Justice Amy Corney Barret. Sworn in as Justice of the Supreme Court at the White house
The recent confirmation and swearing in of Amy Barrett to the US Supreme Court is something very significant and disruptive to the false feminist theory that motherhood and family shackles women down, preventing them from reaching heights attained by their male counterparts. For far too long, the image of the successful woman has been the movie star, single, or divorced but usually always childless, perhaps having had multiple abortions. This message has been devastating to adolescent girls who really wish to marry and have families as well as reach the peak of their chosen careers. Now they know it is possible. A woman can be the best even with children strapped to her apron. Amy Corney Barrett has revealed to these young teens an alternative path to the same goal, but this time, family and children can come along. Amy is living proof that nothing holds a woman back except her own fears, yes a woman can have it all and more. Rarely have we seen a beautiful woman with seven beautiful children most of whom are school aged, shatter the highest glass ceiling in the philosophy, science and study of law.
Her judicial philosophy of originalism simply put is the philosophy that proposes to interpret law as it is, not as she would wish it to be. It is speak the truth, it is the progressivism of truthfulness, of striving to decipher what the authors of the law had in mind when they wrote the law, rather than imposing the her own meaning, which unfortunately is all the vogue in a postmodernist America and indeed the world. We see it today in mainstream media, journalism, and even the highest citadel of learning, the Universities. In the humanities, subjective postmodernist textual interpretations are now institutionalized. Amy’s originalism seeks to confirm that reality is objective and not subjective. The law is what it is, not whatever she wishes it to be and more importantly she wishes to respect the integrity of the authors of the American constitution who wished to communicate something, Amy pledges to try to hear or understand what they is trying to say is to respect and recognize them as individuals, capable of making statements.
Those who attack her originalism argue that the US constitution is a text written two centuries ago, and many necessary apply to the today’s people. Though this argument, on the surface, seems logical, but its underlying assumptions are that the social and civil ills that beset people two hundred years ago are fundamentally different from today, this is clearly false. Though we are technologically more advanced, the fundamental human problem of justice, equity and fairness are much the same today as they were two hundred years ago, and would likely be remain so till the end of time. Thus laws moderating life in society today should not fundamentally different yesteryears.
Amy Corney Barrett is an originalist because she loves truth and believes that age old maxim that says that the truth will set you free. In addition she is a woman of faith, during the confirmation hearings she caught the world’s attentions when she said that she believes in power of prayer and she knows that many people are praying for her. With this she shared the secret of her strength with the world. Her faith in God! She is a shining example of how the faith should be lived. Some people Christian wait for pies from the skies. Amy works hard, like anybody else; in fact she works better than the best because she is not just working for money, but working for God. This is how a Christian should work, says Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, as people who participate in the creative work of God, and since God works are always perfect, so a Christian has to strive for perfection in his work, because it is also something that has to be offered to God. Working like this and living like this, turning work into an occasion to serve God through her neighbors was something that Amy Barrett was very good at. Her work as a university professor brought her in contact with many people who she was able to help in one way or another. As a large hearted Judge, asks herself before passing judgment, what she would do if she was passing the same judgment on her own child. This is how she feels and senses the pains of others.
In summary, it is clear that Amy Corney Barrett’s love for the truth, her in-depth knowledge of law and jurisprudence, her philosophy of originalism, her human and spiritual empathy with others, her strong love and faith in God are overwhelming evidence she is an immense contribution to the Supreme Court of America and that her sterling qualities would have great and positive impact on American lives and indeed the world for years to come.
A life without self-examination is meaningless, according to Socrates; only when we strive to learn about ourselves can our lives be worthwhile. Last year, when Denzel Washington received the American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award, this fact was made abundantly clear to those in attendance. Julia Roberts thanked Denzel for helping her get her life back on track during the filming of Pelican Brief in 1992, when she was going through a rough patch in her personal and professional life. When she confided in Denzel and his wife, she said she felt like she could open up and share her problems with them because of their genuine concern and support. An incredible story in Hollywood, where men are notorious for exploiting vulnerable women, is unquestionably this one. Not only does Denzel, a black man, help a white woman, but he introduces her to his wife as well.
