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Yesterday at Daily Mass, our priest was talking about spiritual warfare. Referring to the Gospel reading, he asked, "What God to the demons always come after? In our world, when those that hate religion do evil acts, what God do they always attack?" I couldn't help vocally saying, "It's Jesus." The priest said, "That is right. It's always Jesus. The recent gunman who killed the two children in Minnesota and injured many, had a picture of Jesus that he used for target practice. They never use pictures of other religion's gods. Why is that? Because the demons don't waste their time on things that aren't real." After I said, "It's Jesus" out loud, I got choked up and tears welled in my eyes. All Jesus wants to give is love, mercy, and forgiveness and He is hated for it. To hate such Goodness and Love is truly the most tragic thing in the world. In a world full of people desperate for love, it is a most tragically curious thing that Love itself is reviled and attacked. The One True God is Who is always attacked and that should tell us something, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well. St. Gregory the Great, pray for us!
Continue ReadingHappy Labor Day, Catholic Pilgrims! Working is a gift, but a day to rest and honor the good work we do, is important, too. "Perform good works all the days of your life, and do not tread the paths of wrongdoing. For if you are steadfast in your service, your good works will bring success, not only to you, but also to all those who live uprightly." Tobit 4:5-6 Have a blessed day!
Continue ReadingIn 2005, I was in NYC for the first time. My family had been in Connecticut for a graduation and then, with my husband's family, we went to NY to sightsee. I had never encountered so many lights, noise, people, or activity. We had a great time seeing many different things. But, one night, right before I went to sleep in our teeny-tiny hotel room, I looked out the window. All I could see was the brick wall of the building next door which was literally mere feet away. I couldn't see the night sky. All I craved in that moment was my grandparent's house located in a simple town in southeast Kansas. Recently, I went to an Allison Krauss and Union Station concert and they played a new song called, "One Ray of Shine." Part of the lyrics go: "I stand at the backdoor screen This is where I like to lean Trees like a village square Keep me here This is where I rest my head This is where I'll always be Home with a hollow tree In the yard But the wind blows through the radio And the sky is always grey The silence tells the sun To give her one One ray of shine." The picture here is the backdoor screen of my grandparent's house. I haven't rested my head here since 2019, as both my grandparents are gone now. But, man, what a sense of peace and love I always felt standing there. It was always a place of "one ray of shine." While I had a great time in NY, I still had overwhelming feelings of being disconnected and unsettled. I think many of us feel that way right now. So much is dark, tense, uncertain, unsettled, overwhelming, and grey. A fallen world is just that...a fallen world. As things grow increasingly dark, or just don't seem to get better, those that have sunk into despair, will tell us all is lost, so just give up. But, Catholic Pilgrims, we must find ways to, if nothing else, give "one ray of shine." We will never have a utopia here on earth, where we as Christians can kick up our feet and call it a day. We are truly here to fight the darkness. So, live the Faith boldly and travel well.
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