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A Catholic PSA: Social media does not always bring out the best in people. Social media can be used for a lot of positive things, but we must be prudent and choosey on who we allow to speak to our minds and hearts. What I want to caution against today is following any "influencer" that shames or belittles their spouse on social media. We shouldn't be belittling our spouses in private either, but it is especially egregious to trumpet out your criticisms to the wide world. When you married your spouse, you did not marry yourself. You married another unique individual with their own mind and own way of seeing the world. They do not have your brain or thought processes. They are flawed, just as you are and it's important to remember that. There is no perfect marriage out there and we shouldn't pretend that our marriage is perfect. Acknowledging that no marriage is perfect doesn't mean that we have permission to drag our grievances towards our spouse out into the public square, especially when they can't defend themselves. Remember with influencers that we often only hear one side of the story. It's good to talk about issues that may arise in marriage and how to work through them. But, be very wary of following someone that gripes and complains about their spouse for likes and views. And be even more wary of the person that views themselves as never in the wrong and thinks their spouse is the only one that needs to work on themselves. Your spouse is yours to love. Will they always do everything right? No. Will they sin? Yes. Will they hurt you at some point? It is certain. Will you do the same to them? Yes and I highly doubt you would want them creating videos criticizing you to everyone. One of your jobs as a spouse is to guard your spouses dignity and help them get to Heaven. This is not always an easy task, but it is what we are called to do in the Sacrament of Marriage. Follow people that seek to be edifying, Catholic Pilgrims, especially when it comes to living out the married life. Live the Faith boldly and travel well.
Well, it’s a sad house for our family. Yesterday, our Mittens passed away and after 16 years with her, the house feels strange. She wasn’t here to sit with me during my prayer time this morning. Take it from a military spouse, all the bad things happen when the active duty member is TDY. She just got old. For the past few days, we’ve basically been doing kitty hospice here at home. She still purred right up to the last day. She was just the best kitty—a snuggler extraordinaire, a sweetie tooth, and opinionated as all get out. We got her back in 2009 when we were stationed in Florida. My huband’s co-worker had found her out wandering around and she was pregnant. The co-worker had too many pets already, so she couldn’t keep her. We took her and her little kitten in and they’ve both been with us ever since. She lived in eight different states, some twice, and she made the overseas trip to be a Turkish kitty for one year. Five of her moves were cross country. She was a true blue military cat. I’m not one that puts pets at the level of people. Pets are pets, but they are special parts of the family. Their different personalities and the joy they bring are, for me, signs that point to God. I’m grateful He gave us animals to enjoy. We are going to miss our Mee-Mee, our Mitters, our Mittens Aurelius. We’ll love her always to the tippity top! Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims.
I was telling my OCIA class this morning that there is no sin that you could bring to the confessional that would shock the priest or cause him to condemn you. The confessional is where we go to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. Some of the sins from my past are so awful. I tell you all a lot of things about the wrong I’ve done, but somethings I don’t. In fact, if I were to write out these sins, many of you wouldn’t believe I committed such things. The graces I have received since my first confession have transformed me. I’m not perfect, but I am changed for the better. You wouldn’t be able to believe that I once was so sunk, but I was. I hear sometimes about a famous person that has come to Christ. They had some big, monumental sins, but they’ve changed. And, yet, people will not accept their inner conversion. The pharacitical mob (if that’s a word) trounces on them, condemning them to hell. We often don’t give people the space to change for the better. Too many refuse to accept a true conversion. In their minds, Christ doesn’t get to decide who is forgiven and who isn’t, they decide. Everybody’s gets stoned except them. We must have hope, though, that people can change; that people can give their life over to God after being the biggest sinner. Otherwise, what the heck are we hoping and praying for when we want people to turn from their sinful ways? I’m living proof that God’s grace and mercy can transform a heart. I’m a work in progress, just like you, humbly coming to Christ for renewal everyday. Have a blessed fifth Sunday of Lent.
Back when we lived in Alabama, my son decided for us that we needed to go to daily Mass. We lived really close to the church, we homeschool, and why not? So, we started going and it became life to me. Watching my son assist as altar server at daily Mass was truly a joy. Once we moved on base in Cali, we attended daily Mass when it was available. But, in November, our priest retired and Mass was only available on Sundays. Daily Mass was gone. I felt the loss of it. Maybe with a bit of unconscious hope in my heart, my son, my daughter, and I went and cleaned up our tiny Blessed Sacrament chapel. We dusted, vacuumed, and put out new flowers. We came to visit Jesus and I prayed fervently for a new priest. Maybe I was preparing for him to come. Then, on the Feast of the Annunciation, my friend, who works at the chapel, texted me and wrote, "Good morning, Amy! Father Joe is here and we will be having daily Mass." I was so happy to get that text. So, we got a new priest and we got daily Mass back. Our new priest is Father Joseph and, later, I want to share with you all how St. Joseph has been showing up in my life a lot lately. Anyway, this is a reminder that even in this season of Lent, when things can be a bit stark and dry, God still provides great gifts. Even in a desert, sometimes the cup truly does runneth over. Have a blessed Fourth Friday of Lent, Catholic Pilgrims.
