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Something I’ve realized through this Harrison Butker ordeal is a fundamental misunderstanding of Catholic lingo, even by Catholics.
In our world today, vocation and career are often used interchangeably and because they are it causes confusion.
Not that I think me explaining the difference will help those who 1. Have been conditioned to be offended and 2. Those who just want to be offended, but, for fun and learning purposes, let’s dive into the difference.
For the Catholic Church, vocations are a state of life. There are only three: the married life, the consecrated religious life, and the single life.
Within your vocation, you live out your career or trade. For example, my husband obviously is a military man (his career), but his vocation is the married life.
My oldest daughter is currently in the state of the single life and her job is a Focus Missionary. She doesn’t feel called to always remain in the single life, but that’s her current state and the Church calls her to live it out well.
Some priests throughout history have been scientists (a job) while living out the state of life as a religious.
There are no other vocations as understood by the Catholic Church. And usually, once you get into the vocation you are called to, you feel like your life starts. This is not to say that your life was meaningless or had no value before, it’s just that you feel most alive.
My daughter told me a story that a priest gave in a homily recently. He was telling a group of teens that when he was a teen he had a girlfriend that he cared a lot about and she was his best friend. His friends convinced him to break up with her so he could date a girl in an upper class and he did, but his life was all off and he could see the sadness in his ex-girlfriend’s eyes.
Once he became a priest, she came up to him, looked him in the eyes and sweetly said, “There you are.” Meaning, she now saw him fully alive in his vocation as priest.
We can live out a career within our vocation, Catholic Pilgrims, but what Harrison Butker was trying to emphasize is that no matter your career in the married life, family comes first and taking care of them will be the most rewarding.
Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.
Isn't this old Communion Bread mould amazing, Catholic Pilgrims? This past weekend in OCIA, the head teacher and I were teaching on the truths of the Eucharist. As I was sitting listening to Andrew teach about the miracle of the Eucharist, many thoughts were running through my head. I thought back to how the Eucharist was one of the main reasons I converted. I thought about the journey I went on to understand it and how the moment it clicked in my head, I was desperate to become Catholic. Then I thought about how nearly all professed Christians--Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic--believe in the miracles found in the Bible. Sure, there are some offshoot groups that think they are Christian but aren't because they deny Christ's divinity or the Resurrection. However, if you asked most Christians, "Do you believe that God created the world?" They would say, "Yes." Do you believe in the parting of the Red Sea? Yes Do you believe in God giving Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai? Yes Do you believe Jesus walked on water? Yes Do you believe He healed the blind, deaf, lame, and diseased? Yes Do you believe Jesus rose people from the dead, like Jairus' daughter in today's Gospel reading? Yes. Do you believe He Resurrected from the dead and ascended into Heaven? Yes Do you believe in the miracle of the Eucharist? Many would say, no. Many people have told me that the Eucharist is too much to believe in. As if believing that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took flesh, was born a baby in manager, was crucified, and rose from the dead after three days isn't too much. That's why those things are considered miracles. They are "too much" for the natural world. Why would belief in the Eucharist be anymore "out there?" God can do anything that is not contrary to His nature and turning ordinary bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus is not contrary to His nature, nor is it impossible for Him. In fact, it is the most amazing way for Christ to truly be present to us throughout all time. "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Matthew 28:20 Jesus is always with us in a very spiritual sense, but, also, He is physically present, every day, everywhere around the world in the Eucharist. He promised to be with us and He is. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.
Continue ReadingToday, I want to show you our culture's "beatitudes." Underneath our culture's, I'll put Christ's words so that you can see the contrast. Respected are the proud. (Blessed are the poor in spirit.) Admired are those that celebrate death. (Blessed are they who mourn.) Successful are those that are crass and brazen. (Blessed are the meek.) Powerful are those who believe that the ends justify the means. (Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness.) Popular are those who seek to cancel people. (Blessed are the merciful.) Satisfied are the lustful and indulgent. (Blessed are the clean of heart.) Dynamic are those that cause a scene. (Blessed are the peacemakers.) Intelligent are those that reject Christianity. (Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of the kingdom.) Now, what is going to be everybody's tendency is to look to their political opponents and start to point out all the ways they promote the culture's "beatitudes." That's going to be the tendency, but don't do it. Each side has problems and we all know it. I don't want this to be a political debate. Instead, look at yourself. Do you follow any of the world's ways over Christ's? It's hard to do, and I'll admit, I don't want to be honest about how I fail to live up to Christ's Beatitudes, but instead slip into what the culture encourages. But if your fingers itch to type about this person over here or that group over there, just pause, and reflect on yourself. We cannot fix other people or control them very well, but we can fix ourselves. It is far too easy to lay all the blame at everyone else's feet and never look within. It'll make you uncomfortable to do this and not just shift your focus on someone else; it made me uncomfortable. But, looking into our own soul and seeing where we can be better is what matters most. Have a blessed Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingThis is a picture of the little room I go to nearly everyday for daily Mass on base. For the next two weeks, our chapel is getting new carpet installed and this means we can't have daily Mass in here. Side note: Yes, our entire chapel has carpet. It's base life, just roll with it. 😅 Anyway, on Sunday, Father had a bunch of the men move all our Blessed Sacrament Chapel stuff into a RE classroom so that we could still have daily Mass. Yesterday, my son and I showed up and Father was in the classroom putting the finishing touches on making it look as much like a little chapel as possible. He turned and smiled at me and said, "See, we can make this work!" He had lit the candles, brought in the statues, the altar was all ready and prepared, our chairs with kneelers were in place, and our holy water font was by the door. The only thing we couldn't bring in was the Tabernacle because it's bolted to the wall. It was really touching how much care he put in to making our temporary space feel like a tiny Catholic chapel. As Father was sitting there before Mass praying, I thought to myself, "There is only one man on this base out of thousands that work here that can give me Jesus in the Eucharist and it's Father Joseph. We can move rooms, change decor, and all that, but without him, I don't get the Eucharist." I was immensely grateful in that moment for Father and for all priests who go the distance to give the faithful the Eucharist. Father could have just cancelled daily Mass until the renovations were completed, but he didn't. He still is showing up to provide this life-giving sacrament. And I can only get it through his hands. No other man on base could provide it for me. They could try, but it would just remain plain 'ole bread. Thank God for the Sacrament of Holy Orders and for the good men who answer that call. We need you, priests. Without you standing in persona Christi, our souls would starve to death. Have a blessed Tuesday.
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