that we could fix it. I asked him if it turned into a hole, would he please cut the knee out in one of his pants legs so we could match. He said he would.

7.

We saw Father John about marriage counseling. We're looking at dates, but we're planning for May. I'm still in disbelief. Bet you didn't expect number seven to be such an upper, did you? ;)

A Delayed Sacred Heart Post

Another linked post because I am short on time till the research papers are done.

If you have never recited the Litany of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I would really recommend it.

One of these days I am going to do the six-months of First Fridays. I just haven't gotten up the gumption to do it yet.

How To Be a Good Blog Commenter: Or Why I Quit FaceBook

I haven't had time to come up with the second part of my Veiling Essay, but I think this is well worth a read. It's about how to be a good blog commenter and represent the Church's presence within new media.

How to be a good blog commenter

That being said, one of the main reasons I left facebook was because I felt like it was a never ending source of frustration, potential gossip, and near occasion of sin because I would almost always be not charitable or be charitable towards unbelievers and then be personally attacked on my own facebook page. So instead of letting technology get the best of me and cause me to fall into sin, I simply got rid of it.

I don't miss facebook. I didn't loose out on keeping in touch with friends. I make it a point to call them or they call me. Nothing has really changed since I "virtually committed social suicide" except that I have more free time. And I take that spare time and devote it to this blog.

If you've been feeling like you should limit facebook time or get rid of it completely, I highly recommend it. You won't even notice it's missing and you may even possibly avoid some near occasions of sin! And that's always a good thing. ;)

less than 3,

V.

Veiling: A History (Part I?)

If I am able to explain this correctly and coherently, it will be because of the Holy Spirit, not because I fully understand. I think I understand pretty well, but if someone sees an error, please feel free to help out. This is a synthesis of information from many sources around the internet, and I will be a good English major and link back citations.

Veiling, as we all know, is the almost 2,000 year old tradition of a woman covering her head before the Lord. It's also a hot button topic within the modern, non-European church. Those who oppose veiling claim that it is just another way that a patriarchal hierarchy forces women to submit to the wills of men. They claim that veiling is a controlling, male dominated act and that no woman should have to veil. And therein lies the concession: no woman should have to veil; however, she can choose to do it, and if she truly has a humble, contrite, feminine spirit, she should. Truthfully, from my research, it seems that only the USA and other English-speaking countries do not veil. This leads us to the question: why did tradition (something we hold so dear in the Church) change in the USA?

So to even begin to understand why veiling has fallen out of practice in our American Catholic culture, we first should go back and understand the origin of the veil, scriptural and cultural.

Scripturally speaking, all sources point us back to when St. Paul addresses the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11: 3-10, 16.

"But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head—it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil.

"For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.) That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels....If any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the churches of God."

From reading this, we learn many, many things. The two biggest and most immediate points we should take from this passage though are these: 1 - St. Paul is representing the bonds between man and woman, especially within a marriage, and 2 - this bond is but a smaller reflection of the infinite love shared between Christ, the groom, and his Church, his bride. For as long as I've been alive, I remember people quoting this passage out of context to use this to prove one of two things: 1 - Wives have no will of their own unless it is the will of the husbands and 2 - Feminists who use this passage to argue that this is another way organized Judeo-Christianity is backwards and "holds women back." However, from a Catholic perspective, this passage is neither one of those things.

From my literature studies in college, I am a firm believer in knowing the contextual situation surrounding any given piece of writing because it indirectly affects what the author is communicating. If we can better understand the intended audience and what the author was trying to accomplish, we can walk away with a better understanding of the passage and possibly find some way to apply it to modern day life. Paul was writing to the Corinthians, especially the women, who had taken to coming to services not wearing head coverings, in order that they might reform themselves. This is why St. Paul's letter makes such a big deal out of women who pray without head coverings - he was urging the women of Corinth to change their ways.

The first thing to notice about this passage is the parallel between the Church and Christ and husbands and wives. Now, if Christ is the groom, then the husband (in a marriage) is obviously the groom. If the Church is the bride, then the wife is the bride. Now that we have drawn this parallel, we can see that Paul wasn't being misogynistic when he commanded wives to submit to their husbands. The Church submits herself like a loving bride to the will of Christ, our spiritual leader, so too, must wives submit, like the Church, to their husbands. St. Paul also tells us that there is a natural pecking order: Christ reigns over man, but God the Father is over Christ since He took the form of a man. Woman submits to man because she is made from his flesh (think of it like being a subset. You have the group man and underneath that group is the subgroup wo-man). Thus, women submit to men, who submit to Christ, who submits to God the Father. St. Paul was not a woman-hater; he was simply telling it like it is. Moreover, there are other parallels we can draw to help sustain this first parallel. So, this is the first reason from Corinthians to wear the veil: it shows that a woman is choosing to submit, as is proper, to God and her husband. If she is single and veils, it is just as important for she is still submitting, like the Church does to Christ, to God.