This past weekend at Mass, I got to see a perspective that I’ve never seen before. Because I help teach OCIA and because I’m going to be a godparent for one of the elect, I was standing up front during the scrutinies. The priest had the congregation rise so that we could all say the Nicene Creed. “I believe in one God…” Hearing and seeing the full church rise together and profess our faith from the vantage point of being up front was a very cool experience. The First Council of Nicaea took place in 325 AD and that’s where we got the Nicene Creed. We’ve been saying it since that time. When we lived in Turkey, we used to drive past Nicaea, called Iznik today, pretty frequently when we would go up to Istanbul. Why we never stopped is beyond me. Stupid. This picture is from the shores of the big lake that Nicaea sits by. It’s called Iznik Gölü. I got choked up at Mass thinking of the significance of how what was written so long ago in a different culture, with a different language has stood the test of time. Here we are saying it millennia later on an American Air Force Base in English. It’s our creed, our profession of what we believe as Catholics. “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light…” That’s good stuff, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Wednesday.
As the Catholic Pilgrim, I have been in so many Catholic Churches now that I have lost count. I've been in countless across the United States; I've been to numerous ones in Canada, Portugal, Turkey, and the Holy Land. I've spent years visiting all these churches and I'm always anxious to share them with you. Every time I enter a church, I take pictures with you all in mind. I want to bring you beauty and wonder. I want you to see the universality of the Church and it's such a joy and blessing to be able to visit our houses of God. I never tire of it. My favorite is when a church’s beauty literally takes my breath away, especially when I wasn't planning on it happening. There are two churches here in the States that floored me, mostly because I wasn't expecting them to. There have been plenty where I was totally expecting the church to wow me, but these two fooled me. The reason I wasn't expecting that much from them was because their outsides were just...nice. One of them was just...okay. On my 40th birthday, my husband took me to Cincinnati for a one day, overnight trip. The next morning, he wanted to take me to see the oldest church in Cincy, Old St. Mary’s. He knows I'm a sucker for old churches. We pulled up and I was underwhelmed. It's the white church on your left in the picture. I didn't expect much going in, but, boy, was I shocked. The beauty took my breath away and I'm not exaggerating. The second one was The Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. We got up to the outside and it was nice, nothing too amazing, though. Once I was inside, I felt like I was in Heaven. Unreal beauty and that monstrance--my, oh my. As I was thinking about these churches, it reminded me of the Eucharist. The Eucharist just looks like a plain piece of flat bread. It looks like nothing special. But, once you look past the ordinary and see with eyes of faith, it is splendid beyond our imagination. It is truly Christ, the most beautiful sacrificial lamb offered for us. The best part? When we receive the Eucharist in a state of grace, it makes our souls beautiful, too. Have a blessed Monday, Catholic Pilgrims. Tomorrow, I'll show the insides.
I got my favorite rendering of Christ on the Cross in the mail yesterday. I wanted it for Lent and to be able to meditate on it especially during Holy Week. If an artist does a good job, you will never tire of looking at their work. Yesterday, I talked about old wounds and how they can still throb every now and then. As I was thinking about Christ’s wounds, I realized that our wounds, too, are caused by the sins of others. That seems a bit duh, but it was a really profound moment for me. Even worse, our sins against others are their wounds that they must bear. Each time we sin against others, there are two nails pounded in: One into the person we are hurting and one into Christ. Our wounds inflicted by others can be united to Christ’s suffering and that is the only way to heal from them. We must forgive as Christ did on the Cross. This is how we imitate Him. Our ultimate goal, however, should be to stop driving nails into our fellow man and into Christ. We do this by living out the two greatest commandments: Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Have a blessed Fourth Friday in Lent, Catholic Pilgrims. *Painting is Christ Crucified by Diego Velázquez, 1632
The other night, I watched a video of a famous soccer player and his girlfriend that opened an old wound in me. Apparently, the guy is one of the best in the world and he’s handsome, and rich, and famous, and all the things. His gorgeous girlfriend is the mother of his two children and she would like to be married. Mr. Player…excuse me, Mr. Soccerman has been holding out to feel a “click” to tell him it’s time to marry her—the magical click moment, which he is 1000% sure is going to happen at some point. Somewhere down the road. Sometime… My heart went out to the woman because she’s hanging on to this promise of the “click” happening. To be sure, she’s not 100% innocent, but I feel for her because I know she doesn’t feel like enough. She’s not enough for him to commit to and that’s painful. I know that feeling. Two of my boyfriends treated me as if I wasn’t enough. There was always a prettier girl to comment on, a “cooler” chick for me to attempt to live up to. I ran in circles trying to please these guys and I tried to survive on to the crumbs they threw out on the floor. After watching this video, I started ranting outloud as I washed the dishes. And at one point my husband came over and hugged me and said, “Shhhhh…you are enough. You are beautiful and you’re more than enough.” I was stiff in his arms because of the anger in me, so he kissed my head and repeated what he said. Then I relaxed and calmed down. We often identify ourselves by old wounds: I’m just the girl who was never enough. Instead, though, we should identify ourselves by those who truly love us and know our worth, that includes good hubbies. Instead of looking to old wounds to identify yourself with, look to your identity as a child of God, Catholic Pilgrims. That is what actually matters. Have a blessed Thursday.
