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I was reading through a very old book that I was recently gifted that has just one or two sentences on a page. I read: "Nineteenth century man became all the more irrevocably the prisoner of his own life-sorrows through the beautiful false names with which he labeled them." I sat with this a very long time. Later that night, I asked my husband what he thought and could he think of any life-sorrows that have been given "beautiful names" in order to make them seem good. It became a bit of a thought experiment for us. I could think of one right off the top of my head: Selfishness has become self-care. Now, this isn't to say that taking care of yourself is wrong. We should take care of ourselves because our bodies are good and neglecting them can cause us to not be able to do God's will. However, our culture has taken vices that cause sorrow, dressed them up in a new name that is hard to argue with, and then encouraged people to engage in them. What happens then? You become a prisoner. My husband said, "Anytime you take something bad and try to make it sound virtuous, it always is a move towards self-centeredness. The focus becomes entirely on you and ultimately that makes us miserable. That's why you become a prisoner. Together, we thought of a few more things that have been dressed up with "beautiful names." Abortion--health care. Abortion already is a euphemism, but it is now being referred to as the double euphemism of "health care." Laziness--"protection from burnout" "work-life balance" Narcissism--self-love Isolation--"protecting my peace" Lies--"your truth, my truth" On the surface, all these phrases or "beautiful names" seem good. Initially, it's hard to argue with them. But, when you scratch just beneath the surface you'll see that they all come back to the self. There is something else that my husband and I discovered while thinking through the original quote. I'll talk about that tomorrow. Until then, live the faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
Yesterday, my husband and I finished our 33-day reading of this book and prayed the consecration prayer at the end together. If you would have told me when Dustin and I were dating that one day we would consecrate ourselves to Jesus in the Eucharist in a small Blessed Sacrament Room on base, I would have looked at you with utter confusion. For one, I wasn't Catholic. For two, I had no idea what the Eucharist was so why would I be consecrating myself to it? For three, I didn't see the importance of faith in the married life at that time. I thought our romantic love for each other would be enough. I would have thought you were saying I'd turn into some hokey-pokey weirdo. However, God's ways are not our ways. Now, I have been Catholic for 13 years. Now, I know that the Eucharist is everything and that I will never exhaust my ability to be in awe and wonder at the miracle of Christ in the Eucharist. Now, I have seen Dustin and I realize that a marriage needs God at the center. The Eucharist is the food for our married life together. At the beginning of this book, Matthew Kelly says, "What is the difference between the people who have left the Catholic Church over the past thirty years and those who have stayed?" The answer: "Those who believe don't leave." Those who believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist don't leave. And I'd add, those outside the Church who come to believe, can't become Catholic quick enough. That was me. The second the Eucharist clicked in my brain, I needed to be Catholic that instant. It was a desire like I've never known. To loosely quote Flannery, O'Conner: To Hell with all this symbolic nonsense. No army of demons could keep me away from becoming Catholic, because it is in the fullness of the Catholic Church that I can receive the Eucharist and there is nothing more important that Jesus truly present on our altars and offered to us in Holy Communion. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Monday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Many of you have reached out to check on me and my family to see if we are out of danger from the terrible fires in LA. Thankfully, we are not in danger, but I do appreciate the concern for us. Yesterday, you could smell the fire in the air, so it does feel a bit too close for comfort. Already here at the start of 2025, we’ve had lots of chaos and disasters. We’d like to believe that a new year would start off fresh with no mistakes in it, but that’s just wishful thinking and, sadly, not how a fallen world works. Please pray for rain. Please pray for those displaced who have lost all their worldly goods and have to find some way to start all over. Please pray for firefighters who have so little to work with. I’m sure they feel helpless. Please pray that other cities continue to send help. I know Las Vegas has sent firefighters to LA, which is good. I don’t want this to become a political fight here. I’d ask that you please refrain from making any political statement in the comments and just focus instead on the suffering and the helpers. We need rain here very badly and there’s not an ounce in sight. To my fellow Catholics P
Yesterday, I was listening to an episode from Trent Horn’s podcast. He was critiquing an impromptu debate between Michael Knowles (Catholic) and Charlie Kirk (evangelical Protestant). I respect both men a lot. At one point, Kirk says, “Your goal should be to bring people to Jesus not Catholicism.” This shows Kirk’s severe lack of understanding of the Eucharist. Why do I want people to be Catholic? Because of Christ fully present in the Eucharist. Even if Kirk doesn’t believe in the Eucharist, he knows devout Catholics do. If we do, he should be able to reason that we want people to be Catholic so that they can experience Divine Communion with Christ and fully receive His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We aren’t looking for people to have a symbolic communion but a real one. This is not an either/or situation. I want people to be Catholic so that they can receive Christ in the Eucharist. There is nothing on earth greater than this and I can’t get the Eucharist in a Protestant church. Christ in the Eucharist changed my life, He continues to change my life. We are abundantly blessed to have this most precious holy gift, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.
