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When I was pregnant my senior year of college, I was still in Air Force ROTC. Once I started to show, I stood out like a sore thumb in my maternity clothes. (Side note: Maternity clothes have gotten way more stylish than when I was pregnant with my first.)
Everyone else was in uniform and there I was in my ballooned shirt and elastic pants that went up to my neck.
One day, I was standing in the hallway of the military science building and one of the younger cadets came over to me and just kind of stood there with a curious look on his face.
He was one of those guys that always joked around and you could never take him seriously, but he just stood in front of me, staring at my pregnant belly.
After a moment, he said in all seriousness, “There’s a baby in there.”
I smiled and laughed a bit and said, “That’s right, there sure is.”
He kept staring and then he said, “It’s crazy that there’s a baby marinating in there.”
I realized that he was, probably for the first time, truly seeing the wonder of a woman’s body and the beautiful miracle of life. I stood out so much in ROTC that he was forced to really contemplate it.
He then looked up at me, smiled, said, “That is so cool,” and then walked away.
Today, is the Annunciation of the Lord. Baby Jesus comes in nine months if you can believe that.
If my pregnant belly caused such awe and wonder in a young college guy, imagine the awe and wonder we should have at the Annunciation where a young Mary became the Mother of God.
Life is beautiful and the way Christ came into the world is beautiful—perfectly vulnerable in the body of a woman, but what a wonderful place to be.
Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims.
*Photo is of the ceiling at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, SC.
Day Nine of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's Location: US NAVAL ACADEMY I've realized that I'm a mid-sized town gal and Annapolis definitely appealed to me. Annapolis is home to the Naval Academy, which I got to visit in 2022. We have two Catholic connections. 1. This gate that you see here is named after Commodore John Barry who was a devout Irish Catholic. He died long before the Academy came around, but he was personally chosen by George Washington to be the very first commissioned officer and first flag officer of the permanent U.S. Navy. 2. If you visit the Naval Academy Chapel there is a basement where you will find a Blessed Sacrament room. It is in honor of Servant of God Father Capodonna, the "Grunt" padre that was killed in Vietnam on September 4, 1967. Every September there is a Mass said in his honor in the chapel. Even though my hubby is an Airman, I am the granddaughter of a WWII Navy vet. While my grandfather did not attend here, it was still special for me to visit. I highly recommend Annapolis, Catholic Pilgrims, and if you are able to be cleared onto the Academy, I would encourage you visit. The grounds are beautiful. Live the Faith boldly and travel well!
Continue ReadingDay Seven of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Our feature for today: NIAGRA FALLS Anybody wanna hop back and forth between borders? The Falls are nearly almost divided in half between Canada and the US. Now, I've never been, so this isn't my photo, but I'm guessing this was taken from the Canadian side. Maybe? But what, Amy, is the Catholic connection, you ask? Well, these Falls were first documented in the 17th century by a Belgium monk named Father Louis Hennepin. He was a Franciscan missionary and his documentation really was his claim to fame. He explored lots of other territory in what would become the United States, but he often embellished his stories and this got him into some trouble. However, he did make an "engraving of the Falls of Niagara. It is out of proportion, but its general features give an accurate idea of the appearance of the Falls at his time." I do hope to go to the Falls someday and apparently in the surrounding area, both in Canada and Buffalo, NY, there are some excellent Catholic Churches to visit. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims!
Continue ReadingDay Five of US landmarks and Catholic connections in our lead up to America's 250th Birthday. Today's landmark: CENTRAL PARK Why does my picture from 2005 look ancient? In 2005 my family visited NY after attending a graduation for my husband's cousin in Connecticut. This is me with my oldest (now 24 years old) at the famous Bethesda Terrace with the Angel of the Waters Fountain. The Pool of Bethesda, if you'll recall from the Bible, was a famous healing site in Jerusalem. The Jews believed that an angel stirred up the water and when it was stirred up, whoever got in first would be healed. So, we have a Biblical connection here. Another one is that Pope John Paul II said Mass on the Great Lawn on October 7th, 1995 for a crowd of over 125,000. Also, one of our most visited Catholic Churches sits just south of Central Park and that is, you guessed it, St. Patrick's Cathedral. Archbishop John Hughes (1797–1864), was one of the most famous Catholics in NY history. He was around when Central Park was being created. He was the first archbishop of NY, when it became elevated to an archdiocese. So, there's your Monday morning Catholic history lesson! Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
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