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I was watching a video yesterday where a Christian conservative was debating a college student who was an atheist. They were supposed to be debating whether college was scam these days or not. The atheist couldn’t stay on topic and kept throwing out non sequiturs. His reasoning was that college wasn’t a scam because Jesus was a scam. One doesn’t have anything to do with the other. He kept asking the Christian questions about Christianity and whenever the Christian would try to answer, he’d get out maybe three words before being interrupted. The college guy sat there smirking, shaking, and interrupting. The whole conversation was utterly fruitless. Today, in our first reading from Acts 8, we hear about the eunuch who was reading Isaiah. Philip comes up to him and asks him if he understands it and the eunuch responds with, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” What a truly humble response. I’ve always been so impressed with the humility of the Ethiopian eunuch in realizing he doesn’t know everything. It’s refreshing because we see so little of it these days. Everyone thinks they are an expert in everything. Few people listen to understand. And when it comes to Scripture, far too many think they are Biblical scholars and have all the answers. The atheist in the video kept throwing out questions about Christianity but he wasn’t willing to listen to the answers from a Christian. His snobbish pride left him looking like a fool. Back when I was arguing with my husband about Catholicism, I’d frequently throw out challenges to him. As he’d begin to answer, I’d cut him off and tell him what Catholics believed. He finally got fed up and calmly said, “Amy, don’t ask me a question and then cut me off. You aren’t Catholic, so don’t tell me what we believe. Either listen to me or don’t ask your questions.” I felt like such a fool and I shut my mouth. The eunuch’s approach is one of humility and it is a good lesson for us all, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Thursday.
We aren’t the ones who elect the pope, Catholic Pilgrims. But, whether you are the laity, part of the clergy, or a Religious, we do have a job in this Conclave. It is our job to pray. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our Cardinals as they discern our next earthly spiritual leader. Don’t pray stressed. Pray, instead, with trust that God will never abandon us and that, no matter what, His Church will stand until Christ comes again. Let’s pray boldly and with great Faith. St. Peter, pray for us!
In the early years of our marriage, whenever Dustin and I would get into an argument over Catholicism, I was always the angrier one. Even though I was wildly ignorant about Catholicism, I thought I knew it all. I’d yell at Dustin and always try to raise my voice to drown out his words. I’d cut him off as he was trying to explain why my arguments against Catholicism were wrong. I was trying to not let his words fall on my ears. The crowd stoning Stephen in our reading today from Acts 7, behaved just like me. As Stephen was trying to teach them about Jesus, they “cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him.” It’s the covering of the ears part that is so telling. It’s an attempt to protect your pride by not allowing the truth to penetrate you. It was hard for me to hear my husband prove me wrong. Everybody wants to believe that they are always right and it kills us to hear someone correct or admonish us. Most often, those that scream, yell, cover their ears, and seek to silence others realize they don’t really have the truth or moral upper hand on their side. However, they can’t stand the thought of examining themselves and considering a change of thought. When you won’t do this, bad things always happen, like Stephen getting stoned. Thankfully, my husband got through to me and once I actually listened, he gave me the keys to unlock the beauty of Catholicism and eventually come home. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Painting is of St. Stephen. It’s in a Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Istanbul.
