February 20
"Women will increasingly play a part in the solution of the serious problems of the future: leisure time, the quality of life, migration, social services, euthanasia, drugs, health care, the ecology, etc. In all these areas a greater presence of women in society will prove most valuable, for it will help to manifest the contradictions present when society is organized solely according to the criteria of efficiency and productivity, and it will force systems to be redesigned in a way which favours the pro-cesses of humanization which mark the 'civilization of love.'"
-St.John Paul II, Letter to Women
Today's Reflection:
In Letter to Women, we are invited to be part of the solution for the serious problems of the future. Take time today to ponder your part in building a civilization of love. What is that special gift that you bring to the world?
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February 19
"Thank you, women who work! You are present and active in every area of life-social, economic, cultural, artistic and political. In this way you make an indispensable contribution to the growth of a culture which unites reason and feeling, to a model of life ever open to the sense of 'mystery', to the establishment of economic and political structures ever more worthy of humanity."
-St.John Paul II, Letter to Women
Today's Reflection:
Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church appreciates women who work. In this quote from "Letter to Women," St. John Paul II highlights the importance of bringing the "feminine genius" into every aspect of life. How can you bring your feminine genius into the spheres of influence in which God has placed you?
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February 18
"The nation..doesn't simply need what we have. It needs what we are."
-St. Edith Stein
Today's Reflection:
There are many ways in which the "feminine genius" is under attack in our day and time. From radical feminism, to gender confusion, to the aggressive attack on human life in the womb. How does St. Edith Stein's quote above inspire you to bring your feminine genius and your unique gifts to our nation, and to the world?
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February 17
"The Church sees in Mary the highest expression of the 'feminine genius.'"
-Letter to Women, Pope St. John Paul II
Today's Reflection:
Have you given God permission to shape you into the woman He has made you to be? Ask Our Blessed Mother Mary to cultivate your "feminine genius." Hold her hand and step into the fullness of your feminine vocation.
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February 16
"The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way. Of course, God entrusts every human being to each and every other human being. But this entrusting concerns women in a special way - precisely by reason of their femininity - and this in a particular way determines their vocation."
-Mulieris Dignatatem, no. 30
Today's Reflection:
God entrusts life into the heart of woman. Some are called to bear physical life but all are called to bare spiritual life. In either case, God entrusts life into our maternal care, whether you are single or married. Who is God calling you to "mother" today?
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February 15
"We must also remember the great number of single persons who, because of the particular circumstances in which they have to live - often not of their choosing - are especially close to Jesus' heart and therefore deserve the special affection and active solicitude of the Church, especially of pastors. Many remain without a human family often due to conditions of poverty. Some live their situation in the spirit of the Beatitudes, serving God and neighbor in exemplary fashion. The doors of homes, the 'domestic churches,' and of the great family which is the Church must be open to all of them."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church 1658
Today's Reflection:
We're all called to vocation. For anyone who is single but feels called to marriage, joy and fulfillment can be found during the time of waiting in family, friends, work, apostolate and participation in the redemptive action of the Church. The Church as the family of God embraces our single brothers and sisters and encourages self discovery, healing and a deeper understanding of authentic love.
Are you single? How can you live the "spirit of the Beatitudes" in your journey? Are you married? What can you do to embrace a single person into your "domestic church?"
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