Femininity

If you're interested, check out my article today at IgnitemToday:

http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2012/01/11/femininity-and-nurturing/

It's called Femininity and Nurturing and is based on John Paul II's Apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem.

Why men love "good girls"...

"'And the spouses approach each other,

I sleep, but my heart is awake.

Listen! my beloved is knocking.

Open to me, my sister, my friend,

my dove, my perfect one.' (Song 5:2)

The search-aspiration has its interior dimension: 'the heart is awake' even in sleep. The term 'perfect' on the lips of the bridegroom belongs to this dimension. The male aspiration born from love on the basis of the 'language of the body' is a search for integral beauty, for purity free from every stain; it is a search for perfection that contains, I would say, the synthesis of human beauty, beauty of soul and body. And if the words of the bridegroom just quoted seem to contain the distant echo of the 'beginning' - that first search-aspiration of the male man for a being still unknown - they resound much nearer in Ephesians where Christ, as Bridegroom of the Church, desires to see his Bride without 'spot', desires to see her 'holy and immaculate' (Eph 5:27)." Theology of the Body 112:2-3

Nighttime

My friend Catia says she loves nighttime because there's a certain spirituality about it. Sometimes when I come home and everything is dark and quiet, I know what she means. Every now and then I remember to look up at the moon and the stars and wish I could spend more time doing that. Yesterday I got home from a weekend of stressing out about a whole lot of nothing, but it finally ended in peace. While panicking and trying to make all the decisions in my life all at once, someone wise told me, "But do you think you'll only have peace after making those decisions or do you think you have to be at peace so that you can make those decisions?" I decided it was the second. And nighttime really expresses peace. I'm reading the book Memories of Sister Lucia and I'm impressed by how the shepherd children of Fatima really knew how to contemplate nature:

"The little one also liked very much to go to a field we had in front of the house at night, to watch the beautiful sunset and the starry sky that followed. She would get excited about the beautiful moonlit nights. We'd see who was able to count the stars and we'd say they were the lamps of the angels." (Memorias da Irma Lucia, p. 40)

 

The moon and the branches reflected on the ground at my house

Theses

Yesterday was a special day. I returned to my alma mater to watch my friend Catia, the only other girl my age in my classes in college, and a very intelligent and interesting person, defend her thesis. I loved seeing people I hadn't seen in a while, hearing beautiiful things and being really proud of her. One of my favorite thoughts of the things that were said was that God took the people of Israel to the desert to save His marriage. To purify them of their idols and to romance them. Here is Catia drinking water in front of the jury...

They were tough on her! But she responded brilliantly and humbly. There were at least 30 or 40 people there, a record in these types of things. Here she is in the group picture at the end, you can barely see her...

It was pretty different from mine, which was a year ago. They were nicer to me. I had just a few people, but they were incredibly special and having each on there was so meaningful. It was really the culminating of a long journey. From left to right: my friend and colleague Dora, my #1 supporter and BF Daniel, me and the three professors on my jury, a friend and colleague that once led a Bible Study with me (João), my goddaughter and friend Mary John and my sister.

Happy weekend!

On opening up

I've been having a hard week: getting back to everyday life in Lisbon, feeling lost and confused about decisions I have to make, not knowing what I really want or like. Last year at about this time I was also feeling this way, I remember. One thing I realized yesterday, after having coffee with a friend, was that there is one important thing that is different this year. This year I have people I trust and can talk to. People that know me and love me and that I've come to appreciate more this past year. And really it makes all the difference to have people to talk to when I'm feeling down, even if they all have different opinions.

"Julie, next time you feel sad and like shutting yourself in a room, pick up the phone and call me or your mom or someone else" - Marta, my friend whose mom was recently diagnosed with cancer but she is handling it like a true fighter and is an inspiration to me

"Suffering is redemptive only if you don't close yourself in on your suffering. It's redemptive if you open yourself up to others, sharing your suffering with them and sharing in their suffering. It's something that unites us." - A bishop I heard speak at World Youth Day Madrid