26.2 miles, are you crazy??

I am right now 6 weeks away from running my first marathon. As the training runs get longer and longer (16 miles just yesterday) I have been getting a lot of questions about why anyone would want to put there body through such a challenge. So here is my reflection on why I am training to do what seems impossible.

It all started this past New Years. I wanted to make a New Year's resolution that was spiritual because my relationship with God is really all that matters. I was praying about themes in my spiritual journey and the one thing that kept coming up were the words of Saint Paul, "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7). I often feel like my journey with God is one of perseverance. He is often asking me to just keep going even when I don't understand or trust. He asks me to keep my eye on the finish line and never stop moving towards it. I decided I wanted a New Year's resolution that would help me meditate on that idea. Knowing that we are body and soul I wanted both to be involved. So I decided that my New Year's resolution would be to run a half marathon. I chose to train for the OC half marathon and make every run a prayer. Every time on a run when I was tempted to stop I would think about my finish line and keep going. I would often think of Our Lord who kept moving all the way to the cross. At times I would repeat these words of Saint Paul over and over again while I ran.

On May 1st I completed the OC half marathon. I was excited to have accomplished my goal BUT if you know me you know that I don't allow myself to do anything half way. I push myself to the limit and demand the best of myself, especially when it comes to the spiritual life. For me being good is never enough, I want to be a saint! Naturally for me anything with the word half in front of it is not enough. So when my good friends Olivia and Chelsea asked if I wanted to train and run a full marathon with them I knew I had to do it!

Training for a full marathon is like nothing I could have ever prepared myself for. Training for the half marathon was actually not all that bad and I believe most anyone is good health can do it. Training for a full marathon though requires a lot of mental commitment. I mentioned that I want to be a Saint right? My training runs for the marathon have given me the opportunity to meditate on what that really means. The Saints endured incredible obstacles and embraced a lot of pain to become truly sanctified. So many times during my training I have thought I wasn't strong enough and was tempted to change my registration to run another half marathon in October instead of the full marathon. I have endured serious knee pain, the loss two toenail (so far), and felt the strain on my body in general. I have had to say no to many other fun activities because I had a strict schedule of runs that I had to follow. When I am tempted to quit though I think of the Saints and how much they must have been tempted to quit and accept just being good instead of extreme lovers of the Lord. I haven't given up yet and with every run I feel myself getting stronger and closer to my goal.

On October 16th I will run 26.2 (don't ever forget the .2) miles and with every step I will ask the Lord through my body to strengthen and sanctify my spirit so that one day along with Saint Paul I will be able to say "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Disclaimer: I will agree that extreme sports like distance running can be dangerous for the body. I just believe that the pay off is greater than the risk.

Yoga 101

Keeping checking back here and I hope that people are just enjoying the summer and that's why there haven't been posts recently (and not that I killed the blog with my last downer post). Sorry.

Anyway - I've started taking a yoga class. My two pregnancies have left me with I think 3 working muscles in my tummy, and this is my great idea to fit that. So the plan is to be downward dogging every Tuesday night until the summer session is over. This is, however, not the first time I've taken classes with a yogi (or, as a yogi?). There was a brief period that a 5:30am class was a small part of my marriage prep.

Now, I know we're not supposed to judge, and I know that all the following is somewhat shallow of me. But. I could not help from comparing the two instructors. At my first classes, the girl was young, beautiful, in amazing shape, basically one solid muscle. The kind of instructor that has perfect, gravity defying hair, no matter what crazy twist pose she did. She also had no sweat glands.

This new instructor was an older, jolly lady, who I almost didn't realize was the instructor because she was definitely on the heavy side. Not crane lifting heavy, but probably about 50+ lbs. or so over a normal height/weight. She was (and I'm sure you all can see this coming) by far the better instructor. She focused on how we were doing, tailored the class to what poses would help us best. She encouraged questions and laughing (which I thought was a huge yoga/meditation/karma no-no). And, even at one point, stopped the class flow to explain how exactly to hold our hands so we would not get bad habits. Pause the Enya!

