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The Holy Spirit cannot give different people different truths. Years ago, my husband and I were speaking with someone who is Protestant and my husband asked the person, "How do you know that your interpretation of Scripture is correct?" "The Holy Spirit tells me." "But, see, you and I disagree on what it says. I would say that my interpretation was guided by the Holy Spirit, too, but we can't both be right then. How do you know you are right?" "I just do." This isn't a good answer. There are numerous beliefs as to what Baptism is and what it does. The Holy Spirit cannot and will not guide people to different conclusions when it comes to matters of the Faith. Either one person is wrong, the other is, all are wrong, or one is right. What stands out to you in Scripture, what speaks to your soul a particular day, what moves you to contemplation, these are all things that the Holy Spirit can guide you to that may be different from one person to the next. But on what is the Truth of morality, doctrine, and interpretation of Scripture, these are not open to everyone having their own truth or the Holy Spirit sending mixed messages. Christ built one Church--He did not intend for numerous churches that believe different things. That is contrary to the what Jesus taught and what makes sense. He built ONE church upon the rock of Peter and He promised the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. He did not leave us to just figure it out the Faith on our own. No, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide, instruct, and protect His Church. Individual interpretation is dangerous and has led to numerous denominations and confusion, Catholic Pilgrims. There has to be an entity that is guided by the Advocate and it is always wise to start at the beginning and look to who has Apostolic succession. The Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and that is how we are assured of what is right when it comes to issues of morality, doctrine and Scriptural interpretation. It's not because I say so, it's because Christ's Church says so. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
One of the things that blew my mind when I was on the path to converting to Catholicism was the discovery that the Apostles did not have a compiled Bible to work with or refer to. I had never really wondered where we got the canon of Scripture. It fell out of the sky was my best guess. The head teacher, who I help, for OCIA, told the class this year, “The Bible does not insist upon itself.” Meaning, there’s not one letter or book that says, “This book is to be included one day in the canon of Scripture.” No letter or book insists that it must be included. If nothing in the Bible insists upon itself, that means that it had to be compiled. There had to be debates and arguments about what would be added and what wouldn’t. The compiled Bible didn’t come about until nearly 300 years after the last Apostle died. So, what did the Apostles do without Scripture? They didn’t have the New Testament. There are some who preach that Scripture alone is the only way we can know the truths of our Faith. But, today in our first reading from Acts, we see the Apostles and elders making a decision without a compiled Bible. What we see is the teaching authority—the Magisterium—of the Church at work. They decided with help from the Holy Spirit that Gentiles don’t have to be circumcised to be saved. Once they’ve made the decision, they write letters to believers in far off places, and send representatives to delivery the message. Scripture, the Magisterium, and Tradition: These are the pillars of the Catholic Church, Catholic Pilgrims. We are blessed to belong to the Church that recognizes the importance of all three. Have a blessed Sunday.
People have asked over the years how Dustin and I knew each other was the one. Well, many moons ago at the turn of the century, I walked into AF ROTC for my first day. There across the classroom was the most handsome man in blues sitting there and something in me said, "There's your home." If you would believe it, I was engaged to another guy, but I had known for a while that it wasn't going to work. I just felt obligated to stick with the relationship. Eventually--obviously--I broke up with him and Dustin and I became friends. I was attracted to his intelligence and his willingness to have meaningful conversations. I'd never had that before with a guy. I was attracted to how good he was to me--except all the ruthless teasing. 😉 He was daring and adventurous, which meant life with him was never going to be boring. I saw all his potential and I knew that he would be a great dad, a great husband, and just a hard-working, good man. For him, I think what attracted him was the night we were all out with friends and I dumped the whole tray of my Burger King meal into my lap. It was then that he knew what I lacked in grace, I made up in laughs. Little did he know a life of my clumsy moments awaited him. He will also tell you that it brought him great joy to tease me. I couldn't help it and always took the bait, bantering back with a fiery passion. Lastly, I think what really sealed the deal for him was the day I couldn't get the camo face paint off my face but still went out in public. One Saturday, ROTC had a training night where we went out to a lake and had to complete a mission. We were all dressed in our BDUs and we had camo paint all over our faces. It was a fun night. Well, when I got home, I couldn't get it all off and it all smeared over my face in a pale green mess. The next morning, all the cadets had to go to a highway trash pickup and I showed up with my green face. Somebody took a picture and I was the only one who looked like a zombie that just crawled out of the ground. At that moment, Dustin knew that life with me would never be dull. 😎 But, above all, we have always felt like "home" to each other. Have a great weekend, Catholic Pilgrims.