Julia Roberts
He also teaches a valuable lesson to married men: If you wish to help other women, do so with your wife. That way your help will be more effective and what’s more, you will not run the unnecessary risk of endangering your marriage by getting emotionally entangled with a woman who is not your wife and whom your wife knows nothing about. The devil that drives men to adultery thrives in secrecy. When fail to introduce their wives to the women they work with, leave the door open to possible infidelity.
Again, in Hollywood where serial divorce, adultery, and infidelity are the norm, there is no doubt that a good role model like Denzel Washington who has risen to the very top of that industry and yet kept his sense of duty, family, and honor intact is in high demand.
Interestingly, when Denzel finally mounted in the midst of thundering applause, he began by thanking God and asking God’s forgiveness for what he had done badly.
Denzel delivering his thank you address
“I m up here to say thank you to God, for giving me this ability, for blessing me, for shaping me, for chastising me, for teaching me, for punishing me, for allowing me to be a vessel to touch people around the world.”
Few actors can boast of the kind of success that Denzel Washington has had in Hollywood: two times Oscar winner, starred in at least 53 movies–most blockbusters, in a career that spanned 40 years, yet even fewer actors can boast of his capacity for self-examination. While success often spurs disdain for religion, Denzel’s success, on the other hand, makes him more humble in acknowledging God and his instrument for sustaining, nurturing, and supporting him.
In his speech, he appreciated his mother at 95 and declared that his father taught him how to be a man. Turning to his wife of 40 years, he proclaimed, “I would not be alive, without Pauletta Washington. 40 years of sacrifice, 40 years of forgiveness, she taught me about faith, spirituality, love, real love, unwavering love, inspite of myself.”
Older than Denzel when they got married, Pauletta has played the balancing force in his life helping to anchor him from the illusory world of make-believe to the nitty-gritty of reality. Mother of his children, she surely must have fought many fearful battles with jealousy whenever it rears its ugly head as beautiful dashing damsels flock towards her handsome husband ready to give him anything if he so much as smiles at them. However, she did not let fear override the trusting confidence that every spouse deserves. Her devotion to the home, made him long to return home, to her and his children. Today, she is blessed to hear him acknowledge it before the rich and powerful and attest to the truth that the power of a woman is not solely in her external beauty, but the internal as well.
Unfortunately, many people claim that happy marriage is all about the money and that having made money, Denzel and Pauletta no longer need to struggle to love each other. This is not true. A cursory look at the dismal marital landscape of Hollywood full of battered, violent, and ruptured marriages, with all the abuses, infidelities, and misery is sufficient to refute this argument.
Denzel and Pauletta have confirmed that marital fidelity is possible regardless of the environment. Their example is a challenge to those who have already caved in to licentiousness to pick up the pieces and begin again, and an encouragement to the young. It also demonstrates that the prevalence of toxic culture opposed to life, values and spirit, is largely due to individual choices.
Denzel then played a video where Pauletta’s father said:
“We were put her for a reason. God created man and God intends for us to love all mankind and by being in a loving mood, caring for one another, that is our purpose for life. We should care for one another, and we should love one another.”
His words echoed the words of Jesus Christ, “Love one another by this all men will know that you are my disciples,” reminding all that all lives matter. Love does not discriminate. Jesus said to love our enemies and do good to them who hate us and thus we will be like our father in heaven. The hate we see today is proof that we have ditched the Christian faith and that witness is lacking.
“In this twitter-tweet mean world we have created for our children,” Denzel continued, “the least we can do is to consider what we have done, and think about the young people, the future and individually, collectively do the best we can to try and turn this thing around.”
Perhaps to the surprise of many of his colleagues who have been blaming President Trump for all the evil in the world, Denzel said, “I blame no one, I look in the mirror.”
“On the other side of it,” he continued, “what an opportunity we have–because tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives– what an opportunity we have to practice what Pauletta’s father preached.”
In the end, Denzel’s qualities as an actor, for which he was being honored, is the quality expected of all, but more especially from Christians. The Christian faith calls all Christians to do all things well as Christ did. St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, has preached the message of sanctification of work since 1928 and that Christian holiness depends on work well done, for God.
Finally, Denzel has borne witness that a well-done work leads us towards God, and that work sanctifies and sanctifies others. Millions the world over watched as Julia Roberts narrated how working with Denzel and seeing how much he loves his wife made a deep impression on her. Julia, who herself is a remarried divorcee, knows more than anyone does the challenges of marriage. She has now been married for 17 years to her present husband perhaps due to her emulating the life of Denzel, a life worth living.
