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“The first step of my descent
I lost my innocence, misplaced my trust.” —The Arcadian Wild
The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So, she took some of its fruit and ate it, and she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6
They both misplaced their trust.
Having no reason to doubt God, they still chose to place their trust in Satan, a newcomer into their lives.
As I was mediating on this verse and the lyrics that match, I thought about about how we are so quick, as humans, to place our trust in everything but God.
Politicians get our unwavering devotion.
The rich and famous are idolized for their lifestyle and we covet what they have thinking it will make us happy.
We worship ourselves and trust only the thoughts we come up with however hasty or poorly thought out. Mostly, if they make our lives comfortable and frictionless, we trust they are right.
And Satan and the world often win our listening ear. After all this time, we still foolishly trust the lies of the serpent, just like Adam and Eve.
We wrongly believe that if we just eat this piece of “fruit” the devil offers, we will uncover the answers and find real fulfillment. The first bite might seem tasty and like we made the right choice, but the more we bite, the more rotten it becomes.
Christ offers us the most perfect food for gaining wisdom, Catholic Pilgrims—His very self in the Eucharist. We can trust completely in Him and the life He offers us through this miraculous gift.
Live the Faith boldly and travel this Thursday.
Day Nine of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's Location: US NAVAL ACADEMY I've realized that I'm a mid-sized town gal and Annapolis definitely appealed to me. Annapolis is home to the Naval Academy, which I got to visit in 2022. We have two Catholic connections. 1. This gate that you see here is named after Commodore John Barry who was a devout Irish Catholic. He died long before the Academy came around, but he was personally chosen by George Washington to be the very first commissioned officer and first flag officer of the permanent U.S. Navy. 2. If you visit the Naval Academy Chapel there is a basement where you will find a Blessed Sacrament room. It is in honor of Servant of God Father Capodonna, the "Grunt" padre that was killed in Vietnam on September 4, 1967. Every September there is a Mass said in his honor in the chapel. Even though my hubby is an Airman, I am the granddaughter of a WWII Navy vet. While my grandfather did not attend here, it was still special for me to visit. I highly recommend Annapolis, Catholic Pilgrims, and if you are able to be cleared onto the Academy, I would encourage you visit. The grounds are beautiful. Live the Faith boldly and travel well!
Continue ReadingDay Seven of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Our feature for today: NIAGRA FALLS Anybody wanna hop back and forth between borders? The Falls are nearly almost divided in half between Canada and the US. Now, I've never been, so this isn't my photo, but I'm guessing this was taken from the Canadian side. Maybe? But what, Amy, is the Catholic connection, you ask? Well, these Falls were first documented in the 17th century by a Belgium monk named Father Louis Hennepin. He was a Franciscan missionary and his documentation really was his claim to fame. He explored lots of other territory in what would become the United States, but he often embellished his stories and this got him into some trouble. However, he did make an "engraving of the Falls of Niagara. It is out of proportion, but its general features give an accurate idea of the appearance of the Falls at his time." I do hope to go to the Falls someday and apparently in the surrounding area, both in Canada and Buffalo, NY, there are some excellent Catholic Churches to visit. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims!
Continue ReadingDay Five of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's landmark: CENTRAL PARK Why does my picture from 2005 look ancient? In 2005 my family visited NY after attending a graduation for my husband's cousin in Connecticut. This is me with my oldest (now 24 years old) at the famous Bethesda Terrace with the Angel of the Waters Fountain. The Pool of Bethesda, if you'll recall from the Bible, was a famous healing site in Jerusalem. The Jews believed that an angel stirred up the water and when it was stirred up, whoever got in first would be healed. So, we have a Biblical connection here. Another one is that Pope John Paul II said Mass on the Great Lawn on October 7th, 1995 for a crowd of over 125,000. Also, one of our most visited Catholic Churches sits just south of Central Park and that is, you guessed it, St. Patrick's Cathedral. Archbishop John Hughes (1797–1864), was one of the most famous Catholics in NY history. He was around when Central Park was being created. He was the first archbishop of NY, when it became elevated to an archdiocese. So, there's your Monday morning Catholic history lesson! Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
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