Because of how much St. Joseph is showing up in my life, when I saw that the Hallow app was doing a consecration to St. Joseph, I had to join in. Today, I was listening to Fr. Mike Schmitz talk about how ordinary Joseph was: He was from an obscure, small town, he did a normal, productive job, he probably had a simple childhood. And, yet, this ordinary man took care of the Son of God and His mother. Not too long ago, I went to the mall. As I looked around at the people, I felt a deep sense of sadness for so many. In an attempt to not seem ordinary, so many were hard to see. What I mean by that is they had done so much to themselves that I struggled to see them. They were veiled by distractions and distortions making it impossible to see the real them. I never felt so ordinary in my life. I don't say that to sound proud or better than, it's just a reality. I looked very ordinary. One of the greatest fears of many is that they will pass through this life as just an ordinary person. The internet has made people believe that ordinary is boring and uninteresting. It's also the result of a lack of God in your life. When you don't feel loved by the Father, you feel desperate, in this one life, to make some kind of mark. As we look around, we see numerous people trying to outdo each other in "uniqueness," to the point that they lose themselves in the process. When everyone is trying to be unique in basically the same way then nobody actually is. The ordinary person becomes the one that stands out. Some people are extraordinary in their looks, talents, and personalities. Hopefully, they use those gifts to serve others. However, most of us will be ordinary and God often chooses the ordinary to do amazing things and even, as St. Therese taught us, "small things with great love." St. Joseph, before he stepped into his role as husband to Mary and father to Jesus, was just an ordinary guy living an ordinary life. And, yet, here we are 2000 years later, remembering a guy, who never even spoke a word in the Gospels, all because he followed God's Will for his life. Have a blessed Thursday.
I love the game of baseball. I like watching it. I love playing it. I learned the rules of the game through watching the Royals with my dad. The rules give the game integrity and make it enjoyable to watch. The rules are what allow us to all sit in a stadium and watch the game and understand what is going on. Imagine one day, I meet this person, who we'll call John. John says he's a life-long baseball player and fan. I get excited and ask about his favorite team and all that. John says, "You know, we should get a game going with people in our neighborhood." "Yeah! That would be great!" So, we gather up a bunch of people and head to the field. As we start to play, the batter swings three times and misses. "OUT!" we all yell. Except John says, "Yeah, I don't believe in striking out. You just play until you hit it." "That's not the rules, though." "Well, I don't like that rule, so I don't follow it." As we go on, I soon discover that John actually doesn't know the game of baseball at all. He makes up his own rules; he won't listen. In fact, I find that he doesn't even really know how to play the game. This guy isn't a baseball player. He's just a guy who wants to make up his own type of game, but walk around with the label of being a baseball player. St. Frances Cabrini once wrote, "It is obedience that distinguishes true piety from false piety." Obedience to Christ's teachings and the teachings of His Church is what is necessary for us to have integrity as Catholics. It is a form of pride to pick and choose what you want to believe when it comes to Catholicism. Either you practice the virtue of obedience or don't call yourself a Catholic. John doesn't get to decide what the rules are and it confuses everyone when he tries to make up his own path. Not only that, it makes the game unenjoyable. Jesus said, "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither." How do we remain in Christ? Obedience to Him and His Church is an absolute must. True piety is found in a soul that practices obedience, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Wednesday.
