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It’s not often that I showcase a church that isn’t Catholic, but today, I must make an exception.
The church you see below is the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church founded in 1877.
Now, based off the name and the fact that I’m in Montgomery, Alabama now, you probably are like, “Well, that’s Dr. King’s old church.”
You would be right, but there’s so much more to the story and it’s fascinating.
This weekend we did a very short tour with Valerie, from the Montgomery Visitor Center. Valerie might be one of the most likable people on planet earth.
She started our tour where I’m standing, which as you can see is the start of the road that leads up to the Capitol building.
Where I’m standing is a circle with a fountain in the middle. This is where they used to bring slaves, cattle, and cotton to from the river. In this circle, slaves were bought and sold.
Back in the time of slavery, there was another building right up by the Capitol building where slaves were held. It was a holding pen.
But, in 1877, some members of the black community pooled together $270.00 to purchase the lot. They wanted to build a church and so they did. Can you imagine the significance of building a church of God on a site that once held slaves?
Flash forward to 1955. About 20 feet, on my right, where I’m standing in this picture is where Rosa Parks got on the bus the evening of her arrest. Her refusal to move from her seat is what sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.
The church is where “much of Montgomery’s early civil rights activity was directed by Dr. King from his office in the lower unit of this church.” Many meetings were held here to discuss the bus boycott.
Ultimately, desegregation on the buses happened. I find it a beautiful story of God’s victory. The very spot that once mercilessly held slaves was the place where black people met to peacefully gain their freedom to be treated as equals on the bus system. The fact that it was in a church is significant.
I hope you enjoyed this history lesson, Catholic Pilgrims.
In our second reading today, St. Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth. He says, "To you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ." It was the "called to be holy" part that caught my eye. St. Paul doesn't say we can live however we want while calling ourselves a Christian. He, also, doesn't say that we are straight up holy once we become a Christian. He says we are called to be and, that means, there is some participation on our part where we must cooperate with the graces given to us by God and be obedient to Christ's teachings and the teachings of His Church. God calls us to holiness, but we do have to desire it. If we think that we are just "good to go" because we call ourselves a Christian, it will be difficult to desire holiness. I know that I once didn't even desire it because 1. nobody ever talked to me about it. and 2. I thought calling myself a Christian meant I had an assured ticket to Heaven. Consequently, I didn't try to live any differently. In fact, unless you asked me, you wouldn't have known I was a Christian based on how I lived. To be holy means that we want to live out the virtues--courage, prudence, justice, fortitude, piety, etc,-- for love of God and for love of others. We want to orient our lives to look more like Christ's and make choices that don't follow the easy way. We are called to holiness, Catholic Pilgrims. God will work with our desire to answer that call if we ask Him. Have a blessed Sunday. *Church is Mission San Juan Baptista in CA
Continue ReadingIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Today, in our reading from Matthew, the Trinity is revealed. At the Baptism of Our Lord, the Father speaks of His love for His Son, The Son gives us the Sacrament of Baptism, and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove letting us know that this action is sanctified. It is holy and pleasing to God. This is why we baptize in the Trinitarian formula and every single time we do the Sign of the Cross it is a beautiful reminder of our baptism and the saving grace we received from it. We must continue to cooperate with those graces throughout our life, but it/was our entrance into the family of God. So many things happen at baptism: You become a child of God and an heir to the Kingdom. Original sin is washed away and any actual sins if above the age of reason. Your soul is permanently marked as belonging to God. Your soul is filled with grace--the Divine life. You receive the three theological gifts of Faith, Hope, and Charity. You receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn't need to be baptized, but He was showing us what He wanted us to do--this was the new covenantal ritual, circumcision would not be needed anymore. Baptism is the start of our Christian life with God, Catholic Pilgrims. Through it, we are brought into the life of the Blessed Trinity. Have a beautiful Sunday.
Continue ReadingMy 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.
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