When my husband deployed, I went home to Kansas so that I could be near family. Oh, that was a long six months. Four days before his scheduled return, my girls and I loaded up our car and drove east. As my dad said goodbye, right before he shut my car door, he smiled and said, "Go get your man." Oh, I was on my way. Nothing can try your patience like a deployment, but those days leading up to them coming home is pure torture. The day of his arrival, he was scheduled to get in at 9:00pm. I dressed up as cute as possible. But, then, I got a message that it would be 10:00pm. Then 12:00am. I about died. The pain of that wait was excruciating. The final time was 2:00am. I don't know what the plane was doing. Making laps around the North Pole, I guess, but that wait about did me in. Finally, I got to the Baltimore Airport, found my way to the military area, and hurried myself and my daughters inside. There was a crowd of people waiting for their loved ones. After what seemed like eons, each airman made their way through the automatic sliding doors. They came through ONE. AT. A. TIME. With each opening of the door, you could feel the anticipation build as each family waited to see if it was their loved one. The second--the nano second--I caught a glimpse of Dustin at the door, I ran. I jumped into his arms right in the door opening and he had to drag me to the side so others could come through. Oh my heart, it was complete joy to hug him again. That deployment purged me of a lot--selfishness and ingratitude are top of the list. When I think of the Catholic teaching of purgatory, I always think back to Dustin's deployment. Purgatory is a time of cleansing of stains of sin. It purges us of those sins that we struggled to let go of in this life. It makes us ready for Heaven. It's painful, yes, but the souls in purgatory know that Heaven awaits. I imagine that they wait like I did at that airport door with anticipated joy for a chance to run to Christ. Deployment made me a better wife. Purgatory makes us ready to be Saints in Heaven. The beautiful thing is that the pain is worth the joy that awaits. Have a blessed Wednesday, Catholic Pilgrims.
Last year, while living in Alabama, I got to attend daily Mass. Initially, this was all my son’s idea. We lived super close to the church, we homeschool, and it just made sense to go. I mean, why not? So, each morning, my son and I would go to Mass and I cannot accurately describe how much this came to mean to me. Receiving Christ nearly everyday was incredible. I loved watching my son serve, also, and I enjoyed talking with the daily Mass goers. The priests became great friends. I was thriving in this community. Then, we got stationed in the middle of nowhere in the desert and that all went away. There’s no more daily Mass on base. It’s been a true spiritual desert. In Alabama, I was riding on a spiritual high. Then, ever so quickly, that was stripped from me. I’ve asked God a thousand times why back to the desert? Why? What I receive back in my heart is: Can you stay devoted in the lows? When the good feelings are all stripped away, how will you still come after Me? That’s the thing, the longing is ever present and I must offer this suffering up without becoming bitter or angry. I, also, must trust, Catholic Pilgrims, that even though I’m in a “deserted place,” Jesus will multiple the graces and blessings if I bring Him all I have, even if it’s just my longing. He’ll do it just like He did the fishes and the loaves. Have a blessed Tuesday. *Mission San Fernando
This is a story about the curious cases of Mr. Nitpick and Mrs. Nitpick. Not long after Christmas, I posted a picture of the church I went to the Sunday after Christmas. Southwest Missouri doesn't have Catholic Churches that rival the beautiful ones up north in KC and St. Louis, so it wasn’t the grandest church of all time. Anyway, I put together a heart-felt post and someone completely breezed past the message and said to me, "Shouldn't there be flowers around the tabernacle?" What you couldn't tell from the picture was that the tabernacle was in an enclosure. I'd never seen anything like it before and it was kinda cool. The doors of the enclosure stuck out making it hard to have flowers. I responded back, "It's in an enclosure, it wouldn't make sense to put flowers in there." And it wouldn't. They'd look stuffed. But...my explanation mattered not at all. It didn't matter that there were loads of poinsettias all around the altar, near the tabernacle and up front. Nope. According to the commenter, if