All Daily Reflections

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I had a full house this weekend. It was wonderful. Both my daughters were home. My husband was doing a special project with a company and so we had a bunch of young guys here—smart entrepreneurial types. At one point, my daughter started having a conversation with a moral relativist and one of the things he said was that he didn’t believe that you could fully say if something was right or wrong. This is cowardice and as someone who has worked with kids that were sexual abused it enrages me. He seriously can’t condemn sexual abuse, racism, murder, arson, and many other evils? Of course he would because any decent human being who isn’t a psychopath would say that those actions are morally reprehensible. So, why claim that you are a moral relativist? It all comes down to one thing: There is some vice/sin that they want to continue engaging in or supporting and because they don’t want to be called out, they feign a moral relativistic worldview. Connected to this would, also, be someone who has done something wrong and they don’t believe in Jesus’ love and mercy. Since they have done something wrong and don’t want to feel super bad about it, they don’t want to say that others do anything bad. You may not know what it is that they want to engage in or what they have engaged in, but it’s there. The truth is, is that nobody really lives as if they believe everyone should just go around doing whatever they feel is right. Nobody lives as if there should be no standard of right and wrong. Nobody. Yet, many adopt this attitude because of what they want to do that they know, deep down, is wrong. It’s a self-preservation tactic. There are morally right things and morally wrong. For the most part, it’s not too hard to figure out, except when our souls are heavy with sin. No matter what we’ve done, we can always turn to Christ and repent, Catholic Pilgrims, and that will always make us feel better. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.

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My undergrad is in criminology which falls under the sociology department. I had several female professors who were dyed-in-the wool feminists, but one in particular basically wanted the women in the class to hate men. Her and I went round and round. My Masters is in Applied Behavioral Science, which is just a fancy way of saying that I study criminal behavior. I specialized in sexual violence crimes. The professor that oversaw my thesis was a hard-core feminist. She was constantly giving me articles to read for my research from many man-hating feminists. I read so many and it became nauseating. Everything about men was evil according to these papers. Many of them even said that s€x between spouses could never possibly be good because the man always held the physical advantage. Best to be sexless, they claimed. Over and over, I read and was lectured on how men are bad. Men are awful. Men just want to hurt women. Even I, who had been hurt by two abusive boyfriends could see through all of this propaganda. There was no discernment of character. For these feminists, that are teaching young minds I might add, having XY chromosomes made you bad. All these professors, every one of them, was purposefully single, purposefully childless and not for some noble cause. They were also very bitter. I knew I never wanted to be like them. All over social media since Trump got elected, hundreds and hundreds of young feminists are in videos vowing to practice the b4 movement. This is a radical feminist movement that came out of South Korea where women refused to date men, have sexual relationships with men, enter heterosexual marriages, or have children. This is all in an effort to punish men. These videos are highly disturbing. This is what happens when you pit the sexes against each other. What a sad world it creates. Are there bad men out there? Yep. Are there bad women? Yep. But, it is not your sex that makes you bad. It’s your character. God created us male and female, Catholic Pilgrims. Therefore, neither sex can be intrinsically evil. Better to hold each other to high standards so as to build good character. And better to appreciate the good things each sex brings to the table than to refuse to acknowledge anything positive. Have a blessed Friday.

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There was a time in my life where I was "lost" from God. I wasn't really lost, God knew where I was, but I wasn't among the fold. I sat this morning and thought about why I was lost for all those years. My conclusion, it was all my own doing. I was mad at God for not protecting me from an abusive boyfriend and his friends. The only logical thing to do, in my mind, was to sever ties. Crazy thing was, God let me go. Not because He wanted me to leave, but I think He knew that I needed to go be lost for awhile. I needed to see the consequences of removing myself Him. The ramifications of the decisions we make are sometimes the best teachers. So, I started out on my own, sure I could fix myself and all my pain without God. I didn't have a solid plan to fix the pain, but I was smart enough to figure it out for myself, I thought. For years, I just wandered around lost. Wounds in my soul festered and cut open pretty continually. I tried taping them shut with pleasures of the world and that held for a time. Kinda of like how a bandaid holds for half a day until it gets wet and then it's worthless. Anger, hatred, and self-loathing were the central emotions of my life. They were such a heavy burden. Until finally, nearly 14 years after my decision to make myself lost, Jesus finally broke through and said, "Are you ready to be done with this?" And I was ready. More than ready. Desperate actually. I had finally realized that being lost from God was not the answer. The crazy thing was, was that all I had to do was just turn around and there was Christ, waiting for me. There He was all along and I just had to say, "Okay, I'm tired of being lost." I will never ever forget my first confession. The heaving sobs and the flood of tears was the physical response of being found, or allowing myself to be found by Jesus. Relief has a funny way of showing itself sometimes. I was a hard-headed piece of work for most of my life. In many ways, I still am. That is probably why God knew I needed to be lost for a time so that I could see that my way was not the way. From all that, I learned with utter certainty, that I never want to be lost again, Catholic Pilgrims. Thank God, though, if for some reason I do, I just have to turn around and Christ is right there. Not only will He always come for us in this life, He will never leave us. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.

