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“Amy, you cannot live so close to such beauty and not go see it!”
On her way home back to Ohio from my house, that’s what my best friend texted to me after her family stopped off to see The Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama.
My goodness, Catholic Pilgrims, the beauty in this church is stunning.
Photos are forbidden, so I wasn’t able to take any, but if you watch EWTN, you may have seen the inside.
I’ve never seen a monstrance display more beautiful. Christ held up high, surrounded by angel statues amid all the tasteful gold coloring is just striking.
And while we were there, the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration were saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and they sounded like angels. Is it a prerequisite to sound like an angel before becoming a nun or is it the product of holiness? I don’t know, but it was simply beautiful.
You know, so many people gripe to us Catholics about our beautiful churches.
“Think of the money that could be used for the poor!”
“So extravagant. God would want that money used for the poor.”
This complaint reminds me so much of Judas Iscariot’s comment about Mary anointing Christ’s feet with costly oil in our Gospel reading today from John 12:1-11.
“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?”
Our beautiful churches house Our Lord in the Eucharist and that was never more on display to me than here in this church. With Our Savior raised high, surrounded by material beauty, with angelic voices perpetually adoring Him, it is evident that Our King is present.
Heaven and earth meet inside our Catholic Churches where the True Presence of Christ is acknowledged through splendor and majesty.
We could tear down all our Catholic Churches, sell everything to care for the poor and within no time, we’d discover that we “always have the poor with” us, just as Our Lord said. And we’d be starved of so much good beauty.
It is a both/and, Catholic Pilgrims: Take care of the poor to care for corporal needs and build beautiful churches to care for all our spiritual needs.
If ever in Alabama, my gosh, make time to see this Shrine. Thank you, Mother Angelica, for this holy place.
Have a blessed Monday of Holy Week.
This is Mission Miguel in Sante Fe, New Mexico. It is the oldest church in the United States, which the original walls and altar built in 1610. It's so wonderful that we still have it. There was a time, when the church was the focal point of a town or village. Life moved and centered itself around the church, because the Sacraments were just that important. Whenever people moved to a new area, a church needed to be built. It was a necessity. You don't hear too often, though, of people moving to an area because of a vibrant church community. Jobs and schools are the two main considerations, which isn't bad in the slightest. Both of those things are important things to consider. However, I rarely, if ever, hear someone mention the importance of moving somewhere where the church community is strong and thriving. It's a lower-tiered consideration, if it's even one at all. Of course, work may call you to a place where life isn't centered around church and worship. In those circumstances, it is up to us to continue to find ways to feed our hearts and minds with good spiritual things. Our souls cannot be neglected. I love St. Frances Cabrini's practice. No matter where she was or what island or country she was sailing past, she always looked for the steeples to let her know where Jesus was residing in the Tabernacle. Have a blessed Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingOn our road trip, my husband and I stopped in Oklahoma City for the night. We got in town with time to go visit Blessed Stanley Rother's Shrine. It was one of the places I've been wanting to see. We got there kind of late in the day on a Wednesday, so there weren't many people around. As we were walking up the sidewalk, I saw a worker standing with a small group of people and she looked like she was trying to protect them. As I got closer, I could see that there was a lady there who clearly was causing problems. She looked a bit disheveled and agitated. She was not speaking kindly and it seemed she was maybe on drugs. As we approached, the worker tried to block her from us and, smiling nervously, encouraged us to make our way to the church. The second we passed by the small crowd, the upset woman immediately started following my husband and me. It was then that she started spewing the most vile things at us, specifically at my husband. I was so grateful that my son was not around to hear her words. There is a scene in "The Green Mile" where the wife of the warden is seriously ill. Normally she is the sweetest most gentle woman, but because of a brain tumor, her whole personality changed into what resembled demonic possession. That's exactly how the lady following us was acting. At first, given my background of working in a field that brings you in contact with awful behavior, I thought for sure she was using drugs. And she may have been. I was worried that she was going to follow us into the church and I couldn't bear to think of her language in such a holy place. But, as we opened the door, she stopped before the steps. Stopped like she hit a wall and couldn't go any further. Then I knew, this had to be possession. Part of me wanted to rebuke the demon within her, but I've never done anything like that before. Could I even do that? Do I have that power? I do as a baptized and confirmed Christian and I should have done it. The second I saw that she couldn't cross the threshold of the church and realized what was going on, I should have rebuked that demon and prayed for her out loud. In our Gospel reading today, the disciples realize that the demons are subject to them because of Jesus' name and Christ affirms that. To be sure, regular lay people shouldn't go around trying to be exorcists, but, if the situation calls for it, we should use the power of Jesus' name. Also, not everything is demonic possession and we shouldn’t jump to that conclusion in haste. The cops showed up and she ran off, but I've been thinking about her a lot. I've been praying for her and for myself to have courage if ever faced with that situation again. Spiritual warfare is real, Catholic Pilgrims, and we need to use all the tools available to us. The most powerful being the Holy Name of Jesus. Have a blessed Sunday.
Continue ReadingOur military family has lived all over this great country—up, down, down, east, west, middle and some repeats. I’m a Kansas girl, my hubby is a California guy. None of my kids were born in the same state. On our recent road trip, my husband and I commented numerous times about how truly incredible this country is. We, also, met many amazing and friendly people along the way. It’s easy to bag on something when you only prefer to see everything in a negative lense. It’s easy to find the bad when you constantly look for the bad because you want to find it. Ungrateful souls rarely appreciate anything. But, I am grateful for this country and I’m grateful for the people who fought to give us this country. Living all over and traveling all over gives one a deep appreciation for the varied beauty of our land and the interesting aspects of each region’s culture. America is good and beautiful and I love her. I will always love her. It is not uncommon for me to thank God above for the fact that I am an American. Have a wonderful Fourth of July, to my fellow American Catholic Pilgrims. God bless America.
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