Show & Tell Friday: Crucifixion Painting

Last week, I shared with you all Sophia's Baptismal Certificate. At the church she was baptized at, we had a fellow-congregant, Scott, who was an artist. He would often paint during services.

The day that Sophia was baptized, we were devastated to discover that, though we had recharged the video camera the night before, something had gone wrong, and the camera had no power! We concentrated on the significance of the day and reminded ourselves that we wouldn't need a video to remember that special occassion. On that day, Scott painted the picture I share with you today.

After the service, we approached our pastor and purchased the painting, for a donation to the church, and today it hangs in our front entryway: a reminder not only of that special day in the life of our first-born child, but a remembrance and a testament to the love of God's first-born and only Son for us that makes all our Baptisms possible.

A Good Start Makes A Good Day

Wednesdays are cleaning days in the Hudson home. Assigning tasks to each day of the week helps me to keep on track, making sure that everything that needs to get done each week does, in fact, get done. It also allows me to do all my deep cleaning on one day, which saves time and allows me to relax for the rest of the week, knowing that I won't have to be scrubbing anything for another six days.

Alas, I'm not a huge fan of cleaning, which means that I am usually not at my most optimistic on Wednesday mornings. This is why it is especially important on Wednesday mornings that, first thing, I spend some time in prayer. Without God's grace, there's no way I can make it through Wednesdays without piling up a debt of sin. I also need to seek God's perspective about what I'm going to do that day and pray for His help in being diligent, working with a cheerful heart, remaining on task, and offering up any failures or shortfalls to Him.
Without God, Wednesdays would not be a pretty picture. Struggling with my laziness, I would leave particularly unpleasant tasks (like scrubbing the shower stall) undone. All this overlooked work would pile up, leaving me fretful throughout the weak and compromising the beauty of my home and the well-being of my familiy. My short temper would flare up at my young daughter who, though eager to help Mama clean, usually succeeds more in slowing me down and even creating more work for me to do. I might find myself resenting all this housework, whining that I'm just the unpaid drudge of the home and resenting my husband who doesn't have to scrub toilets, mop floors, and clean shower stalls (can you tell that I really hate cleaning our shower?).
Yes, I confess it! I'm not Martha Stewart. I don't relish doing menial labor. In fact, if we're looking just at inborn temperment, I'm one of the laziest people I know. Being neat and keeping things clean does not come naturally to me. Rather, my ability to keep house and my desire for a lovely home is the result of a Godly perspective, years of persistent training from my own mother, diligent prayer, and a good ol' kick in the pants on Wednesday mornings. Thanks to these things, my Wednesdays look pleasantly different from the picture painted above:
Yes, I still dust, mop, vacuum, scour the kitchen, clean the bathrooms, scrub toilets (and showers) and sinks, wash windows and glass where sticky toddler hands have smudged them, and do a load of diapers, among other things that crop up as I am performing all these tasks. But, with some prayer and a positive attitude, I don't see these things as drudgery, and I am far from resenting the work that I do. Instead, I recognize the work that God does in me as I do this work, and I am thankful for the opportunity and ability to bless my family, serving them as I would the Lord.

"Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.." ~ Colossians 3:23-24

The work is the same, but the perspective is completely revolutionized. What profound blessings can be ours with just fifteen minutes of morning prayer before starting the day! I do not think I exaggerate when I say that this practice will quite literally transform our lives. It is certainly worth setting the alarm a few minutes early for.

If you have never set aside time in the morning for prayer, I suggest you give it a go tomorrow. Get up fifteen minutes early. Now, here's the difficult part: Get out of bed! Do not try to pray laying down. It is maddeningly difficult to focus, and you may even find yourself drifting back to sleep. Find a quiet place in your house that will help you seek the Lord with your whole being.

Give thanks to God. Offer to Him your "prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day," ("Daily Offering" prayer of the Catholic Church). Seek His perspective. Allow Him to grant you the grace to serve Him throughout the day, no matter what the tasks ahead. Be specific about what this prayer time is for: Meeting with God and seeking His grace for the day ahead. This is not the time to wax poetic or to go through your prayer request list of everyone else's needs. Pray for those things throughout the day or when you find a pocket of time. For this precious morning prayer time, heed the words of Proverbs 16:3: "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

Remember, also, to place your trust in the Lord. Sometimes the day doesn't go as planned; prepare yourself ahead of time to surrender to these quirks of life as a part of His Divine Will. Doing so will save you a lot of aggravation and may even keep you from falling into sin.

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad!" ~ Psalm 118:24

* The Bookworm's Library has been updated: Graced and Gifted: Biblical Wisdom for the Homemaker's Heart by Kimberly Hahn

How Do You Believe You Are Saved?

"Crucifixion" by Thomas Eakin

Yesterday, I received the following question:

Just out of curiosity..., how do you believe you are saved for eternal life & freedom from sin? As a very conservative Protestant, I believe in Eph. 2:8-9, among other verses. How do you reconcile salvation by works to these verses?

Besides the question about prayer to the saints that I addressed in yesterday's post, this is probably the most common question Catholics receive from other Christians. It is also the question around which the most powerful contentions have arisen between the Christian denominations--Catholic or otherwise. Presbyterians argue about it with Baptists, Baptists argue about it with Orthodox Christians, Orthodox Christians argue about it with Methodists...and on and on and on.

Interestingly enough, despite all this bickering and debate, all Christians actually agree on how we are saved. We are saved by grace. Scripture tells us this repeatedly, and there is no Christian denomination, to my knowledge, that holds any other belief than this: that we are saved by grace, alone.