there weren't flowers stuffed inside the enclosure, people weren't acknowledging the Real Presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. I struggled to have patience with Mr. Nitpick. The reason I struggled is because I've been that person, too. I have a deep disdain for 60s styling and architecture--it's bland, it's typically ugly, and apparently nobody understood symmetry. I know every church can't look like Notre Dame, but come on. Then one day, I went to a First Communion Mass. It was at one of those 60s styled churches and everything was hideous to me. My attitude about the whole thing spilled over into my attitude at the Mass. I caught myself scowling the ENTIRE time. Instead of listening to the liturgy of the Mass, I was nitpicking everything--the altar, the music, the carpet, the cross. Everything. When I walked out of Mass, I realized with sorrow that I had not paid attention one iota to the Consecration or receiving the Eucharist. I had lacked zero gratitude because I had chosen to nitpick to death everything in the church. One of the most memorable Masses for me was in a dirty prison classroom while doing prison ministry. The "altar" was a brown table and the room lacked any depth of beauty whatsoever, yet I was moved to tears at the Consecration. I didn't nitpick because my focus was on Christ. It's easy to nitpick things to death, Catholic Pilgrims. "This isn't the right music. The flowers aren't right. The altar isn't perfect. The art is ugly." I wish all our churches could be stunningly beautiful, but what is more important is that our soul is open with gratitude to the Lord. Our soul needs to be beautiful and it simply can't be when we have become Mr. or Mrs. Nitpick. Something to keep in mind, and most especially for myself. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Monday.
In my younger years, when I was limping along in my faith life, I thought that however I wanted to live out my belief in God was perfectly fine. In fact, my attitude was such that I felt God needed to come to me. He needed to do all the “heavy lifting.” Basically, I was like Herod. Herod obviously was jealous of Jesus and wanted to get rid of Him, but he feigned a desire to adore the Christ Child which was no different than myself. I simply couldn’t be bothered with going to church to be with God or do anything else, for that matter. The Magi were different. They did whatever was needed to be close to Christ. They traveled, they asked about Him, they looked for Him, they brought Him gifts, they brought their praise and they worshiped Him. Then they went home by a different way. Venerable Fulton Sheen once said, “No one who ever meets Christ with a good will returns the same way as he came.” When I was like Herod, apathetic and fake in my desire to know Christ, I continued on the same self-serving path that offered no growth or true joy. Once I became more like the Magi, my pilgrimage through life became different and that has made all the difference, Catholic Pilgrims. Have a blessed Sunday where we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. *Picture is from San Fernando Mission in LA
To prepare for Season Five of my "Journeying with the Saints" podcast, I figured I better watch the movie, "Cabrini." It's because of this movie that the book containing her letters "fell" into my hands last spring. Not long after the movie came out, a man named Michael reached out to me. He told me, "I found Mother Cabrini's letters in an online copy of an out-of-print book about four years ago, and after I couldn't find a physical copy at any of the online used bookstores I vowed to republish it." He continued, "The seventeen letters in the book are remarkable for their quality, and she intricately weaves her faith and spiritual wisdom into her recounting of the adventures of her travels." His hard work is the book we will be reading this season for the podcast. It's titled, "Letters from the Voyages of St. Francis Cabrini." For Seasons One and Three, I read from mystics. For Seasons Two and Four, I read from two priests. I haven't yet read from a missionary. So, my family watched the movie a few nights ago because when people ask, I want to speak intelligently about it and not rely on hearsay. I, also, want to see if how she is portrayed in the movie is accurate to her tone and personality in her actual letters. To get my review and thoughts on the movie, you will have to listen in to the first episode of my podcast on February 1st, 2025. Looking forward to it, Catholic Pilgrims!
