Treat Yo Shelf: 01/31/19

by Dan Masterton

Welcome back to The Restless Hearts, friends!

We resume our regular blogging with my new Thursdays series, #TreatYoShelf.



Each Thursday, I'll share a few of my favorite reads from the past week with a little summary or a quick thought. My hope is that I can help draw you toward a handful of faith-relevant articles and reflections to stir your spirit and get you thinking constructively. I may throw a few videos, jokes, and other miscellanea in here, too. Hope you enjoy!

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"3 Guidelines I Use to Stay Sane on Social Media" by Molly Cruitt via Grotto Network

Donna live streaming
Ron's first selfie slash Vine.

I am a believer that social media isn't inherently evil. It's the classic issue of intention and use -- knives aren't evil when they spread butter but become evil when they're wielded for violent ends. We often end up consuming and utilizing social media is ways that can trend toward dangerous things. It's best to find ways to moderate and limit consumption to keep it in a happy place. One great suggestion I echo from Molly -- try snoozing or muting people who are elevating your blood pressure. It keeps your social connection but gives you a trial run of removing them from your feeds. I am a big fan of taking 30-day snoozes when certain friends push my buttons with their posts.

"What It’s Like for Secular, Liberal Pro-lifers at the March for Life" by Ashley Fetters via The Atlantic

In an increasingly polarized political climate -- especially one where New York and Virginia are pushing abortion law even further left -- it's hard to imagine pro-life citizens as anything but super-conservative and super-Christian, and that's exactly what can be so tough about a two-party system. These two monoliths don't reflect the diversity of the country and its varying stances. This reporter captured a more nuanced portrait of the citizenry at this year's DC March for Life. Here's a good thumbnail: "But despite what the popular narrative might suggest—that the pro-life side of the abortion debate is conservative and the pro-choice side is liberal, and the two sides don’t like each other—secular and left-leaning pro-lifers I spoke with said they felt welcome at the March for Life, and that most of the time they feel welcome in the pro-life movement in general, too. They do, of course, know they’re outnumbered."

"Stop giving young adults special treatment at church" by Emily Sanna via USCatholic

Having belonged to a parish with one of the most vibrant young adult scenes out there, I have seen the pros of it -- strong sense of belonging, friendships started and grown at church, hearty catechetical content at programs, etc. I also know that segmenting a parish can be dangerous, especially if one segment becomes stronger while others lag behind. Ideally, a parish is a healthy blend of its various states of life, age groups, and gifts. In Emily's reflection, she talks about trying to forge a path in parish life that actualizes that. As usual, the best Catholic answers may be both/and's, and I walked away from reading this thinking we need both specialized aspects and combined/all-ages aspects to parish life.

"Want to keep your kids Catholic? Make your home a church." by Katie Prejean McGrady via America Magazine

Sometimes, parents show good hustle
but just don't quite have it figured out.

Having an almost two-year-old daughter, I often wonder how intentional our family faith life needs to be. Mass every Sunday is a top priority but then what -- is grace before meals enough extra prayer? do we need to have more regular pieties? are we active enough in the parish? Juggling two work schedules, caring for Lucy without daycare, and navigating my wife's terminal degree (no more school in two years!) can leave the schedule ragged and iffy. Katie's sparse, simple reflection here resonates with me and my childhood. My parents were not theologically formed, did not have exceptional home pieties, and did not sit us down for bible studies; they were every-Sunday Mass-goers, faithful belong-ers and contributors, and socially engaged Catholics. Our house and our parish were home. Take a deeper dive with Katie here. Sometimes the best plan is to just be a consistently good, thoughtful example.

"The 'Ethics' of Trump's Border Wall" by Cardinal Joseph Tobin via NYTimes Opinion

The politics of the wall have played out ad nauseam amid the shutdown, the temporary budget, and the looming re-shutdown. Meanwhile, the human realities remain. Cardinal Tobin captures important aspects of this in his reflection, namely, that the wall neither changes the underlying motivations of migrants nor the laws of the land, which permit asylum requests. Having spent a week in the borderlands, I can attest that the thought process of many who attempt the crossing is that the danger of dying in the desert is less daunting the imminent threats they face back home; many simply take the calculated risk since the potential, even if unlikely, outcome to stay in the US is better than their status quo. Customs and Border Protection already practices Prevention by Deterrence, which uses walls and resources to funnel crossers into more remote, more dangerous terrain, where the earth's natural challenges will eliminate crossers for CBP, which the maps back up.

Goose Island Beer Company Snow Removal

Here in Chicago, we have a little thing called "dibs." The basic idea is that, in heavy winter weather, if you dig a parking spot out for your car, it remains yours even after you pull away. Typically, people use lawn furniture, trash cans, or other items to mark off their dibs'd spot, and those who observe dibs treat it as an unavailable parking spot. Others find this practice abhorrent and pull their cars right into these spots, casting the markers aside as they desperately try to park their cars. The whole system is a bit flimsy and certainly ramps up when weather hits a fever pitch. Whether you're pro or con, Goose Island gave us something we can all get behind -- help with our parked cars. This is a fun example of stepping away from a well adjudicated and tense debate to focus on the human need. Enjoy!

Are you #ProDibs or #AntiDibs? The Dibs debate can get pretty nasty here in Chicago. That’s why the Goose crew woke up early this morning to help our neighbors. Whether you’re #ProDibs or #AntiDibs, treat your neighbor with respect and kindness this winter and always. pic.twitter.com/YtmyqDxbpc

— Goose Island Beer Co (@GooseIsland) January 28, 2019