"We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved..." (Acts 15:11)

"...it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:5)

"For it is by grace you have been saved..." (Ephesians 2:8)

"So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:8-10)

What is grace? It is the free gift of God's mercy. It is not deserved. It cannot be earned. There is nothing we can do to obtain it. Our works do not buy us this salvific grace. Nor is it earned through faith or profession of faith. It is given freely. It belongs to God, and he gives it to us as a gift. This is how every Christian receives salvation: by grace alone.

If Christians can agree on the fact that we are saved by grace, where we differ dramatically is in our understanding of how we are "justified." Some people have asserted that justification refers to how we are assured of salvation. This concept is utterly foreign to Catholics who do not speak of "assurance of salvation" but rather "hope of salvation" (Psalm 119:81, 1 Thessalonians 5:8) and of working out our salvation (Phillipians 2:12). For Catholics, salvation is granted by grace, but the process of living out that salvation is an ongoing process that God is working, in combination with the free will of man, in every Christian soul throughout his or her life and possibly continuing into death in purgatory. (Forgive me, but I think I'll leave discussion of purgatory for another day.) Protestants call this ongoing work sanctification and claim that it is done through works. For Catholics, the Protestant concepts of sanctification and justification are both addressed in the doctrine of justification.

Boy, that makes my head spin. To put it more simply: the Catholic doctrine of justification "denotes the transforming of the sinner from the state of unrighteousness to the state of holiness and sonship of God" (newadvent.org). Justification is considered both as an act--of God, carried out in conjunction with the free will of the Christian person--and as a state or habit, denoting "the continued possession of a quality inherent in the soul, which theologians aptly term sanctifying grace" (Ibid). As an act, Catholic justification may be compared to Protestant sanctification. As a state, justification may be considered to denote the same thing in both traditions.

This is why Catholics speak of being justified through faith and works. We never speak of being saved by either faith or works. Such a claim would be unbiblical and against the teaching of the Church.

Protestants often use the verses referred to in the original question as a proof text against justification through works. Let's take a look at the passage together (I will use the NIV translation):

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:4-9).

What are we dealing with here? The first few verses tell us that we are saved by grace. We have already addressed this point. I would encourage some of my Protestant brothers and sisters to consider this very closely: We are saved by grace, not by faith. Not even our faith can buy us salvific grace; it is purely a gift from God. I have encountered many non-Catholic Christians, even some ordained ministers, who merely pay lip service to the doctrine of salvation by grace but in reality, they are preaching salvation by faith. This is not Biblical.

Moving on to verses 8 and 9, we find the key text that Protestants have used for the past five centuries to argue against justifcation through works. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." This is pretty convincing stuff, and if this were all that Scripture had to say on the matter, we might consider the Protestant doctrine to be correct. However, the problem with proof texts is that they are taken alone, out of the larger context of Scripture. Catholic teaching has always been careful to avoid the pitfalls of using such strategies when studying Scripture. We must consider Ephesians 2:8-9 in the greater context of the Bible.

Interestingly enough, we get a clue from the very next verse, which the proof-texters all too often stop before reaching: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10, emphasis my own). How do we understand Ephesians 2:8-9 when coupled with verse 10? We are saved by the free gift of God's grace. Through our faith (which is also a gift from God), we are justified. St. Paul makes it clear that we are not saved by works, or the Law, because we cannot earn salvation. Salvation is a gift. Faith is a gift. Work has to do with us. Salvation is from God, and not from us. Yet, in verse 10, we see that we were "created in Christ Jesus to do good works"--we are saved to do good works. Works are never separate from faith, but they are not a means to obtain salvation. We understand this more fully in conjunction with Romans 11:5-6, which says, "So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." This is the point St. Paul is making in this section of the Book of Ephesians: not that faith is more important than works or that we are justified by faith alone, but that we are saved by grace alone, rather than by works, which was the previous understanding, according to the Jewish tradition.

The Book of James has a lot to say about the relationship between faith and works. Incidentally, when Martin Luther was compiling his own canon of Scripture, which differs in several significant ways from the Catholic Bible, he very nearly got rid of the Book of James because of this exact issue. I will quote at length from the epistle so that we can see that this was a very important issue in the early church, just as it remains today:

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:14-26, emphasis my own).

James is very clear on this point, particularly in verse 24: A Christian "is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." Can there be any dispute over this? Clearly, there is, or Sola Fide, justification by "faith alone" would not be one of the two pillars of the Protestant Reformation (the other pillar being Sola Scriptura or "Scripture alone") and of all that followed. Yet, I fail to understand how such claims can be made in light of what Scripture so clearly says about justification, particularly by those who claim Sola Scriptura.

We know, not only from James 2:19 but from the Gospel accounts that faith is not enough. Consider Matthew 7:21-23:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Professing Jesus as Lord, even performing miracles in His name is not enough. Only those who do the Father's will will be permitted to enter heaven.

Mark 1:34 tells us that Jesus would not allow the demons He drove out of the sufferring to speak because "they knew who He was." Shockingly, the demon Legion who possessed a man whom Jesus healed addressed the Messiah by name when He approached the possessed man: "When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!'" (Luke 8:28). These demons knew Jesus. Legion proclaims Him to be the Son of God. Yet, they are not justified; they are not saved. Of course, they are also not human, but the fact remains, as St. James says in his epistle: belief, which is a gift from God anyway, is not enough!

This topic is so immense, I'm sure I could go on for pages and pages in responding to the question at the top of this post. Countless books have been written on this subject. The bloody battles of the Reformation were fought, in part, over it. Today, we encounter brokenness in the Body of Christ, and it is at least partially due to this point. Greater scholars and holier men and women than I have addressed it from both sides. But, I hope I have done some justice to this important doctrine and that I have clarified some misconceptions about what Catholics believe regarding salvation and justification.