My old instructor never noticed that I had my child pose wrong and that I really didn't have the "yoga feet" down. She was busy taking all the poses "a little farther" and I guess thought we'd get used to the class flow and catch up (which is true also). However, although she was gently commanding us to BREATHE, I got the idea she had not let out all the way for some years. And the more I went, the more I realized that this class was only a part of her routine, not her whole exercise. Before class, I would see her on the treadmill at a full. out. run. A scary movie, guy behind me's got a knife run. Then she walked into class, taught, put away her mat and on my way out to the car, I would see her again on the Stephen King run.

Interesting isn't it? Put these two ladies together and I'm sure 99 out of 100 would say that the young, fit one was a walking advertisement for healthy living, but really, she seems tortured by her exercise routine. The new lady, though, seems to understand the purpose of her gentle poses. And I bet has more of an acquaintance with inner peace.

And she can hold pretty much any pose known to man. Then takes it "further."

Leaving the Church

I have realized over the past few months that a very dear friend of mine is leaving the Church. I've seen for a while that it was coming, but have been afraid of it. In hoping that it would not happen, I have not talked directly about it to him, and have encouraged my husband to not "push" him out of the Church. Sounds like obviously the wrong thing to do now, but at the time I couldn't think what to do.

Now - that he's left - I'm not sure what to do. Sometimes I'm mad and want to beat him with reasons. (In this beautifully ordered world of ours, do you not think God would have an ordered way of worship?) Sometimes I'm sad and want to just ask him how he could believe so strongly and then just leave it all? His God he has worshiped for almost 30 years, just... not important anymore?

I have seen him attack all other authority figures, and knew it was not consistent to believe in the Church, but was hoping his belief in the teachings of the Church would help him see the light about the others. I'm not sure if he still believes in God, but I have a feeling that He is the next to go in my friend's search for importance, or independence, or himself.

This Sunday's reading is about the sower. I've always thought that the fertile ground, or rocky ground was describing different kinds of people, but maybe it's different times in our lives. In the parable, it's just the sower and the ground, God and my friend. There is no third helping person who brings the seed to the fertile ground. So maybe I need to accept that God can handle this relationship - but I keep trying to figure out a way that I can bring him back.

Ears to hear. Am I being called to intercede for my friend? Or is this a lesson for me to trust that God knows how to call His children to Him? I do feel called to pray for him, but feel my prayers inadequate.

Courtship

Here is a sermon my friend sent me regarding courtship and purity. So great to hear this coming from the pulpit! :)

http://traditionalsermons.com/sites/default/files/Sermon_2011-06-17-Courting.mp3

Find us ready, Lord

One of our fellow bloggers and I were recently discussing a talk a trusted priest gave, and I found it to be a source of great meditation this week. He spoke of the persecution he foresees as the homosexual agenda gets pushed in our culture, and how he wouldn't be surprised to be imprisoned for hate speech within his lifetime. For us, this could mean we flee the country eventually, if the Church here comes under attack, or we may face serious persecution ourselves. This is not intended to scare or serve as a prophecy. I lean towards a more hopeful outlook for mankind. It is hard for me to believe that people would be so closed to the truth and beauty of the faith. However, I know that Christ himself was crucified, and the blood of the martyrs has strengthened the Church for centuries.

Since this conversation, I have just found myself looking at my daily life. How do I spend my free moments? How am I a witness to others throughout my day? Do I stand up for truth in little ways? Am I afraid to speak of the beauty of the truth, which is true love, to my friends and family members? Am I ready to face persecution?

The reality is, we just never know when we may have our lives or freedom threatened just for being Catholic. I pray that we might all be ready to face whatever trials the Lord sends us knowing the He has won the war, and we have no reason to fear.

Quote of the day

"The correct theological term for many who label themselves 'liberal' or 'left-wing' or 'progressive' theologians is heretics."

from the Handbook of Catholic Apologetics

Skirts and Pants

Check out this awesome article!!

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/a-pants-wearing-woman-reflects-on-skirts/

10 Reasons to Dress Modestly

http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2011/06/top-10-reasons-women-should-dress.html

Must-Read Catholic Books for Little (or No) Money

Despite my early protests, I've converted to reading digital books-- in fact, I love my kindle.  For any other kindle users, check out this website with links to inexpensive Catholic books for your library:

http://www.thinveil.net/2011/06/building-catholic-ebook-library-on.html

Catholic Feminism?