I was telling someone the other day that I come from a generation where I can distinctly remember life before the internet and social media. They asked me, "Do you like now or then better?" "Then, for sure. Life was much simpler and not as distracting. Everywhere you turn now, someone's trying to make you mad or trying to cause fear." The Conclave to elect our new pope starts tomorrow. Since Pope Francis died, all forms of media have been in full-up distraction mode. Each day, there is something put out there to get us anxious, mad, or fearful. I'm not here to talk about all the tackiness and the sensationalism of it all. Quite frankly, I find it boring and just exhausting. It's all just so mind-numbingly ridiculous and it won't matter one bit six months from now. I'm not interested in wasting energy on any of it. Let's just have peace, Catholic Pilgrims. Peace of spirit. Peace of mind. Peace in our prayers. The devil wants us, as Catholics, to lose our peace over all this and it's just not worth it. Let's trust in the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinals and tune out the side-show circus all around us. What is needed right now is a laser-focus on lifting the cardinals up in prayer as we trust in God's Divine Providence. Have a blessed and peaceful Monday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Over the years, while hugging one of my children, I'll ask them, "Do you know that I love you?" Thankfully, they always answer, "Yes." I asked my son this not that long ago and after he answered, I had a follow up question, "How do you know that I do?" He said, "Well, you teach me. You make me yummy food. You read to me. You give me hugs. You come watch me play sports." I smiled and said, "I'm glad those things make you feel loved. I would do anything good for you to make you feel loved." "Like play Monopoly everyday?!" "No, not that." "But you said anything good! And that's my favorite game ever and you only play it on my birthday." "Momma ain't got time for that never-ending game." Lol. I noticed that my son didn't say, "I know you love me because you tell me." He knows in the ways that I show him through my actions. Jesus asks Peter in our Gospel reading today if he loves Him. Peter says that he does. But, after each response from Peter, Jesus tells him to do something. "Feed my lambs." "Tend my sheep." "Feed my sheep." It is not enough to just say that we love someone--words are easy to say. The way we prove our love is by showing up through our deeds--in our service to each other. I've always told my kids, "Words and actions must align. If someone says they love you but their actions consistently are neglectful, hurtful, or disinterested, their love is not sincere. You know that your dad loves me because he not only says so, but he shows me. Always look for that consistency and be consistent yourselves." It is the same with our love for God, Catholic Pilgrims. If we love Him, our actions should show it. Have a blessed Sunday. *St. Vincent's in LA
When I was at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Colorado Springs for my talks this past weekend, I got to meet some wonderful ladies. In some way or another, the ladies were connected to the military--either they were active duty, active duty dependents, those who've retired from military life, and even a few moms whose daughters were connected. I'm telling you, if you wanted a cool story there, you needed to talk to the older ladies. Over lunch and dinner, I got to hear tales of adventure and courage that were amazing. One women's husband was active duty, but she was also a contractor for the government. She traveled all over the globe, usually into dangerous places. She did whatever it took to find Mass no matter what country she was in. She told us this one story, of how she discretely asked around in the markets for the location of Mass and one person told her, "Once the sun goes down, go out into this field, walk past the old gate, beyond that you will see a tree, head that direction and you will find the Mass." She did it, all by herself, and participated in a secret Mass in some obscure field. Story after story, several ladies wowed me with their bravery and spunk. I found that through giving them space and time to tell their stories, they blossomed. There's a song called, "Where Rainbows Never Die" and part of the lyrics say: "I'm an old man now, I can't do nothing Young folks don't pay me no mind But in my day, I sure was something Before I felt the heavy hand of time" My dad says this is so true. As you age, people stop seeing you and wanting to hear your stories and wisdom and, boy, does my dad have some amazing stories. In a culture that idolizes youth, we neglect the people that can give us the most insight. We don't even consider that older people have some pretty amazing stories to share that can teach us a lot or even inspire us. One of the ladies said to me, "God gives you a certain amount of time here on Earth and there is so much to soak up and see, to experience. My guardian angel has worked over time, but I can't just sit around and not see what the world has to offer!" Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims. *Picture is of the mule deer at the retreat center.