Do You Pray to People Other Than God?

Yesterday, in response to my post What Religion Are You?, I received this comment:

Do you pray to people other than God? I am aware that that is a practice of the Catholic church, but didn't know your own personal conviction. If so, can you offer biblical proof for it?

This is an extremely common question that Protestants, especially, have for Catholics. Since many of my readers are Protestant Christians, I thought it would be best to address this question in its own post, rather than merely responding in the comments section to this particular reader.

The simple answer would be, "Yes," but that one-word answer has done a lot to cause contention and confusion between Protestants and Catholics over the centuries, because there is more to it than that. In fact, there are several difference between Protestant theology and Catholic theology that need to be addressed in order to understand that simple, "Yes."

The first element we must address is the doctrine of the "communion of the saints." My reader who left this comment explained to me that she is a Reformed (Calvinist) Protestant. One of the Five Points of Calvinism is the "perseverance of the saints," meaning that God will help His chosen people, His saints, to persevere in their faith throughout their lives; this differs subtley from the Fundamentalist-Evangelical doctrine of "once saved, always saved." However, in both the Calvinist and Fundamentalist-Evangelical doctrines, we find the understanding of "saints" to be people, in this life, who are believers in and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Catholics speak of "the saints," they mean something different. For Catholics, saints are not merely people who are currently walking around on the earth. The communion of saints includes all Christians, past and present, living and dead, in heaven (and purgatory) and here on earth. This distinction is vital to understanding the Catholic practice of praying to the saints.

I think it is best to explain the practice of Catholic prayer to saints in this way: It is common practice for both Protestants and Catholics to ask each other for prayer. When you're sick, struggling with sin, or need prayer for a myriad of other reasons, you might approach a fellow Christian and request that he or she pray for you. This is what Catholics are doing when they pray to the saints: they are requesting intercessory prayer from one of their fellow Christians--that Christian just happens to be deceased. Intercessory prayer is the only type of prayer that should be used when praying to someone other than God. Worship and adoration are resevered solely for the Trinity (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and should never be used in addressing a saint. I am willing to admit that, tragically, there have been Catholics who misunderstood this extremely important teaching and helped to aid the myth that Catholics "worship the saints." However, I stress again that this is not the teaching of the Catholic Church--and should not be the practice of any Christian.

Let's look at 1 Timothy 2:1-5, since the final verse of this passage is so often used by Protestants as a proof text against the practice of praying to the saints:

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..." (emphases my own)

Here we find Paul urging Christians to make requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for each other. Protestants agree with this and often pray for each other. While there is no indication that this passage refers to deceased Christians as well as those living, Catholics take this meaning when viewing the passage in the greater context of Scripture, which does refer to the entire communion of saints (I'll get to that a little later). So, we find that intercessory prayer is pleasing to God. In the final verse, we see clearly that there is "one mediator between God and men": Jesus. Period. There is no one else who mediates between us and God. Not a priest. Not a saint. Not Mary. Catholics agree with this. It is only misunderstanding of our practices (sadly, there are some Catholics who are under such misconceptions, as well) that has given rise to the belief that Catholicism promotes mediation by persons other than Jesus Christ. In fact, there is no such doctrine, and the Catholic Church has been very clear for the past two millenia that 1 Timothy 2:5 holds true.

Straightforward enough, but then why do Catholics pray to specific "saints," such as St. Francis of Assisi or to Mary for so many things? Many Protestants view this as a form of idoltry. For example, many Catholics will pray to St. Joseph, the patron saint of homes, when they are struggling with selling their house. "Isn't this just like praying to a pagan deity?" Protestants ask.

Let's turn that question on its head for a moment: Let's assume you are a non-Catholic Christian. You are having trouble selling your house. You know someone else who had this same struggle a few years back. You remember how hard she prayed, how she grew in faith through that time of trial, and how eventually God answered her prayers in the affirmative and the house was sold with just the right opportunity: a "God moment" you might call it. So, what do you do? You go to this friend and request that she pray with you about your home-selling situation. For a Catholic, this is exactly what they are doing when they turn to St. Joseph in prayer, with one slight difference: St. Joseph is a deceased, canonized saint. Due to his extraordinary life and the proven efficacy of his intercession over the past two millenia, Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, has been granted official "sainthood" by the Roman Catholic Church. This assures the Catholic seeking Joseph's intercession that he is, first of all, in heaven with God and, secondly, that his prayers are particularly powerful.

"What?!" a Protestant might cry, outraged. "How can you say that Joseph's prayers are 'particularly powerful?' God listens to all prayers. You can't assume that someone's prayers are special just because some pope declared him a saint. Prayer isn't magic."

I would refer this Protestant brother or sister to James 5:16, which tells us, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." We know that St. Joseph was a man of righteousness. We know that he now resides with God in Heaven. It stands to reason from this assurance we find in the Book of James that his prayers will be powerful and effective, reasonably more so than your average struggling sinner here on earth (such as myself).

"All well and good," you say. "At least it doesn't sound like idolatry anymore. But I still don't see how Scripture supports this whole 'communion of the saints' thing. Where on earth does Scripture tell us to pray to seek the intercession of dead people?"

Of course, several passages in Revelation (5:8 and 8:3, for example) speak of the "prayers of the saints," and from a Catholic perspective, this is referring to the communion of the saints. Still, it is fair to point out that these passage do not specifically clarify whether we are speaking of the living saints or of all saints, both living and deceased. But, later in Revelation 18:20, we find the following exhortation: "Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you." We find that the saints in heaven are being told to rejoice with the saints on earth. We see here a unity of the communion of saints, living and dead.

