.png)
One of the things that drew me to Catholicism was the intellectual side of it. This was no superficial practice of the faith where everything was watered down and made easy on the ears.
I truly had never encountered such rigorous intellectual thought in my upbringing and into my twenties.
Reading some of the early Church Fathers and St. Thomas Aquinas stretched my brain beyond anything I’d ever known. I realized that, yes, there are some darn smart Christians out there who seem anything but brainwashed. They’ve wrestled with the big questions and worked out answers that are as satisfying as they can be to a limited human mind.
I can’t stand when people try to turn Christianity into a silly, frivolous, hokey religion. It just seems so weak and bland.
Something I’ve come to understand, though, is that you can have all the intellectual arguments in the world, but if you haven’t fallen in love with Christ, Christianity will never penetrate your soul.
To be sure, the intellectual arguments might start you on that path to a deep love for Christ, but without that deep love, you will practice the Faith as if it is a self-help method or a secular school of learning.
The widow in today’s reading from Luke 21:1-4, “offered her whole livelihood.” That’s how you fall in love—by giving your whole self. It’s why new love between a couple is so intoxicating and exhilarating—they give fully of themselves. It’s why old love between a couple is so endearing—they’ve given of themselves for years and weathered the storms.
It’s why a parent’s love for their children is life-changing—they give themselves to their children in order to protect and care for them.
To fall in love with Christ, we must do the same. He did it for us. We must give Him our whole livelihood and let ourselves be loved by Him and return that love with the offering of our life.
Then and only then, will Christianity seep into your soul and transform your life in ways you cannot imagine.
We simply can’t fall in love with someone who we give only a passing thought or one hour on Sundays, Catholic Pilgrims. We fall in love with Christ when He becomes our all-in-all.
Have a blessed Monday.
In my 20's in college, I was an outspoken student. In my philosophy class, I was not liked by my professor as I constantly challenged what he was trying to teach. To be clear, nothing of what he taught had anything to do with philosophy, but more his political agenda. Open debate was not encouraged by him at all, in fact, I was punished for it. I think it's fairly safe to say that I wasn't the teacher's pet in Women's Studies either. However, at this time, I was not going to church, not reading my Bible, and not living in anyway according to Christian values. Consequently, while there was a lot of truth in what I said when I debated, I lacked wisdom and charity. The reason for this, is that I relied on my own power and never once asked the Holy Spirit for help. When I first started my social media accounts, I was a new convert to Catholicism and I still had a lot to learn. I, also, needed to break the habit of relying on my own power to engage with dissenters. It took a long time for me to invite the Holy Spirit into my writings. See, many will tell you that we are just supposed to be nice, not cause waves, or argue in anyway. I say nonsense. Christianity is an evangelizing faith--we are called to bring the Good News of Christ. Our faith life is not meant to be lived hiding behind closed doors, fearful to engage. Christ specifically told us, "I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!" Does this mean that Jesus wants us to be attack dogs that rudely proclaim the Good News? No. But, just the nature of bringing the truth to people will cause division. There's no way around it. In our evangelizing efforts, we must ask the Holy Spirit to come to our aid to help us be clear, concise, charitable, and calm. I have learned over the years that without the Holy Spirit, I fall back into my old ways from college. But with the Advocate's help, I do a much better job. Have a blessed Pentecost Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingFor this week's small-town church showcase, let's go all the way across the country, shall we? We've spent a lot of time on the eastern side; now let's move to the west. (Side note: My military family has done 5 cross-country moves. And just to let you know, the States in the west are big.) We find ourselves in Snowflake, Arizona today. When one of you sent in this photo, I laughed at the name. While I know that that Arizona does get snow at times, it still seems like an odd name for a desert state. But, it got its name from combining the last names of the two men that founded it: Erastus Snow and William Flake. Both men belonged to the LDS church. This church is Our Lady Of The Snow Catholic Church. While most of the town belongs to The Church of Latter Day Saints, this is still an active parish. While the building is plain and simple, I looked at photos of the inside and it really has a pretty altar. The deep red and dark blue coloring inside is nice, as well. Even though Catholics are outnumbered here, I know that this often brings about great bonding for a church community. You become very close and very grateful for what you have. I've spent a lot of time in Arizona and it's special to me, if for nothing else, then it's my best friend's home state. Even though I'm not a desert dweller (thought the military keeps pushing the issue), I do like Sedona, Flagstaff, and Santa Fe. So, if ever on the east side of Arizona, and you find yourself in Snowflake, attend Mass at Our Lady of the Snow. I'm betting you find a welcoming crowd, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well.
Continue ReadingWhen I was a young girl, I often thought, "Gosh, the Apostles were so lucky. They got to see Jesus face-to-face. They got to be in His actual presence. The rest of us just have to wait to get to Heaven." Now, of course, you can speak with Christ in prayer. You can read the Word of God and come to understand Him better. These things are incredibly important and fruitful. But, as a Protestant growing up, I didn't have an earthly clue about the Eucharist. I just had my grape juice and TicTac-sized piece of bread and we symbolically remembered Jesus at the Last Supper. It took a very long minute (read years) for me to come to understand the Catholic Church's teaching on the Eucharist. Once I had my *click* moment, I knew that I had to become Catholic. Something else I realized is that after the Ascension, Jesus didn't just ascend up into the clouds and leave us lonely. I didn't have to think that the Apostles were the only lucky ones. I could now make more sense of Jesus' words at the Great Commission right before He ascends in Heaven. "Behold, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 Yes, He is with us spiritually in prayer. Yes, we can read the Bible. And yes, He is still with us always on our altars in the Eucharist, fully present in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. He may not look human in form, but He is offered to us to receive Him, thereby, taking Him into our bodies to become more like Him. God's ways are not our ways. I'm so grateful that, yes, Jesus is still physically present to us 21st century Christians in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Have a blessed Seventh Sunday of Easter, Catholic Pilgrims. *Ascension by Francisco Camilo (1651)
Continue Reading.png)
.png)
.png)