Continuing with this same premise, in a marriage, men should strive to be as Christ-like as possible. By wearing the veil, a woman is accepting the protection of her husband and of God. In older times and (I'm assuming at high masses), the Body and Blood are veiled when the Eucharist is not being received by lay people. (A side note from my English literature studies: in medieval times, the Chalice was often associated with the feminine, which makes sense in this context. But I will not elaborate for this post is already far too long). One of the reasons we do this is because we care for these Holy Items, and we want to protect them. So, just as we veil the chalice and plates in mass, women should also veil as a sign of their acceptance of their husband's protection and Christ's love and protection. More simply put, we veil what is sacred.

Next, sustaining that thought, a woman's body should be considered sacred vessel since she has the ability to bring forth life, which we Catholics believe is very, very sacred. We can look for no better example than Mary; yes, she was following the convention for women during her time period, but somehow, I think she probably knew that in the presence of Our Lord, her head should be covered, and we all know she was the most sacred vessel of all vessels because she was the vessel for Our Lord. So by veiling, we can imitate Mary better, and we glorify God by veiling all vessels of life, not just those that hold the Body and Blood of Christ, but women's wombs as well.

Lastly and most importantly, we should veil because we are in the presence of God. Men are also commanded to do something in the presence of God: uncover their heads. (Imagine how poor, balding Billy Bob feels taking that John Deer hat off). This is the reason why Bishops remove their mini Pope-hats (I know it's a mitre, but I like saying Pope-hat; it's a carryover from non-Catholic times :) ) when he prays and reads the word of God. In the same respect, women need to do something to acknowledge and show respect for the Real Presence as well. The most logical action is to cover the head as a sign of reverence. Previously, cannon law stated that women should do this. The law mandated that all women in a church in the presence of the Eucharist, which we, as Catholics, consider to be the real presence of Jesus Christ, must cover their heads. Currently, cannon law does not ever explicitly state that women no longer have to cover their heads as it is no longer necessary; no, cannon law is now simply ambiguous on the matter having deleted the law about head coverings altogether! However, this does not mean that the Church does not endorse this practice. If lady were to go to the Vatican to visit the Holy Father, she is required to wear a veil! If this practice is required by the Holy Father in his home parish, then why aren't we doing it? (My guess is pride, but that is for another post).

Simply put and probably the most compelling reason for veiling, based in both scripture and old cannon law, not wearing the veil is a disservice to Our Lord; it's blatantly ignoring or denying of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. What good Catholic woman wants to be saying that to Jesus at mass?

Much love,

V.

P.S. Except 2 coming posts: one answering the question I set up at the beginning of this essay (hint hint: feminism rears it's ugly head) and another about how to veil in traditional and subtle ways, types of veils, who wears what color veils, and dealing with possible veil hater backlash. :)

Citations of Sources from where information was gathered:

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4

All sources seem credible, but if I have encountered one that has led me astray, please let me know.

Veiling: Just Do It - Saint Veronica, Help Me (With Pictures!)

I'm feeling quite convicted right now about veils and the act of veiling. I've tried it before on a few occasions and have my own veil, but I never bring it to my regular parish. I always wear it when I'm at other parishes. I'm not sure why. It's just easier for me I suppose. No one knows me. I guess I just believe no one really pays attention to me if I'm not a member of the parish. Then again, that's probably a little selfish and conceited to think that people are looking at me right? I should assume they are all focused on Our Lord, but in truth, some people's minds might be elsewhere.

In truth, I've avoided veiling for selfish and prideful reasons. Heathcliff used to bug me quite a bit about purchasing one and wearing one consistently to mass. As a result, I instinctively rebelled. I sometimes have a problem with people telling me what to do and when to do it, especially if it comes from a man. I guess there is still some residual feminist left in me, but it's usually not a problem unless someone demands I do something instead of politely asking. Moreover, I worry about people at church and what they think. "Oh, look, there's that uuber religious young chick," they might think in a derogatory tone. Or maybe, "she's just trying to look Holy, but I bet she's not. Weird traditionalist girl." But this is not being charitable towards other people's thoughts. I shouldn't think that they are thinking the worst about me. I would hope they would try to be more charitable towards me and what I'm thinking of them, such as, "oh, look how pretty that girl looks in her veil. So peaceful too, maybe I should start wearing one as well."