Let us look at Hebrews 12. In verse 12:1, St. Paul tells us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (emphasis my own). The "cloud of witnesses" referred to in this verse has sometimes been understood by Protestants to refer to unbelievers who are watching us run our proverbial race, meaning that we are to run well so as to be a good witness to them. But, for a Catholic, this verse holds an entirely different meaning. We understand the "cloud of witnesses" to be our fellow saints, past and present, who are there to support and inspire us as we run.

Paul goes on in this Chapter to say how things have changed since the Incarnation. While Moses was told that not even an animal could touch Mt. Sinai or it would die, we are now encouraged to approach God boldly, since Christ is our attonement and our mediator. But, Paul has an interesting way of telling us to approach Him, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel" (emphases my own). In addition to "God, the judge of all men" and "Jesus the mediator," we are told that we may approach the angels, the church (the communion of saints), and the spirits of righteous men made perfect: the dead, and specifically those who have died and been perfected and who now dwell in Heaven with God--the canonized saints.

More than encouraged, Catholics believe we are actually commanded to seek the prayers of the saints. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 tells us:

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (emphases my own).

Just because a Christian is dead, he or she does not cease to be a part of the body--just as we read in verses 15 and 16. We are told that "there should be no division in the body" (verse 25). As the eye and the head are told (verse 21), we cannot say to those Christians who have passed on, "We don't need you anymore!" Paul tells us that we, as members of the body of Christ "should have equal concern for each other" (verse 25). God created this body, the Church, with great care and with the intent that through unity of parts, the body might be stronger. If we deny or reject the importance of those parts that are no longer walking the earth and breathing the air with us, we are not living up to God's vision for the Body of Christ--and we are wasting a precious gift in our brothers and sisters.

Catholics profess the communion of saints along with all other creedal Christians (Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Anglicans, etc.) in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. But we do more than profess it, we engage it! Through prayer, we are able to unite the Body of Christ, according to God's design, across barriers of time and space and even death. Catholics do not (or, at the very least, should not) worship saints or expect them to mediate between themselves and God. But, we do pray to them, and by so doing, we are affirming the words of Scripture and the eternal Church.

“Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ….” – Catechism of the Catholic Church 957

What Religion Are You?

There has been some confusion from readers over the answer to this question. In fact, even some folks who know me in real life will not be quite certain of the answer to this question. While I haven't purposefully hidden my religion from readers or friends, neither have I always been completely forthcoming with this information. Many of my posts deal with wrestling with Scripture, rather than setting out hard-and-fast rules and doctrine. My recent post with my daughter's baptismal certificate shows that she was baptized at a Christian Reformed Church, though I am neither Christian Reformed nor Calvinist. I have posts referring to Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, and various other faith groups. So, what's the casual reader to think? In solidarity with another dear blog friend of mine who "came out" a year or so ago with her faith on her blog, I have decided to officially let my readers know where I stand theologically. My hope is that by so doing, I can more clearly and openly write about my faith in my posts and that I will be able to answer any questions about my religion for those who are not familiar with it, as I know many of my readers do not share my specific faith tradition.

Though some may not be certain, I'm sure many of my readers have discerned that I am a Roman Catholic--probably from my posts about saints feastdays and the sidebar gadgets of Bl. Mother Theresa of Calcutta and St. Therese of Lisieux. I have delayed mentioning this for some time, for two reasons. The first is quite simple, I have been on a faith journey for a number of years, and my experiences are not solely Catholic, though that is the faith into which I was born and which I now practice. Despite how I now understand my Christian faith, I have an ecumenical mind and enjoy looking at different sides of the coin. I had no wish to expose myself to stereotype by declaiming too loudly that I am a Catholic Christian. The second reason I have been less than forthright about my religion is that I have experienced in my short life some rather vehement criticism and even outright malice toward Catholicism, and I did not wish to invite that sort of unpleasantness at the Apple Cider Mill. I hope that my "coming out" will not result in this sort of thing, as I would be sorry to have to reject comments for the first time in this blog's history because of religious bigotry.

My faith journey, which began simply enough in infancy and childhood, has been rather tumultuous and ultimately circuitous. Born and raised Roman Catholic, I left the Church in the ninth grade after my church schismed from the Roman Catholic Church and my priest was excommunicated. I spent the rest of high school as a sort of monotheistic pseudo-agnostic who attended a liberal "American Catholic" parish and began studying Judaism. The spring I graduted from high school, I began meeting with a rabbi to discuss converting to Reform Judaism, and I continued with that path upon entering college the following fall. At university, I came to an adult faith in Jesus Christ. Though my brief time exploring the Jewish faith did not end in conversion, I am deeply appreciative for the time I spent with the Jewish community and for all I learned about the faith that predecessed my own. In college, I became friends with many Protestants from various denominations and subsequently explored the Methodist, Southern Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Christian Reformed denominations. For the past three years, I have been feeling God calling me back to the Catholic Church. So, today, I find myself back where I began: Catholic and proud of it!

It has not been an easy journey home. For one thing, my Protestant husband had a lot of misconceptions about the Roman Catholic Church that we have had to tackle and continue to work through. On top of that, since I was not married in the Church (as I was not a practicing Catholic when I got married three years ago) my marriage is not seen as valid under canon law, so my husband and I need to convalidate* our marriage in order for me to return to full communion with the Catholic Church. We have been working on this process for several months now and are looking forward to the culmination of it shortly.

