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Back when I was in my late teens or early twenties, my family went on a trip to San Diego.
At one point, my dad and I were standing on the beach watching the waves and he said, “Isn’t it hard to imagine that there’s more stars in the sky than there is sand? How can that be?”
I said something like, “Or that we can never even really count all the stars? And some are so far away their light left them thousands upon thousands of years ago and it’s just now reaching us?”
On a roll now, my dad continued, “Or that God has always been and always will be. How is that possible? It just doesn’t make sense to my mind. There are some things that if we think about them too much they become difficult to wrap your mind around.”
When I was younger, I used to wonder about what God did with His time before the universe was made. I didn’t understand that time wasn’t actually a thing for God. I’d always somewhat childishly thought that God was up somewhere just hanging out all alone twiddling His thumbs while saying, “Doot do do,” he then got bored and decided to make the universe.
Again, wildly off target and immature, but that’s what I thought.
Our deacon said something at Mass this weekend that made a few things click in my head. He said, “God, the Triune God, shows us the importance of relationships. Forever, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have been in the most perfect and intimate relationship with each other, so much so that they are One.”
See, for some reason, even though I knew about the Trinity, I still pictured God all alone. But He has never been that way, The Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity have always be together.
And since we are all made in the image and likeness of God, we, too, were created for relationships—with God, with our families, with the Communion of Saints, and with others.
Something clicked just a little bit more in my head this weekend, which just goes to show, God is always revealing something new about Himself if we only take the time to think about Him.
Thank God that He gave us the ability to wonder about such things, Catholic Pilgrims.
Have a beautiful Tuesday.
Several weeks back, I found out that my middle daughter was going to be visiting our oldest daughter at Berkeley over the Easter weekend. Our oldest is a Focus Missionary there. Anyway, since they both were going to be somewhat close, I knew we needed to make the drive to them. I told my daughter to invite a few of the students over who were staying in town and we could have a small-ish Easter meal. Thinking it was going to be around 12 of us, I started planning for a small crowd. Well, that crowd began to swell and swell. Soon, we had around 25 people wanting to come. My husband and I decided that we wanted to dote on the students a bit, so we planned a modified egg hunt. My daughter was worried we were going to make them all run around with baskets and hunt eggs like kids, but I told her to have faith. We bought about 25 eggs of various sizes and filled them with gifts: Some had money, some candy, some religious items. Then we came up with a game called the Great Egg Search/Swap. As we were driving up there, I was worried that if extra people showed up, they wouldn't have an egg. But, I concluded, if they didn't sign up, they got left out. As the game started, I counted the students and we had just enough eggs. But then...more students kept coming. They were all smiling and everyone was so eager to play, I couldn't tell them to just sit it out. So, I ran in my daughter's house and desperately looked for something to put in the extra eggs we had on hand. I prayed that I could come up with something--anything--to include everyone. Amazingly, I started finding things in my purse to give away, including a $50 Old Navy gift card. I ran out to hide them and then went back out front. Then more students showed up and I ran back into the house. Again, I found things to give away out of the supplies I had brought. In the end, every single person had a gift.. It was one of those situations where the Lord provided. It was also incredible how I was so eager to give away things that I probably wouldn't normally have parted with. I just wanted to share and God blessed that. Never doubt what good can come from wanting to bless others, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingFor the past almost nine months, I've been helping as the assistant teacher to the OCIA class at our base chapel. I love to teach, so this was a role I've been desiring for some time now. At the Easter Vigil, I watched as the catechumens came home and it was an emotional experience. That was the first time I had truly handed on the Faith to someone other than my children. Part of me was absolutely thrilled to watch them receive the Sacraments, but there was a tender, grieving part of my heart, too. That official journey with them is over and off they go to pass the faith on themselves. Teaching the faith in OCIA is such a huge responsibility. At the very end, I kept thinking to myself, "Oh, I wish I had taught them this. Oh man, why did I not share this important thing?" But then, the Holy Spirit reminded me that at my entrance to the Catholic Church as a convert, I still had much to learn. I still do. This is the beginning of their journey, I just helped to pass them the light. What a joy to accompany people on their entrance into a life with Christ. It was truly an honor and a blessing. It has filled my soul with immense joy. Welcome home to all those that entered the Catholic Church at Easter! May this journey as a newly minted Catholic Pilgrim be the adventure of a lifetime. Whatever you do, be sure to live the Faith boldly and travel well. "If we pass in the night, then just hand me a light, and Tell me you burned just like me." --Burning Man by Dierks Bentley
Continue ReadingI was watching a video the other day on the Passion of Jesus by Edward Siri. At one point, he is standing inside the Holy Sepulcher up on Golgotha. (Yes, it's all inside this massive church.) It brought back a lot of amazing memories of being up there. That's me under the altar there in the picture. See the rocks under the glass cases? Anyway, watching Edward Siri talk, I realized something very profound. Up on Golgotha, there is the space where Christ died. The altar is over the hole in the rock where His cross was stuck in the ground. Facing the altar, over on the right side is a place for Mass. It is beautiful and lighted. Over on the left side, it is dark. Very dark. What's so interesting is that it's dark and huge and it seems to drop off into an abyss. What I realized is that on either side of Jesus hung two thieves. Their responses to Jesus truly reflect the aesthetics up on Golgotha. The "good thief" had the first confession up there on his cross and he repents, asking Christ to remember him. Jesus tells him he will be with him in Paradise. The side with the place for Mass reflects the good thief's decision to come to Christ.--light and beauty. The other thief mocks Jesus and never repents. The side of darkness up on Golgotha reflects his decision to harden his heart and continue to deny Christ up until his last breath. This is the choice laid before all of us: Do we choose to turn to Christ and repent desiring to be with Him in Paradise? Or do we choose to turn away from Christ and be suffocated by our sins to only one day fall off into darkness and the abyss? This Good Friday, as we meditate on Our Savior's Passion, let us do whatever it takes in our lives to always turn towards Christ. May you have a blessed Good Friday, Catholic Pilgrims.
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