Homefront 90

There are many good men ready and eager to begin the Exodus 90 time of intensive prayer and sacrifice for the good of the Church.  It is absolutely necessary and, I believe, essential to the future of our families and communities to have men stand up and be strong for the good of all.

I am quite intrigued by this and began to look for something, some sort of 'companion' program for women, especially those of us who may be married to or spiritually supporting men going through Exodus 90.  It was only after spending multiple searches and revisions that I came up empty - at least empty in exactly what it was I was looking for.  Of course, that's when I realized that God was sending me on a different project, one that I am outlining now.

If true masculinity is a thing, then so is true femininity for we were meant to always be complimentary to each other, never equal. A man can physically and spiritually do many a great thing that a woman was never made for, and vice versa.  What man can bear and bring forth life?  What woman can leave her home and children?

"God created man in his own image.  Male and female he created them"

I toyed with an idea for a Walk in the Desert, modeling after the Desert Fathers - but I ended up abandoning that for a far better analogy:  women, married, single, wives and mothers, circling the wagons on the Homefront while men, sons, husbands, and brothers, went off to war. I imagined frontier women fending off wild animals and creating nourishment out of practically nothing.  Of darning socks and mending blankets for the war effort.  Of prayer in groups for the safety of the men and the physicality of nursing back to health the wounded or comforting the dying.  I thought of mothers comforting children who miss their father, of women crawling into a cold bed, missing their valiant husband; of lovers curating letters, glossing over the horrors on each end in order to lift up and support the other in their individual tasks, on the way to the same goal.  Of cunning women, supporting each other with a look of the eye and smuggling in secrets through aprons or loaves of bread.  All of it, all the incredible sacrifices one would make for the sake of the other. 

I truly love my husband (even though I may not always like him!)  The second reason we joined in holy matrimony (the first being the begetting of children) was to assist each other on our journey to Heaven, and that means support, especially in the spiritual realm and endeavors such as Exodus 90.  

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

or close the wall up with our English dead!

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility;

but when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger:

stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood."      ~King Henry V Act III, Sc. 1, Line 1

If men are called to spiritual fatherhood, to a manly group of prayer and sacrifice like Exodus 90, then there must also be a complementary motherhood aspect; recognizing that many tremendous movements in the Church had both a male and female aspect on the journey to holiness:  St. Francis of Assisi/St. Clare of Assisi; St. Pope John Paul II/St. Mother Theresa; St. Louis Martin/St. Zele Martin, I felt the call to answer this rallying cry to manhood with a whisper for womanhood.  

In Exodus 90, men are called to a great asceticism that in many ways can be complimented by women, working together in a sacrifice for the greater good of all, with Homefront 90.

Homefront 90

• Walking (without music or podcasts).  When the men are called to war, they head off to boot camp and quite rightly, Exodus 90 calls them to frequent, intense workouts.  Women, left at home, had to pick up extra work, especially chores the men would normally have to take care of, or even jobs outside the home.  She would have found herself physically doing more.  In  my own personal day-to-day, I find myself hunkering within my walls, forgoing all sorts of things that Nature has to teach me about life and love. Forcing myself to take some kind of walk out of doors is a contemplative spiritual practice that helps one to break out of that insulation.  

• No alcohol, sweet drinks or soda. To cultivate a physical body for Christ, one of a warrior, takes discipline.  Many women and children went without sugar and staples, enduring a time of rationing for the sake of the War Effort.  Passing on a glass of soda is a small sacrifice when it comes in light of Eternity.  I must be sober and clear headed not only for the good of my health, but essential to spiritual discipline.  The money one saves could also be sent to Catholic missions, heralding spiritual weapons with both bullets and bayonets.  

• Wednesday and Friday abstinence from meat while following 'regular fasting' of two small meals and only one large/regular meal on those same days.  If I can eat right while growing a child for the health of the baby, I can forgo meat two days a week for the increase of my spiritual health.  If my husband is going to not eat meat, how could I stand in front of him, chewing on a delicious steak? Many women went without for sake of the men on the front lines; Even more began what were called Victory Gardens to support the war effort - also the great harbinger of home generated food, regardless of whether one lived on a farm or in town.  Nurturing something to fruition takes patience and care, but the delicious rewards are incomparable.  In the words of St. Augustine:  If you should like your prayers to fly to heaven, give them the two wings of fasting and almsgiving. If I want victory for the soul, these days are important pieces.