I have been learning a great deal these past three years about the faith I abandoned in my adolescence, and am constantly amazed at how beautiful and powerful it is. I feel very blessed to count myself a member of the Catholic Christian family. Of course, I know only too well, that not everyone views the Catholic Church this way. I have had friends who were deeply concerned about the state of my salvation when I returned to the RCC. I have been accused of abandoning Scripture, abandoning reason, and "drinking the Kool-Aid." I can assure any of my readers who might be having these same thoughts that my return to the Catholic Church has been one compelled by prayer and study of the Scriptures, appeal to reason, and genuine belief that this is God's Will.

I invite anyone who has questions about Catholicism to submit them to me, either in the comments section of this post, or by email at bethanyhudson(at)gmail(dot)com. I would be pleased to answer as best I can, and if I do not have an answer for you, I will take it to my priest to see if he can help.

Please, use this offer in a spirit of charity. I do not wish to be told that Catholics are not real Christians or are not saved or any other such derogatoy statement about my faith. (Yes, sadly, I have dealt with these sorts of comments before). If you send such a comment or question to me, I will not post it, nor will I respond to you; so please, don't bother. Other than that, I welcome any and all inquiries and look forward to sharing more of my faith with you all!

* Read the joyful update!

Feast of St. Francis de Sales

Francis de Sales lived and worked in Geneva, Switzerland, in the years immediately following the Protestant Reformation. He was reknowned and accomplished preacher who was very successful in converting Protestants to Catholicism during those tumultuous years. He was also a prolific writer and was later declared a Doctor of the Church.

Francis was born in France to a wealthy family, the eldest of 12 children. He received an excellent education, under the direction of Jesuit priests. However, this education brought the young Francis to a crisis of faith: After hearing a lecture on predestination, he became convinced that he was damned to Hell. This certainty became so troublesome over the next few years that he became physically ill. In 1587, at the age of 21, Francis was released from his crisis when he came to the conclusion that God is Love, and therefore whatever was to come would be the will of a loving God. The following year, Francis picked up his studies again, this time in Paris, studying law and theology. It was there that this handsome and wealthy young man decided to become a priest, much to the chagrin of his father who had intended a prosperous career and a wealthy bride for his eldest son.

In addition to being patron of of writers and educators, for obvious reasons based on his life, Francis de Sales is also the patron of confessors and of the deaf. Apparently, he was such an adamant preacher that he invented a sign language in order to minister to a deaf man. Francis was a great friend of the poor, and many found the depth of his compassion and understanding for his fellow human beings to be truly remarkable. So profound were the life and works of St. Francis de Sales that he continues to be venerated on his feastday even by the Protestant Church of England.

Of course, I am drawn to St. Francis de Sales as a writer, a learner, and a (hopefully) future homeschooler. I find it remarkable that he cared so deeply about preaching that he would invent a language to communicate with those who could not hear him. I am also moved by a man who, with everything the world had to offer at his feet, renounced worldly pursuits for those of the priesthood, which God had called him to. It is so hard to walk away from what we spent our youth building up and particularly when this stands in defiance of our parents' wishes for us.

O my God, I thank you and I praise
you for accomplishing your holy and all-lovable will
without any regard for mine.

With my whole heart, in spite of my heart,
do I receive this cross I feared so much!
It is the cross of Your choice,
the cross of Your love.
I venerate it;
nor for anything in the world
would I wish that it had not come,
since You willed it.

I keep it with gratitude and with joy,
as I do everything that comes from Your hand;
and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag,
with all the respect and all the affection which Your works deserve.

Amen.

~ A Prayer of St. Francis de Sales

* The Bookworm's Library has been updated: Why Gender Matters by Dr. Leonard Sax

Show & Tell Friday: Sophia's Baptismal Certificate

It's Show & Tell Friday again! Today, I wanted to share with you my daughter's baptismal certificate. Of course, this isn't the official one that goes to the church offices. It's one that my mother had specially engraved and framed for her. It hangs next to her crib and changing table, a daily reminder as she grows that she is called to live into the grace bestowed on her in that holy sacrament. I look forward to having another one made for our son, who is due in May.

Looking Forward With Hope

Our country has a new president! There has been a peaceful transfer of power in the United States for the 44th time. Praise God! More than that, we have just instated our first African American president. By making Barack Obama president, our country has confirmed human dignity in a powerful way. This is not to say that our country doesn't have a long way to go in continuing to confirm the dignity of all human beings. But, we have taken a step forward, and no matter how many steps are left, I think we can all agree that this step is a great one and something to be celebrated.

I admit that President Obama and I do not see eye to eye on everything, but the hope that has been brought to our nation in his person is something to bask in, to grab hold of, to embrace, to encourage, to rejoice in. I pray that the triumphant experience for so many Americans at seeing our first African American president inaugurated will be something we hold on to and seek to expand upon: that we would use this hope to give hope to all human beings, from conception to death. This is a great day for our country. If in three generations, we can go from Jim Crow laws to electing an African American president, think of how far we can go in three more. Imagine the potential for humanity.

Seeking the Silver Linings

This morning, Brian and I were unpleasantly awoken by the sound of our cat vomitting on my bedside table. Yuck. What a way to wake up, we groaned. So, we cleaned up the cat, tried to catch another twenty minutes or so of sleep and then got up to start the day. Only, after going about five paces from my bed, I shouted in pain and had to grab onto my dresser for support. Looks like the sciatica I had with the last pregnancy has returned with a vengeance. I did some stretches and managed to at least be able to stand on two feet, though walking was still difficult and painful. After this episode, Brian went into the baby's room...where he smelled something terrible. Sophia had thrown up all over her crib sometime in the early morning! Thankfully, by that time she was sleeping peacefully. So, we got her up, and Brian washed her while I cleaned all the bedding. Once we knew that Sophia was alright, I limped over to get the phone and called the pediatrician's office; I had to cancel Sophia's well visit appointment seeing as she was not well and in no state to get her vaccinations.