People
the world over flee illness and suffering and despise death as an evil
that must be avoided at all cost. They feel themselves most unfortunate, even
unlucky if ever one or the other should overcome them. Yet, there was a
young girl who did not despise and fly from suffering and pain, but even looked
death in the eye with a smile, accepting and embracing it as a gentle caress
full of affection from a God who loved her so much.
Who
was this girl and how did she come to have such uncommon attitude in
the face of pain, suffering, even death. What gave her mind to understand that
acceptance rather than hatred and rejection are the most effective antibiotics
against infecting the soul with bitterness. What were the outcome of these her
radical ideas?
Her
name was Maria Montse Grases, a young Spaniard who lived in Barcelona. She was
only 17 in 1957 when she was diagnosed with a rare and painful bone cancer
called Ewing’s sarcoma. In the 50’s Ewing’s sarcoma was a death sentence.
Maria Montse Grases
Montse loved life and had an infectious smile
straight from the heart. Her eyes shown like diamonds, tall and strong, it seems there was almost always a perpetual smile on her
face, a smile that came straight from the heart. Her eyes were kind, friendly
and filled with playful mischief. She was neat and tidy and her clothes reflected style and taste. She especially liked
a green plaid skirt that reached her ankles
She liked sport and music as well as
traditional local dances. She was a good athlete, playing basketball, tennis,
and ping-pong. But her favorite recreation was outings with friends.
In many sense she
was like any other girl; yet, she was unlike many other girls because she
radiated an inner charm and her virtues and character made her attractive to
all who met her.
She
almost never worried about herself but busied herself taking care of others,
she showered love and attention on the needy and suffering; and took her
friends to visit poor families and sick people, and she regularly gave
religions classes to the local children in parishes, and would sometimes bring
them toys and sweets.
She took great care of her spiritual life of
prayers because she loved God with a personal love that was both intimate and
filled with reverence. To her, God was a friend with whom she could share
everything, the deepest secrets of her soul, she laid bare to him
daily in prayer and anything that worried her.
Like
every young woman, she had her personal shortcomings. Impulsive and brusque at times, she however
never compromised with her personal defects, wrestling resolutely against them
and struggling to control her occasional ill temper, and be friendly and jovial
with everyone.
This
greatness of heart shone like a brilliant star when she demonstrated a rare
capacity to dedicate herself to something greater than herself.
When
she was 11, her parents came in contact with Opus Dei an
institution in the Catholic Church that shows ordinary people how to be holy in
the ordinary circumstances of each day. They readily understood the message of
Opus Dei and within two years both had joined Opus Dei.
Montse’s parents thought her how to deal with Jesus with confidence,
they strove to make her stable companion of Jesus sparing no effort to make it
happen. It was her mother who first suggested she visited a center of
Opus Dei, where Christian and human formation is give to young girls. In attending the means of formation given in
the center of Opus Dei, she perceived one day God was calling her to serve him
as a celibate member of Opus Dei. She was sixteen
After
meditating, praying, and seeking advice, she asked to be admitted to Opus Dei.
From then on she struggled decisively and with constancy to seek holiness in
her daily life. She struggled to be in constant conversation with God, to
discover the will of God in the fulfillment of her duties and in caring for
little details out of love, and to make life pleasant for those around her. She
was able to transmit to many of her relatives and friends the peace that comes
from living close to God.
Her
brother George soon took notice that Montse had changed. Though externally, she
was the same, same dress, she still attended classes on cooking and arts, but
her brothers noticed that she was no longer arguing with him, and was more
affectionate and tactful. She seemed to have suddenly grown up.
What
made her so readily generous with God?
Some people attribute it to her parent’s generosity with God in having a
large family. Montse was the second of nine children.
“Me
and my wife agreed in everything, ready to start a Christian family, accepting
all children God wanted to send.” Her father said.
Ewing’s sarcoma
One
day on June 1958, Montse went skiing with friends and injured her leg. The pain
was excruciating and won’t go away; her parents took her to a clinic. After lengthy
investigations, the doctor took her parent aside, and told them she had a rare
kind of bone cancer, causing the great pain she had been experiencing. But
worse, it was incurable. She was going to die.
