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The word hero gets thrown around a lot in our day and age. “Hero” is used to describe athletes, famous people, and those that parade themselves around trying to get attention for playing the victim in some way.
These are not heroes.
There has to be the element of sacrifice involved in order for someone to be a hero.
We have many military veterans in our country that have served us in a vast number of ways. They often retire and as my father-in-law, an Army infantry vet, once said to me, “get put out to pasture.”
So little fanfare do they get and they sure wouldn’t ask for it. They served us, gave up a lot, and they definitely don’t get months and months of celebrations where nearly every major corporation bends over backward to celebrate them.
And that’s fitting. Heroes don’t do it for the glory; they do it because they want to do something bigger than themselves—it’s not about them.
Today, though, we honor our veterans. Thank you to those that have served to be the gap between us and the bad guys. This military spouse will always be grateful to you.
Happy Veterans’ Day!
In my 20's in college, I was an outspoken student. In my philosophy class, I was not liked by my professor as I constantly challenged what he was trying to teach. To be clear, nothing of what he taught had anything to do with philosophy, but more his political agenda. Open debate was not encouraged by him at all, in fact, I was punished for it. I think it's fairly safe to say that I wasn't the teacher's pet in Women's Studies either. However, at this time, I was not going to church, not reading my Bible, and not living in anyway according to Christian values. Consequently, while there was a lot of truth in what I said when I debated, I lacked wisdom and charity. The reason for this, is that I relied on my own power and never once asked the Holy Spirit for help. When I first started my social media accounts, I was a new convert to Catholicism and I still had a lot to learn. I, also, needed to break the habit of relying on my own power to engage with dissenters. It took a long time for me to invite the Holy Spirit into my writings. See, many will tell you that we are just supposed to be nice, not cause waves, or argue in anyway. I say nonsense. Christianity is an evangelizing faith--we are called to bring the Good News of Christ. Our faith life is not meant to be lived hiding behind closed doors, fearful to engage. Christ specifically told us, "I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!" Does this mean that Jesus wants us to be attack dogs that rudely proclaim the Good News? No. But, just the nature of bringing the truth to people will cause division. There's no way around it. In our evangelizing efforts, we must ask the Holy Spirit to come to our aid to help us be clear, concise, charitable, and calm. I have learned over the years that without the Holy Spirit, I fall back into my old ways from college. But with the Advocate's help, I do a much better job. Have a blessed Pentecost Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingFor this week's small-town church showcase, let's go all the way across the country, shall we? We've spent a lot of time on the eastern side; now let's move to the west. (Side note: My military family has done 5 cross-country moves. And just to let you know, the States in the west are big.) We find ourselves in Snowflake, Arizona today. When one of you sent in this photo, I laughed at the name. While I know that that Arizona does get snow at times, it still seems like an odd name for a desert state. But, it got its name from combining the last names of the two men that founded it: Erastus Snow and William Flake. Both men belonged to the LDS church. This church is Our Lady Of The Snow Catholic Church. While most of the town belongs to The Church of Latter Day Saints, this is still an active parish. While the building is plain and simple, I looked at photos of the inside and it really has a pretty altar. The deep red and dark blue coloring inside is nice, as well. Even though Catholics are outnumbered here, I know that this often brings about great bonding for a church community. You become very close and very grateful for what you have. I've spent a lot of time in Arizona and it's special to me, if for nothing else, then it's my best friend's home state. Even though I'm not a desert dweller (thought the military keeps pushing the issue), I do like Sedona, Flagstaff, and Santa Fe. So, if ever on the east side of Arizona, and you find yourself in Snowflake, attend Mass at Our Lady of the Snow. I'm betting you find a welcoming crowd, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well.
Continue ReadingWhen I was a young girl, I often thought, "Gosh, the Apostles were so lucky. They got to see Jesus face-to-face. They got to be in His actual presence. The rest of us just have to wait to get to Heaven." Now, of course, you can speak with Christ in prayer. You can read the Word of God and come to understand Him better. These things are incredibly important and fruitful. But, as a Protestant growing up, I didn't have an earthly clue about the Eucharist. I just had my grape juice and TicTac-sized piece of bread and we symbolically remembered Jesus at the Last Supper. It took a very long minute (read years) for me to come to understand the Catholic Church's teaching on the Eucharist. Once I had my *click* moment, I knew that I had to become Catholic. Something else I realized is that after the Ascension, Jesus didn't just ascend up into the clouds and leave us lonely. I didn't have to think that the Apostles were the only lucky ones. I could now make more sense of Jesus' words at the Great Commission right before He ascends in Heaven. "Behold, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 Yes, He is with us spiritually in prayer. Yes, we can read the Bible. And yes, He is still with us always on our altars in the Eucharist, fully present in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. He may not look human in form, but He is offered to us to receive Him, thereby, taking Him into our bodies to become more like Him. God's ways are not our ways. I'm so grateful that, yes, Jesus is still physically present to us 21st century Christians in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Have a blessed Seventh Sunday of Easter, Catholic Pilgrims. *Ascension by Francisco Camilo (1651)
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