HOW TO READ YOUR WAY OUT OF RADICAL FEMINISM

DISCLAIMER:
I don't necessarily agree with/support everything that some of the sources below put forth. However, these cherry-picked resources are key to deconstructing radical feminism. 

--my video testimony: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TOhqMnyrIc&t=4088s

--my (audio) talk "From Radical Feminism to 'Feminine Genius'":
https://soundcloud.com/pauline-books-and-media/sets/theology-of-the-body

If we are Catholic-Christian women, why do we need to listen to "the culture," ideologies, secular humanism, or an unbelieving world to get clues about our identity, purpose, way of life, destiny as women?

THE BIBLE 
God made women. God loves women. God created women equal in dignity to men, but different in many other ways--physically and spiritually. God gave women their own unique power, authority, gifts, roles, influence and mission. Women weren't always treated well (nor did they always act well) in the Bible, but God did not sanction these things. The Bible is also an historical account. God is all holy and wants our sanctification.

We have been taught to read the Bible through a radical feminist lens, and so we skip over
pro-woman books/passages (that don't fit the misogynist narrative we've been taught to look for) such as:
-The Book of Ruth
-The Book of Esther
-The Book of Judith
-The Book of Judges (Deborah)
-Sirach 3:2 "The Lord confirms a mother's authority over her sons."
-Proverbs 31
-Exodus 1:1-21 the Hebrew midwives, Shifra and Puah
-Mark 14:9 
-1 Corinthians 7:3-5 mutuality (unheard of in the ancient world)
-1 Corinthians 11:11 interdependence (unheard of in the ancient world)
-Ephesians 5:25-33 / 1 Peter 3:7 (duties of husbands: cherish your wives)
(and many, many more)

God the Holy Spirit is the true Author of the Bible. Read it through His loving eyes.

--"Women of the Bible" books (faithful ones) make good reading.

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD & OUR MOTHER, VIRGIN MOST POWERFUL:

--Any faithful books on Our Lady (including books on her apparitions)!
My favorites: "The Reed of God" by Caryll Houselander; "Mary, the Church at the Source" by Joseph Ratzinger; "True Devotion" by St. Louis de Montfort; "The Marian Option: God's Solution to a Civilization in Crisis" by Carrie Gress; "Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God" by Scott Hahn; "Queen Mother: A Biblical Theology of Mary's Queenship" by Edward Sri; "Mary, Mother of Apostles: How To Live Marian Devotion to Proclaim Christ" by Fr. Giuseppe Forlai

WOMEN SAINTS:

--"Enduring Grace: Living Portraits of Seven Women Mystics" by Carol Lee Flinders (notice how these women don't try to imitate men in their unique relationships with God)

--Read the lives and writings of women Saints and Blesseds, including 20th/21st century women

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY:

"Theology of the Body" is a Bible study of the human body-person and the Incarnation.

--"Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body" This is THE TOB text by Pope John Paul II--a challenging read--but the lengthy Introduction by Dr. Waldstein is worth the price of the book. Some parts of the volume are an easier read than others.

--Complete 34-page SYNOPSIS OF THEOLOGY OF THE BODY by Fr. Roger Landry:

https://catholicpreaching.com/wp/theology-of-the-body/

--Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI (Encyclical issued in 1968, reaffirming 2,000 years of the Catholic Church's rejection of contraception/abortion, and instead embracing life, sexual integrity, human flourishing and holiness). Pope John Paul II wrote his Theology of the Body in great part to explain Humanae Vitae (the last section of TOB is on Humanae Vitae).
https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html

--"Love and Responsibility" by Karol Wojtyla (JP2) came out in English in 1960; considered his "philosophy/psychology of the body," much easier read than his TOB text. ESSENTIAL READING FOR ALL HUMAN BEINGS.

--"Men, Women & the Mystery of Love" by Edward Sri (a much smaller and simplified spinoff on "Love and Responsibility")

--Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter "On the Dignity and Vocation of Women" (Mulieris Dignitatem) Depending on how much of a radical feminist you are, I don't recommend starting here. Some women are turned off by his insistence that women are, by nature, 'brides"--but JP2 means spiritually, and in relation to God, first of all and above all.

