We hope you’ll bear with us as we perform a major overhaul on our site.

We’re taking The Contemporary Handmaiden into a new direction.  Lots of new and wonderful things to look forward to.

I thought I would share my view with you.

I took this photo this morning from my studio window.  I cannot believe that winter is almost here.  It seems like we just came out of Lent and Advent will be starting soon.  Am I the only one who feels like she can’t keep up?

Yesterday, was housecleaning day - not for my brick/mortar home, mind you, but for our handmade Catholic jewelry business, Handmaid For The Lord.  We updated our menu to make surfing the site easier and I pared down a bit on our offerings to those things that are perennial sellers and our latest additions.  I tweaked the keywords, fixed meta tags, resized layers, yada-yada-yada.  My behind spread an inch or two as I sat here for most of the day working, but it was relatively easy but I’m only a fraction of the way done.

My goal for the week was to work on our Catholic home business site on Tues. and then work on this site today, Wed.  While my scheduling may be off, I woke this morning with the realization that blogs are a totally different animal than your typical website, much less an ecommerce site.  What I’m finding challenging is the terminology and marketing differences.

When I started this venue for Catholic working women, my thoughts were that blogging was easy (just write a little every day) and that browsers would just pick up your site and automatically show your new additions each day.

Hah!

Obviously, I was a tad off the mark.  Taking a short break last night from the jewelry site, I did a search on “submit blog”.  Assuming that it would be a slightly different scenario than “submit site”, and it was, I thought I would get a leg up on Wed. schedule and bookmark the site to submit a blog.  What I had not bargained for was the reality that a ‘blog’ is a totally different animal than a ’site’.  Terms like RSS, feed, reader, XML made my head spin.  I was asked for my blogs feed address (?) AND my blogs address.  I didn’t even know what a feed was let alone it’s address.  I could see that my schedule for Wed. not only would be put off a day, or two, possibly indefinitely, if I didn’t buck up on the latest technology (of which I had but didn’t understand). 

 Anyone else living in my world?

So, after spending the better half of Tuesday doing Wednesdays work, which was getting put off to Thursday (or Friday, or possibly the 2nd Tues in December), something(s) actually clicked.  It was the realization that, although I bit off more than I could chew in starting this endeavor, God never gives us more than we can handle — and if we’ve taken things on that may not have been in His plan, it might not work.  Although…. how do ever really know what God’s plan is? 

Wanna make God laugh?  Plan your life. 

Maybe this is why Sunday is the start of the week - clean the soul first and everything else will follow. 

And remember….
Ad maiorem Dei gloriam!

He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves….

Today’s Gospel reading got me thinking about this question: How often do we feel like lambs at our workplaces.   I know, I’ve heard more than my share of anti-Christian comments:  the acceptance of homosexuality, girls discussing what pill they’re on, sexual innuendos, jokes about Christ and His Church, support of pagan and New Age ideas, the list goes on.  It’s difficult to be a Christian, hear things like this, and feel powerless to do anything about it.  

As confirmed Catholic Christians, we are called to help bring others to Christ.   If we have the truth, we are called to share it and we need to pray for courage and wisdom, asking the Holy Spirit to send us the right words in these tough situations.  If we don’t have the answer or need more information, it is our duty to learn more, to educate ourselves in all aspects of the faith so that we can defend it.  

There will be many times that we will share the truth where truth is not wanted.  There will be times when we will be attacked for sharing.   But that’s what is so great about today’s Gospel too; Jesus gives us instruction!

Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you. …

And we’re blessed to follow that instruction!

Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’

We’re not expected to quit our jobs or change careers, but Christ lets us know that we’re not to give up, to keep trying and to remember that it’s not our fault if people don’t accept us and the message of truth.  We do not convert hearts — the Holy Spirit converts.  It’s not us that the wolves are rallying against it is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

When it’s time to shake off the dust at work, pray for those wolves.  You never know when they will open their hearts to receive the Lamb!

Creighton University sponsors this 34 day “Online Retreat in Everyday Life“.   The retreat is based upon the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  On the website you will find the weekly guides, reflections, music, readings, prayers, and more!  If you, like me, find yourself tied to the computer, this is a wonderful way to use technology for spiritual aid!

