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Back when we were living in Turkey, we discovered that our 15-year old daughter had scoliosis. It needed a corrective operation and, to make a long story short, we found an amazing doctor in Istanbul. The operation was 11-hours long which was utter torture for my husband and me. When it was over, she had a long road to recovery. After 10-days in the hospital, we finally got to bring her home, but she was very uncomfortable--mostly she could only sit. Lying on her side was impossible. Her lungs were weak and everything hurt. At night, she would get tired of lying on her back and would want to move out to the recliner in the living room. She couldn't help herself, and so I told her to call for me in the night and I would come get her and help. Because her lungs were weak and her torso hurt, she couldn't call very loudly, but no matter what, I always heard her weak voice call out, "Momma?" I could be dead asleep and I never failed to hear her and get up. I'd go to her room, help her up, walk her to the living room, and get her settled in the recliner. When her dad would get home from work, he would take her for a walk around the large 6th floor patio area of our apartment building. Slowly, slowly she would walk in circles, hanging onto her dad's arm, getting stronger with each lap. Today, she is wonderfully healed and healthy. I was thinking about this yesterday. My daughter calling out to me in the night reminds me of how we can call out to Our Blessed Mother for help, prayers, and love. She will always hear us no matter how weakly we call out. A mother always hears the voice of her children when they need her. My husband's actions reminds me of the Father's love--there to give strength and encouragement through difficulties. Always knowing that we are capable of more than we think we are. The love of God always heals us if we trust Him with our pain. We are so blessed, so very blessed, Catholic Pilgrims, to be so loved and wanted by God. We are also blessed that He gives us such a beautiful Mother to call on, as well. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Monday.
Back when my girls were in high school, I was teaching them about what St. Thomas Aquinas had to say about government. Initially, when I was learning this, I was surprised that Thomas believed that a pure monarchy with a just, charitable, and wise king would be optimal. This was surprising to my American eyes. Yet, he knew that humans were prone to tyranny and so, in reality, he knew that a mixed government--a central ruler kept in check by others was probably best. Humans are weak and power is intoxicating. There have been good kings, but too many struggle to not be overwhelmed by the power. Christ, though, is our perfect King. Everything we understand about our Faith is understood through Christ. Mary is only the Queen Mother because Christ is King. We are only heirs to the Kingdom because Christ is King. He is the most beautiful, perfect, excellent, glorious King and I think we forget sometimes that He is King. We try to rule Him by making Him into what we would like, instead of letting Him rule our lives. We run around looking for salvation from worldly powers and always and forever wind up disappointed. The One Who truly saves is Christ. Welcome to the end of the liturgical year, Catholic Pilgrims. May we praise, glorify, and revere our King. Have a blessed Sunday.
You've all heard me talk about my friend from college who became an atheist. After becoming an atheist, she told me stories about what it was like growing up in a Pentecostal church. It did not sound good. She told me that growing up, she and her siblings were not allowed to have toys, because toys were from the devil. "How could simple toys be from the devil?" she asked me. "Well, they aren't. That's just superstitious nonsense." This belief was one of the reasons that she abandoned Christianity. To her, it was fear-mongering, controlling nonsense that had no basis in reality. I can't say that I blame her for feeling that way. It wasn't logical for her to then conclude that God doesn't exist, but when your whole foundation of Christianity is built on weirdness, superstition, and, sometimes, abusive practices, you can see why people give up on it. Lately, I've been seeing more and more people--including many Catholics-declaring that certain toys are diabolical or portals for the demons. Honestly, this has been going on for a long time. Care Bears are evil. He-man is evil. Unicorns are evil. Each decade has "evil" toys. This is superstition and we are forbidden to be superstitious. Inanimate objects do not have power in and of themselves. You may counter with, "Well, what about an Ouija Board?" Yes, an Ouija Board is bad because of the action that is intended to be done with it. The board itself has zero power. Sitting there using it to conjure spirits to gain information is opening yourself up to bad things. That is dangerous. New Agey people assign power to objects--this is superstition. We cannot be like this. Toys are toys. They hold no power in and of themselves. The Church does not condemn toys--except very specific ones like Ouija Boards. If we are unreasonable and nonsensical about this stuff, children will eventually figure out that it's just a bunch of superstitious nonsense and, consequently, this will cause them to question actual truths about the faith. Now, yes, can people become obsessed with toys and idolize collecting them. This is wrong and generally comes from a place of trying to fill your life with stuff in order to satisfy your heart's desires rather than seeking God. Do not be led astray by people, even within the Church, who are setting up their own rules for you to follow. Trust in Christ, trust in your baptismal mark, trust in what the Church teaches. Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims.
