Tragic Ireland losing the Faith

Ireland is a land who has suffered so many trials; the Potato Famine, the Penal Laws, the Troubles, but no crisis as tragic as that she suffers today; there is a report on NPR about how, in response to abuse, Irishmen have establised a website to 'unbaptize' themselves. Such a loss from a land whose faith was always strengthened by trials. This scandal has broken many people's faith, but according to Irish Times columnist Breda O'Brien,  there's another culprit; materialism. We know a lot about this in the US. Once we are comfortable, God becomes an accessory  that doesn't go with our lifestyle.
I remember visiting a leaner, more Catholic Ireland for Easter 1987, where churches were packed with young famlies who rode two deep in the back seats of in tiny Nissans.
Now, there is scandal and prosperity and Ireland is suffering from both.
We await the Holy Father's advice on this situation.
They may take their name off the rolls, but the mark of Baptism remains on their souls. May Almighty God have mercy on Ireland.
St Patrick pray for us.

Listen to the 7 hour Irish music steam here to keep from becoming despondent, wait, that's one of Irish music's best themes. Delicious despondency.

Tax Cuts and Children

Why are tax cuts pro-family? Ask any young family who believes that the mother belongs at home with her children, and are struggling against mounting tax burden to do so. I have read that Norway actually pays some women to stay at home raising their children, as they recognize the societal benefits of well-raised children. They are more independent, law-abiding, hard-working, and less inclined to get tangled up in the vices which tear society apart; crime, drugs, alcoholism, violence, illegitimacy, etc. Funny, the liberals want to imitate Scandanavian health care systems, and marriage laws, yet not this policy.

Married Couples reject the blessing of children

According to a study released July 1st by the Pew research center, Public Concern over the Delinking of Marriage and Parenthood. Adults of all ages consider unwed parenting to be a big problem for society. "At the same time, however, just four-in-ten (41%) say that children are very important to a successful marriage, compared with 65% of the public who felt this way as recently as 1990".

According to a Washington Post article, "This might be explained by a greater emphasis on soul mate relationships in marriage and an increasing recognition of the stress involved in raising children, said Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, co-director of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. There is also a more widespread belief that having children is a choice, she said. "Marriage and kids were kind of hyphenated before," she said, "and now the hyphens have been removed."

This is the direct result of forty years of ignoring Humanae Vitae, which begins with the following acknowlegement, " The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships. " Hardships are thought to undermine marriage, and many couples try to avoid any type of sacrifice, for the good of the marriage, their own comfort,freedom of lifestyle, and financial success. It's all about personal satisfaction, and marriage, though it remains the ideal of many, in practice, is becoming less important.
"In the United States today, marriage exerts less influence over how adults organize their lives and how children are born and raised than at any time in the nation's history. Only about half of all adults (ages 18 and older) in the U.S. are married; only about seven-in-ten children live with two parents; and nearly four-in-ten births are to unwed mothers, according to U.S. Census figures. As recently as the early 1970s, more than six-in-ten adults in this country were married; some 85% of children were living with two parents; and just one-birth-in-ten was to an unwed mother."

Shopping is Addictive

This summer, we were lucky.

We had very little money, and had to stay OUT of stores for non-necessities.

At first, I suffered from withdrawal, but, little by little, I was freed. . . from noticing the ragged kitchen towels, rugs, sofa, and sheets. We didn't mind the lack of socks (kids love going barefoot!) the mismatched outfits, no new videos, and no formal entertainment.
We re-discovered our local free beach and bike trails, learned to 'waste time' making toys out of leaves and sticks, we spent more time gardening, used our art supplies more, noticed the funny things our cats do, taught the dog some manners, got acquainted with our neighbors, and got 'handicapped child' signs installed on our busy street.
We prayed the rosary more often as a family, and learned to accept gifts from friends. We were so lucky, no, blessed, to have no money and plenty of time together this summer!
This first shopping trip was fun, but had a touch of sadness, as I pray that those precious lessons learned this summer will 'stick'.

Thank you Jesus, for temporary poverty!