There is an old saying: "We make plans, and God laughs." Well, today, despite my discomfort and the unpleasantness of having to clean up after the sick cat and baby, I'm laughing with Him! It's all just too absurd.

Of course, being the idealist that I am, I managed to find the silver linings in all this. Sophia and the cat may have been sick, but they are back to their normal selves now. What a blessing that a little bit of vomit every now and then is the extent of our family's health concerns! And, though the sciatica is very painful, my husband has been able to work from home for part of the day. We are so blessed that he has such an accomodating and understanding employer, that he has a position where he is able to work from home on occassion, and that we have excellent health coverage so that I can call to have my back examined without concern about the cost.

There is so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is being able to laugh in the midst of difficulty!

"Be joyful always..." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16

* The Bookworm's Library has been updated: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Winter Sun

We're having a rare sunny week in winter here in the Pacific Northwest after unprecedented snowfall and low temperatures followed by an eerie week of all-day fog. I am relishing every sunbeam! In jubilation at this reminder that, eventually, winter will give way to cherry blossoms lining our street, daffodils cropping up everywhere, and rhododendrons bursting into bloom, here is a poem to share:

 

"Winter Sun"

by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

And why it seems a bar of gold,

There’s not much of it—that may be

Why it is welcome, since it’s rare;

Lying across the table there.

Over my kitchen pots and pans

It trails its shining finger-tips.

Spills over in the living room,

And in my hands, like honey, drips.

A Winter sun, like memory,

Brings back the thoughts of Summer haze.

Remembrance of the birds and flowers,

The ecstasy of August days.

A handful of such sun would seem

All that the Heavens can afford,

In Winter-time. Consider me

Most grateful for small favors, Lord!

Show & Tell Friday: Decorating With Scripture

Happy Friday, everyone! I am beginning a new trend here at the Apple Cider Mill, joining my friend Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home in a weekly show & tell. Join me here every Friday for a little peek into some small bit of my home life, and be sure to head over to Kelli's blog, as well, to get ideas from other bloggers who have joined her.

This week, I wanted to share a beautiful needlework piece that I was given on year for Christmas by a dear friend of mine. I love having Scripture verses around the house to keep my perspective throughout the day. In college, my roommate, Lindsay, and I used to put index cards with Bible verses all over our apartment. Though I still utilize this trick from time to time, it can be nice to have a few Scripture reminders that are a little more "grown-up" and lovely. This one hangs in my kitchen, just to the right of the sink. As I'm cooking or doing the dishes, it's always right there to inspire me, spur me on, and remind me Whom I belong to.

What About the Men?

 

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.... The Lord said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'"

- Genesis 2:15, 2:18

I have a lot to say on this blog about being a homemaker. After all, that is what I am, so it tends to be in the foreground of my mind. I am proud to have been entrusted by God with the care of my home and family. I have written oodles about this, and I'm sure I will have oodles more to say as time passes. But, today, I don't want to talk about being a keeper at home. In fact, I don't want to talk about women. I want to talk about the men.

One question I have heard repeatedly from both discontented homemakers and from those who would rather chew glass than even consider staying at home is, "What about the men?" Indeed, I don't think that women should be fated to a life of menial labor keeping house and popping out children for her husband who nonchallantly takes it all for granted as he goes off to work each day, pursuing his private destiny, seeking his own personal fulfillment, and returning home each night to indulge in his favorite hobbies...or perhaps not returning home and living a life much akin to what he did as a bachelor. I think this is what many feminist ladies think of when they think of the housewife's lot in life. The sad fact is, I have known some women who find that this is their lot in life. But, this not the way God intended for it to be.

When God created Eve to be a "helper suitable" for Adam, he wasn't talking about a maid. The Hebrew word used for "helper," ezer, is a word used elsewhere in Scripture to describe God Himself as the helper of His people. God is not our servant, and a wife is not her husband's servant. This concept of wife as helper, some like to use the term "helpmeet," has to do with functional authority. Ephesians 5 elaborates on this part of Genesis when it talks of the husband as the head of the family. Adam is the head, and Eve is his helper, he ezer, his supporter, his partner, the one designed to help him be a good and righteous leader of his household.

If a wife is called to be a godly keeper at home, living a life of sacrifice on behalf of her family as an offering unto God, then this is precisely the sort of calling a husband has outside of the home. He is to work sacrificially to provide for his family and bring glory to God. A husband should take this calling into account when choosing and navigating his career path. It is wrong for a man to misuse his privilege and calling to work by seeking only and personal success and gratification. A workaholic, a man who thinks about his own desires rather than his family's needs, a man who resents having to provide for his family, a man who is foolish or neglectful of his job is not living up to his calling.

Moreover, a husband's job is not done when he walks in the door in the evening and tosses his paycheck down on the table. There is more to providing for one's family than just bringing home the bacon. A wife's duties for home and family are never finished. Guess what, a husband's aren't, either! A husband who is living out his God-given calling is also going to heed the admonishes to love his wife (Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:19) and to teach his children (Deuteronomy 4:9, 6:7), among other things he is called to. These verses are not just talking about an off-hand bit of advice to the kids before popping in a video game and zoning out, and the love being spoken of is not something you simply feel and never express. Scripture is talking here about active, sacrificial, intentional, consistent deeds. Being the head of a family is not some cushy job for domineering, self-indulgent layabouts; it is a sacred vocation that requires hard work and sacrifice, which will be rewarded with honor, love, joy, and peace when lived out to the glory of God.

