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Note: The message of this post is about more than veiling and modest dress.
I used to follow this online Catholic group that was all about dressing modestly.
Oftentimes, ladies would show what they were wearing to church and, to be honest, it became a bit comical. In an effort to not show their womanly shape or their ankles or anything, some of them would layer so much, they ended up looking like the little brother in “A Christmas Story” when the mom shoves him into the bulky snowsuit.
They were strict adherents to veiling, which is fine. I’m not anti-veiling. But, what sealed the deal for me leaving the group was when one lady took a picture of herself going into church with a opened fast-food napkin on her head because she forgot her veil at home.
Because she thought this was a rule that had to be enforced, she did something completely undignified and ridiculous. Then in the comments, other ladies were encouraging her “creative use” of keeping the rule.
I was done.
As Catholics, we take a lot of heat for having too many rules. The truth is, though, the Church doesn’t.
There are only six Church Commandments that we are required to follow outside of the 10 Commandments, and obviously, the Two
Greatest Commandments given to us by Christ.
1. Attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.
2. To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
3. To confess our sins once a year.
4. To receive Holy Communion during the Easter time.
5. To contribute to the support of the church. (There is no set amount)
6. Observe the Church’s marriage laws.
That’s it, however this is not a pitch for doing the bare minimum.
There are many other practices that the Church allows for or encourages, but they are just that—practices. There are also somethings that the Church allows for that you may not like and the good news is, is that you are free to do it in the way you would prefer.
If you demand or force people to follow “rules” that the Church does not recognize as binding, you are being like the Pharisees and laying heavy burdens on people. You have set yourself up as the authority and disregarded the teaching authority of the Magisterium of the Church.
We don’t want to be so whetted to enforcing what we want to be rules that we come off us joyless, burdensome, or ridiculous, Catholic Pilgrims.
Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Sunday.
*St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Napa, California
Yesterday, my oldest daughter and I were FaceTiming with my sister. At one point in the conversation, we got around to talking about an old boyfriend of my sister's that she dated like 20 years ago. Needless to say, he wasn't the best guy to her. My sister said, "Did I tell you guys that he wrote me a letter awhile back?" My daughter and I were shocked. "What?! No, you didn't tell us. What did he say?" My sister had a screen shot of it and she started searching for it to read it to us. While we were waiting, I was joking about him. In my mind, I assumed the letter was going to be some sappy I-want-you-back letter. I thought, "Oh, boy, can't wait to hear this pathetic letter. Of course, he's been obsessed with her all this time." My sister found it and she read it to us. After each sentence, I kept waiting for him to beg and plead for her back. But..he didn't. In fact, the letter was an apology letter. He apologized to my sister, took complete ownership for his bad behavior, and wished her well. That was it. No begging. No desperation. No strings attached. It was simply him trying to make amends. I was stunned. And then I felt two things: 1. Shame over how quick I was to assume that the letter was just going to be some pathetic attempt at getting my sister back after all these years and 2. A deep sadness that I have never received such a letter from my two boyfriends that treated me so terribly. Very quickly, though, I changed my heart and mind. I needed to be glad that my sister's ex had changed as a man and tried to make peace. We should be grateful when people have a true conversion and owe up to their sins. I needed to be thankful that he apologized to my sister. As for not receiving apology letters myself, well, I need to be okay with that. Maybe it will happen, but maybe it won't. I need to continue to pray, though, for my two ex-boyfriends regardless. May we always hope and pray that people find a way to confession, redemption, and, if possible, reconciliation, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingThis is Mission Miguel in Sante Fe, New Mexico. It is the oldest church in the United States, which the original walls and altar built in 1610. It's so wonderful that we still have it. There was a time, when the church was the focal point of a town or village. Life moved and centered itself around the church, because the Sacraments were just that important. Whenever people moved to a new area, a church needed to be built. It was a necessity. You don't hear too often, though, of people moving to an area because of a vibrant church community. Jobs and schools are the two main considerations, which isn't bad in the slightest. Both of those things are important things to consider. However, I rarely, if ever, hear someone mention the importance of moving somewhere where the church community is strong and thriving. It's a lower-tiered consideration, if it's even one at all. Of course, work may call you to a place where life isn't centered around church and worship. In those circumstances, it is up to us to continue to find ways to feed our hearts and minds with good spiritual things. Our souls cannot be neglected. I love St. Frances Cabrini's practice. No matter where she was or what island or country she was sailing past, she always looked for the steeples to let her know where Jesus was residing in the Tabernacle. Have a blessed Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingOn our road trip, my husband and I stopped in Oklahoma City for the night. We got in town with time to go visit Blessed Stanley Rother's Shrine. It was one of the places I've been wanting to see. We got there kind of late in the day on a Wednesday, so there weren't many people around. As we were walking up the sidewalk, I saw a worker standing with a small group of people and she looked like she was trying to protect them. As I got closer, I could see that there was a lady there who clearly was causing problems. She looked a bit disheveled and agitated. She was not speaking kindly and it seemed she was maybe on drugs. As we approached, the worker tried to block her from us and, smiling nervously, encouraged us to make our way to the church. The second we passed by the small crowd, the upset woman immediately started following my husband and me. It was then that she started spewing the most vile things at us, specifically at my husband. I was so grateful that my son was not around to hear her words. There is a scene in "The Green Mile" where the wife of the warden is seriously ill. Normally she is the sweetest most gentle woman, but because of a brain tumor, her whole personality changed into what resembled demonic possession. That's exactly how the lady following us was acting. At first, given my background of working in a field that brings you in contact with awful behavior, I thought for sure she was using drugs. And she may have been. I was worried that she was going to follow us into the church and I couldn't bear to think of her language in such a holy place. But, as we opened the door, she stopped before the steps. Stopped like she hit a wall and couldn't go any further. Then I knew, this had to be possession. Part of me wanted to rebuke the demon within her, but I've never done anything like that before. Could I even do that? Do I have that power? I do as a baptized and confirmed Christian and I should have done it. The second I saw that she couldn't cross the threshold of the church and realized what was going on, I should have rebuked that demon and prayed for her out loud. In our Gospel reading today, the disciples realize that the demons are subject to them because of Jesus' name and Christ affirms that. To be sure, regular lay people shouldn't go around trying to be exorcists, but, if the situation calls for it, we should use the power of Jesus' name. Also, not everything is demonic possession and we shouldn’t jump to that conclusion in haste. The cops showed up and she ran off, but I've been thinking about her a lot. I've been praying for her and for myself to have courage if ever faced with that situation again. Spiritual warfare is real, Catholic Pilgrims, and we need to use all the tools available to us. The most powerful being the Holy Name of Jesus. Have a blessed Sunday.
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