Whenever my husband is mentoring younger military guys, he usually gets around to asking them what they want to do with their life. What are the goals they are reaching for professionally and personally? Most have no answer. They hem and haw around and usually offer something that sounds like a beauty pageant answer: "I just want to make the world better." My husband always presses in and says, "That's not an answer. How are you going to know what to do with an answer as vague as that?" Then it usually comes out that they have no idea what they want to do. They are just floating along and don't really have any kind of vision for their lives. If my husband has learned that they have a wife, he always tells them, "Go home tonight and ask your wife what she sees you doing. Ask her what potential she sees." They always give my husband a curious look, but Dustin will tell you that nine times out of ten, they call back the next day to tell him that was the best conversation they've had in a long time. Dustin will also tell you, that after that conversation, their careers usually take off. I asked him in the car recently what made him start telling these guys to talk to their wives. He said, "Well, women hold the key. A good woman has an incredible ability to unlock a man's potential. If he can see his potential through her eyes, he will be unstoppable." "Too many men lack confidence in themselves. They think they aren't worthy of going for a certain dream, so they don't try. But, when they ask their wives or girlfriends what they see in them, most likely, she will explain to them the potential she sees. It's like a magical gift women have--if you raise the bar for us and show us what we can be, we want to strive for that." "When these guys go home and hear what their wives see in them, all of a sudden they have a purpose and mission, because she gives them confidence. If a woman thinks you are worthy of something or if you are good enough to do something worthwhile, noble, or challenging, listen to her. She often sees what you can't." Ladies, what a beautiful gift we can give to our husbands and, men, go ask your wives. Have a blessed Wednesday.
When leaving California for Colorado last Friday, my plane was on the runway next in line for takeoff when the captain came on and said, "Well, folks, Denver just went on a ground stop for at least an hour, so we are on hold until we hear back from them." Immediately, everyone gave audible groans. The lady next to me got very upset. She snagged a flight attendant walking by and asked if she could get off the plane and go get another flight. The agent told her not at this time as we were sitting on the runway. The lady was ticked and quickly dialed a family member and started cussing up a storm about the situation. We taxied back to the gate and they allowed us to get off for 30 minutes if we wanted. I chose to get off and stretch my legs. When it was time to board again, I got to my seat, saw my grumpy row partner sitting there, and, smiling, I said, "How are you doing?" "Oh, I'm okay, I guess." We preceded to have a conversation and soon she was showing me pictures of her grandkids. When the other row partner sat down, he joined our conversation and soon all three of us were joking and laughing. As we took off, the lady who had once been grumpy grabbed her pillow and said, "Yep, I just try to take things as they come." Then she fell asleep. On my way back from Colorado, I was talking to a gate agent about something and she was clearly irritated. She wasn't super helpful and wasn't listening that well. As I was waiting to get on the flight, I stood right near her counter and could hear her conversations with each person coming up for help. Her responses were snippy and a bit strained with irritation. Once the line was gone, I turned and looked at her. She looked about to burst. I smiled and said, "Deep breaths. You got them all through the line." She actually took that deep breath, relaxed a bit, and said, "It's just been a bit overwhelming." Then she smiled for the first time. I smiled back, "I'm sure, but you've got this." It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own world and our own problems, Catholic Pilgrims. Sometimes all it takes to help someone is just to notice them. As Christians, our eyes should be looking for opportunities to connect with people and offer them charity even in the smallest of ways. Have a blessed Tuesday.