As a wife is the glory of her husband, so the husband is the glory of God (1 Corinthians 11:7), or at least this is how it is meant to be. If both husband and wife have their priorities straight, then this exponential glorifcation is possible, and God is greatly honored in their household and in their marriage, and all the Church is edified. Unfortunately, many men and women have not been handed a legacy or been shown an example of what this mutual glorification looks like. If this is the case with you, don't worry. Just determine that the buck stops here: with you, with your marriage; in your home, in your heart. You may not have an earthly example to follow, but God has given you everything you need to get started and to encourage you along the way, in His Holy Word. Pray, study, and trust Him to lead you in paths of righteousness for His name's sake (Psalm 23:3).

Homemaking Tip #4

If you live in a colder climate with a house that is difficult or expensive to heat, as I do, you may be getting the impression that either bread recipes are written for those in warmer climes or that you are just a complete failure at bread baking. Most yeast bread recipes tell you to cover the dough and let it rise in a "warm place." Well, for me, the only truly "warm place" for four months of the year is directly next to my electric radiator--which is also extremely dry and would turn my dough into a hard lump rather than letting it rise. My trick? Cover the dough in bowl or pans (depending one which rise it is) with a tea towel as you normally would, and then place it in a cool oven along with a pan or bowl filled with boiling water. I just put the kettle on and pour the water into the container in the oven just before the dough is ready to go in. This should keep your dough moist and help it to rise to its fluffy potential.

Shallot-Mushroom Quiche

"An Egg" by Petr Kratochvil (Public Domain)

With our economy on shaky legs, homemakers everywhere are looking for tasty and economical ways to feed their families. One of the easiest ways to slash your grocery bill is to work some non-meat proteins into your weekly menus. Beans are a wonderful way to do this, but eggs are even better as they provide many of the necessary animal proteins not found in plant protein sources.

Of course, eggs are high in cholesterol, so you should consider your family members' health before serving them. Young children and pregnant women particularly benefit from eating eggs as the fats and proteins are vital to their nutrition and eggs contain the most concentrated source of Cholin, which is vital to baby's brain development in utero. If you're still concerned, be assured that "Research shows that people with normal blood cholesterol concentrations can consume up to one egg every day as part of a low-fat diet without raising their cholesterol levels." Of course, if you or someone in your family has high cholesterol, you might want to rethink this food choice.


For the rest of us, here is a stellar way to serve up eggs to your family for dinner. It also reheats wonderfully for leftovers. I recommend serving this with some mixed greens sprinkled with lemon juice and freshly ground pepper: that's about all you need; the quiche is so rich!


Ingredients:One baked quiche crust (see my recipe below or use your own)
2 T butter
2 large shallots, chopped
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
dried thyme to taste (I use about 1-2 tsp.)
1/2 c. whipping cream (heavy or regular)
3 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
2 T melty cheese (mozzarella, Gruyere, Provolone, etc.--Gruyere is the tastiest, but other mild cheeses work just as well and, especially if you have them on hand, are more economical)


Directions:In saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook shallots until translucent. Add mushrooms and thyme, and cook about 8 minutes, until mushrooms are somewhat soft but not soggy. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, whisk together cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and cheese until combined.
Spread shallot-mushroom mixture in bottom of baked quiche crust (cooled or warm). Pour egg mixture over.


Bake in 450F oven for 25 minutes or until set and golden. Remove and cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.


Makes about 6 servings.


Bethany's Quiche Crust:Combine 1 1/2 c. flour, 1 t. salt, and 1 t. sugar in medium bowl. Cut in 1 stick (1/2 c.) chilled unsalted butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in 1 egg with fork until well combined; mixture will be sandy at this point. Add cold water 1 t. at a time until dough is of piecrust consistency (about 4-5 tsps.) Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.


Remove from refrigerator and either roll to 12'' or press with fingertips into greased tart pan. Put sheet of aluminum foil over crust and weight with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in 400F oven for 25 minutes. Remove weights and tin foil. Prick with fork 10 times all over crust bottom. Bake for another 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and cool or fill immediately to bake quiche.

20 Weeks, 6 Days...and counting

"Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch."

- E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

As I have had many requests from friends and family afar who want to know how much I'm "showing," here are a few of pregnancy photos for you all to enjoy. These were taken today at 20 weeks and 6 days gestation.

I love this part of pregnancy. Mainly, I feel great, though I'm still a little tireder than I would normally be. The nausea is officially passed (thank Heaven!), and I feel pretty much back to normal. It's good to have enough energy again for all the things I need to accomplish each day. It has also been a welcome change to finally start looking pregnant, instead of looking like I've just put on ten pounds.

Our little boy began kicking regularly at 16 weeks, and I just adore feeling those tiny bumps and squirms. Now that I'm halfway through the pregnancy, I can feel him moving often throughout the day, and it's such a comfort to feel his presence and know he's doing well. He is right on target for size (33rd percentile), so with any luck, he will come out the same size or maybe a tiny bit smaller than my Sophia who was just over 8 lbs. at birth--fairly sizeable for a 5'2'' mama who only weighed about 135 lbs. 9 months pregnant!

Even with the inconveniences it can sometimes cause (sickness, fatigue, shortness of breath, sciatica, stretch marks, etc.), I really do love being pregnant. There is something about carrying another life inside your own body that makes you feel truly beautiful and, in a small way, magnificent.

No-Fault Divorce

Marriage in the United States can be both a religious covenant and a legal contract. Different religions have different views about what constitutes marriage and what grounds, if any, exist for divorce or anullment. I won't go into the nitty-gritty of all these theological and doctrinal matters in this post. For the time being, I'd like to focus on the legal aspects of marriage, or more precisely, the legal aspects of dissolving a marriage contract. Specifically, I would like to address the issue of "no-fault divorce," which I believe could rather be rightly termed "divorce on demand."