• Nonessential material purchases.  How often do I find myself on Amazon?  I even have the folder in my phone titled:  "Yes, I Need It."  Funny, I thought, at the time; now prescient in my necessity for cultivating detachment and weeding out distraction.  Families hunker down in times of distress, figuring out what is truly needed and what is not.  This is a good time to ponder why I want and surround myself with 'things', checking how often I might seek them.

• Nonessential App/Internet use prohibited.  See above on distractions and diversion from the reality of inner contemplation.  I've already begun the process because I'm no good at quick band-aids slipping off - I prefer the slow removal.  As long as it's done by the 21st, I'm ok. Pinterest, Etsy, Social Media, blogs....they and more are all on the Wanted Posters, robbing the womenfolk of the ability to concentrate on what's important. Weed them out like the vagrants they are.  

• No TV, Movies, Netflix, Sports;  I'm not a big entertainment media person, but I bet many are - the popularity of glossy magazines and tantalizing headlines confirm that Hollywood and Sports conglomerates are a strong force for disorder.  Women on the Homefront certainly didn't have time for diversions, nor should I if I'm doing my job properly.  It's good to remove the things that block my view of the interior castle. We should flush out toxins in our life that are spiritually harming us, plus it's good to be available for the spouse if he is looking for diversions from the regular as well.  I think of writing long letters by candlelight because your loved one, out on the front lines, is awaiting your familiar penmanship, smells of home, and company.  It's time to focus on being present with each other at the dinner table, around the living room, at the restaurant, in the car, and at work. 

• No sweets and no snacking.  I am a terrific emotional eater.  I seek something to put into my mouth when I need a distraction or comfort, knowing intellectually that it is a harbinger from an infant stage in my life where my needs were not met, but not able to deal with it emotionally.  This will be a tough, but important step in becoming more fully alive.

• No gossip.  Lets' face it, women like to talk.  A lot.  We love to know things in order to repeat them to others under the guise of simply being "curious".  I urge you to read what St. Thomas Aquinas has to say about curiosity, in fact Pints with Aquinas has a great episode on just that.  Fr. Mike Schmitz helps with this little video on Venting vs. Gossip and with this one, giving it the Test of Three: is it True?  Is it Good News? Is it Useful?

Curiosity is only vanity.  Most frequently we wish not to know, but to talk.  We would not take a sea voyage for the sole pleasure of seeing without hope of ever telling". ~Pascal

Be not curious about matters that do not concern thee; never speak of the them, and do not ask about them.  ~ St. Theresa of Jesus

Replacement with the Good and Beautiful:  

• Music that is good for the soul.  I'm talking classical here: Schola, Mozart, and all the rest of the amazing classical composers (nothing contemporary).  I really don't care if Luke Bryan "speaks" to you - because the next second Blake Shelton will be singing to you about being turned on or Chris Stapleton raising his voice about getting stoned, not to mention the garbage on most every other type of station around.  I am speaking as a music lover - this will be difficult for me, but a good move even on top of my strict Spotify and Pandora restrictions I already have in place on my accounts.  Replacing facsimiles and occasional replicas of beauty with True Beauty will be a welcome stirring of something lost in my soul.  

• Prayer.  Cultivating a strong life of communication and relation with the Creator takes a great amount of time.  If I can free up all the nonsensical moments of my life wasted on electronics, I can certainly begin to fill it with ever more prayer.  St. Francis has said "Everyone needs to pray at least 1/2 hour a day; unless you're busy.  Then you need to pray for an hour."

• Adoration.  Women waited at the shores, watching for the ship with their beloved to return.  Women waited on the front stoops, waiting for the first glimpse of a form to a jubilant homecoming.  We are used to pondering, waiting, and patient devotion. Putting that into the beautiful practice of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for the souls of our loved ones is a lovely way to grow in devotion to Our Lord and Savior who, through His great love for us, humbles Himself to reside in a box, waiting for us.  

• Reading.  No, not trashy novels, and certainly not what passes for Spiritual reading anymore, but the Classics, the books that remind us of the True, Good, and Beautiful:  Jane Austin, Jane Eyre, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Flannery O'Connor, and the like.  Put our minds to good use and recover our memory of tradition and history.  

• Joy.  Cultivate joy in your daily life whether it be a smile when not necessarily feeling that smile, picking up some flowers to brighten your table, or throw open the curtains to fell the warm sunshine on your face.  Breathe deeply in the Gifts that God has bestowed daily and start looking for them in the unexpected moments. 

I humbly put forth this design for all of you gatekeepers on the Homefront.  May your sacrifices be efficacious and may the Light of Christ be reflected in you.