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Hello, fellow pilgrims! My name is Amy Thomas. In 2009, I converted to Catholicism and I started writing to share the Faith. I’m a military spouse and my lifestyle has afforded me the opportunity to travel all over, exploring Catholic places. I have since expanded my writing to include a podcast and videos. My goal is to travel with fellow pilgrims and help them to discover the richness of the Catholic Church and grow closer to Christ. If interested in having me speak at your event or ask me a question, please click below.
In 2023, my family went to Portugal and we got there on a Sunday. Upon getting to our home, we had to change clothes and find a church for Mass. We were tired, hungry, but it was getting late and we were running out of time to find a church. We winded through the streets trying to find the church my husband had located, but the GPS was working right. We never found that church. But then, we ended up at the St. Anthony’s Church built on the site where his home once was and Mass was just starting. We sat in the very back in the dark, warm, and richly colored church and I saw my family struggling to stay awake, especially during the lengthy homily in Portuguese. My son fell asleep on my lap. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t have even thought twice about passing up Mass for food and rest. I have realized, though, that these are the times when I can greatly show my love for God—when it’s not necessarily convenient to get to Mass. As I sat on that back bench in the dark, rubbing my son’s head, I was happy that we made the effort to come. All for love of God. Have a blessed weekend, Catholic Pilgrims. St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us!
Continue ReadingEach morning, I get up to pray and write. It just so happens that sometimes my adult daughters will call or FaceTime me at this time. They know it’s probably safe to call after 5:30am, because they know Mom will be up. Like this morning, I was listening to my Sacred Heart Retreat and my oldest called. I answered and she was bubbling over with good news. We chatted and then she had to go. After we hung up, I thought to myself, “I’m so happy my kids call me. Even if it’s just for a moment to pop in and share a quick bit of news.” What I’m even more happy about is that they know I will always answer. Unless I simply can’t, they can interrupt me at anytime. This got me thinking about God and how we can always, always come to Him to talk. Because I am human, there are times when I can’t take my kids’ calls. I can be interrupted from something, but God can never be interrupted. We often think that we have to have a long prayer session in order for our prayers to be worthwhile, but that’s not true. Sometimes, I get long phone calls with my kids which I love. But, sometimes, I get just a minute or two and I love that, too. We can check in with God at anytime. No matter what. He is always waiting and He is delighted when we check in with Him. To the best of my ability, I try to let my children know that I am available or I will do my best to be available. With God, we never have to wonder—He is always available to us. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingLast week, my son and I went into town to do some errands. My daughter over at Mustard Seed Shop created a downloadable summer activities list for people, so after our errands, we went to complete one of the activities. It was to go to a coffee shop and write someone a letter. As we walked into the shop, I noticed there was a man waiting on food that appeared to be homeless. He was very smiley and polite to the workers. He got his sandwich and cup of water and went to sit down. My son and I ordered our drinks and found a place to write our letters. We weren't sitting too far from the smiley guy and when I looked his way, we caught eyes and we both smiled at each other. There are some people in this world that when you look at them, you can totally see what they looked like as a little kid. He was one of those people. As we were writing our letters, I noticed that my son kept looking at him. I could tell that he was really taking him in, not in a negative way, but just trying to understand maybe how someone could come to that point. Since the smiley guy couldn't see him looking at him, I let my son be to ponder things. When it was time for him to leave, he very intently cleaned up his table and even went so far as to wipe it off, cleaning off all the crumbs. He packed up his backpack and left. My son and I finished up our letter writing and went to go get into the car. My son said, "Why did he act that way?" He was referring to how the man talked to himself. "Well, Honey, he may have a mental illness. Long use of drugs can make you act that way, too. Or it could be both things. I don't know for sure. Then he said, "Well, I'm pretty sure he has a good heart." "Do you say that because he cleaned up his space so neatly?" "No, because he prayed before he ate his food." "You know, Buddy, it's hard to know a person's story and what led them to the place they are now. Some people grow up not being loved well. Others get in with the wrong crowd and a lot of people have something really bad happen in their lives that they don't know how to handle. It's sad that there are a lot of hurting people out there and when I see them, I often ask in my head, 'Who didn't love you well?' But, what I am really happy about is that both you and me saw goodness in him and we can pray for him." Love those around you well, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a beautiful Wednesday.
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