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Today is the birthday of St. Frances Cabrini, the featured saint for Season Five of my podcast, "Journeying with the Saints." If you want to get to know a person read their words. This lets you into their mind--what they think about, dream about, fear, and love. Saints can seem distant, untouchable, and unknowable when all we do is see statues of them or hear about their feast day. Once we read their words, they become so much more real to us. I knew of Mother Cabrini, but I didn't know her very well before reading her letters. I was always impressed with hearing how much she had accomplished in her life as a missionary, but I didn't really understand how she went about doing so much. I knew she relied on God, but what that looked like for her, I didn't really get. We are almost at the end of Season Five and reading Mother Cabrini's letters has been so enriching for me. When I saw this stained-glass window at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, CO, I told my son, "This is just how I imagined her on the steamers writing to her Daughters." Since getting to know her, I talk about her to people all the time. I tell her story, give interesting details about her, share the magnitude of her missionary work, and describe how close she was to God. I have realized that when I'm talking about her, it's like sharing the story of a friend that I love very much. And that's the truth of the matter, I have come to love her and see her as friend now. So, happy birthday to St. Frances Cabrini, the first canonized American saint. St. Frances Cabrini, pray for us!
Most of us aren't ever going to come across someone out in public who is literally battered, bruised, and left for dead. It's not impossible that we would stumble upon such a situation, but the chances are more likely that we will come in contact with someone that is spiritually or emotionally battered. Way back at the start of my husband's career in the Air Force, I took a summer job at base legal. I was a front office helper with very little work to do. Most days, I was bored out of my mind. There was too little work for too many people. This suited my immediate boss just fine. She was content to do nothing and even got annoyed when people came to receive services. Consequently, I spent much of my time at work trying to find anything to do. My time there was not long after 9/11 and a lot of people on base were deploying people. One day, the phone rang and I answered, "Base legal, this is Amy." The guy on the other end was crying and said, "Ma'am, I just came home from deployment and my wife took my kids, took everything in my house, and cleaned out my bank account. I have nothing. I'm just calling to see what my legal options are." I wasn't able to pass him off to a JAG officer right at that time, but I chose to stay on the phone with him and listen to him. I knew the truth of the matter was that base legal could help very little. He needed an outside attorney. But, I decided to offer my ear. After a good while of listening, I was able to pass him over to an attorney and our phone call ended. My immediate boss started scolding me by saying, "We are not a counseling agency. You can't be holding up the lines talking to people we can't help." I responded back, "Look, I am not about to hang up the phone on someone in that situation. I didn't counsel him, I offered my time and attention." Today's reading from the Gospel of Luke is about the Good Samaritan, a story we are all familiar with. Like I said in the beginning, most of us won't come across people on the side of the road left to die, but we will come across people that need our time, attention, and love. Have a blessed Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Altar is from Mission San Gabriel in Los Angeles, CA
Yesterday, my oldest daughter and I were FaceTiming with my sister. At one point in the conversation, we got around to talking about an old boyfriend of my sister's that she dated like 20 years ago. Needless to say, he wasn't the best guy to her. My sister said, "Did I tell you guys that he wrote me a letter awhile back?" My daughter and I were shocked. "What?! No, you didn't tell us. What did he say?" My sister had a screen shot of it and she started searching for it to read it to us. While we were waiting, I was joking about him. In my mind, I assumed the letter was going to be some sappy I-want-you-back letter. I thought, "Oh, boy, can't wait to hear this pathetic letter. Of course, he's been obsessed with her all this time." My sister found it and she read it to us. After each sentence, I kept waiting for him to beg and plead for her back. But..he didn't. In fact, the letter was an apology letter. He apologized to my sister, took complete ownership for his bad behavior, and wished her well. That was it. No begging. No desperation. No strings attached. It was simply him trying to make amends. I was stunned. And then I felt two things: 1. Shame over how quick I was to assume that the letter was just going to be some pathetic attempt at getting my sister back after all these years and 2. A deep sadness that I have never received such a letter from my two boyfriends that treated me so terribly. Very quickly, though, I changed my heart and mind. I needed to be glad that my sister's ex had changed as a man and tried to make peace. We should be grateful when people have a true conversion and owe up to their sins. I needed to be thankful that he apologized to my sister. As for not receiving apology letters myself, well, I need to be okay with that. Maybe it will happen, but maybe it won't. I need to continue to pray, though, for my two ex-boyfriends regardless. May we always hope and pray that people find a way to confession, redemption, and, if possible, reconciliation, Catholic Pilgrims.