I think a big reason that we struggle with going to Christ and receiving His mercy is because we struggle to give it to others ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I loathe false compassion and false mercy because neither one of those ever help anyone or anything. In fact, they only make things worse. But, when we have a true prudent moment to offer mercy, many of us find it hard to offer it. When we haven't asked Christ for mercy and felt the love that flows from His mercy, it's hard to understand how beneficial that can be for another. I don't remember all the words in St. Faustina's Diary when I read it for Season One of my podcast "Journeying with the Saints," but I do remember the overwhelming message of Christ's mercy. He wants us to come and receive it and be healed by it--all of us. Have a beautiful Divine Mercy Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Several weeks back, I found out that my middle daughter was going to be visiting our oldest daughter at Berkeley over the Easter weekend. Our oldest is a Focus Missionary there. Anyway, since they both were going to be somewhat close, I knew we needed to make the drive to them. I told my daughter to invite a few of the students over who were staying in town and we could have a small-ish Easter meal. Thinking it was going to be around 12 of us, I started planning for a small crowd. Well, that crowd began to swell and swell. Soon, we had around 25 people wanting to come. My husband and I decided that we wanted to dote on the students a bit, so we planned a modified egg hunt. My daughter was worried we were going to make them all run around with baskets and hunt eggs like kids, but I told her to have faith. We bought about 25 eggs of various sizes and filled them with gifts: Some had money, some candy, some religious items. Then we came up with a game called the Great Egg Search/Swap. As we were driving up there, I was worried that if extra people showed up, they wouldn't have an egg. But, I concluded, if they didn't sign up, they got left out. As the game started, I counted the students and we had just enough eggs. But then...more students kept coming. They were all smiling and everyone was so eager to play, I couldn't tell them to just sit it out. So, I ran in my daughter's house and desperately looked for something to put in the extra eggs we had on hand. I prayed that I could come up with something--anything--to include everyone. Amazingly, I started finding things in my purse to give away, including a $50 Old Navy gift card. I ran out to hide them and then went back out front. Then more students showed up and I ran back into the house. Again, I found things to give away out of the supplies I had brought. In the end, every single person had a gift.. It was one of those situations where the Lord provided. It was also incredible how I was so eager to give away things that I probably wouldn't normally have parted with. I just wanted to share and God blessed that. Never doubt what good can come from wanting to bless others, Catholic Pilgrims.
For the past almost nine months, I've been helping as the assistant teacher to the OCIA class at our base chapel. I love to teach, so this was a role I've been desiring for some time now. At the Easter Vigil, I watched as the catechumens came home and it was an emotional experience. That was the first time I had truly handed on the Faith to someone other than my children. Part of me was absolutely thrilled to watch them receive the Sacraments, but there was a tender, grieving part of my heart, too. That official journey with them is over and off they go to pass the faith on themselves. Teaching the faith in OCIA is such a huge responsibility. At the very end, I kept thinking to myself, "Oh, I wish I had taught them this. Oh man, why did I not share this important thing?" But then, the Holy Spirit reminded me that at my entrance to the Catholic Church as a convert, I still had much to learn. I still do. This is the beginning of their journey, I just helped to pass them the light. What a joy to accompany people on their entrance into a life with Christ. It was truly an honor and a blessing. It has filled my soul with immense joy. Welcome home to all those that entered the Catholic Church at Easter! May this journey as a newly minted Catholic Pilgrim be the adventure of a lifetime. Whatever you do, be sure to live the Faith boldly and travel well. "If we pass in the night, then just hand me a light, and Tell me you burned just like me." --Burning Man by Dierks Bentley
I was watching a video the other day on the Passion of Jesus by Edward Siri. At one point, he is standing inside the Holy Sepulcher up on Golgotha. (Yes, it's all inside this massive church.) It brought back a lot of amazing memories of being up there. That's me under the altar there in the picture. See the rocks under the glass cases? Anyway, watching Edward Siri talk, I realized something very profound. Up on Golgotha, there is the space where Christ died. The altar is over the hole in the rock where His cross was stuck in the ground. Facing the altar, over on the right side is a place for Mass. It is beautiful and lighted. Over on the left side, it is dark. Very dark. What's so interesting is that it's dark and huge and it seems to drop off into an abyss. What I realized is that on either side of Jesus hung two thieves. Their responses to Jesus truly reflect the aesthetics up on Golgotha. The "good thief" had the first confession up there on his cross and he repents, asking Christ to remember him. Jesus tells him he will be with him in Paradise. The side with the place for Mass reflects the good thief's decision to come to Christ.--light and beauty. The other thief mocks Jesus and never repents. The side of darkness up on Golgotha reflects his decision to harden his heart and continue to deny Christ up until his last breath. This is the choice laid before all of us: Do we choose to turn to Christ and repent desiring to be with Him in Paradise? Or do we choose to turn away from Christ and be suffocated by our sins to only one day fall off into darkness and the abyss? This Good Friday, as we meditate on Our Savior's Passion, let us do whatever it takes in our lives to always turn towards Christ. May you have a blessed Good Friday, Catholic Pilgrims.
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