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Two days before my husband and I were marrried, we went with our wedding party to the amusement park “Worlds of Fun” in Kansas City.
At one point, I sat down on a bench and discovered right beside me a Crown Royal bag.
When I looked inside, I found hundreds and hundreds of dollars, maybe even thousands. Even though Dustin and I were financial strapped, I instantly wanted to turn it in. I could only imagine this was some family’s vacation money. Whoever’s it was, they would be sick once they realized it was gone.
I’ve told this story over the years and there’s always a few people that say, “Gosh, did you really have to turn it in???”
I always respond back, “Yes, I really had to turn it in. Not only was it in a very identifiable bag, but I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy spending that money taking it from someone like that.”
In our readings today, Judas sells his soul for thirty pieces of silver. He then sneaks around trying to find a way to deliver the goods—Jesus.
Ultimately, Judas comes to realize that he’s never going to be able to truly enjoy those pieces of silver because he didn’t come by them honest. It was blood money. Those pieces were tainted with sin.
One of the greatest lies of the Devil is to try to convince us that we will really enjoy our sin and the rotten “fruits” of it. He convinced Adam and Eve and he’s worked to spread that lie since the beginning.
Judas realizes that he can’t really enjoy the money received through his sin of betrayal. Had I kept that money in the bag, I wouldn’t have been able to truly enjoy spending it on myself because it would have been taken through stealing.
The rotten “fruits” of sin are never satisfying to us, Catholic Pilgrims. They will always leave us feeling hollow, guilty, and unhappy and, in some cases, in a state of despair like Judas.
Live the Faith boldly this Wednesday of Holy Week.
**Streets of Old Jerusalem
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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