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I love my country. I love my family. I adore and worship God and love Him. Last night was a good night. Remember, we are still called to be Saints, Catholic Pilgrims. Trump needs our help to restore excellence, sanity, security, and integrity to our great country. So, go out and live the Faith boldly and travel well.

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On Saturday, my family visited St. Dominic’s in San Francisco. Sometimes we don’t even realize how thirsty we are for such beauty until we see it and it’s like our deprived soul comes back to life. It’s a foretaste of Heaven. “I have let my peace be disturbed by outside influences…too many things still upset this more exterior part of my soul and make it suffer. Worries, sad memories, an atmosphere of unbelief, indifference, or scorn…all this has battered me and knocked me to the ground, bruised like the gentle Savior.” —Servant of God Elisabeth Lesuer I don’t know what is going to happen today. I hate election season because it is a heavy weight that bears down nearly suffocating us. The hardest weight to bear is the loss of control we feel over it all. At Mass on Saturday, the priest said that he used to ask his students in high school if they wanted to be saints. And they all said no. They thought that being a saint would stifle who they really were and keep them from being their true selves. What a lie. This is the one thing we can control—whether we strive to be saints or not. Because to strive for sainthood doesn’t require perfect external conditions. Many saints worked and moved in terrible times. They didn’t need everything to feel good or be comfortable for them to bring the light of Christ into a dark world. In fact, many of them sought out the darkness in order to bring the light of Christ. Did they make a dent? To those they served, I think they did. We often wait with bated breath for someone else to fix all the problems, when really we just need to open ourselves up to allow God to work through us. No matter who gets elected today, the world will still need us to strive to be saints. It is our duty, Catholic Pilgrims, no matter who is in office, to bring truth, goodness, and beauty to a fallen world. Even if many in the world don’t realize how desperate they are for those things. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday. St. Michael, pray for us!

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Yesterday, my oldest and my husband ran the Golden Gate Bridge Half Marathon in San Francisco. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day. As I was standing at the start line, watching the waves of runners go, a much older man came up to me and said, “I have a odd favor to ask of you.” I smiled hesitantly and said, “Okay.” “I didn’t realize that they would have us start in waves. Would you call my wife and let her know so that she doesn’t worry? She’s getting ready to come over soon. If I start fifteen minutes later than she thought I would, she will worry that I’m injured and I don’t want her to worry.” “Yes, I can call her and let her know,” I smiled back. So, he gave me her name and number and off he went. I called his wife and explained everything. She thanked me for letting her know. Later, as his wave of runners went by, he spotted me and yelled with a thumbs up, “Did you get her?!” I yelled back with a thumbs up, “Yes, she knows! It’s all good!” And off he went. It was a small interaction but as I thought about it and this husband’s request, he was essentially asking me to help him love his wife well. What an honor to be brought in, even if briefly, to that moment. St Paul says the Philippians, “Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.” Here was this husband getting ready to run a hard race and, yet, his main concern was for his wife. He didn’t want her to worry. That’s how I knew he loved her very much and all it took was a one minute conversation. Have a beautiful and blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims.

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There are so many misunderstandings about what Catholics believe about the Saints. Some think that we think they are gods and goddesses. We don’t. There is only One God. Some are quick to remind us that there is only one mediator between God and man and His name is Jesus. We agree. We just know that the Saints can bring your intentions to Jesus, as well. Same as a friend on earth. Some think that we believe the statues we have are idols we worship, like the literal golden calf. We don’t. The statues are representations of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Some think that by loving and honoring the Saints we are taking from God. If you praised my children, you wouldn’t be taking from me as their parent, you’d be giving me honor by praising them. To add to that, love is not finite, it increases. The more you love, the more love grows in your heart. Some think that relationships with the Saints are unnecessary, all you need is Jesus. That would mean that community with believers on earth is also unnecessary. Christianity is about relationships and community. Some people accuse us of necromancy—conjuring up the dead. Those in Heaven are alive in Christ, even more fully alive than we are here on earth. To add to that, we do not attempt to conjure their spirits nor seek information from them. We ask them to pray for us. Through the many years that I’ve been Catholic now, I can’t imagine not having the Saints involved in my spiritual life. St. Maria Goretti, St. Faustina, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis de Sales, St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed Giorgio Pier Frassti, Venerable Fulton Sheen, and Our Mother Mary have all been such powerful friends to me. They are gifts from God. Their prayers are gifts. Their examples of holiness are gifts. Their friendship is a gift. Today, we celebrate All Saints’ Day, Catholic Pilgrims. We are blessed by this great crowd of witnesses. Have a blessed day and get thee to church!

