Dangerously Uncategorized

People do not always fit neatly into categories. Having spent an hour thinking about societal labels and categorization while perusing Facebook, I felt that it’s time to just air out some of my musings. I’ve got friends in both “liberal” and “conservative” camps- those whose profile photos are covered by a translucent rainbow, and those whose profile photos are suddenly emblazoned with American flags. There are friends who rail against guns and Bibles, and friends who are promoting their guns and Bibles. I have friends who are just Christians, and friends who are "Bible-believing" Christians... do other Christians not believe the Bible?

I rail against guns and promote my faith… Why is it that so many other people seem to be all or nothing with these things? I am for gun control and immigration reform, and I support universal healthcare and greater taxation of the rich. I don’t support anything to do with fossil fuels, or corporate personhood and corporate takeover, and I am a fierce supporter of climate action. I am thoroughly against the United States’ military as it is functioning right now, and I am not a very patriotic person. I don’t support placing a country’s flag in a church sanctuary, nor do I appreciate singing patriotic songs at Mass. I understand why some take offense to “under God” in the pledge of allegiance; I wouldn’t want to have to say “under Krishna” or “under Science,” or whatever other gods people worship. I support the right of people to burn their country’s flag as protected by free speech. I don’t care for the negativity of it, but I have enough empathy to understand why it should be allowed, and how it could be just as bad to disallow it.

Am I a liberal? Are you sure? Because I am also pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. I am against birth control as well, and advocate for patriarchy, Catholic homeschooling, modesty, sex within traditional marriage only, and biblical femininity (re: I am not a feminist). So it is then, that I disagree with my fellow anti-feminists about many other matters, and I disagree with my fellow environmentalists and social activists about many other matters.

If I am not a liberal, am I conservative? Moderate? Crazy? Must I be any of these? Why do people divide themselves so fiercely? Why the strong reactions to disagreement and difference of opinion? Could it be that it's easy for Satan (and those under his control) to take advantage of a people divided? Of a church divided?

Morning

There’s nothing like a quiet morning. It is my favorite time of day. The morning is a cool, calm time. In the heat of summer, the morning is often the only chance to enjoy any semblance of a refreshing breeze. It’s also the only time of the workday in which I feel like myself- a homemaker unencumbered by the stress of the outside job (at night when I come home, I’m a crumpled, withered shambles). I like to rise early to prepare myself for the day, brew tea and coffee, then make a simple breakfast. On workdays, it’s oatmeal with spices and maple syrup, maybe a banana. On weekends, we may have toast with butter and jam along with sausage and eggs, or yogurt with granola. Either way, it’s unrushed and easy.

The simple rituals of morning bring so much joy: opening windows to find a gentle, fresh breeze, listening to the kettle heating the water, grinding my husband’s coffee, and stirring honey into my tea. All enjoyed and amplified in silence. Nothing is hurried, not if we get up on time. Matthew Kelly, in his book Rediscover Catholicism, gives an excellent explanation of the Catholic Christian life as it is meant to be lived, and one of the main tenets is discipline. Discipline is what enables us to truly enjoy our lives in a fully human, fully present and liberating way. He says it refines us, and frees us to be at our best, and I couldn’t agree more. I know what it is to not live by discipline, no structure, nothing to hold myself against. So I strive to get up the same time each day, regardless of what day it is. That way, I can have a simply productive, satisfying morning in which there are pauses enough to praise God for the morning, give full attention to my husband, and be ready to face whatever it is God wants me to encounter.