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19880815_mulieris-dignitatem.html 

ONE STOP SHOPPING:

-- The BEST Theology of the Body books! (curated, with book covers, by category--scroll down to "WOMENSTUFF")

FORMER RADICAL FEMINISTS:

--"Women, Sex & The Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching" by Erika Bachiochi (scholarly essays by women who once rejected Church teaching)

--"Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women's Movement" by Sue Ellen Browder

OTHER RESOURCES BY WOMEN:

--"The Authority of Women in the Catholic Church" by Dr. Monica Miller
(hint: women's authority is not ordination)

--"The Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture From Toxic Feminism"
by Carrie Gress

--"These Beautiful Bones: An Everyday Theology of the Body" by Emily Stimpson

--"Love Thy Body" by Nancy Pearcey

--"My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints"
by Dawn Eden

--"A Path To Hope: Restoring the Spirit of the Abused Christian Woman"
by Rose Saad, RN

--"Theology of the Body, Extended: The Spiritual Signs of Birth, Dying & Impairment" by Wendy Windley-Daoust

RESOURCES BY MEN:

--"Woman: God's Masterpiece" 2 CDs by Christopher West (life changing for women and men!) Ugh. CDs. Do whatever you have to do to listen to these.

--"Our Bodies Tell God's Story" by Christopher West

--"Eclipse of the Body: How We Lost the Meaning of Sex, Gender, Marriage and the Family and How To Reclaim It" by Christopher West

WHAT THE DARK SIDE CAN TEACH US:

--Any videos (YouTubes) by Fr. Chad Ripperger on the state of the world, Church, spiritual warfare, family (the devils love when gender roles get messed up and there is disorder in the family leading directly to disorder in society)

--Authority in the Home (chain of command): 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1ssTYukSqk Christine Niles

PRIESTHOOD / ORDINATION:

--"The Catholic Priesthood and Women: A Guide to Church Teaching"
by Sr. Sara Butler

Sr. Sara is a theologian of international renown who travels(ed) in the highest circles.

She laid the theological groundwork for and helped the Anglican Church get "women's ordination," thinking it would just be a matter of time before the Catholic Church followed suit. Enter John Paul II. She read his Ordinatio Sacerdotalis and "Theology of the Body," and then began a deep dive of her own which resulted in a 180 degree turn.

This book is critically important. 
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19940522_ordinatio-sacerdotalis.html

--What are "minor orders"? (all male). This will make everything make so much sense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaavjCquudM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YmEMbyttCs

--Why no altar girls: (this is apologist David L. Gray in his hilarious & spot-on character of "Fr. HellNaw"--but I disagree with a lot of David's other stuff)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G0twWcn3vQ&t=211s  

MY ARTICLES FOR TORONTO'S "CATHOLIC REGISTER":

5 Ways Feminism Went Wrong & 5 Ways to Fix It
https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/columnists/item/32850-sr-helena-burns-five-solutions-to-feminism-gone-wrong

Authentic Femininity 
https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/columnists/item/36604-authenticity-comes-alive-in-the-body-of-christ

Is the Church Too Masculine? 
https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/guest-columnists/item/36280-is-the-church-theology-too-masculine

Women Deacons?
https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/guest-columnists/item/36102-there-s-no-sense-speaking-of-women-deacons

Women Priests?
https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/guest-columnists/item/36043-stop-synod-talk-about-women-s-ordination

When Theology of the Body Is Misunderstood
https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/guest-columnists/item/35458-when-theology-of-the-body-is-misunderstood

Why Do Our Girls Not Want To Become Women?

https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/columnists/item/34582-social-contagion-and-trans-propaganda

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY IN BOSTON (FREE!)--SEPTEMBER 2023

 

DAUGHTERS OF ST. PAUL CHOIR CHRISTMAS CONCERT TOUR 2022!

The

@DaughterStPaul

Choir doing only TWO Christmas concerts this year! Boston & Charleston! Get your tickets NOW! https://connect.pauline.org/concert/ Don't miss the accompanying online #Advent Retreat! #medianuns

PRAYING FOR THE MEDIA WITH BLESSED FR. JAMES ALBERIONE------"THE PAULINE OFFERTORY"

 THE ORIGINAL 1924 PRAYER

PAULINE OFFERTORY UPDATED BY FR. ALBERIONE IN 1950'S

"FROM RITUAL TO RELATIONSHIP"--Advent Mission with Sr. Helena Burns, fsp

BOSTON: "ST. JOSEPH & THEOLOGY OF THE BODY" NOVEMBER 13, 2021!