Devastated,
her parents wept inconsolably, unable to speak or break the news to her.
Finally,
they told her.
“Would
it help if they cut the bad leg?” she asked.
“I
am afraid my daughter, that will not help.” her sad father said.
To
her parents surprise she brightened up and began singing a Mexican song and
that night, as her mother recalled slept soundly.
Little
by little, her illness got worse though, and she spent many a sleepless night squirming
in pain; the treatment made her suffer a lot. Her pain increased to the point
of being almost unbearable. From February 16th on, her leg was so swollen up to
the hip that her skin began to crack.
Treating
the leg was terribly painful. But instead of complaining, she hummed a song.
She always had an affectionate word for those who treated her leg, even though
they couldn’t help hurting her.
She
couldn’t eat. To take anything was a real torture. Since she couldn’t swallow
anything, she sucked on a piece of ice for refreshment. She usually commented
that she was a coward because she was afraid the suffering would come.
Jesus was afraid to die?
At
first, she naturally was afraid to die. One day she said to a friend: “I’m afraid
of dying, because I’m afraid to be alone.”
Her
friend tried to encourage her by mentioning the scene of Jesus in Gethsemane
was afraid to die.
“Jesus
was afraid to die?” She exclaimed, astonished that she hadn’t thought
about that before. Joy flooded into her heart.
“What
joy to find myself afraid together with Jesus,” Montse exclaimed ecstatically
clasping her hands, her face radiant with peace and joy.
“Together with Jesus I will face death
happily!”
The
end drew to a close rapidly however. At
the beginning of March they had to call the doctor quickly because. Montse had
such a weak pulse that it was hardly noticeable.
The
doctor, when he took her pulse couldn’t hide his concern that was noticed by
all. Montse broke the anguished silence by picking up the doctor’s bag from the
bed and saying: “Mama, have you seen this strange bag?”
This
made everyone smile.
She
grew much worse. They thought the moment had arrived to give her the Blessing
of the Sick. She also thought it would be good to have it as soon as possible.
A priest of Opus Dei administered this sacrament. Montse followed the ritual
with great devotion, showing no sadness. Every once in a while she smiled at
her mother who knelt at the foot of the bed.
On
March 18, eve of the feast of St. Joseph, it seemed that the hour of her death
had arrived. Montse was very happy.
“How
do I look,” she asked those who were staying with her.
“All right,” someone answered. Montse wanted
them to say, “Worse.” And when asked, “How do you feel?” she answered
unenthusiastically, “Me? Fine; just look.” The clock struck eleven, and she
asked, “What time is it? Am I still here?”
At
twelve she was asked, “Montse, do you want to pray?”
They said the Angelus. At that moment she was
more awake, and she said: “Do you know what I think? I’m not going to worry any
more. When God wants, he’ll take me.”
Soon to Heaven
St.
Joseph’s day passed, and her general condition improved somewhat. The doctor
came to see her and Montse asked later: “What did he say? What’s happening?
Aren’t I going?”
“He
said you might go at any moment,” they answered.
“Can you imagine? Soon to Heaven, soon to
Heaven! Will you let me go?” she exclaimed happily, hugging the person who had
told her the doctor’s comment.
Little
by little she weakened. The nights were the worst. A continuous sweat left her
exhausted. She became very thirsty and felt suffocated. The night before her
death, Montse wanted to say something. But in spite of the effort she made no
one could understand her. Early in the morning of that Holy Thursday, March 26,
1959, the directress of the Opus Dei house that she attended was close to her
bed, and Montse asked her to say aspirations since she herself couldn’t talk
anymore. About ten o’clock she tried to sit up to see the picture of the Blessed
Virgin Mary that she had in front of her bed.
She
whispered: “How much I love you. When are you coming to take me?” These were
her last words. Her life ebbed away little by little.
At
noon, those who were with her prayed the Angelus. She must have followed it
with her heart. It was her last glance toward the One she loved so much, and to
whom she had said so many things during her lifetime. Those who were with her
began to say the Rosary in a soft voice, and they had just finished the first mystery
when Montse died
Montserrat
Graces, an 18 year old girl when she died on March 25, 1959 and was
recently declared
venerable by Pope Francis. She is a model for all women on women’s day.
Authors-choice: Hope & Revival 