When I was growing up, and for nearly most of my life, the only conspiracy that was ever really talked about surrounded the assassination of JFK. That was it. Today, everything is a conspiracy. There isn't one event in life that has been twisted into a conspiracy. People believe the earth is flat and that American astronauts didn't really walk on the moon. Around every corner is a dastardly conspiracy popping up. Watch out for the boogie-man! As my husband says with a sigh, "The amount of people that would have to be involved in all these supposed conspiracy theories would be so great that the secret could never be contained. Humans are terrible at keeping secrets." For most of my life, one conspiracy swirled around, which seems a believable number. But, now, when I go online, influencers and popular media personalities are all giving "proof" of conspiracies. Basically, the idea is that nothing can be trusted anymore at all and so even intelligent people are questioning the most basic of facts. And I get why people don't trust our institutions, but the reality is, is that not everything is a conspiracy. It just isn't. What concerns me is the amount of time people waste on fighting about and reading about all these conspiracy theories. It's become an obsession with a lot of people and it's unhealthy. Social media has allowed for people to become "online famous." The way you stay relevant is by stoking fear and claiming to have secrets or "the answer." Humans are curious by nature and if you bait us with a secret or warnings of disaster, many will bite. If you follow someone--especially a Catholic who spends more time showing you all the conspiracies of the world than talking about Jesus--consider how healthy this is for your mind. Jesus is Truth and you will find His truth in Scripture, in the realities of nature, and in Occam's razor--the simplest explanation is usually the best. Now is the time to practice prudence, wisdom, and temperance, Catholic Pilgrims. All this fracturing is not healthy for our minds and souls. Live the faith boldly and travel well.
Converts to Catholicism often get praised for being more on fire than most cradle Catholics and maybe that's true in some ways. But, it's cradle Catholics that have held the line and kept the Faith enduring throughout the millennia and for that, I am grateful. Because my husband's grandmother was such a strong cradle Catholic, she passed knowledge on to my husband that he didn't even fully comprehend when he was young. As he grew older, he understood more and the witness of his grandparent's faith held him to Catholicism. During college, he became lukewarm and barely practiced his faith. But, once we got married, he was firm in his resolve to remain Catholic even when I came at him with all my Protestant arguments and snippy questions and accusations. While my attack may have awoken him from his stupor, it was his insistence that Catholicism was true and his sound arguments that led me to start researching the history of the Church. It was the sound writings of many cradle Catholics throughout the history of the Church that helped usher me across the Tiber. So, yes, oftentimes, converts to Catholicism are on fire, but it's only because we know the difference of going without. But, even cradle Catholics have to have a conversion where they fully accept the Faith that was given to them by their parents. In the end, we help each other, but I'm extremely grateful for the long line of cradle Catholics that came before my husband that passed on the Faith to his grandmother and she to her daughter and then to Dustin. May none of us--converts or cradles--ever take what we have in the treasury of the Catholic Church given to us by Jesus Christ for granted. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Monday.