Yeah, I need to actually post something in the near future.  Until then, here is an article that I enjoyed reading and seemed appropriate for Defining Beauty...

What is a Catholic Feminist?

The "Rapture" this Saturday??

Think again.

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/major-supernatural-event-this-saturday/

Maternity Photos- Worthwhile?

A family member of mine is an amazing photographer, and has offered several times to take some maternity photos for me.

This is my second pregnancy, and with my first I hardly took any photos of my bump and I at all.  My swelled-up cheeks rivaled those from when I got my wisdom-teeth pulled in 9th grade, and my constant nausea made taking photographs the last thing on my mind.  Overall, pregnancy makes me feel self-conscious (everybody openly notices and comments on your body!), and I was not sure that I needed professional photos to remind me of it.  Lastly, I've noticed that many women choose to take maternity photos naked(!), and even the thought of my bare belly showing in a photograph makes me uncomfortable.

On the other hand, I hear from many friends that they truly cherish photos from their pregnancies, and are glad they took the time to take them.  I also think that it would be a neat keepsake for the child-- to see what his/her mother looked like when he/she was in the womb, and how exciting their arrival was to the entire family.  More than anything, I love how pro-life these photos are.  They truly celebrate the beginnings of a new life!

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, but I am curious-- what is your opinion about maternity photo shoots?

Dress Dare Update-- How's it going?

We are halfway through May (yikes!), and so I thought it would be fun to check in about how the dress dare is going for everyone.

I have to admit that it has been more of a challenge for me this year!  Being in my third trimester of pregnancy, I am tempted to choose comfort over anything these days!  Often this does mean a dress (who can argue with no waist bands!) , but often it also means my yoga-style pants and supported running shoes.

At the same time, I have also made the observation that overall, pregnancy makes me feel more feminine than ever.  Whether I am in workout attire or evening gown, I can't hide my femininity!  It is noticeable how many people open doors for me, or offer me a chair to sit down in.  Sometimes I even feel as though I am spoken to in a softer tone than usual.  All of this reminded me of last year's Dress Dare, when many of you blogged about how people treated you differently when you dressed more femininely.

So...  have you stuck to it?  How are you doing this time around?

The Rise of the Metrosexual, fall of the Lumberjack

A recent study has shown that hormonal contraceptives are now being linked to women's attraction to less masculine men. We have written on the blog about the crisis in manhood today, and how difficult it is to find real men in our culture. Surprise, surprise, somehow you can bring it back to birth control.

Women, are naturally drawn to masculinity when they are fertile. Since hormonal contraceptives confuse the body into thinking the woman is pregnant, she doesn't respond to the chemical signals in the masculine man as she normally would. Thus, the rise of the metrosexual. Women on birth control, are actually physically attracted to men with less hair on their chest. The study raises a lot of interesting questions looking at everything from how this affects relationships, to the health of offspring (turns out we are naturally attracted to men with immune systems that complement ours).

See the entire article here: The Tricky Chemistry of Attraction

Dare to Veil? Or not!

Last May, during our 1st dress dare, I wrote a blog on the chapel veil on daring to don a mantilla in mass. While I suggested this tradition as a way of exploring one's femininity in the presence of the Eucharist, I spoke of how it has not been mentioned since the 1917 Code of Canon Law. It has been debated, mostly since Vatican II, whether it is still required of women to veil or not.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, basically the Church's Supreme Court Justice, has spoken on the matter, quite clearly. Recently, a woman wrote him directly, asking for clarification on this issue. He responded:

“Thank you for your letter …The wearing of a chapel veil for women is not required when women assist at the Holy Mass according to Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. It is, however, the expectation that women who assist at the Mass according to the Extraordinary Form cover their heads, as was the practice at the time that the 1962 Missale Romanum was in force. It is not, however a sin to participate in the Holy Mass according to the Extraordinary Form without a veil.”

So there it is. If you are in Tridintine Mass (Extraordinary Form), it is expected that you wear a veil, but in the ordinary form, do whatever you like! If you do desire to wear a veil, there is a real dare to veil campaign going on, interestingly enough!