 

REGISTER HERE:
 
ReligiousLifeCatalog.com OR 847-573-8975

Hope to see you there!

Sr. Helena's Advent Mission 2021: "FROM RITUAL TO RELATIONSHIP"

Free for parishes & groups!

For more information: SacredHeartCollege.ca

 

NEW! ST. JOSEPH PRAYER BOOK <---MOST COMPLETE ST. JOSEPH PRAYER BOOK EVER!!!!

 

cover: St. Joseph, Terror of Demons!

hardcover with built-in gold ribbon
compact 4"x 6"
272 pages

SALE!

USA: https://paulinestore.com/st-joseph-prayer-book-qs1005571-197885.html  $19.95 US

CANADA: https://paulinestore.ca/st-joseph-prayer-book-qs1005571-197885.html  $22.95 CAD

Also available at above websites (FOR KIDS!):

The amazing true story of St. Joseph building a staircase for nuns in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1873. 
(The staircase is still there!)

  

"Board books" for the wee ones!

BUY A NUN A BOOK DAY! SEPTEMBER 17 -- FEAST OF ST. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

 

It's that time of year again! Buy a Nun a Book (or 2!) Day=Sept. 17 Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church! Here's my list: https://amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3DZJACUYKEQ6H?ref_=wl_share… HINT: I'm exceedingly interested in the back to nature books! GOD BLESS!

JOIN MY ONLINE THEOLOGY OF THE BODY COURSE JUNE-SEPTEMBER 2021!

 

Hello All!

My online "Thεology of thε Bօdy Foundations" Course is now open for registration till June 30.

You will have 4 months (June-October) to watch 30 hours of already-filmed classes. You can go at your own pace.

NEW FEATURE: Every 2 weeks, you can join a 1 hour Q & A Zoom session with me!

If you register for the Certificate Course, you will need to do reading and take an exam at the end. 
If you register just to audit the Course, there is no extra work, no exam, no Certificate.
(The Certificate is awarded by Sacred Heart College in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.)

My Course is NOT a replacement for Christopher West's Theology of the Body Institute in Pennsylvania, but could even be considered a preparation for it! My Course will focus on some "pre-Theology of the Body" (some philosophy and why we need TOB) as well as TOB's foundational terms, principles and concepts.

REGISTER HERE:

https://www.sacredheartcollege.ca/en/programs-and-courses/theology-of-the-body-certificate-with-sr-helena-burns.aspx

MASSIVE THεOLOGY oF THε BODY VIRTUAL CONFERENCE! APRIL 30--MAY 2, 2021

 

YOU CAN STILL BUY THE WHOLE PACKAGE EVEN THOUGH CONFERENCE IS OVER!

FREE: Massive THεOLOGY oF thε BODY Virtual Conference

from the TOB Institute is BACK!!!

April 30-May 2, 2021

Want to help Daughters of St. Paul, have access to TOBVC after May 2, have access to LIVE Q & A,

extra talks, discounts on products, etc.? Sign up for premium pass here:

https://srhelenaburns.krtra.com/t/iySfcM6U1lCp

(I'm giving 1 FREE talk & 2 PREMIUM talks!)

5 NEW tracks: Intro to TOB, Artists, Religious, St. Joseph & Spanish!

There will also be LIVE Morning & Evening Prayers & Holy Hours daily for all attendees! 

AMAZING SPECIAL OFFER: http: 50% off "Love & Responsibility" https://paulinestore.com/love-responsibility-3117-165055.html… 50% off "Understanding Love & Responsibility" https://paulinestore.com/understanding-love-responsibility-companion-to-karol-wojtylas-3366-168534.html… WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! CODE"TOB50"(USA only) ________________________________

We didn't forget you, CANADA!

AMAZING SPECIAL OFFER ramping up to TheologyOfBody Virtual Conference!! (http://HellBurns.com to register) 25% off "Love & Responsibility" 25% off "Understanding Love & Responsibility" WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! CODE"TOB25" http://paulinestore.ca

CATHOLIC WOMEN'S VIRTUAL CONFERENCE--MARCH 6, 2021!