Before continuing, I should probably mention that I have a personal interest in the presence of no-fault divorce in our country's legal system; it is something that has dramatically and aversely affected my life. After twenty-seven years of marriage, my father left my mother. I will not give the reasons here, as this is a public blog, but suffice it to say that the blame was not on her side. Technically, New York State (where my parents were married and divorced) does not permit no-fault divorce; it is one of only three states that maintains this stance, requiring that both spouses consent to the divorce. However, the widespread presence of no-fault divorce in our country led my mother to believe that she didn't have a choice in the matter. Technically, as my father had moved away to a state that allowed no-fault divorce, she didn't have a choice; he could simply divorce her through the legal system of his new home state without her consent. My father repeatedly refused to even consider counselling, though my mother attempted for three years to save their marriage alone. Moreover, my father wanted to sever ties "cleanly," as he put it, walking away without giving her a penny, though she had sacrificed her career for his and remained at home and worked part-time for many years to take care of me. A fine thank you for over a quarter-century of love and sacrifice. This is the legacy of divorce on demand.

The worst of it to me, their only child, was that hardly anyone thought anything of this! No-fault divorce has become so prevalent in our society that my father's pathetic excuses of "It just didn't work out," seemed to satisfy the majority of our friends and family. Those of us who opposed his actions and tried to make him see reason were ridiculed for being closed-minded and judgmental.

Many people oppose overturning no-fault divorce because they say that the government should not have jurisdiction in private affairs. This attitude fails to see things in a true light. Two consenting adults enter into a marriage contract--a binding, legal agreement, undertaken mutually by two parties and conducted without the interference of the government, except to ratify the contract. Years (or months or weeks) later, one party, under no-fault divorce, chooses to reneg on that contract; the governement then steps in and tells the faithful party that their contract is no longer binding, thanks very much, have a nice life. That sounds like governement interference to me.

In a system that would not allow no-fault divorce, a spouse could still seek non-consentual divorce in the case of mental or physical abuse, abandonment of a year or more, adultery, or if the other spouse spends more than three years in prison. We are not discussing the issue of victimized women trapped in abusive relationships. We are not talking about marriage where things are "broken" beyond repair. We are talking about a consenting adult who entered into a binding legal contract and later wanted to back out with no reprecussions. If this were the state of business contracts in our country, there would be an outcry! Where is the outcry on behalf of the men, women, and children who are victims of no-fault divorce?

Frankly, with no-fault divorce ravaging American families, I don't know how anyone can even speak politcally of the "sanctity of marriage" with a straight face anymore. For that matter, why do we even have civil marriage, when one party can simply decide they are tired of the arrangement and reneg without cause or reprecussion, except maybe to lose out a little in the alimony department? It's absurd. Why bother denying gay couples the right to marry when any two adults of opposite sexes can just walk into city hall, sign a marriage contract, and then decide the next week that they're bored of it and don't want it anymore. What is the point of civil marriage in this current condition?

Tellingly, this is one issue where radical feminists are agreeing with pro-family advocates. Of course, NOW's stance against no-fault divorce stems from its assertion that no-fault divorce removes financial "bargaining chips" from a woman's table. This is not the issue I would like to stand on. But, there are many injustices that occur due to no-fault divorce, and women are frequently the vicitims of no-fault divorce. Many such women have sacrificed strong careers to stay at home and care for children or to further their husband's career instead, under the assumption that their marriage contract was considered binding on both sides and that they would benefit from her support of her husband later in life. Come middle age: the kids move out; she's not so attractive anymore, and hubby finds someone else who can "please" him more. So, he divorces her. She has no say. She has no rights. She is, in all reality, abandoned after decades of sacrifice. This is wrong. Any way you slice it, it's wrong.

It isn't just women who suffer, though. Members of the father's rights movement have advocated that grounds for divorce must be required in cases where children are involved. It has been argued that wives who instigate no-fault divorce are often granted custody of the children, and the abandoned husbands are then required to pay child support while bereft of the children they would have wanted to keep custody of. This is without even mentioning the damage done to the children of couples that have been destroyed by no-fault divorce!

Sure, no-fault divorce has drastically lowered the rates of perjury in divorce court proceedings; that is, after all, why it was instated in the first place. But, has it done any good? On the contrary, I believe it has done great harm. The system is so stream-lined now that a defaulting spouse is able to carry out a divorce in a couple of months--not even enough time to stop and think about the reprecussions of these attrocious actions. Everytime someone leaves their spouse because they "fell out of love" or "things didn't work out," real people suffer and, on a larger social level, the institution of marriage is demeaned, undermined, and spat upon.

Personally, I would love to see these United States overturn no-fault divorce and reinstate the laws as they were before the 1970s, where divorce was only permitted by proven breech of the marriage contract. It is my belief that if no-fault divorce continues to prevail, it should at least by required that any person seeking such a divorce would be made to undergo a reasonable number of couples' counselling sessions with their spouse. I believe that many, many marriages would be saved even from this, which seems to me the most minimal of efforts when considering such a momentous decision.

There are, of course, religious reasons to oppose no-fault divorce, among other attacks against the sanctity of marriage. I hope that what I have said here provides reason enough to believe that it should, likewise, be opposed for strictly political and civil reasons, as well. Divorce on demand undermines marriage. It has destroyed countless families. It has left scores of abandoned wives stranded without support in their twilight years. It has created more than one generation of youth who view marriage as a joke: an excuse to have a big, expensive party but which really doesn't mean anything. This is the legacy of no-fault divorce. It is a travesty, and it should be stopped.