Book Recommendation! In December 2024, I asked you all for lesser-known Classic book recommendations. I compiled my reading list for the year and one of those books recommended was "The Archangel of Westminster." I don't remember who recommended this, but they were a bit sneaky, as this book was written in 2003. I didn't realize that until I went to go get it. The title caught my attention because the topic of angels is one of intense interest for me. I found it a very thought-provoking look at the world of angels. While the author does take some creative liberty with conversations between angels, I found the exploration of these conversations very fascinating. I, also, think the author does a really good job of explaining the thought processes Satan went through to turn from God. Yes, it was pride, but I couldn't wrap my head around how being in the presence of the Almighty didn't convince Satan to stay faithful. A summary: "An American finds himself by mistake in Westminster Cathedral where he encounters Michael the Archangel. Over the course of several days during Holy Week he interviews Michael and receives a first hand account of the great spiritual battle between Jesus and Satan, the temptation in the wilderness, the death and resurrection of the Messiah." My favorite part was the description by St. Michael of what it was like for the angels at the Crucifixion. I had never considered before how the Heavenly Hosts must have felt at that moment, but it was beautiful to think that they were surrounding Our Lord, willing to fight for Him, but told to stay so that we might be saved. Beautiful imagery. This isn't a book on deep theology. It's an easy read, but it does give great food for thought. If you like reading about angels, I think you will like this book. Happy reading, Catholic Pilgrims!
I saw a video the other day of an atheist trying to show that God is super mean. He said, "Imagine if I said to my wife, 'If you don't love me, I'll throw you in a place of burning fire.' That's what God is like." When you come at Christianity like this, your ignorance will, sadly, make you look very foolish. I'd like to help this guy out and show him what really happens. Not that I like to imagine this, but let's say one day my husband came to me and said, "Amy, I don't love you anymore. I want nothing to do with you." I have two choices: 1. I can cling desperately and try to force my husband to change his mind. OR 2. I can let him go and allow him to leave and be separated from me. I might be inclined to try the first option, because I don't want him to leave. If I let him go, then he walks away from all the goodness we had as a couple. He walks away from my love, my care, our life together--everything. The pain of leaving all that behind would be like Hell--cold, lonely, dark, painful. But, in this life, between two humans, Dustin would still be able to experience some goodness. He'd still get to enjoy our children and possibly some of the fruits of our marriage. With God, though, at the moment of your death, if you have chosen to reject Him, He respects that. He respects that you have decided you want nothing to do with Him--nothing at all. And because you don't want anything to do with Him, you are removed from all goodness, all love, all happiness--everything. Every good thing comes from God and, if you decide in eternity that you don't want Him--you don't get to any longer enjoy anything that comes from Him. That's Hell. I like Dante's idea of Hell as a place of coldness and darkness. Cold is the absence of heat; dark is the absence of light. Heat and light are of God and, therefore, it makes sense that Hell would possess neither. To the atheist, Hell is your choice. God respects your desire to not be with Him. If my husband decided to leave me, the pain inflicted would be of his doing--not mine. Let us everyday choose God, who is all good and deserving of all our love, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Monday.
Today, in our Gospel reading from John, Jesus tells us to love one another. We hear the phrase "love one another" pretty often, but what does loving others actually mean? It means: Praying for them. Helping them grow and use their God-given talents. Being a support in good and bad times. Not lying to them about anything, even if the truth is painful. Not lying about them. Desiring that they find their way to God and, ultimately, to Heaven. Admonishing them in charity when they are sinning. You are not loving anybody if you watch them sink themselves in sin. Visiting them. Listening to them. Being generous with your time and treasure. Sharing the Gospel with them. Taking correction from those who genuinely care. Honoring people's dignity, especially the vulnerable and innocent. Forgiving. Above all, willing their good, even when they can't see the good themselves. Have a blessed Fifth Sunday of Easter, Catholic Pilgrims. *Mission San Diego
For most of my life, my grandparents had a big garden. Whenever we would go and visit in the summer time, we always had to take a garden tour and see what my grandpa was growing. My grandparents lived in a tiny Kansas town and these were the kind of things you did when you visited: Tour the garden, go for a drive, have tea on the patio, check out my grandma’s flowers, and feast on delicious food. Simple things that mean even more now that I’m older. My grandparents are gone now, but they left their mark. The past several years, my siblings, my mom and I share pictures of our gardens. We all live in different environments, but the need to garden is basically ingrained in us because of my grandparents. My sister, who would probably admit, never had an ounce of interest in gardening for most of her life, now has a thriving garden. My brother has found a way to make it work in Colorado with raised beds. My mom recently moved and now has space for a huge garden that rivals my grandparent’s. And me, well, I’m limping along out here in the desert, though I do have an indoor hydroponic garden that gives me herbs. 😂 Today is St. Isidore’s feast day, patron saint of farmers. Reading about him today made me think of my grandparents and the way they passed on their love of tending the earth to so many of their grandkids and my mom. There’s something about being good stewards of the land and growing your own food that grounds you. Pun intended. The most beautiful thing to me, though, is that my grandparents live on through us as we garden and try to imitate them. Have a blessed Thursday, Catholic Pilgrims. St. Isidore, pray for us!
