Chapter 6 - Part 1: Pages 166-184
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The Impact of a Truly Catholic Lady
Week 11 Questions
Question 1
Dona Lucilia returns. The greetings exchanged with the staff are filled with warmth and joy. This was at a time when “… familial spirit still pervaded the relations between the social classes with profound goodwill.” These were not family members but servants. Both “masters” and “servants” were filled with affection and genuine interest in the well-being of each other.
Of course, not in every situation, but in so many cases, these relations have soured.
People who now work in a service position are often angry and resentful and sometimes understandably so since they are mistreated and underpaid.
Has the egalitarian spirit of our time – the false notion that we are all, in this life, equal, been helpful or harmful in promoting lives of dignity and value for both employers and employees?
Question 2
Upon her return, Dona Lucilia toured the rooms of her home. She seemed satisfied with the results of the designer’s renovations, which probably included some new items.
Her objection, then, to the replacement chandeliers was not simply that they were “new” but that they did not “blend with the decor.” She shopped for fixtures similar to or better than the old ones, but finding none, was able to get the original chandeliers back.
Rather than a genuine desire to refresh and renew our surroundings, it is often just agitation of spirit that causes us to want to reject and replace things in our lives. Endless shopping and acquiring – so wasteful and time consuming often replace other more valuable activities in our lives.
What are the advantages of learning to enjoy what we have and resisting the temptation to constantly want more and more?
Question 3
Everything that Dona Lucilia touched was imprinted with her delicate and refined mark – the formation of her children in every detail; her relationships with family, friends and staff; the management of her household. It all flowed harmoniously.
All aspects of her life bore the signature of a Catholic lady. It was apparent in all that she said and did.
What steps can we take in our own lives to be unmistakenly recognizable, like Dona Lucilia, as Catholic ladies?
Consider the shortness of time, the length of eternity and reflect how everything here below comes to an end and passes by. Of what use is it to lean upon that which cannot give support?
St. Gerard Majella
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Parents beware! Inspire your children to be diligent and enthusiastic about keeping occupied with good things whether it be work, prayer, study or healthy recreation. Lead by example!
"Rest never means idleness."
"An idle mind is the devil’s workshop."
"Avoid idleness and idle people; carry out your duties. Whenever you are idle you are in serious danger of falling into sin, because idleness teaches us all kinds of vice."
"As soon as you become aware of temptation, busy yourself with something. Idleness and modesty can’t go together. In overcoming idleness, you will overcome temptations against purity."
St. John Bosco
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God shapes everyone’s heart according to the purpose for which He destines it (cf. Ps 33:15), just as the potter skillfully molds each vessel he makes into a specific shape.
Quote from the soon to be published book, St. Joseph: Who Knows Him?... by Msgr. João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, EP
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DISCIPLINE IN THE TRULY CATHOLIC HOME
“Let everything take place at its proper time,” the Holy Spirit reminds us. Punishing a child is very much the same. Choosing the right moment is very important. If we use so much care in healing an illness or an injury, should we not be equally solicitous in character healing?
St. John Bosco (Feast Day January 31)
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https://donalucilia.com/discipline/
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FIRM IN SWEETNESS, SWEET IN FIRMNESS
A truly Catholic Lady remains ever faithful to Catholic principles; or, rather, to becoming ever more similar to her Divine Model, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This implies living out a daily, moment-by-moment martyrdom, for the prevailing attitude is one of concession and compromise toward evil. She needs unbreakable rectitude, and to engage in a continual and all-out fight to guard her unshakeable position of fidelity.
But through it all, her sweetness shows how human her rectitude is. Were it not for this, it could hint of heartlessness.
Baccarat crystal, which is strong, but has some flexibility, could be taken as a symbol of a truly Catholic lady, whose soul has these qualities, par excellence. Her delicacy, her affable treatment of others, the accuracy of her judgements, the firmness of her decisions, and all of the nuances of her personality reflect the unique qualities of this crystal – some of which are even apparently contradictory: brilliance, refinement, and rigidity along with flexibility and subtlety.
She maintains this way of being even in the midst of life’s difficulties and tempests. While she rarely takes the deliberation of cutting off contact with someone, she is unwavering, will not give in, step back, or yield. She will not create a clash, but she will advance.
Liberally adapted from:
Dona Lucilia.
Città del Vaticano-Nobleton: LEV;
Heralds of the Gospel, 2013, p.410-414
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