Should Women Stay Home or Stay at Work?

I'm incensed at the recent turmoil called Mommy Wars, a piece that ran recently on ABC. A law professor and 'working mom' Linda Hirshman says it's a mistake for college educated women to give up their jobs and return to their homes.

It is precisely because women choose to advance themselves in professional careers that the family in this country has been damaged. So what if a mother realizes that THE MOST IMPORTANT thing for her to do is to MOTHER her children! That is the penultimate role of a woman. I know of some new mother's who shove their newborns in daycare because they are too busy at work! I know mom's who wonder why their kids are so misbehaved, yet they hardly see their children and when they do, they'd rather not.

On the other hand, I've heard countless stories of women who got degrees in various fields and immediately knew when they had their first child, that being with that child was more important than advancing the corporate ladder.

And why wouldn't a woman want her husband to support her? Take any day during the week and go to a mall. 99% of the shoppers are women with big fat diamond rings, makeup galor, and too many bags to carry. While their husbands toil away at work, they are spending all the money! What a life!

If all women, working or not, would just look to the life of Mary and see in her the service and sacrifices she made and the example that she is as a mother herself.

Internet Piracy and the Sixth Commandment

While watching Fr. Corapi the other night with my wife, he made an impression on me when talking about the sixth commandment, thou shalt not steal. Now I'm not a thief, I don't plan bank robberies or steal credit cards, that's no the case. But upon examination of conscience, I realized quickly that those songs I downloaded from the internet and some application programs, pretty much amount to stealing.

The thought vexed me so that the next day I didn't go to communion. I tried to rationalize the ideas in my head about the reasons why I did it: everyone else does it, the programs I'm downloading cost way too much money, the songs I've downloaded are ancient 80's hits, etc. A whole flood of excuses clouded my mind, but when I got down to the heart of it those actions were against the sixth commandment, no matter how much I could justify my claims.

If I had to make restitution for these downloads, I'm sure I'd end up broke. The next day, I went to confession and I wasn't sure if the priest I was confessing to would even know the ramifications for such actions, let alone the technology behind them. So I'm deleting all those songs and programs that I didn't pay for and will purchase the things I need in the future.

May God have mercy on me.

Catholic Men's Conference

I'm all hyped and ready to go to the Men's Conference tomorrow. I think Fr. Corapi will be on fire. I can't wait! I'm looking forward to the other speakers too and I'll catch up with lot's of guys from churches that I've been to or am involved with. All the women are going now to the women's side of things. I'm sure they'll get an earful too.

Hope to see you there!

Ash Wednesday

So Ash Wednesday is here and lent has begun. I can already feel a pit in my stomach, but I don't mind it much now. Every time I have a hunger pang, I try to remind myself of the Lord's suffering. I also keep thinking that I should be doing more. How is your lenten season beginning?