Guest Blogger: Rachel Watkins-mother of 11 talks about Living Catholic in a Non-Catholic World ...

Rachel is a homeschooling mom of 11 great kids who writes for Catholic Exchange,Heart, Mind, and Strength, as well as others...she will be my guest blogger while I am out of town...sit back and enjoy her this week...feel free to leave comments and I will get them to her!!!

Living Catholic in a Non-Catholic World – http://www.exceptionalmarriages.com/ 7/10/07

In light of deciding to buy my planner from a Catholic company (www.family-centered.com)
***this is the planner I use too!!!
I've been thinking about what other choices I make in my life especially because I am a Catholic.
Being fully Catholic isn't easy in today's world. I know I am not the only one who struggles on the what, when, where, why, who's, etc. of daily life when trying to be as authentically Catholic as possible.
Some decisions are easy for me as I don't have struggles against addictions to drugs, alcohol, or pornography that other Catholics do. My immediate family is not a source of conflict but my extended family issues can leak in from time to time. We don't have cable, limit the access to the TV and internet in general. The malls are too far to get to on a weekly basis much less a daily basis so my kids hang out at home.
But still I wonder. Unlike Muslims, orthodox Jews or even the Mennonites who operate the farmer's market near my house, whose appearances (headdress, dresses, etc.) give clear witness to their faith is there anything I'm doing that would clearly say to someone this woman is a Catholic???
Is that necessary? Required? Possible? Am I falling for the traps of the Pharisee's whose appearance said one thing but whose lives said another? In the gospel today, they accuse Christ of being the prince of demons because they can't see beyond the outward miracle. I only want to always see Christ clearly and witness to Him daily.