This is Mission Miguel in Sante Fe, New Mexico. It is the oldest church in the United States, which the original walls and altar built in 1610. It's so wonderful that we still have it. There was a time, when the church was the focal point of a town or village. Life moved and centered itself around the church, because the Sacraments were just that important. Whenever people moved to a new area, a church needed to be built. It was a necessity. You don't hear too often, though, of people moving to an area because of a vibrant church community. Jobs and schools are the two main considerations, which isn't bad in the slightest. Both of those things are important things to consider. However, I rarely, if ever, hear someone mention the importance of moving somewhere where the church community is strong and thriving. It's a lower-tiered consideration, if it's even one at all. Of course, work may call you to a place where life isn't centered around church and worship. In those circumstances, it is up to us to continue to find ways to feed our hearts and minds with good spiritual things. Our souls cannot be neglected. I love St. Frances Cabrini's practice. No matter where she was or what island or country she was sailing past, she always looked for the steeples to let her know where Jesus was residing in the Tabernacle. Have a blessed Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims.
On our road trip, my husband and I stopped in Oklahoma City for the night. We got in town with time to go visit Blessed Stanley Rother's Shrine. It was one of the places I've been wanting to see. We got there kind of late in the day on a Wednesday, so there weren't many people around. As we were walking up the sidewalk, I saw a worker standing with a small group of people and she looked like she was trying to protect them. As I got closer, I could see that there was a lady there who clearly was causing problems. She looked a bit disheveled and agitated. She was not speaking kindly and it seemed she was maybe on drugs. As we approached, the worker tried to block her from us and, smiling nervously, encouraged us to make our way to the church. The second we passed by the small crowd, the upset woman immediately started following my husband and me. It was then that she started spewing the most vile things at us, specifically at my husband. I was so grateful that my son was not around to hear her words. There is a scene in "The Green Mile" where the wife of the warden is seriously ill. Normally she is the sweetest most gentle woman, but because of a brain tumor, her whole personality changed into what resembled demonic possession. That's exactly how the lady following us was acting. At first, given my background of working in a field that brings you in contact with awful behavior, I thought for sure she was using drugs. And she may have been. I was worried that she was going to follow us into the church and I couldn't bear to think of her language in such a holy place. But, as we opened the door, she stopped before the steps. Stopped like she hit a wall and couldn't go any further. Then I knew, this had to be possession. Part of me wanted to rebuke the demon within her, but I've never done anything like that before. Could I even do that? Do I have that power? I do as a baptized and confirmed Christian and I should have done it. The second I saw that she couldn't cross the threshold of the church and realized what was going on, I should have rebuked that demon and prayed for her out loud. In our Gospel reading today, the disciples realize that the demons are subject to them because of Jesus' name and Christ affirms that. To be sure, regular lay people shouldn't go around trying to be exorcists, but, if the situation calls for it, we should use the power of Jesus' name. Also, not everything is demonic possession and we shouldn’t jump to that conclusion in haste. The cops showed up and she ran off, but I've been thinking about her a lot. I've been praying for her and for myself to have courage if ever faced with that situation again. Spiritual warfare is real, Catholic Pilgrims, and we need to use all the tools available to us. The most powerful being the Holy Name of Jesus. Have a blessed Sunday.
