Having begun a list of my favorite nonfiction Catholic books, I thought I add a bit about them.
Of these first three, my favorite is I Believe in Love. This is a truly wonderful devotional book based on the "Little Way" of St. Therese of Lisieux (who I, by the way, still want to call by her Americanized name, St. Theresa). It can be meditated on chapter by chapter or page by page. The chapters were originally given as conferences at a retreat.
The second book, Introduction to Christianity, proves how brilliant Pope Benedict has been all his life; this was written over forty years ago. I am currently reading Introduction to Christianity as part of the prerequisite course for the Masters of Theology program at Catholic Distance University. It is deep and it has introduced me to theological concepts I had not thought of before.
The third book, Theology for Beginners is really a classic by the late Frank Sheed who was a master apologist. This book is great for beginners; it puts theological concepts into plain, understandable language. I'm finding it helpful as I get into the formal study of theology for the first time.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Cautions for caregivers of the elderly/learned from sad experience
This is just a little note of caution for caregivers of the elderly. One of the reasons that my grandmother died was that she was so malnourished she did not have the strength to recover from two infections. Her pneumonia and urinary tract infection cleared with antibotics, but she was very thin and depleted of protein, because she simply had not been eating enough; although when she was home, she certainly tried.
My suggestions are this. Examine all the reasons your loved one might not be eating properly. If they have ill-fitting dentures or problems swallowing take them to an appropriate specialist or consult their family doctor. We did not realize that my grandmother was having such difficulty swallowing until too late. She had been complaining that her nose ran every time she ate, but she and I both chalked that up to sinus problems; it wasn't and had it been seen about in time it might have helped her be more comfortable and prolonged her life for a little longer. Because of her swallowing difficulties, she aspirated some food and it turned into pneumonia, the very problem we always thought we were taking precautions against.
Once in the hospital they put her on a pureed diet; had she had it sooner, when she could understood the reasons for it, it might have helped.
Also, make sure your elderly loved one does not spend too much time in bed. The older we get, the quicker our muscles atrophy from bedrest and then it can be a tremendous struggle to walk again. Plus, staying in bed too much can lead to both pneumonia and urinary tract infections, something I did not realize until too late.
My suggestions are this. Examine all the reasons your loved one might not be eating properly. If they have ill-fitting dentures or problems swallowing take them to an appropriate specialist or consult their family doctor. We did not realize that my grandmother was having such difficulty swallowing until too late. She had been complaining that her nose ran every time she ate, but she and I both chalked that up to sinus problems; it wasn't and had it been seen about in time it might have helped her be more comfortable and prolonged her life for a little longer. Because of her swallowing difficulties, she aspirated some food and it turned into pneumonia, the very problem we always thought we were taking precautions against.
Once in the hospital they put her on a pureed diet; had she had it sooner, when she could understood the reasons for it, it might have helped.
Also, make sure your elderly loved one does not spend too much time in bed. The older we get, the quicker our muscles atrophy from bedrest and then it can be a tremendous struggle to walk again. Plus, staying in bed too much can lead to both pneumonia and urinary tract infections, something I did not realize until too late.
The Loneliness of Mary
The Loneliness of Mary
Having lost my grandmother on the 12th of March after taking care of her for more than twenty years and living with her most of my life, I have recently experienced tremendous loneliness. This started me reflecting on something that perhaps doesn’t usually strike us when we hear the Gospel of accounts of Jesus’ passion and death. Mary not only had the sorrow of seeing her beloved Son die in excruciating anquish, she then had to live in the sorrow of being without his physical presence for the remaining thirty years or so of her life (tradition has it that she lived into her seventies).
Now wait a minute you say. Mary had the tremendous joy of knowing her Son rose from the dead and while Scripture does not record the scene she must have seen Him, probably numerous times during the forty days before he ascended into heaven. She also had St. John and the other disciples, including the holy women who followed Jesus.
Ah yes, but still she must of often yearned to sit down and talk with Jesus, just as they had done during His earthly life. She had the consolation of the deepest prayer life imaginable and the company of St. John, but she was completely human and she must have also experienced that tremendous loneliness, that wrenching, inevitable void, when the most important person in your life precedes you in death.
Let’s pray for those who have lost loved ones, especially those whose loved ones have been suddenly torn from them for no apparent reason, such as the Italian earthquake victims and victims of violence. But, when you can, make your prayers concrete; visit or call the bereaved and let them talk about their loss if they want to. Don’t just assume they are all right or that you should distract them from the loss. Hold their hand or hug them if appropriate; remember touch is a very important part of human communication and it something many people miss when their loved one has died.
Having lost my grandmother on the 12th of March after taking care of her for more than twenty years and living with her most of my life, I have recently experienced tremendous loneliness. This started me reflecting on something that perhaps doesn’t usually strike us when we hear the Gospel of accounts of Jesus’ passion and death. Mary not only had the sorrow of seeing her beloved Son die in excruciating anquish, she then had to live in the sorrow of being without his physical presence for the remaining thirty years or so of her life (tradition has it that she lived into her seventies).
Now wait a minute you say. Mary had the tremendous joy of knowing her Son rose from the dead and while Scripture does not record the scene she must have seen Him, probably numerous times during the forty days before he ascended into heaven. She also had St. John and the other disciples, including the holy women who followed Jesus.
Ah yes, but still she must of often yearned to sit down and talk with Jesus, just as they had done during His earthly life. She had the consolation of the deepest prayer life imaginable and the company of St. John, but she was completely human and she must have also experienced that tremendous loneliness, that wrenching, inevitable void, when the most important person in your life precedes you in death.
Let’s pray for those who have lost loved ones, especially those whose loved ones have been suddenly torn from them for no apparent reason, such as the Italian earthquake victims and victims of violence. But, when you can, make your prayers concrete; visit or call the bereaved and let them talk about their loss if they want to. Don’t just assume they are all right or that you should distract them from the loss. Hold their hand or hug them if appropriate; remember touch is a very important part of human communication and it something many people miss when their loved one has died.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
New Advent has an excellent article on devotion to the Sacred Heart.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Welcome
Welcome to my Catholic blog. My intention is to add my small effort to the "new evangelization" spoken of so often by John Paul II. This first post is written in haste and I ask readers to stop by later and see what I have added.
Today is the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, long my family's patron. It was my intention to write a little about this great saint, but that will have to wait.
Today is the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua, long my family's patron. It was my intention to write a little about this great saint, but that will have to wait.
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