Register here: https://dwf2021.eventbrite.ca/?aff=D33Rr5KH617S

I will also be giving a talk: "Where Feminism Went Wrong." Dr. Carrie Gress (who almost NEVER gives talks!): "The Mary Option," "The Anti-Mary: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity," "Theology of Home"

WHAT DOES "FREE SPEECH" MEAN FOR A CHRISTIAN? (THINK: THE GREAT COMMISSION)

(originally published in the Catholic Register: https://www.catholicregister.org/opinion/columnists/item/32673-sr-helena-burns-free-speech-and-the-christian-mandate)

How often have we heard (or declared ourselves): “I can say what I want! Last time I checked this was a free country!” Um, when was the last time you checked? Oh, sure. We have freedom of expression guaranteed by the charter, but ask yourself this question: Have you ever halted recently (say, in the past few years when you wouldn’t have previously) before you said something in person or posted something online and thought: “This isn’t politically correct, I might get serious flak,” and you drastically rephrased it or simply didn’t say or post anything at all? And remember, if it’s Big Tech doing the reproving or censoring, we’re talking about a global reach eclipsing national jurisdictions.

Let’s be clear. Because we are children of God and followers of Jesus, we should always speak the truth, but always the truth in charity. It’s best not to be lazy, labeling or insulting in the way we talk about people or issues. If we are accusatory, inflammatory or demonizing, we should be prepared for a reaction in kind, akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Avoiding uncharity in speech or digital expression does not mean we need to water anything down. In fact, if we elevate our speech and other modes of communication, we take the high road and appeal to people’s better angels with the power of persuasion. Should they wish to do an about-face and join us, they won’t have to crawl up from the mire we have bludgeoned them down into, but simply “see the light,” and “agree” with a better way of seeing and doing things. Civility and kindness aren’t weakness. The Bible says: “a gentle tongue can break a bone.” The great evangelizer, St. Francis de Sales was fond of repeating: “You get more flies with honey than with vinegar.” St. Edith Stein also had a wise measuring stick: “Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. Do not accept anything as love if it lacks truth. One without the other becomes a destructive lie.”

In the film “The Giver,” the history-erasing, baby-eliminating, dystopian governing forces keep the population in line through something called “preciseness of speech” (think: Jordan Peterson’s “compelled speech”). If you can control people’s speech, you can control their thoughts. You can squelch, deform and silence truth. We begin self-censoring in the privacy of our own home, the privacy of our own brain. Why? Perhaps at first we want to be nice, we don’t want to offend, but then—when we realize that even the most obvious of truths offend, and we witness the recriminations against those who speak these truths—we do so out of fear. Fear of what? Fear of very real repercussions: losing a social media account, losing a promotion, losing a job, losing a friend, losing your money (fines), losing your freedom (imprisonment).

We are watching and feeling the screws of censorship and totalitarianism tighten around us as we try to “keep on rockin’ in the free world.” But wait. What does that mean, “free world”? Are parts of the world not free? If so, where, why? Wherever there are dictatorships or ideologies such as Communism that believe 1) human beings are cogs in a machine 2) everything, even basic human rights are “politics,” in order to dismiss equal participation in the conversation by all 3) utopia on this earth is possible through social control—then there will be oppression and revoking of freedoms of all kinds. Just ask Hong Kong.

In my case, as a presenter of John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body,” I know that I will be “caught up with” soon enough—when the powers that be figure out how offensive this “Gospel of the Body” and the science that backs it up really is. (As Jordan Peterson warned: “They’re coming for you next, biologists.”) So what am I doing in preparation for that fateful day? For starters, I have begun substituting Greek letters for similar-looking Roman alphabet letters online to make it harder for bots and algorithms to purge me.

We can’t be cowardly. We must keep on truckin’. We have a divine mandate by our baptism to witness to Jesus Christ and His “words of everlasting life.” “…They ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them. The apostles left…rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name.” “Rejoicing?!” Well, “there is no other name by which we can be saved.”

So, for Christians, if limiting free speech means not being allowed to lovingly preach, teach and share the whole truth, the full Gospel? Then N/A. These restrictions are not applicable. "Better for us to obey God than men" (Acts 5:29).