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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.
I've recommended "Dracula" to you all before, but after reading it again this year, I have more thoughts. First, this book is extremely spiritual and the theme is definitely the enduring one of good vs. evil. It is not an over-sexualized book about lusty female vampires contrary to what popular culture would make you believe. Sure, there are parts of it that were probably scandalous to late 1800 century eyes, but it's really nothing to get worked up about. Anyway, in my latest reading of the book, I found a line from Dr. Van Helsing that especially stood out. When speaking to another doctor and trying to get him to believe that Lucy is really a vampire and that they must save her soul, he says: "You are clever man, friend John; you reason well, and your wit is bold, but you are too prejudiced. Ah, it is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all; and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain." There is nothing wrong with science. Science is good for the study of the material world. It is one tool among many to understand our lives and the world we live in. However, it has its limitations, which is fine. It was never meant to be the only tool we ever use. The downfall with science is that it made a lot of people believe that it was the only tool and because it gives humans the ability to explain the material world, it made many feel more powerful than we actually are. We became the gods and science became the religion. But, science cannot explain everything and if it can't that doesn't mean then we have no answers or no other tool to use to understand life, God, and the universe. Many who follow the Religion of Science want to use it to find God and when they can't, "Well, guess he's all make-believe." But, God is not material, so He is never going to be directly found using science. We can indirectly come to know things about Him through science, but we will never find Him directly. What is ironic is that those that believe science is the end-all-be-all, show just how little they truly know and understand, though they think they rise above believers in rational and intelligent thought. Science is one tool that God gave us, Catholic Pilgrims, to help us understand Him better, but it is not the only one we use. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
Continue ReadingI've been making episodes for Season Six of my podcast, where I'll be reading St. Augustine's "Confessions." (Pst...season starts January 1st, 2026.) In one of the readings, St. Augustine is basically praising a litany of God's attributes: Omniscient--all knowing Omnipresent--ever present Omnipotent--all powerful Eternal--always has been, always will be Immutable--unchanging God is love God is mercy God is Being itself Today, in our reading from Romans, St. Paul says, "Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have ben able to be understood and perceived in what He has made." We can come to know and understand God's attributes by looking at the created world. To quote Bishop Barron, God is not one great "creature among many," He is the Creator of all things. St. Paul goes on to talk about how people become "fools" and how our senseless minds can be darkened. In this day and age, I would argue that God gets reduced down to three attributes--two from the list and an added one. God is love--Translated to mean that God tolerates any way you want to live, because love is acceptance. God is mercy--Translated to mean that God will show mercy to anyone that chooses to live a life contrary to Biblical teachings, but still calls themselves a Christian. And, the added one, God is nice--translated to mean that God is just a pal that doesn't want to add one bit of friction to your life in any way. With these, we lose one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit--Fear of the Lord. This gift is the understanding that God is all might and majesty, that we are little and completely dependent on Him, and that our understanding of Him can never be exhausted. Nobody really wants to worship just a nice, tolerant god. Consequently, when people try to depict God in this way, He fades from people's lives and new idols--usually themselves--take over. Let us have a healthy fear of the Lord, Catholic Pilgrims, and recognize that we worship the Almighty, the great "I Am." Have a blessed Tuesday. *Church is St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.
Continue ReadingSomeone privately wrote me asking how to stop confessing the same sin over and over again. They didn't tell me what sin it is and I didn't ask, but I told them that they need to figure out why they are unwilling to eradicate that particular sin. They responded back with an honest answer, "I guess I like doing it too much." Most sins come down to fear and pleasure: We fear that if we don't commit a particular sin that we will trap ourselves somehow or we enjoy the pleasure of it too much. Sometimes both reasons apply. Ultimately, though, it comes down to the fact that we don't trust God with our happiness. This leads us to only think of the here and now. We want our temporary pleasure now; we want our way of living now. This is why the Church asks us to think on the last four things--Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. There is no one temporary thing here on earth that could ever make up for the joy we will receive in Heaven or the torture we would endure if Hell was our destination. And the truth is, if we forgo the pleasure here on earth, it may just be that we struggle and suffer. It's not as if choosing God's Will is always easy or pleasant. Oftentimes, it comes with a great amount of suffering and so often, to avoid that, we take the reins and choose to trust in sinful pleasures and sinful ways so that we can seemingly enjoy this life. What we all have to come to understand is that what God wills for our lives, will always end up, in the end, better for us, if we choose to trust in Him. Jesus tells us, "What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" God's answer to us is not always the easy way or the most pleasurable way or the way of comfort, but the answer is always what is best for us. He knows better than anyone what we need to become Saints. So, we must knock at the door, Catholic Pilgrims, and ask for the grace to resist temporary "gain" over eternal joy and glory. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.
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