This picture is from the monastery founded by St. Basil the Great, who along with St. Gregory Nazianzen, is celebrated today. It is located in Cappadocia, Turkey. This part of the structure comes centuries after St. Basil's time which was in the late 300s. My daughter and I took a walk the other day out in the desert and I asked her if she had any resolutions for the new year. She said, "No, not really. If I want to do something or change something, I just do it. There's no reason to wait until the start of a new year." I get the desire to start something with the freshness of a new year. It's like a reset button. But, if something is good for you and should be done, it should be done once you realize you need to make the change. If you know you should read the Bible more, start when your conscience is pricked. If you need to get healthy, start as soon as you can. If you need to give up an addiction, don't wait for a new year. One of the reasons that New Year's resolutions don't stick for so many is that the motive very often is too inwardly focused. If the change desired is attached to a vice, such as vanity, it will be difficult to sustain. St. Basil founded the monastery in this area to reform lives and to combat heresy. Once he knew it was what he needed to do, he set out to do it. And the motive was God-focused, not self-focused. If our desire to change or grow is attached to a desire to be able to live out God's will better, it is more likely it will stick. Our purpose in this life is to live out God's will and when we align growth and change with His Will, it means we are doing it for someone outside ourself. Ultimately, this will make us more happy. There is nothing wrong with starting a resolution at the beginning of the year, Catholic Pilgrims. We just have to make sure we are doing it for the right reasons and the main reason, above all else, is to be better equipped to live out God's purpose for us. Have a blessed Thursday.
Welcome to 2025, Catholic Pilgrims! If you are a newbie to the page, here's an introduction to start the new year. I'm Amy, the Catholic Pilgrim, and I've been writing nearly everyday for 11 years on here. The only way that's maintained is by the Holy Spirit giving me inspiration every morning in my prayer time. I'm an Air Force wife and I've been married to my handsome airman for 23 years. I've been following him around for a *couple* rotations around the sun and I love this military life. We've lived in Ohio (twice), Florida, California (twice), Virginia (twice), Las Vegas, Turkey (yes, the country), Alabama, and a stint in there when I went back home to Kansas while he was deployed. I'm, also, a convert to the faith. My husband (cradle Catholic) and I used to battle it out in our early years of marriage over whether to be Protestant or Catholic. He dismantled every one of my arguments and in 2009, I converted. My husband opened my mind to the Faith, the Eucharist opened my heart. I have three beautiful children--two girls, one boy. Two of them are adults and have flown the nest, but it has been a joy to see them out in the world doing their thing. My son is still at home and it's been fun living the boy-life with him. I, also, have 10 saints in Heaven who are constant intercessors for their Momma. I love my sweet babes in Heaven and at every Mass, I ask them to be with me. I've homeschooled for 14 years, though I'm not a teacher by trade. Criminology is where my education lies and I specialized in dealing with sexual violence crimes. I love football and have been known to scare away children with my...ahem...enthusiasm. Go K-State and go Chiefs! My favorite Bible verse is 2 Timothy 4:7: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I'm opinionated, stubborn, sarcastic, a lover of rock-n-roll, hater of turkey (the meat), sentimental, and fiercely loyal. I love Christ with all my heart and I love writing about our Catholic Faith--to me, it's on the same level as needing air and water. So, welcome to my page, fellow Pilgrims. I'm glad you found me. Live the faith boldly and travel well in 2025!
Where do I start to list the blessings from this year? I've been doing this social media thing for over a decade. To think of where I started and where I'm at now is truly astounding. In my early days, I wanted to quit every other day. Mostly because I had like five followers and I wasn't gaining any ground. But, I kept plugging away. I continued to stay to true to myself and my goal of wanting to create an online community where we helped each other along the pilgrimage of life. It's been such a joy for me to write for you all and have us share our ups and downs in the spiritual life. So, let's go through a few highlights of this year! 1. At the beginning of the year, I visited St. Augustine and got to see where some of the earliest Catholic seeds were planted in the US. Visiting The Shrine of Our Lady of Leche and the cathedral were great mini-pilgrimages. 2. In early spring, I visited Charleston, SC and laid eyes on the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Beautiful! I, also, quickly got to see the oldest church in town before it closed for the day. 3. Around Easter time, I got to visit one of the most gorgeous Catholic Churches in the US. The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, AL made my jaw drop. The monstrance is truly fit for Our King. 4. My family PCS'd from Alabama to California in June. I made a trip to see another mission, so now my number is up to 10 out of the 21 missions in California. 5. I finished Season Four of my "Journeying with the Saints" podcast. Together, we listened to and reflected on St. Francis de Sales' book "Introduction to the Devout Life." It is one of my favorite spiritual books now. I'm, also, happy to know St. Francis better and call him friend. Those are some of my highlights and I thank you all for joining along with me. I have a lot of exciting things planned for this next year and I can't wait to share it all with you. I hope you are able to look back on this past year and find many blessings, Catholic Pilgrims. If it's be a trying year with not so many highs, I pray that God has sustained you through your sufferings. You know what to do in 2025--Live the Faith boldly and travel well!
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