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Oh, this book. I have a thousand thoughts swimming around in my head about it.
First, let me say, I am glad I read this book. It’s not necessarily a feel good book and I spent most of the book a tad depressed. Yet, the story telling is excellent.
This is a story set in 1930s Mexico during the Catholic persecutions which gave rise to the Cristeros.
The story follows a “whisky priest” (you never know his name) as he tries to evade authorities. He’s such an interesting character because he isn’t a good man or priest, but he isn’t evil either. He’s a priest that has given himself over to vice (he drinks and has a child), yet you don’t dislike him.
He’s a bad priest and he knows it; he knows he’s unworthy to hear confessions and hold Mass and, yet, something in him hangs on to his calling.
Graham Greene the author was Catholic and he was not, I mean was not, a good practicing Catholic. He abandoned his wife and struggled with fornication and substance abuse, so I have to believe there is a bit of himself written into the character of the priest. With all that said, he gets the Catholic Faith. He writes it so well—the vice, the virtue, human frailty, redemption, hope, and suffering.
I don’t want to spoil the ending, so I won’t say much more. It is a book I would recommend, but to caution for sensitive souls, there is a scene where the priest is in a tightly-packed dark jail cell and a couple is being scandalous by engaging in sexual acts. It’s not overly depicted, but the author makes it clear what it is happening.
My favorite line from the books is: “He knew now that at the end there was only one thing that counted - to be a saint.”
How true that is, Catholic Pilgrims. May we always keep that at the forefront of our mind.
P.S. I did a bonus episode in my podcast where I read a short story by Graham Greene called “The Hint of an Explanation.” It’s all about the Eucharist. You can listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/journeying-with-the-saints/id1602865917?i=1000645856665
Back when my girls were in high school, I was teaching them about what St. Thomas Aquinas had to say about government. Initially, when I was learning this, I was surprised that Thomas believed that a pure monarchy with a just, charitable, and wise king would be optimal. This was surprising to my American eyes. Yet, he knew that humans were prone to tyranny and so, in reality, he knew that a mixed government--a central ruler kept in check by others was probably best. Humans are weak and power is intoxicating. There have been good kings, but too many struggle to not be overwhelmed by the power. Christ, though, is our perfect King. Everything we understand about our Faith is understood through Christ. Mary is only the Queen Mother because Christ is King. We are only heirs to the Kingdom because Christ is King. He is the most beautiful, perfect, excellent, glorious King and I think we forget sometimes that He is King. We try to rule Him by making Him into what we would like, instead of letting Him rule our lives. We run around looking for salvation from worldly powers and always and forever wind up disappointed. The One Who truly saves is Christ. Welcome to the end of the liturgical year, Catholic Pilgrims. May we praise, glorify, and revere our King. Have a blessed Sunday.
Continue ReadingYou've all heard me talk about my friend from college who became an atheist. After becoming an atheist, she told me stories about what it was like growing up in a Pentecostal church. It did not sound good. She told me that growing up, she and her siblings were not allowed to have toys, because toys were from the devil. "How could simple toys be from the devil?" she asked me. "Well, they aren't. That's just superstitious nonsense." This belief was one of the reasons that she abandoned Christianity. To her, it was fear-mongering, controlling nonsense that had no basis in reality. I can't say that I blame her for feeling that way. It wasn't logical for her to then conclude that God doesn't exist, but when your whole foundation of Christianity is built on weirdness, superstition, and, sometimes, abusive practices, you can see why people give up on it. Lately, I've been seeing more and more people--including many Catholics-declaring that certain toys are diabolical or portals for the demons. Honestly, this has been going on for a long time. Care Bears are evil. He-man is evil. Unicorns are evil. Each decade has "evil" toys. This is superstition and we are forbidden to be superstitious. Inanimate objects do not have power in and of themselves. You may counter with, "Well, what about an Ouija Board?" Yes, an Ouija Board is bad because of the action that is intended to be done with it. The board itself has zero power. Sitting there using it to conjure spirits to gain information is opening yourself up to bad things. That is dangerous. New Agey people assign power to objects--this is superstition. We cannot be like this. Toys are toys. They hold no power in and of themselves. The Church does not condemn toys--except very specific ones like Ouija Boards. If we are unreasonable and nonsensical about this stuff, children will eventually figure out that it's just a bunch of superstitious nonsense and, consequently, this will cause them to question actual truths about the faith. Now, yes, can people become obsessed with toys and idolize collecting them. This is wrong and generally comes from a place of trying to fill your life with stuff in order to satisfy your heart's desires rather than seeking God. Do not be led astray by people, even within the Church, who are setting up their own rules for you to follow. Trust in Christ, trust in your baptismal mark, trust in what the Church teaches. Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingWhen I was growing up, and for nearly most of my life, the only conspiracy that was ever really talked about surrounded the assassination of JFK. That was it. Today, everything is a conspiracy. There isn't one event in life that has been twisted into a conspiracy. People believe the earth is flat and that American astronauts didn't really walk on the moon. Around every corner is a dastardly conspiracy popping up. Watch out for the boogie-man! As my husband says with a sigh, "The amount of people that would have to be involved in all these supposed conspiracy theories would be so great that the secret could never be contained. Humans are terrible at keeping secrets." For most of my life, one conspiracy swirled around, which seems a believable number. But, now, when I go online, influencers and popular media personalities are all giving "proof" of conspiracies. Basically, the idea is that nothing can be trusted anymore at all and so even intelligent people are questioning the most basic of facts. And I get why people don't trust our institutions, but the reality is, is that not everything is a conspiracy. It just isn't. What concerns me is the amount of time people waste on fighting about and reading about all these conspiracy theories. It's become an obsession with a lot of people and it's unhealthy. Social media has allowed for people to become "online famous." The way you stay relevant is by stoking fear and claiming to have secrets or "the answer." Humans are curious by nature and if you bait us with a secret or warnings of disaster, many will bite. If you follow someone--especially a Catholic who spends more time showing you all the conspiracies of the world than talking about Jesus--consider how healthy this is for your mind. Jesus is Truth and you will find His truth in Scripture, in the realities of nature, and in Occam's razor--the simplest explanation is usually the best. Now is the time to practice prudence, wisdom, and temperance, Catholic Pilgrims. All this fracturing is not healthy for our minds and souls. Live the faith boldly and travel well.
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