The Anchoress
Saying really smart things!
That would be Pat Gohn in her latest Among Women Podcast, where she makes a very loving and learned exposition of of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and what it teaches us, and then brings in her fellow Patheos Columnist, Happy Catholic’s Julie Davis — herself a golden-voiced podcaster of tireless energies, to discuss Julie’s terrific book (it’s on my desk as I write this) Happy Catholic; Glimpses of God in Everyday Life .
They have a lot of fun reading quotes from the books and riffing on them — in a very Catholic way, of course!
I especially liked when they discussed how one can’t always “feel” the prayer — when one is tired, or frustrated or out of sorts — but the important thing is to pray, anyway. That reminded me of The Hiding Place, and how Corrie Ten Boom balked when her sister Betsy made a prayer of thanksgiving that included thanks for the fleas in their concentration camp barracks. At her sister’s prompting, Corrie grumbled a begrudging prayer of thanksgiving, only to find later that she and her sister were relatively free to minister — among women — because the guards left them to their fleas!
The conversation becomes really broad –sacraments; being an American and a Catholic; obedience; the importance of a family meal; the reality of temptation — Pat and Julie touch on a lot, here. They’re two strong women of deep faith, and their chat is very much worth listening to.
If nothing else, listen to them read St. Patrick’s Breastplate, together, at the end. Lovely. You’ll be blessed!
UPDATE: You can read an expansion of Pat’s thoughts on the Visitation here
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In