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One of the most frustrating things about having an online presence is when you share something beautiful and meaningful and the kill-joy shows up.
I’ll post a picture of a beautiful church and off in the corner behind a wall, the head of a guitar will be poking out and someone is going to ignore the beautiful church and laser-focus their eyes on the guitar head and exclaim, “Is that a guitar?!?! Now I know what kind of church that is. Humph.”
As if the organ is the only sacred musical instrument.
Or, I’ll post some lyrics of a Rush song that I find super meaningful and someone will ignore the lyrics and exclaim, “Rush?! Don’t they worship the devil???!!!”
(Sigh) No, Rush doesn’t worship the devil. Can we focus on the lyrics? Aren’t they impactful?
Or I’ll share a picture of a Catholic destination and someone will let me know that they blew up my picture to life-size, measured the hem of my skirt and found it to be 1/16 of an inch too short.
You think I’m kidding but I’m not.
My point in saying all this is that it’s important to remember to have joy. If your faith life has turned you into the scowling grump behind the screen that scrutinizes every picture and message with a glass-half empty lens, you will do more harm than good.
If you miss the magnificent forest for the one piece of litter on the ground, you will suck the joy out of everything.
Trust me, I know there is a time and place to correct and admonish, but don’t let that be all you do.
If you find, Catholic Pilgrims, that your inclination is to see all the wrong and never the right, that needs some self-reflection and a good talk with God. And maybe you also need to rock out to a Rush song.
Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.
Since Easter, I think I've read through the journey to Emmaus story three times now. The second time, something really caught my eye. I'm sure I'm not the first to see this. At the very end of the Gospel reading for today, Luke wrote, "Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread." I realized that these disciples were not at the Last Supper, they would not have heard Jesus say to the Apostles, "This is My Body; This is My Blood." The Apostles hadn't yet gone out and celebrated a Mass, because they had thought Jesus was dead, then they were scared, then they were amazed, but still fearful and probably a bit bewildered, to say the least. Nobody had gone out to the disciples and talked about the Eucharist yet. These disciples did not recognize Jesus until He "took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and give it to them." Then they saw Him. I find this such a fascinating, significant clue that we will find Jesus right when the Priest says, "When supper had ended, He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to His disciples saying, 'TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.'" You and I were not at the Last Supper, just like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. Like them, we will find Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, at the Consecration when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, ordinary bread is changed into Our Lord. That's where we look for Him. That's where He keeps His promise to always be with us, not just spiritually, but physically in the continual offering of His Body to the Father for our eternal benefit. Have a blessed third Sunday of Easter, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingAbout a month ago when I was in Phoenix, my family went out to eat at a sushi restaurant. Our waitress was a young, college-aged looking woman, very sweet and slightly shy. Right as we were about to leave, I noticed her Miraculous Medal necklace and asked her about it. She touched it and shyly said, "Oh, yes, I'm Catholic." I smiled back and said, "Me, too. Look, I have on a Miraculous Medal ring." That completely broke the ice with her and, in like five seconds, she relaxed, almost as if she was around family. As we got up to go, she even said, "God bless." This is one of the reasons why I love our sacramentals. They allow conversations to happen. When people come into my home, I have lots of sacramentals and they always, always start a conversation. People travel around my house like it's a museum. I love it, because it gives me a chance to talk about our faith. "What's this glass bottle of water?" "It's water from the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized." "Where did you get this statue of Jesus and Mary? It looks old." "I found it in a box at a flea market in Turkey and bought it for like $2.00." Often the religious jewelry I wear catches eyes and people will ask about it. It gives me chance to talk about Jesus, Mary, or one of the Saints. I've never had a bad conversation--only opportunities to plant seeds and share the faith in a way that feels unobtrusive. I find, too, that it helps make a connection with other Catholics, just like the waitress. I'm not one to stand on a street corner with a bullhorn shouting about Jesus. I'll probably never hold signs asking people if they are saved. You won't catch me going door-to-door to evangelize. But, I will use sacramentals to my advantage and allow them to naturally draw people in. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Church is St. Mary's in Izmir, Turkey
Continue Reading"OKLAHOMA, WHERE THE WIND COMES SWEEPIN' DOWN THE PLAIN." (sang in burly man voice) As much as Kansans get bombarded with "Wizard of Oz" jokes, I imagine Oklahomans get bombarded with this song from the musical "Oklahoma." 😅 It's a great musical, btw. Carrying on, though, my wayward sons, today's small town church showcase is St. Anthony of Padua in Okeene, Oklahoma. (Picture sent in by one of you.) Okeene is a tiny little town with a population of 1,040 and it sits northwest of Oklahoma City. This church was built in 1922. It was built to replace the wooden church before it. That one had been damaged in a tornado and the congregation realized that it was time for brick, instead of wood. Hopefully, a tornado wouldn't be able to blow and blow their brick house down. My husband and I stopped in Oklahoma City on our epic road trip last year and I've been bragging about that city ever since. The downtown was clean, interesting, and felt safe and my husband and I had a great time in The Bricks area. We, also, visited the amazing Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine there which is a must-see. A great day trip would be to go see St. Anthony's in Okeene and then head into Oklahoma City to see the Shrine and enjoy an evening downtown on the riverwalk. The outside of this church is lovely and, looking online, the inside is just what we like to see, too. So, if ever you find yourself sweeping across the plains of Oklahoma and have time to stop, go see St. Anthony's in Okeene, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Tuesday! St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
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