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When I was working at a juvenile detention center, I would often have to make house calls. Teens that were on probation had to be checked in on from time-to-time.
I never went into a house that was healthy. By that, I mean, it was always a home where one parent was missing, the house was a filthy disaster, and the teens were pretty much left to fend for themselves.
It was clear why the teens were in trouble all the time. Their lives were chaos.
I also worked sometimes with the teens that were housed in detention. Some days, we would take the ones in for lesser crimes out to a park for some sun and exercise. We would try to have a baseball game with the teens but it was obvious they had never grown up playing catch or having a parent teach them anything about sports.
All through my years of counseling, rarely did I have a person who came from just a solid, normal family. Nearly all came from broken homes, parents that were neglectful, or a life where family members were exceedingly selfish.
It was—is—incredibly sad. So many of the teens I just wanted to bring home to a safe, warm, loving house and fix them a healthy meal and be a comfort to them.
Families will always be under attack either by society trying to break them up or by sin. Since Christ was born into a loving family, you can be sure that Satan wants families broken, dysfunctional, or not even desired. At the core of it is all is selfishness.
Can families be healthy? Absolutely. The Holy Family, who we celebrate today, is our model. Will we be perfect as they were? No. Can we strive to live out their virtues? Absolutely.
The Holy Family reminds us that love, selflessness, respect, and trust is what makes a good family. Not money. Not a big house. Not fancy things.
Good healthy families don’t just happen, Catholic Pilgrims. They take work and a giving of oneself, but the joy they bring is immeasurable.
Have a blessed Feast of the Holy Family. May they be our guide.
My husband and I were talking to our daughter on the phone the other day and as we were talking, my husband told her about all the different Masses we had been to in one week. We went to our first Latin Mass the Sunday after Christmas. Then, we went to a funeral Mass in San Jose. The day after that, we went to a bilingual Mass at Mission San Juan Baptista--my 12th California Mission. And this past Sunday, we were back at our base chapel with all the familiar faces of our friends that we live with on base. It never ceases to amaze me how good it feels to just walk into a Catholic Church and know that I belong. I don't even have to know anybody. It's always nice when I do know people, but, even when I don't, I feel a great sense of belonging. As the Catholic Pilgrim, I've visited literally hundreds of Catholic Churches in the 16 years since I converted. I've been to Masses where the people spoke French, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, and Spanish. Latin can now be added to the list. I've been to Mass in enormous cathedrals and in small caves. I've attended Mass outside with over a million Catholics and I attend daily Mass on base where sometimes it's just my son and me. In all of these different circumstances, I sense the universality of the Catholic Church. Even when I'm surrounded by people that don't look like me, I feel such a connection because of our Faith and our one shared Feast at the altar--the Eucharist, which is Jesus Christ. What a blessing to be part of this one, big, universal family, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
Continue ReadingWe all remember how, after Charlie Kirk's death, attendance at church dramatically increased. People who had been away from church for years went back. Folks that had never been decided to walk through church doors and hopefully find answers. I saw many videos of people documenting their "return to church" experiences. It was good to see. Running to Christ is always the right answer, tragedy or not. But, then right after Christmas, I started seeing videos of Protestant pastors talking about how they were giving their congregation "time off to rest" for the Sunday after Christmas. It just kills me how low of a bar we set for Christians sometimes. Not even three months out from a huge tragedy in our country which spurred Christian revival are pastors giving their congregations time off to rest. Because, we can't be asked to go to church too much, I guess? It also kills me that we literally just celebrated the birth of the greatest gift God ever gave us and four days later people need rest from church. To be fair, many were not pleased with this "get out of church for free" pass. In today's reading from Mark, though, we see a crowd hungry for Jesus. They follow Him around to hear His teachings, they don't even leave when it's time to eat, they are willing to go without food just to be near Him. They realize that this time with Jesus is THE most important thing. This should always be our attitude, Catholic Pilgrims. Going to Mass is such a blessing and an honor. True rest comes from being with God, not staying away from Him. Because as St. Augustine famously said, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday. *picture is of Mission San Juan Baptista in CA
Continue ReadingBecause I've prepared numerous episodes for my podcast ahead of time, I've already read through Book Two of St. Augustine's "Confessions." This is where we get the famous pear-stealing story. In his thoughts about it, St. Augustine shares that he didn't steal because he really wanted the pears. The pears were inconsequential. He then wonders if he liked the actual crime of stealing OR did he like going along with his accomplices and being part of the gang? I was telling my husband about this at dinner and said, "There are three things to think about with any sin. 1. Do you like the actual tangible thing? Like, are you stealing because you want, say, a gold watch? 2. Do you like the act of the sin itself? Like watching pornography. 3. Do you sin because of the social acceptance it gives you? You go along just because you lack courage to say no?" Now, it could be just one of these things that leads us to sin or it could be a combo. My husband thought for a minute and said, "And with those three things, you are seeking one of the four reasons St. Thomas Aquinas' says we go after happiness--wealth, power, pleasure, honor. If you never think about why you are doing something sinful--to gain wealth, power, pleasure, or honor--and you never look at the three aspects of the sin--the thing you want, the sin itself, or the social acceptance--you will find it very hard to stop committing that sin. What I fiind most interesting about St. Augustine's pear story is that he didn't care about the pears, he didn't really revel in stealing, but mostly just wanted to fit in with the crowd. I was watching a video yesterday from Bishop Barron and he said, "With hot button topics--abortion, euthanasia, etc--Catholics track pretty much in line with the secular culture." Meaning, we don't look any different. We just blend right in, striking no real difference in how we live or believe. I believe this is because too many desire honor. We want to be accepted and liked and, so, lack the courage to swim against the stream. That is why I'm always saying that we must live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Monday.
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