Our military family has lived all over this great country—up, down, down, east, west, middle and some repeats. I’m a Kansas girl, my hubby is a California guy. None of my kids were born in the same state. On our recent road trip, my husband and I commented numerous times about how truly incredible this country is. We, also, met many amazing and friendly people along the way. It’s easy to bag on something when you only prefer to see everything in a negative lense. It’s easy to find the bad when you constantly look for the bad because you want to find it. Ungrateful souls rarely appreciate anything. But, I am grateful for this country and I’m grateful for the people who fought to give us this country. Living all over and traveling all over gives one a deep appreciation for the varied beauty of our land and the interesting aspects of each region’s culture. America is good and beautiful and I love her. I will always love her. It is not uncommon for me to thank God above for the fact that I am an American. Have a wonderful Fourth of July, to my fellow American Catholic Pilgrims. God bless America.
These are St. Frances Cabrini's shoes. Of all the things I saw at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colorado, these were what stood out to me the most. My son and I went into the museum at the shrine and it was special for me to see her things—her nightgown, her habit, toiletry items, and such. When I came upon her shoes, I looked and I said to my son, “Wow. These are the shoes of a missionary.” Basically, they are the shoes of obedience. I’ve said this before but it bears repeating—obedience is an ugly word in our culture. Too many people only want to be obedient to themselves. Swaths of people don't want to feel obligated to do anything. In fact, most people see things done out of obligation as an utter burden and a form of oppression. The going thought is that everything you do must be done only if it’s super fun, super desirable, and something you really want to do. It’s why everyone whines about adulting these days. Being an adult carries with it a lot of obligations that we should be obedient to, but that puts a bad taste in our mouths. The shoes of someone who hates the word obedience would, I imagine, be clean and like-new. Why? Because they will not go where they need to go. Which in the end, means they only serve themselves as stagnant, unmoving people. Mother Cabrini was obedient to God and her shoes reflect that. Through reading her letters on my podcast, we’ve been with her as she’s traveled back and forth over the ocean, walked streets looking for a church, rode donkeys, climbed mountains, jumped chasms, and worked in the slums. She did not count the cost to herself, but instead was willing to go. Her shoes show that she went where God called her and she was obedient. Because of her obedience she did amazing things. She is still remembered to this day for her great works and all her sacrifices for others. Her worn-out shoes remind me of my favorite Bible verse, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 She ran the race of obedience and her shoes were worn out from perseverance, faithfulness, and love. May we all be obedient to Christ, Catholic Pilgrims.
The California missions are some of my favorite places in the country. I've been so blessed to visit 10 of the 21. Because the media and our universities love to villainize any European from long ago, St. Junipero Serra is often demonized because he came in contact with the Native Americans in California. Never mind that universities were given to us by the Catholic Europeans, but I digress. These people who smear his name have no real understanding of who he was or what he was trying to do. Most people have never read his words or attempted to read biographies about him written by those who knew him. Instead, in immature fashion, they label him bad because he was from Spain which was colonizing at the time. Through the many years of homeschooling my children, one of the things I teach them is to always read primary sources. You need to read the actual words of someone before you can make an informed decision on them. I have taught them not to just take what others are saying about someone, but instead, go to the source. In my children's curriculum, they have to read a portion of St. Junipero Serra's Diary where he explains his day-to-day activities. It is very ordinary in many ways, but, also, shows the heart of the man and his deep love for the "gentiles," as he calls the Native Americans. At one point he writes, "But greater was the number of poor sheep wandering in such great numbers of gentiles of both sexes and of all ages, that not only do not flee from us like others at the beginning, but stick to us, as well along the road as at the stopping place, as if all their lives they had known us and treated with us; so there is no heart for leaving them thus. I invite them all to San Diego. May God fetch them to us there or bring them ministers who shall guide them to heaven in their own land." He taught these "gentiles" many wonderful skills and worked tirelessly for the salvation of their souls. All for love of God and neighbor, he labored, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed day. St. Junipero Serra, pray for us. *Picture is of Mission San Diego
Today, my family is busting out of the desert and going on a road trip. Oooohhhh, there are so many things I have on my list to see and most of them are special Catholic places. I’m not going to share them with you now, but surprise you with them as we go. Because that’s just way more fun. So, if you have prayer intentions for me to pray for on this trip, let me know. As always, you don’t have to share details if you aren’t comfortable with that. Each day for two weeks, I’ll pray for all your intentions. This will be one of the ways I can bring you along on the journey, or shall I say, pilgrimage. Please keep me and my family in your prayers, look for videos, and I hope to bring you some cool pictures. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
In 2023, my family went to Portugal and we got there on a Sunday. Upon getting to our home, we had to change clothes and find a church for Mass. We were tired, hungry, but it was getting late and we were running out of time to find a church. We winded through the streets trying to find the church my husband had located, but the GPS was working right. We never found that church. But then, we ended up at the St. Anthony’s Church built on the site where his home once was and Mass was just starting. We sat in the very back in the dark, warm, and richly colored church and I saw my family struggling to stay awake, especially during the lengthy homily in Portuguese. My son fell asleep on my lap. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t have even thought twice about passing up Mass for food and rest. I have realized, though, that these are the times when I can greatly show my love for God—when it’s not necessarily convenient to get to Mass. As I sat on that back bench in the dark, rubbing my son’s head, I was happy that we made the effort to come. All for love of God. Have a blessed weekend, Catholic Pilgrims. St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us!
