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There are a few people I’ve been praying for, for years now. The difficult truth is that with some of the people I’ve been praying for, the chances that I will know if my prayers have been efficacious are slim. I have zero contact with them.
They were once mortal enemies in my life and initially when I started praying for them, I did so a bit begrudgingly. Prayers for them did not roll off my tongue with sweet affection. They were said more so through gritted teeth.
Yet, I prayed for them because I knew that part of truly forgiving them must also include a desire for their goodness—I must will their good.
Whether or not God has answered my prayers over them, I don’t know. Like I said, I may never know in this life, but I continue on.
And I’ve notice how my prayers for them are no longer said with a half-steeled heart, but, instead, one of genuine love.
In all this time, these prayers for others’ goodness has helped my goodness in the process.
I never thought it would be possible to say this, but I now desire to see them in Heaven one day and, if I remain the only one here on earth to pray for them, I will continue in my persistence.
See, Catholic Pilgrims, those of the world see prayer as a genie-in-a-bottle type of exchange. It is a shallow, surface-level understanding and that is why so many dismiss it.
Those that trust in what Christ says, learn through the ups and downs that those who truly “seek, find; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” to a deeper understanding of love and mercy. They will grow in their understanding of God’s Will, which is one of the many benefits of prayer.
Have a blessed Thursday.
What is the purpose of this life? "To know, love, and serve God in this life so that you can be happy with Him in the next." First day out the gate for our homeschool and I asked this Baltimore Catechism question to my son. All three of my kids could probably say it in their sleep. Lol. I asked my son, "Is it hard to love someone that you don't know?" "Yes. You can still love someone, but it won't feel like how I love you and Daddy." "That's very true. You know, I didn't know my paternal great-grandma, she died a few years before I was born. I love her because she's my blood, but when I was a kid, it was a faint love. I just didn't know her. But, I wanted to love her more because my dad loves her so much and great-Grandma Shirley loves her so much. How do you think I learned to love her better?" "Well, you probably asked Papa and Grandma to tell you stories about her." "That's exactly what I did and still do. Each time I learn a little more, I come to know her more, and then love her more. It's the same way with God. The more we know Him, the more we will come to love Him, and the easier it will be to serve Him. So, how do we get to know Him?" "Well, reading the Bible, going to Mass, praying." "Yes. All those things and even more: Talking to His mom, reading about the lives of the Saints (because we will see Jesus in them), learning about God through science, philosophy, and beauty." I know for me, Catholic Pilgrims, when I barely knew God, my love was weak and faint. I loved Him in a very abstract, hazy way. The more I try to get to know God, the more I come to love Him in a very real and concrete way. And then, I desire to know even more to grow even more in love. So, live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.
Continue ReadingIn January of 2019, the day before my 40th birthday, my husband came to me smiling and said, "Pack your bags! We are going to Cincinnati for a day!" I instantly felt dread. Not because I didn't want to go with him, but because it would mean leaving our kids home alone for one night. My oldest was a senior in high school and completely capable. My best friend lived not far away and we would only be a hour south. Still, I was nervous about leaving. My kids urged, "Mom, it's going to be just fine. Everything is fine." But, I couldn't shake my need to think that I was the only one who could take care of things properly. Reluctantly, I agreed to go, though I was struggling to trust. Off we went and, thankfully, I fixed my attitude and we had a wonderful time. When we got home the next afternoon, I spotted my best friend's van near our house. "Hmm...is this a surprise?" I wondered. Upon entering the house, it was completely quiet and I snuck into the kitchen and found my family, my best friend's family, and my dad, sister, and nephews all there to surprise me. "SURPRISE!" they all yelled. What I didn't know the day before was that my husband had to get me out of the house so that my family from Kansas could arrive to surprise me. They were there the whole night with my kids. We often don't trust God when He asks us to walk the Narrow Path. We don't trust Him with our happiness and have faith that a life walked in imitation of Christ will be worth it. What I would have missed out on if I had chosen to stay home and not trust my husband and kids. What we miss out on when we don't trust Christ with our lives. Trust in the Narrow Path, Catholic Pilgrims. It won't disappoint. Have a blessed Sunday.
Continue ReadingYesterday, I watched a video of Charlie Kirk debating a cocky Oxford student on the topic of religion. Charlie always impresses me with his ability to keep calm, especially when the other guy is agitated and loud. Anyway, I won't go into all the details, as the video was rather long, but the basic idea was that non-religious Oxford man was trying to say that orthodox Christians are wrong in how we interpret Scripture when it comes to the sinfulness of homo$exual acts. The guy was trying to say that it was "all a linguistic error," you see. Charlie did a very good job of explaining what the verses actual say, but the guy wasn't really listening. At one point, though, seeing that trying to explain Scripture wasn't working, Charlie appealed to Tradition. This shocked me, as Charlie Kirk is a pretty staunch Protestant. He even acknowledged, as much, in his argument when he said, 'Now, I'm a Protestant, but we have 2000 years of Tradition..." I was like, "Whoa," and kept eating my popcorn with wide-eyed amusement. However, Mr. Oxford Man brushed that off. And then, the debate turned into both men trying to prove whose interpretation was correct. Round and round it went until the moderator cut it off. Charlie is close. So close. What he's missing is that third pillar--the teaching authority of the Church--the Magisterium. Mr. Oxford Guy has no authority to tell anybody what Scripture means. Protestantism lacks the Magisterium, which is why you have hundreds of denominations all saying THEY know what Scripture says. Once you chuck the authority given to Christ's Church by Christ, well, this is the inevitable outcome. As a Catholic, I do not nor should I, appeal to my own authority on interpretation. I should appeal to the authority of the Church given to us by Christ. The Church that canonized the Scriptures, passed on the Traditions when the Scriptures weren't yet compiled, and has authority from Christ. Like I said, he's close. He's got two of the pillars. Let's pray that he, and others in the same boat, find that third pillar, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Thursday. *Pillars are from Laodicea in modern day Turkey
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