So who wants to be a feminist?

I have to laugh when I read articles and hear everyone try to out "feminist" one another. The original feminists - the suffragettes - Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul and their sisters - were all vehement anti-abortionists. They called abortion - child murder. Don't believe me? Look it up.

Then along came Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug, and Betty Friedan, with their revised definition of feminism,which incorporated killing unborn babies - both boys and girls. Of course Playboy and the hedonists were all to glad to financially support Steinem and NOW because it played right into the irresponsible sexually immature male mind.

Throw in a U.S. Supreme Court that ignores both the law protecting the rights of unborn children and the medical evidence on the development of human life and presto - 50,000,000 dead babies, a society falling apart and stupid articles arguing over the term "feminist."

Father's Day 2010

On days like this, I am sometimes asked about raising a large family, what its like, how we do it, etc. Most of the times the response is the stock - I really don't know, but God helps me every day - answer. Then the reply is some sort of expression of admiration. It is gratifying and I am always thankful that friends and others are so kind. But when I think about previous generations of fathers and what they had to address in their roles as husbands and fathers, I realize that I have had it pretty easy.

I look at my dad, my grandfathers and their contemporaries and can only say thank you. Thank you for being men and showing me what being a man is all about. Thank you fro your devotion to your wives and your children.
and most of all, thank you for showing me that putting God first in my life is the best way and frankly the only way to sustain oneself through the good times, the tough times and the sorrowful times.

My father is and has always been an example of someone who placed God first in his life. He still reminds me to "pay attention" as he enjoys teaching his grandchildren the practical facts of life. The lessons he taught me help not only me but those who ask my advice. Indeed when I think about it, most of the practical advice I give others comes from the teachings of my dad.

He always told me to be open to God's will, whether it meant being open to life, i.e. children, or accepting the challenges that God would place in my life. He was an example of someone who never put too much stock in the material, but properly used money and things to provide of the family and others. He was generous with his time, talent and treasure and encouraged me to offer my talents to the church and to the community. In essence he would explain that life would not be complicated if we put God first, followed the Ten Commandments, and when offended, did not return evil with evil. Even today as I consider his life and what he has done in raising his family, how he provided for and loved his wife, my mother, he reminds me of St. Joseph - that good and faithful servant and model for all men. (Although, I suppose it also helps that he was a carpenter by trade).

It is sad that today there are so many households without fathers, so many sons who do not have someone to teach them what being a man is all about, so many daughters who do not have a man who will protect and provide for them so that can learn how real men respect women. Ultimately the problems of the culture rest upon restoring men to their proper roles as fathers and protectors of life, of women, of children. While concepts like fidelity, respect and perseverance may be foreign to the pop culture of the day, the reality is that only by embracing these values can we arrest the decline in the family. Here is where the time honored virtues still apply. Our role is to live them. pass them on and pray that this next generation will embrace them as their own.