About six months ago, I had a longtime follower start harassing me. This person has followed me for years and the interaction had always been a pleasant one. They seemed solidly Catholic, reasonable, and engaging. Then, after the war started in Israel/Palestine, this follower started tagging me in political posts about the war, taunting me to speak up. They'd tag me on personal posts. Each time, I removed the tag and carried on with my day. When that didn't work, they DM'd me and lectured me about the war and how I wasn't doing enough. It was clear that they had bought into all the propaganda. My question was always the same, "What would you like me to do?" There was never any coherent answer. For a while, I just tried to ignore the tags, the callouts, the whatever, but, eventually, I had to block this person because it got so annoying. I get this from time-to-time: People trying to force me into being outraged about this political thing or that political thing. "You need to take a stand!" "Use your platform to call out injustice!" "Do you not care???????" Here's the deal: I talk about what moves me in prayer--not what moves me politically. Sometimes those two things coincide, most often they don't. I rarely, if ever, rush into joining the outrage mob and I certainly hate being forced into just being a clanging cymbal amongst the other clanging cymbals. Because the truth is, nobody's mind is changed and nobody is listening. Most importantly, though, is that I know that I can only truly affect change in my little sphere of influence. I could run around with my hair on fire fretting about every bad thing that happens on the globe, but that would leave me exhausted and ineffective AND I'd have nothing left for the people right in front of my face. All this to say, don't let people guilt you into trying to save the world, Catholic Pilgrims. Focus on your people, your community, and an area that you are super passionate about. Other than that, there is only so much the human heart and mind can deal with before it becomes overwhelmed. Life the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
Whenever someone asks something of me that involves a commitment, I want to know all the details. How long? What does this exactly entail? What do you expect from me? What are the logistics? Will I like it? It’s hard for me to commit unless I know all that will go on. I struggle to trust and I struggle to relinquish control unless things are going to go my way. That’s why I need the plan—the play-by-play. That way, I can decide if I want to agree. This isn’t all bad. We shouldn’t just blindly do whatever and never ask questions. However, I contrast my response to situations with Mary’s response at the Annunciation. An angel of God is giving her the news that she is to be the mother of the Son of God and she only asks one question before agreeing. Just one. God has picked her for the one of the greatest commitments the world has ever known and she only asks one question. Her trust is amazing and admirable. May we be more like Mary at the Annunciation, Catholic Pilgrims, and trust God when He asks something of us. Have a blessed Feast of the Annunciation.
I’ve never been super interested in reading self-help books. I know a lot of people like them and that’s fine. They aren’t inherently bad. One of the reasons I don’t like reading them is that I notice that they can become a bit of addiction for people. People devour one after the other looking for all the tips and tricks for getting their life in order. Another reason is that they contradict each other. One says to live a good life you must live like a minimalist. Then another says to fill your home with things that show your personality and are a comfort to you. Generally, we cycle through fads with these conflicting views. Granted, there can be self-help books that are fine and have worthwhile information, but on a whole, I find that, as humans, we go searching for all kinds of explanations for how to get our life in order, how to heal, how to make sense of our personality, how to “live our best life,” in complicated, secular books. Sometimes, the best answer is the simplest. Naaman, the leper, in our first reading today, didn’t want to hear that the simple cure for his leprosy was to clean in the Jordan River. It was too simple, but it was the answer. Confession Going to Mass Prayer Read Scripture If we simply did these things consistently, our lives would start to change for the better. These things are never a fad and stand the test of time. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
“If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did.” Luke 13:3 Twice in our Gospel reading for today, Jesus tells us that we must repent or perish. There are two negative responses to our sin. The first is the sin of presumption—to assume that just because we are a Christian, we get to go to Heaven. We presume faith alone saves us; there is nothing else for us to do. This is prideful. The second is the sin of despair—to believe our sin is too great for God to forgive. Strange as it sounds, it’s prideful. We think our sin is greater than God’s mercy. Both of these attitudes can cause us to perish. The right response is to humbly go before God in Confession and repent. We should want to repent if we love God and if we are grateful for His saving grace on the Cross. Lent is the perfect time to go to Confession and allow God’s mercy and love to cleanse you of a soul dead in sin. He wants to help you bear fruit in your life again. Have a blessed Third Sunday of Lent, Catholic Pilgrims.
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