Each morning, I get up to pray and write. It just so happens that sometimes my adult daughters will call or FaceTime me at this time. They know it’s probably safe to call after 5:30am, because they know Mom will be up. Like this morning, I was listening to my Sacred Heart Retreat and my oldest called. I answered and she was bubbling over with good news. We chatted and then she had to go. After we hung up, I thought to myself, “I’m so happy my kids call me. Even if it’s just for a moment to pop in and share a quick bit of news.” What I’m even more happy about is that they know I will always answer. Unless I simply can’t, they can interrupt me at anytime. This got me thinking about God and how we can always, always come to Him to talk. Because I am human, there are times when I can’t take my kids’ calls. I can be interrupted from something, but God can never be interrupted. We often think that we have to have a long prayer session in order for our prayers to be worthwhile, but that’s not true. Sometimes, I get long phone calls with my kids which I love. But, sometimes, I get just a minute or two and I love that, too. We can check in with God at anytime. No matter what. He is always waiting and He is delighted when we check in with Him. To the best of my ability, I try to let my children know that I am available or I will do my best to be available. With God, we never have to wonder—He is always available to us. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
Last week, my son and I went into town to do some errands. My daughter over at Mustard Seed Shop created a downloadable summer activities list for people, so after our errands, we went to complete one of the activities. It was to go to a coffee shop and write someone a letter. As we walked into the shop, I noticed there was a man waiting on food that appeared to be homeless. He was very smiley and polite to the workers. He got his sandwich and cup of water and went to sit down. My son and I ordered our drinks and found a place to write our letters. We weren't sitting too far from the smiley guy and when I looked his way, we caught eyes and we both smiled at each other. There are some people in this world that when you look at them, you can totally see what they looked like as a little kid. He was one of those people. As we were writing our letters, I noticed that my son kept looking at him. I could tell that he was really taking him in, not in a negative way, but just trying to understand maybe how someone could come to that point. Since the smiley guy couldn't see him looking at him, I let my son be to ponder things. When it was time for him to leave, he very intently cleaned up his table and even went so far as to wipe it off, cleaning off all the crumbs. He packed up his backpack and left. My son and I finished up our letter writing and went to go get into the car. My son said, "Why did he act that way?" He was referring to how the man talked to himself. "Well, Honey, he may have a mental illness. Long use of drugs can make you act that way, too. Or it could be both things. I don't know for sure. Then he said, "Well, I'm pretty sure he has a good heart." "Do you say that because he cleaned up his space so neatly?" "No, because he prayed before he ate his food." "You know, Buddy, it's hard to know a person's story and what led them to the place they are now. Some people grow up not being loved well. Others get in with the wrong crowd and a lot of people have something really bad happen in their lives that they don't know how to handle. It's sad that there are a lot of hurting people out there and when I see them, I often ask in my head, 'Who didn't love you well?' But, what I am really happy about is that both you and me saw goodness in him and we can pray for him." Love those around you well, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a beautiful Wednesday.
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