For the past two years, my oldest has been serving as a Focus missionary at Berkeley. I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous to have her go there, but we can’t shy away from going into places where Jesus is needed most. Rhianna has always been up for a challenge and has never been one to shy away from the hard things. It has been incredible to watch her and her team work so hard to help students grow in relationship with Christ and each other. Dustin and I have had the privilege of hosting some of those students at our home and it has been a blessing for us. To know my Rhianna is know that she thrives on human connection. Focus gives her ample opportunities to connect through coffees, Bible studies, mission trips, late-night talks, grocery store runs, spontaneous picnics, and retreats. I know she has planted many seeds, and I know, that God has blessed her immensely through the people she has met. Her time at Berkeley ends today. As a military brat, she knows moving and leaving very well. It’s always sad to leave behind friends and places, but duty calls elsewhere. Rhianna will now be the team director for the Focus missionary team at the Air Force Academy. I can’t think of a better fit for her. She grew up living the Air Force life, she’s knows the lingo, the lifestyle, and she’s high energy. So, she and my mom are rumbling down the road to the next mission field. Please pray for their safe travels. As we sing in the Air Force…”Off we go, into the wild blue yonder..” 🎶🎶 Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims.
It took me years into my conversion to Catholicism to invite Mary into my faith life. After converting, it wasn’t that I was against her, it’s just that having a relationship with the Saints felt foreign. Growing up Protestant, I was never taught to have relationships with the Saints. Mary is really only mentioned at Christmas. You are taught that you don’t “talk” to people in Heaven because that’s “talking to the dead.” Well, except your grandparent who is now “an angel” and who you ask to watch over you. That’s fine. So, I just didn’t know how to invite Mary into my life. My early attempted conversations with her went something like this: “Hey, Mary. How are you? Good? Cool. So…thanks for being Jesus mom. K-bye.” Through the years, I’ve learned to naturally bring Mary and other Saints into my faith life. As baptized believers, we make up the Body of Christ. A body’s parts are connected. To cut off body parts from other body parts means to sever a once working relationship. Then, the body doesn’t work properly anymore. The Saints are still a part of the Body of Christ and they are the healthiest parts of the Body. It makes no sense that God would cut us off from each other. My conversations with Mary go more like this, these days: “Mary, I’m struggling right now. I feel impatient and grumpy. Would you please pray for me?” Today, we honor Our Lady of Fatima, Catholic Pilgrims. Here is the beautiful church at Fatima. Like a good mother, Mary often comes to warn us and encourage us to draw closer to her Son. That’s what she wants more than anything—a world united in love for Jesus. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.
The priest at Mission San Diego said something interesting yesterday in his homily. “The early church had to work out fully who Jesus was. How crazy was it that God would become one of us? Or vice verse, it’s crazy that a human was also God. Many couldn’t get this and so Jesus was merely an amazing man. But, if you only ever know Jesus as a great guy, nothing much will change in your life. However, if you fully embrace Jesus as the God-man, everything changes in your life.” He concluded that people still try to do this with Jesus today: “He was a wise sage.” “He was a social justice champion.” “Jesus didn’t resurrect actually.” “Much of what Jesus did was symbolic.” “Yes, He resurrected, but He definitely didn’t come up with the Eucharist. That’s a bit much.” In all these ways, people are trying to make Jesus simply human, because Jesus being human is easier to get our minds around. We try to limit God. The more people try to do that, the less and less Jesus transforms their lives, until, He fades and nothing changes. Jesus is fully God, fully man. When you trust in that and fully embrace ALL His Divine teachings and ALL His miracles, well, everything changes for the better. Life the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims. *Mission San Diego
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