Something I read in the comments about this made me think about veiling and receiving communion on the tongue. "One thing that always amazes me is Catholics who are intimidated by receiving Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue or women who want to wear a head covering but are concerned about the reaction from others. Is this the Church Militant whose history includes thousands of martyrs?"

This person has a point. How can I even be sure of myself, if Lord forbid, I was faced with the chance to be a martyr to be courageous enough to die for Our Lord if I can't even gather up enough guts to wear a piece of lace on my head for fear of looking silly or receive communion on the tongue for fear of bad breath? I can say that yes, I would die for Him, but logic stands to reason that since I can't even do these small things, what would I really do in a much more dire situation?

The irony of it all is that my patron Saint, Saint Veronica (pictured to your right) could be considered the patron saint of the veil-wearers! A quick refresher for those who need it: Saint Veronica is depicted in the sixth station of the cross. She is the woman who wipes Jesus' face with her veil. When He hands it back to her, He leaves His Holy Countenance on it. Tradition has it that Veronica went to great lengths to protect the veil and get it to St. Peter's. Her given name is unknown (it is speculated that it might be Bernice): she is named after the relic, the veil, the Holy Face or vera icon, the True Image. I picked her as my patron Saint because it was down to her or Saint Therese; Veronica seemed like she needed some love as no one really seems to know who she is. Everything the Church knows about her is through tradition. But I liked her for the same reason I liked Saint Therese - her legacy is based on a small action. For this reason (only tradition - no miracles), she does not have an official feast day on the church calendar, but when she was on it, it was July 12.

When you think about Veronica (or at least when I do), the first thing I associate her with is her veil. Like Mary is always directing us to Jesus, Veronica does the same. In pictures, her veil is always displayed for all to see the Holy Countenance. This is another reason why I picked her. The prayers imploring her for help often ask to the sight to see the face of Jesus in others. Moreover, what does it say about the veil that Jesus left His face on it? Obviously, He's given the veil His blessing since He impressed His likeness on it, not just as a blessing on Veronica for being charitable, but for all who follow in her footsteps in wearing the veil.

Veiling seems like the way to go, but it also seems that the veil calls a gal to buck up and put on a skirt and receive communion on the tongue. All I can ask for is the grace to do it. Saint Veronica, pray for me!

And now for the fun part, pictures!

An artist's interpretation of Veronica. Her face is blank, and I quite like that touch.

Saint Veronica bearing the veil at the Vatican. Doesn't this statue make you think she's a strong woman?

This is probably my favorite rendition of her, maybe even more liked than the traditional/ most used image (see to the right). She looks so determined and strong here, and yet, you still see Jesus' face. She looks like she's guarding it with her life.

Prayer to Saint Veronica

St. Veronica, you gave Christ a towel on His way to Cavalry

Which He used to wipe the Precious Blood from His Holy Face.

In return for this great act of kindness He left you His most Holy image on the towel.

Pray for us to Our Lord that His Holy Face may be imprinted

on our hearts so that we may be always be mindful of the Passion and Death

of Our lord Jesus Christ, through the same Christ our Lord,

Amen.

P.S. I'm cooking up a little veiling experiment. Look for it in a future (read: relatively soon) post.

I feel like a silly goose/lame-o/sheepish

Well, don't I feel like a silly goose.

In perusing my usual internet sites, I came across this link: Father Z's Blog - How to Receive Communion - The Turf the Devil Does Not Want to Give Up Without a Fight How timely and fitting, considering how I just wrote about that subject. Silly goose feeling #1.

Somewhere in reading the comments section though, I came across this link: The Correct Postures and Gestures for Mass Half of this stuff I didn't even realize I was supposed to be doing. Most of this stuff Heathcliff does, and I just thought he was being OCD and extremely pious. Silly goose feeling #2.

In reading the correct postures and gestures for mass page, I didn't know what Agnus Dei meant. Upon finding the translation, I facepalmed myself, realizing I sang it in English for almost two years. Silly goose feeling #3. I must say, I do prefer the Latin to the English.

I am so ill-educated. There's all this stuff I feel like I should know, rooted in tradition and history, and I feel like no one's told me about it! So I go digging for all this information, and just when I think I have a good handle on the information, I find more and more. It's a little overwhelming at times.

Anyway, on to other entries. This is just some food for thought.