This is such a WONDERFUL spiritual resource and one that I hope Handmaiden’s will take advantage of!

Catholic Women’s Daily Planner - A beautiful planner that is totally Catholic.  This wonderful tool includes the Mass Readings for each day, information from the liturgical calendar (ex: notes to abstain from mean on Fridays in Lent), saint’s feast days, and plenty of room for your own notations.  Each planner includes weekly and monthly layouts with options to purchase Menu, Lesson, and Student planning pages.  Calendar year runs from August 2007 to July 2008 .

Orderly Days - by Motherhood Press - A day planner that helps you put God first in your life and helps keep your family organized.  You can purchase with or without a binder and pages will fit either Franklin or Daytimer binders.   

Time Management For Catholics - Whether you change tires or change diapers, it’s easy to get so busy that you neglect the things that matter most — your relationship with your family and your relationship with God. That’s why Dave Durand wrote Time Management for Catholics. This handy guide combines proven time management techniques with valuable directions on how to order your life so that faith and family come first.

Eternal Calendar Software - Convenient and friendly, desktop accessory that offers lots of features, including: solemnities, feasts, moveable and fixed dates, saint’s feasts, secular holidays, and you have the flexibility to add your own holidays, birthdays, and other events.  Great for anyone who wants JUST a calendar, not the whole planner.

PocketMod - The COOLEST Printable Pocket Organizer!!! -

The concept is totally counter-cultural (American), but let’s celebrate the Christian challenge to “Dependence”. 

Politics aside, consider some of the definitions of “independent”:

• not looking to others for one’s opinions or for guidance in conduct
• not requiring or relying on others (as for care or livelihood)

 -

 Now consider some antonyms:

• Contingent on another
• Relying on or requiring the aid of another for support

-

To be independent is to stand alone, not needing anyone else, being free from the existence of others.  But Christ has called us otherwise - to be the Body of Christ!  Each of us cannot stand without the other, whether we choose to acknowledge this truth or not.  We are called to support each other, to rely on each other.  The body cannot function without the head; they are not only dependent upon each other, they are inter-dependent.  Christianity did not spread across the continents by folks being independent of one another.  Quite the contrary!

So today, while celebrating America claiming her independence from 1776 Britain also celebrate Christianity and our dependence upon each other!

Pray for me… I’ll pray for you!

 Eve, Ruth, Martha - Famous working women from the Bible show us that women are called to work.  Our contemporary sisters, for example: Mother Theresa, Dorothy Day, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, proved that this call to work, using our God-given talents for His greater glory, continues today. 

As confirmed Catholics in Christ, the Holy Spirit resides in our hearts with His gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.  It is our duty to prayerfully use these gifts so that the Fruits of the Spirit might further the Kingdom of God.

How can we apply this understanding to our own lives?  By prayer and frequent reception of the sacraments, we can open our hearts, listen to God, and gain the understanding that even the most mundane daily chores can further the kingdom.  From service positions to CEO, women can use their time, talents, and treasures in ways they may not have imagined.  We’ve developed a way to help you prayerfully consider the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and how you might use them in your workplace!  “Application of the Gifts” is a worksheet that you can print and use to help you consider these issues for your own ife.

Before beginning, your fellow Handmaidens suggest the following prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful;
Enkindle them with the Fire of They Love.
Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,
And You shall renew the face of the Earth.
Let us pray:
Oh God, by the Light of the Holy Spirit You instructed the hearts of the faithful.
Grant that by the same Gift, we may always be truly wise and ever rejoice in Your consolation.
Through the same Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Visit our Forum to discuss these issues further with your sisters in Christ!  We’d be happy to pray for you!

God Bless!
Kathleen

Small Business U - SBDC - Gannon University - Free online business courses

Learn to Type - FREE online tying lessons

LearnThat - A great site filled with tutorials, how-tos, and articles, and advice on everything from Accounting to Selecting a Contractor.

Catholic Learning.Com - Online free course, “Old Testament in the Heart of the Catholic Church”.

Catholic Internet Mission - Online course for those who feel called to use the internet to bring Christ to others.

Microsoft Learning Portal - Official website portal of all courses offered online by Microsoft, many of which are free!

This is a list of forms that you can download for your own use.

• Applying the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Worksheet