I'll never understand why over the centuries, people have tried to predict the Second Coming of Christ. I, also, can't understand why anyone believes them. Jesus tells us that people will "come in my name" foretelling the date, but "do not follow them." Jesus is so crystal clear on this matter that there really isn't any possibility to interpret His words any other way and, yet... To be very honest, I don't think much about when the Second Coming is happening, other than a desire to be prepared when it does. I don't look around at wars, famine, natural disasters, and plagues and jump to the conclusion that the end times are upon us. The reason I don't is because there has never been a time when those things weren't upon us. So why, if Jesus is so clear that no one knows the date or time, do people try to predict? And why do people believe them? It's never once panned out. A couple reasons for brevity sake. 1. Some people enjoy the power of collecting people to them with a message that causes fear. What we are seeing is an ego on display that has gone off the rails. In all the times that we've had wrong predictions, has the person who claimed the date ever come out and apologized for being wrong and working people into a frenzy? Not to my knowledge. 2. Many people are easily duped because they stop thinking rationally, critically, and intelligently. As Catholics, we have an intelligent religion, and we need to be intelligent, thoughtful, reasonable people. We can't be more quick to follow what man says over what Jesus or His Church says. Always be mindful of what Jesus says and, if struggling for the interpretation, what the Church says is the correct interpretation. Above all, Catholic Pilgrims, just be ready for the Second Coming whenever it occurs. If you are ready, then you have nothing to fear. Have a blessed Sunday. *Picture is from the Hagia Sophia
After reading the letters of St. Frances Cabrini for Season Five of my "Journeying with the Saints" podcast, my admiration for the woman grew a hundredfold. When you dive in intimately to someone's thoughts, you start to understand who they were/are and get a sense for their personality. When we read the works of the Saints, they become more than just faces on prayer cards. They truly do become friends. The three biggest things I learned from her are: Obedience--If you aren't obedient to Christ and His Church, you are just playing around with the label Christian. Mother Cabrini wanted to go to the east to serve as a missionary, but Pope Leo XIII needed her in the west. She didn't throw a fit or ignore the pope. No, she went where she was most needed. And, she didn't go to the west and do a half-hearted job even though it wasn't her immediate desire. She went and gave her all. Perseverance--She never gave up. In fact, she didn't trust a mission calling if it wasn't "sealed with a cross." She knew if it was sealed with a cross then Jesus approved. This is so contrary to our thinking today where we will only engage in something if the road is smooth and clear. Mother Cabrini travelled over the ocean numerous times, climbed through the Andes, built hospitals, schools, and orphanages when it seemed impossible to do so, all while not feeling the best. Charity--She poured herself out so completely for others all for love of God. She didn't spend time sitting around thinking only of herself, but always looked for the next opportunity to give, which is why we know her. Inwardly focused people don't light the world on fire with love. She truly was a remarkable woman and I'm so thankful that I got to know her and come to love her. Today is her feast day and I will put the introductory episode for Season Five in the comments if you are interested. You can find my podcast pretty much anywhere you listen to podcasts. Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims. St. Frances Cabrini, pray for us!
On Tuesday, my family was at the bedside of a loved one on my husband's side as they left this world. It was the first time my husband or I ever had that experience and, boy, does it really get you to thinking. Such a strange thing: To one minute know that they are there and then, at their last breath, to know that they are gone. I think it speaks so much to the reality of the soul. When a person is asleep, they are still animated by the soul. You know that, while not responsive, they are still there. But in death, even though the loved one looks asleep, it is clear that what animated them--made them who they are--is no longer present. Even their body no longer gives us comfort--there it is, lying in front of you, it hasn't gone away, but the pain of the loss sets in, because they just aren't there anymore. Then, it's so strange that the pain of that loss comes out as tears. Isn't that weird to think about? We express sorrow through tears streaming down our face. That very real pain has to come out somehow--through cries, tears, groans. I read something at the beginning of the month, this month where we especially pray for our dearly departed, that I found really beautiful. "At the funeral Mass and the burial service, not once does the Church ask that the loved ones' pain be taken away. For the pain at the death of a loved one is a reflection of that very love. To deny the pain would be to deny the love. The Church asks that Jesus be with us in our pain." On my mantle during November, I place pictures of the loved ones in our family that have gone before us. I just added a new picture to the group on Tuesday. As I stood there looking at their faces, missing them, I felt the tears quietly slide down my face. The pain I feel is because of the love I have for them all. Love is such a mystery--all at the same time, it can bring us the greatest joy and the deepest heartache. May we continue to pray for the souls of our dearly departed, Catholic Pilgrims. How great a gift that we were able to love them and, hopefully, be reunited with them again. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
Happy Veterans Day! To all my Catholic Pilgrims that have served, this military family thanks you. It's a hard life in many ways from deployments, injuries, family far away, lost friends, left friends, moves with bad movers, upended roots, long days and long nights, and even loss of life. But, it's, also, a life filled with many blessings--community, lifelong friends, purpose, new destinations to explore, resilient hearts, and the ability to serve your countrymen. Thank you to those that have hung up your uniform after serving your country. This family will always be grateful for your sacrifice.
