.png)
When I was a teenager and was fighting one time with my mom about having to go to church, I said, “Everybody there is a hypocrite! Why would I want to go some place filled with a bunch of hypocrites?”
“Do you think you’re going to find a church not filled with hypocrites? Are you so perfect that you can’t be around sinners? That’s part of the point of church, Amy, is to find healing from God for your sins.”
I had no answer.
The incredibly pathetic thing was that while I was looking down on my fellow parishioners, I was NOT in any fashion leading a squeaky clean life. You wanna talk about a hypocrite, well, I was example número uno.
Today, is the Feast Day of St. Matthew, a one-time sinful tax collector.
After he is called by Jesus, the Pharisees stand around horrified that Jesus was eating with him and other sinners. If Jesus didn’t eat with sinners than He would have only ever eaten with His mom or by Himself.
You have to wonder at the Pharisees game plan for helping sinners not be sinners. Never engage with them in a merciful way? Ignore them? Refuse to help them?
I was just like the Pharisees when I was a teen, thinking myself too good to be around the “riff-raff” of the church I belonged to.
Jesus is the Great Physician. He transformed St. Matthew’s life, He can transform any sinner’s life, but it certainly doesn’t always happen at the speed of light. I’m living proof of that.
The truth is, in this life, we are all a work in progress, Catholic Pilgrims, and we will be until we are no longer here. Our churches will never be filled with only lily-white saints, but we still need to go because the Eucharist, Confession, and the other Sacraments are our best hope for transformation.
You’ll see the purity you desire once you get to Heaven.
St. Matthew, pray for us!
*St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Washington DC
In the early years of our marriage, whenever Dustin and I would get into an argument over Catholicism, I was always the angrier one. Even though I was wildly ignorant about Catholicism, I thought I knew it all. I’d yell at Dustin and always try to raise my voice to drown out his words. I’d cut him off as he was trying to explain why my arguments against Catholicism were wrong. I was trying to not let his words fall on my ears. The crowd stoning Stephen in our reading today from Acts 7, behaved just like me. As Stephen was trying to teach them about Jesus, they “cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him.” It’s the covering of the ears part that is so telling. It’s an attempt to protect your pride by not allowing the truth to penetrate you. It was hard for me to hear my husband prove me wrong. Everybody wants to believe that they are always right and it kills us to hear someone correct or admonish us. Most often, those that scream, yell, cover their ears, and seek to silence others realize they don’t really have the truth or moral upper hand on their side. However, they can’t stand the thought of examining themselves and considering a change of thought. When you won’t do this, bad things always happen, like Stephen getting stoned. Thankfully, my husband got through to me and once I actually listened, he gave me the keys to unlock the beauty of Catholicism and eventually come home. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Painting is of St. Stephen. It’s in a Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Istanbul.
Continue ReadingI was telling someone the other day that I come from a generation where I can distinctly remember life before the internet and social media. They asked me, "Do you like now or then better?" "Then, for sure. Life was much simpler and not as distracting. Everywhere you turn now, someone's trying to make you mad or trying to cause fear." The Conclave to elect our new pope starts tomorrow. Since Pope Francis died, all forms of media have been in full-up distraction mode. Each day, there is something put out there to get us anxious, mad, or fearful. I'm not here to talk about all the tackiness and the sensationalism of it all. Quite frankly, I find it boring and just exhausting. It's all just so mind-numbingly ridiculous and it won't matter one bit six months from now. I'm not interested in wasting energy on any of it. Let's just have peace, Catholic Pilgrims. Peace of spirit. Peace of mind. Peace in our prayers. The devil wants us, as Catholics, to lose our peace over all this and it's just not worth it. Let's trust in the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinals and tune out the side-show circus all around us. What is needed right now is a laser-focus on lifting the cardinals up in prayer as we trust in God's Divine Providence. Have a blessed and peaceful Monday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingOver the years, while hugging one of my children, I'll ask them, "Do you know that I love you?" Thankfully, they always answer, "Yes." I asked my son this not that long ago and after he answered, I had a follow up question, "How do you know that I do?" He said, "Well, you teach me. You make me yummy food. You read to me. You give me hugs. You come watch me play sports." I smiled and said, "I'm glad those things make you feel loved. I would do anything good for you to make you feel loved." "Like play Monopoly everyday?!" "No, not that." "But you said anything good! And that's my favorite game ever and you only play it on my birthday." "Momma ain't got time for that never-ending game." Lol. I noticed that my son didn't say, "I know you love me because you tell me." He knows in the ways that I show him through my actions. Jesus asks Peter in our Gospel reading today if he loves Him. Peter says that he does. But, after each response from Peter, Jesus tells him to do something. "Feed my lambs." "Tend my sheep." "Feed my sheep." It is not enough to just say that we love someone--words are easy to say. The way we prove our love is by showing up through our deeds--in our service to each other. I've always told my kids, "Words and actions must align. If someone says they love you but their actions consistently are neglectful, hurtful, or disinterested, their love is not sincere. You know that your dad loves me because he not only says so, but he shows me. Always look for that consistency and be consistent yourselves." It is the same with our love for God, Catholic Pilgrims. If we love Him, our actions should show it. Have a blessed Sunday. *St. Vincent's in LA
Continue Reading.png)
.png)
.png)