.png)
On October 20th, 2020, when my family was living in Izmir, Turkey, we experienced a 7.0 earthquake. My kids and I were on the 15th floor of our apartment building and the building swayed and bucked in the most terrifying and unnatural of ways. For 45 seconds, which seems like an eternity in an earthquake. Certain that the building was coming down on me and my kids, I did all I could think to do and we stood in a door frame praying the Our Father. After it was over, I told my kids to just run. Run out. They ran out with no shoes on and I quickly followed. To make a long story short, the higher ups in the military were worried about a tsunami and so they told my husband to get all military members to higher ground. We ended up in a very poor neighborhood surrounded by Syrian refugees. The contrast in groups could not have been more striking. At one point, a Syrian mother came over to me and started pointing at my feet. I couldn't understand her but it was clear she was asking where my shoes were and the shoes of my children. Through lots of hand gestures, I tried to explain that we just ran out of a tall building. She seemed to ponder this and then walked away. Soon, she came back with shoes for my kids. I was baffled. Here was this poor woman giving to me from the little she had. She saw a mother and her kids in need and she wanted to help. At first, I denied them. I felt horrible taking from her. But, she quickly made it clear that I was not to deny her. I realized that I needed to gratefully accept her gift because she was trying to serve us in some capacity. She was trying to help. She was trying to love. It was one of the greatest acts of charity I have ever received. Peter initially tells Christ not to wash his feet. He doesn't want to be served, he should serve. But, Christ gently rebukes him for this. We find meaning and purpose when we serve others. Sometimes our service to others helps to humble us; sometimes receiving service helps to humble us. It is a great reminder that one of the best ways to love each other is to serve each other, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Holy Thursday. *These are the shoes given to us.
When I was 17 and turned away from God, I still pretended that I was some kind of stellar Christian. However, I traded a relationship with God to feel comforted by my anger. That's weird to say, but the intense anger I felt was comforting to me. It wasn't real comfort, but it fueled me. But, also, I traded church for sleeping in because I was tired. I traded reading Scripture for watching, listening, and reading whatever secular trash the world could supply me. I traded prayer for doing whatever I wanted to do. All the while, I sat there and lived this barely existent Christian life, yet I had the gall to feign like I wasn't betraying my Lord. "Surely it is not I?" In fact, I did say similar things to Judas in my attempt to pretend like I wasn't one of the betrayers. "Me? Oh, no, not me?" Judas traded the Bread of Life for some money and nearly 2,000 years later we look back and say, "Man, look at him. Gave it all up for thirty pieces of silver. Idiot." However, many give up the Eucharist for even less and we fail to see it. For good music. For an inspiring sermon. For sports. For sleep. For simply the desire to sin while pretending God doesn't see us. There isn't a trade on earth that is worth giving up Christ, Catholic Pilgrims. Nothing could possibly satisfy us like He can. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday of Holy Week.
At different times in Jesus’ ministry, He is in danger of people trying to arrest or kill Him. Yet, we always hear that He evades their attempts because His “hour had not come.” Today in our reading from John, I noticed the singular cue where Jesus acknowledges that the hour had come. Jesus says to Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Then He hands him a morsel and off Judas runs into the night. He runs through the streets of Jerusalem looking for the Pharisees to betray His Lord. As he takes off, Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” It seems like an odd thing to say at the moment one of your disciples runs off to betray you. But, Jesus has just allowed His hour to come and things are now set in motion. In this, you know that God has been in control the entire time. It had to be the right moment and now Jesus will be glorified through His Passion and Resurrection. In the Garden of Eden it was a bite of food that led to the first betrayal of man. In the Upper Room, Jesus hands Judas a piece of food and off Judas goes to betray. This time, though, the Savior promised at the first betrayal is present. And He will set everything right and be glorified. Have a blessed Tuesday of Holy Week, Catholic Pilgrims. *Picture is an old street in Jerusalem
Have you ever smelled nard, from the spikenard plant? If you haven’t, I hope you get the chance someday. The first time I smelled it in the Holy Land, I couldn’t stop bringing the bottle up to my nose. Imagine what the house smelled like when Mary was anointing Jesus’ feet with the costly nard. The house would have smelled amazing—like mystery and deep love. What strikes me about Mary’s actions in our reading today from John 12 is that Mary can only think of Jesus and her devotion to Him. Her actions signify a desire to pour out every thing for Christ. Judas doesn’t see the pious action for what it’s worth. To him, it’s a waste and ridiculous. When we make a move to give our lives to Christ, Catholic Pilgrims, there will be people who don’t get it. Our devotion will look silly to them or even stupid. They will think we are missing out on something better, like worldly treasures. They may even be envious. At some point in your move to be closer to Christ, someone will try to talk you out of it. It’s “too much” or “a bit over the top.” Pour it all out anyway. Have a blessed Monday of Holy Week. *Picture is of the Spikenard plant
While at my son's jujitsu practice the other day, I was talking with a lady who has a young teenage daughter. We talked about many things and at one point in the conversation, she mentioned that her daughter "believes there's a God, but she doesn't really know what she believes about Him." She continued, "She really has to figure that out for herself. I tell her as long as believing in Him helps her to be good and love people, then that's all the matters." I politely said, "Well, but actually, it's more than that. Jesus didn't come to just help us to be nice people, He came to save us from our sins and offer salvation." She cut me off and started talking about something else that I had to respond to, but I wish I had gotten in one more very important thing about Jesus. It is not enough to just believe that there's a God out there somewhere and that all He wants is for us to be good. In fact, if that is all you think about God, you will find that He completely fades from your mind and you will stop worrying about what is good and what isn't. Your only concern will be what is socially popular. Relationship. You must be in relationship with God. He wants a relationship with us, not just an acknowledgment. That relationship is built by worship at church, prayer, reading God's Word, seeking His will and receiving the Sacraments which give us sanctifying grace. Anyway, I wish I had gotten that in. Maybe I'll get another chance. There is no greater relationship to cultivate than your relationship with the One True God, Catholic Pilgrims. It is well worth the time and effort. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Friday.
Today was the Lentiest day of all Lent. My car has been in the shop for nearly two weeks…and that’s a whole story. So, with no car, I’ve been having to walk everywhere. Which is fine for the first couple of times, but when you just want to do something quick, it’s not, especially when you live on a base that covers a lot of ground. My hubby is gone, so I’m rolling solo. I miss my cat. And as my son and I were walking to basketball practice, he had to bring all his baseball gear for practice after that. It’s not normally like this, it’s just a few days of overlap. Anywho, we were walking and his bag was weighing him down and he was anxious to get to practice, so, I said, “I’ll carry it, you go on.” He thanked me, lugged me the bag, and ran off to practice. The bag weighs 9,000 pounds. He has approximately 25,000 baseballs, two bats, a helmet, and an entire dugout inside the bag. The thing was heavy and I had to carry it a mile. Today was the day when I was ready for Lent to be done. I wanted some sweets, I wanted to sleep in, I wanted to not have to think of my Lenten practices. As I was hiking with the bag on my back, I was grumping to myself and whining about Lent. And then, I thought, “Amy. That’s enough. These are minor inconveniences. Jesus carried a cross after being scourged up a hill. You’ll be fine and you can always unite this to Christ’s suffering.” It’s so tempting to throw in the towel at this point in our Lenten practices. We’re weary. We’re ready for fun and feasting. But, hang in there, Catholic Pilgrims. It’s all worth it for Christ. *sorry for the mad momma face. I couldn’t see. 😅
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.
.png)
.png)
.png)