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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
For most of my life, I've been a "glass half empty" kind of gal. I preferred to "keep it real," not live in a day dream, or be too "pie-in-the-sky." There is nothing wrong with being aware, knowing your history, and understanding the reality of different situations. I'm not an advocate for being insufferably optimistic while your hair is on fire. However, social media has actually changed my "empty glass" mentality. This may shock you because of the dumpster fire that social media can be. Sometimes, I like to post just a nice, encouraging video. I don't want my social media pages to be all apologetics or giving you the latest bad news. I don't want to always dwell on the bad, because that makes people lose hope. Yet, I can make the most positive, hopeful video or post and inevitably someone is going to show up to throw mud at it. When I was in France, I was so encouraged to see all the Catholic Churches and I was happy to see how the country works to maintain their restoration. So, I made a very short video about this and someone said: "Too bad the French Revolution destroyed so much." "Yeah, okay, but can you just enjoy this nice post?" Yes, the French Revolution happened and it was awful and damaging. We are still feeling the effects, but you know what? The Church survived. In fact, the Church has survived every catastrophe: The early persecutions, the Protestant Revolution, French Revolution, and the disastrous Vatican II roll-out. Yes, bad things have happened. We should acknowledge them, learn from, and help repair and restore. But, can we also just be people of hope for half a second? Can we just enjoy a victory? A good moment? A turning of the tide? Or must we always live as if the French Revolution was yesterday? Can we ever move past it and realize that things aren't perfect, but we aren't suffering through that anymore? If your inclination is to see something positive and immediately post a negative comment, then social media has gotten to you for the worst. We must be people of hope, because otherwise we despair and everything becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Be sure to enjoy the beautiful moments, Catholic Pilgrims. Not everything is the worst. Live the faith boldly and travel well.
Continue ReadingWe are safe and sound in Virginia and made it to our new home on post. Our stuff hasn't arrived yet, so we are doing the inside camping bit where we just spend a lot of time on the floor--sleeping, eating, sitting, podcasting. Mass was at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Petersburg, I must say, it was the most traditional Novus Ordo Mass I have ever been to and that made me very happy. In his homily, the priest gave the best explanation on why priests take vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. He said, "People often ask me, 'Why don't you (Catholic Church) let your priests marry?' Well, we try to live as we will all live in Heaven. There is no money in Heaven and no possessions, we all will be celibate, and our wills will all be aligned to God's Will." Now, some priests do marry in other rites and some priests that come over from the Anglican Church are married. This is a discipline, not a dogma. Priests are trying to live as Christ lived--poor, unmarried, and obedient to the Father. They don't do it perfectly but that is the goal. I thought it was a beautiful explanation and then he said, "For any man who thinks that taking these vows will make them miserable and strip them of freedom, that is simply not true. Whenever you allow God to fill your life, you gain more freedom and find your purpose." That goes for all of us, Catholic Pilgrims, no matter our vocation in life. You gain the most freedom and fulfillment when you surrender your life to God. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Monday.
Continue ReadingThroughout all my life, I have struggled with pride. In my late teens and all through my twenties, I thought that I could make the Christian faith what I wanted it to be. Essentially, this meant that it became so easy that it barely factored into my life. Yes, I called myself a Christian, but I thought: That church was optional. Prayer only mattered when I wanted something. Scripture was around for the virtue signal. I wasn't Catholic during those years, so Sacraments mattered nothing to me. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Sacrament. I lived how I wanted to live, because...well, Jesus loved me and most decent people went to Heaven. Since I was at least decent, I was assured my angel wings. Crazy how I once believed humans became angels upon death. I didn't even understand that we are fundamentally different beings. Anyway... I had no humility. Zero. By the grace of God, I woke up. I'm not perfect at all, but I did realize that our Catholic Faith cannot conform around me. When my pride pulls me to the ways of the world or towards my will, I must resist. Throughout all these years on social media, I have seen the pride that I once had in the comments. There are still so many people who think they can pick and choose what to believe; that they can conform Christianity to their desires and wills. St. Paul talks today about how Jesus emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, not counting equality with God, even though He is God. God humbled Himself to save us and I think we often forget that. When we bow at the mentioning of the Incarnation in the Nicene Creed, we are acknowledging the humility of God, that He would come as one of us. We bow out of respect for counting us worthy of saving in this way. If our God can be so humble, it is imperative that we humble ourselves and submit our will to God and His Church, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Sunday.
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