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Happy All Hallow’s Eve, Catholic Pilgrims. “I see the days grow shorter, I feel the nights grow cold. Young people feelin' restless, old people feelin' old. I sense the darkness clearer, I feel a presence here. A change in the weather, I love this time of year.”

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Yesterday, it was actually chilly here in the desert. It was a little overcast and the wind was blowing cold. So, my son made us some tea and he turned on the fire place. One of my cats was curled up in her little bed by the fire. I turned on “Tis Autumn” by Nat King Cole. It was a perfectly peaceful moment. Nothing can soothe a soul like truth, goodness, and beauty. Our country—our world—feels negatively charged right now. Often, our response to all the bad is to reach into the well of more bad things. We try to soothe by getting worked up, fretting around and living on edge. Instead, our response to the bad should be to reach into the well of the gifts God gives us, which will always be things that are true, good, and beautiful. Those are the things that will sustain us, Catholic Pilgrims. We can’t hide from all bad, but we certainly can’t expect our souls to be healthy when we refuse to nourish it with simple blessings. Have a blessed Wednesday. *Picture is from the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes near Emmitsburg, Maryland.

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What a story, Catholic Pilgrims. This is the true story of Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch woman, who lived through WWII, which included being arrested for helping hide Jews and eventually being sent to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp in Germany. This book was captivating from the get-go. Corrie really brings you into her family life and does such a good job of helping you to know her loved ones. Her father is a watchmaker and a deeply devout and wise man. Their home, the Beje, is always alive with people. Though they didn’t have a lot, this family shared everything they had. It was so impressive to read about their generous hearts. Once Holland is occupied by the Germans, Corrie and her family join up with the underground resistance and hide Jews in their home. Eventually, they get caught and arrested. Corrie and her sister, Bestie, find themselves after many months in Ravensbruck and the horrors are nearly unbelievable. But, these two women hold on to their faith in God and they bring hope and faith to many other women. My grandfather, who helped to liberate a concentration camp in Germany, once told me through tears, “You cannot imagine what people will do to others.” This book is light and darkness at the same time. You see the worst in humanity, but also the best. The best is what makes this book so captivating. I would highly, highly recommend this book. It’s so encouraging to read about everyday people who lived out their faith extremely well when faced with unparalleled evil. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.

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When I was young, on rare occasions, I would attend church with my grandparents in the tiny, Kansas town that they lived in. It was an old wooden church that felt tired and almost like a relic of a bygone era. I’d always be the youngest person in there by, at least, 50 years. The “organ” was basically this keyboard that sounded like a haunted house and the organist pumped out the same old hymns each time I went. There was always the one lady who would belt out songs like she thought she was an opera singer. I remember looking around as a kid and thinking this was all boring and lame. Yesterday, at church we sang an old hymn which is rare. I was immediately transported back to my grandparent’s church on the corner of Maple Street and it made me a bit teary-eyed. Now, through adult eyes, I didn’t feel like the slow song was boring or lame. It’s funny how at the time, you don’t think certain things will leave an impression, but they do. When you get older and those memories come back, you are able to look at them with maturity and appreciation. Maybe the song made me long for a simpler time, at least simpler to me. Or maybe it made me miss my grandparents. Or maybe it made me realize that with the passage of time, our faith is the anchor and our only true calm in the storm. Or maybe all of those things. It truly is Amazing Grace, Catholic Pilgrims, that gives us moments like this and makes us grateful for the foundation we have in Christ. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Monday. *Try to find my husband in this picture. It will give you idea of the enormity of these trees.

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When I was baptized at around 11-years old, I pretty much thought I had hit the pinnacle of the spiritual life. What more was there to do? I believed Jesus was “my Lord and Savior,” I believed “Jesus loves me this I know,” and, yeah, I believed. Now, I hadn’t read through the Bible, I barely had a prayer life, but that didn’t really matter because I believed. Of course I was a naive young girl, but the fact remains that I believed Salvation was a “one and done” thing. I understood differently upon becoming Catholic. At my husband’s Bible Study this past weekend one of the older guys commented on how he sees that the Catholic Church has a plan to move you towards Heaven from conception to death. The Sacraments are that plan, plus all the in between. We enter our spiritual life at baptism. We are strengthened at Confirmation. We need the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist weekly, even better if daily. Confession is there to get our souls back on track. The Sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders give us graces to live out our vocations. Anointing of the Sick prepares us for possibly healing or death and helps us to bear suffering. Then there is all the in between. Prayers: Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Saints Sacramentals Holy Days Feast Days Fasting Days There is just so much to assist us on our journey. As with anything that you start out fresh and full of vigor, there will come a point where you start to limp along. You will need something that affects real and true change and provides real and true graces. Nothing in the spiritual life can be a one and done deal. We need constant renewal and the Church recognizes that. We need help for the journey, Catholic Pilgrims. The Church has a treasury of helps that we can draw from and sometimes obligates us to use because, left to ourselves, we are in danger of slipping away from a relationship with God. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Friday.