Over the years, I've asked people if they know what grace is. After thinking for a while, they usually say something like, "I don't really know how to define it." Some people have said to me that they don't really get what it is. I wasn't able to define it once upon a time, too. But, I've homeschooled my kids using the Baltimore Catechism and the answer to what grace is in that book makes everything clear. Grace is the Divine Life within you. How do we get grace within us? Well, the Catholic Church has seven beautiful Sacraments that give grace. "A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Jesus Christ to give grace." Baltimore Catechism for the win! At Baptism, Original Sin is washed away and we are flooded with grace. At Confession, we rid ourselves of sin hogging up space in our souls and grace can come pouring back in. Receiving Holy Communion is literally receiving Christ's Body and Blood and with that comes the Source of grace. You can receive grace in others ways, too. For example, actual grace comes to us when we pray and ask for help in a certain situation. Once I understood what grace is and could define it, it made it so much easier to see myself as a "temple of God," as St. Paul tells us today in Corinthians. Crazy as it sounds, I think of grace like the game Zelda. In that game, Link starts out with a heart full of life. As he wanders around and gets hurt, the life in the heart starts to drain out. That's how I see grace, funny enough. Our souls get flooded with grace from some Sacrament, it is full of Divine Life. But, as we go about our lives, we sin and little-by-little grace drains out of our soul. To revive it, we need to go to a source of grace--Confession. Then our soul is filled up. It's why we feel so good after receiving a Sacrament. I want that Divine Life--God's grace--within me, Catholic Pilgrims. It's what makes us holy and Christ-like. So protect your temple, that is your soul. Seek to keep it full of grace. Have a beautiful Sunday.
A funny story for the month of November where we pray for the souls of our dearly departed. During my sophomore year of college, I cleaned people's houses to make enough money to get by. One house that I cleaned was the home of a very elderly couple, who really didn't dirty up the house that much. I was supposed to be there for three hours of cleaning, but after changing the bed sheets, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, and a few other minor things, there wasn't too much to do. So, one day, I decided to deep clean a bit more and clean areas that were neglected or hard to reach. Now, if you asked my husband what is one of the reasons he fell in love with me, he would jokingly tell you that it was because of my clumsiness. Grace is not my middle name and I'm known for my fantastic, clumsy incidents. Anyway, knowing my tendency to fall, I still grabbed an unsteady chair to climb on while I cleaned a very high mantle over the fireplace. I really had to stretch to grab things off so that I could dust the wooden ledge. One of the things was a squat vase with a lid and when I grabbed it, I was surprised at how heavy it was. But, as I was standing there on this rickety chair, with this vase over my head, the old gentleman of the house came into the kitchen and said, "You know what's in that jar?" "No," I replied back. "That's my sister!" Heh. Heh. My heart started beating fast as I could just picture myself toppling off the chair with 'ole sis in my hands. And as I fell to the earth, the urn would crash to the ground spilling ashes everywhere. So, instead, of continuing to take down the urn, I said, "You know what, I'll just put this back up," and I gently, uneventfully, put the urn back in place. Moral of the story: 1. Don't sneak up on people when they are handling urns with people's ashes in them and 2. Just put people in the ground when they die and save all housecleaners from a potential disaster. HA! Have a great weekend, Catholic Pilgrims.
I've posted this picture before, but I've been thinking about it--I think about it a lot actually--and so you all get to see it again today. Up near Calvary inside the Holy Sepulcher off to the left side, if facing the Calvary altar, there is a very dark area where you can light candles for prayers. When I went to place my lighted candle in the sand, I could sort of see the area beyond the candlelight. It is a dark, almost empty abyss which feels utterly mysterious. Since being there, my mind has drifted so many times to the moment I stood there with my lighted candle. There I was, with my light of faith, standing in darkness and unable to fully see the big picture. For many, many months now, I have been praying for certain things, certain outcomes and not a single one has been answered the way I have begged God to answer it. Each prayer hasn't been for me, but for others. Each prayer has been offered with the intention to align my will and my prayers with what I think God would want, but that doesn't seem to be the case. This has happened before and sometimes I have been able to clearly see the reason why God didn't answer as I requested. He gave me an even better answer. And sometimes, I see the outcome and it's not necessarily what I would consider a better answer back. It's okay, but there's still pain. It's not the utopia I had hoped for. Then, there are prayers where the outcome is completely confusing and heartbreaking and I don't understand. When this happens, I think of standing there with my little light, little Amy with my little light, near the place where Christ died on the Cross. There's darkness all around, I can barely see five feet in front of me and it all boils down to faith and trust. Christ at Calvary was the darkest of times and, yet, those that loved Christ didn't yet know of the glory that was soon to come. I must always remember that I only see what is right in front of me and even when times seem dark, I must trust that through it all, God has a plan. One that I may not fully understand even in this life. Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims, and keep your little light shining.
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