How a humble "Thank You" is a true gift of self.......

So, have you ever noticed just how difficult it is at times to receive a compliment? One perspective is put forth on this difficulty by Cheryl Dicklow in an article titled “Just Say Thanks” on CNA’s Catholic Womanhood site. Cheryl speaks about John Paul II’s teaching on feminine genius, the giving nature of women and how as natural givers it can be difficult to receive at times. Cheryl says “To take something, even in the form of a compliment, is almost foreign to many females. When Pope John Paul II spoke of the ‘feminine genius,’ he was speaking directly about a trait that is inherent in the nature of woman, what he called ‘the gift of self.’ Women are, by their very design, meant to give. They are wired to nurture and tend to others. Sure, some do a better job of this than others, but at her very core, a woman is created as a giver.....It doesn’t matter how often some radical feminists deny it: women are different from men. The truth our Faith teaches, though, is that this ‘different’ doesn’t have a value attached to it. The value exists in the full and complete phrase ‘different but equal’-- and complimentary......It is this very message that is at the core of who we are and how we can serve God.” (See full article here)

By developing the habit of graciously saying “Thank You” to a compliment, we are actually growing in becoming true gifts of self. Lets all put forth a special effort on cultivating the habit of thanksgiving by joining all of creation in this beautiful time of autumn in saying THANK YOU to God for creating each of us so uniquely...... and for surrounding us with the beauty of His creation. Let us pray to notice the goodness in all those we encounter...to graciously give and receive compliments as ALL good gifts are from Our loving Father.

To find out more about woman’s unique God-given nature and about the complimentarity of man and woman as God created us, please consider an ENDOW study......click here for more information.

There’s No Such Thing as a Coincidence

By Gigi Zapiain

There I was, minding my own business, finally getting some work done when yet another email lands in my inbox. At first I resisted the temptation to look at it, but upon seeing it was from ENDOW, of course it had to be opened immediately. It was an invitation to contribute to this blog – so here I am. But if there is ever an issue with anything I might set down here – you know to send your grievance to The Management – and perhaps I can get more work done again. But if I’m lucky, that won’t happen.

I became involved with ENDOW studies about 18 months ago pretty much out of pure skepticism. I had read Letter to Women, Mulieris Dignitatem, Redemptoris Mater, and studied St. Thomas’ Summa Theologica in graduate school back in Washington, D.C. World-class philosophers and theologians like Pope John Paul II and Thomas Aquinas aren’t particularly easy to read – not anything you would take to the beach – so can this little outfit out of Denver really claim to make their writings accessible to the average woman? Especially since they use the real stuff, not summaries or paraphrases. So I joined a new ENDOW group. Not as a facilitator, mind you. I just wanted to be “one of the gals.”

My first surprise came from the documents themselves. I had read Letter to Women as an academic requirement. I could tell you what it was about and the major points the Holy Father was making – but I had no idea part of the strategy had been to influence the U.N. World Conference on Women taking place the same year the Letter was published. “Pretty crafty,” I thought – but that’s JPII for you – thinking globally and acting both on the world stage and as an individual, writing to every woman in the world. Interesting insight, but not a stunner. Then the study guide points out that the whole Letter is written in the form of an extended Examination of Conscience – whoa – I had never picked up on that and my professor had never mentioned it. During an intensive Ignatian retreat I once did, a daily personal examination of conscience was included for us to confront ourselves, face up to our sins and shortcomings, and resolve to do better. Was this what the Holy Father was doing? I had to know…and so did everyone else in our group.

Then there were the women. There were eight of us all together, a random collection of housewives, single working women, and retirees who were willing to come out one evening a week. Our only discernable common traits were love of the faith and a curiosity about what it might be like to talk with perfect strangers about the writings of Pope John Paul II. As would surprise no one, we did not remain strangers for long – and I was hooked. As someone once said to me, “In the Providence of God, there are no coincidences, only our recognition of His hand at work.”

Reason for Hope

Several years ago, I delivered a speech at a Pro-Life Conference in Dallas. I wish I could say that it was the most memorable presentation of the day, but it wasn’t. In my opinion, a Boston attorney named Frances Hogan claimed that honor. I have never forgotten her story. Ms. Hogan spoke about graduating from Boston College Law School in the early 1970’s, at the height of the cultural revolution, the effects of which are still evident today. Eager to include women, various organizations such as the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association, Teacher Associations, etc., snatched up these young female attorneys and signed them up as board members.

As Catholic professional women coming of age during this turbulent time, Hogan and the others quickly realized that the organizations with which they had associated were adopting pro-choice positions. In protest, they resigned, which she claimed was the biggest mistake of her life. In her words, “we left the table.” As a result, they lost their voice. The rest is history.

All of this reminds me of my daughter. Newly graduated from Providence College in Rhode Island with a degree in Theology, she and four of her college roommates just spent the last couple of weeks driving up and down the West Coast. Since Denver was their beginning and ending point, I made sure that we had time for Mexican food, margaritas, and some lively conversation before they ventured off. What a gift!

As I listened to them, I thought of Frances Hogan and her graduating class of 1972. As the saying goes, “you’ve come a long way, baby…” These 2009 graduates are different. Full of life and confidence and smart as a whip, these young Catholic women are armed with all of John Paul II’s teachings on the dignity of women. They aren’t going to leave anyone’s table. We have every reason in the world to be hopeful.