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Hello, fellow pilgrims! My name is Amy Thomas. In 2009, I converted to Catholicism and I started writing to share the Faith. I’m a military spouse and my lifestyle has afforded me the opportunity to travel all over, exploring Catholic places. I have since expanded my writing to include a podcast and videos. My goal is to travel with fellow pilgrims and help them to discover the richness of the Catholic Church and grow closer to Christ. If interested in having me speak at your event or ask me a question, please click below.
There are many in the Christian community who don’t like Catholics’ devotion to Angels and Saints. Some tell us our practices are pagan. Some find it unnecessary and a distraction. Some repeat over and over that there is only one mediator between God and man—Jesus. Some tell us that we are practicing necromancy. All of these thoughts misunderstand, of course, Catholicism and are an ignorance about Catholics relationship with Angels and Saints. We don’t believe the Angels and Saints are gods to be worshipped like the One True God. We don’t believe that you have to have a relationship with them in order to be saved, but we do believe they are a great help given to us by God. We agree that Jesus is the mediator between God and man. Having a relationship with Angels and Saints doesn’t usurp that role just as having relationships with other Christians doesn’t usurp that role. Necromancy is the attempt to conjure up the dead to obtain information from them. This is strictly forbidden in Catholicism. We are allowed, however, to ask those who are alive in Heaven to pray for us and to ask our guardian angels to guide and protect us. The whole of Christian life is not meant to be reduced down to a private, “personal relationship with Jesus.” Baptized Christians are a part of the Body of Christ and we are meant to be in communion with each other. This includes those in Heaven—the Triumphant. It also includes the angels for, as Scripture shows over and over, they are given to us to help us. As a parent, I don’t just demand that my kids only have a relationship with me. I want them to have healthy relationships with other family members, friends, other church members, teachers, and coaches. Why? Because all these people can help them in some way and strengthen them. We have hope that God will give us everything we need to get to Heaven. Angels are one of those helps. St. Bernard of Clairvaux said angels were “proof” ‘that heaven denies us nothing to assist us.” God gives us many wonderful and holy helps, Catholic Pilgrims, to assist us on our pilgrimage through life. Thank God for the help of the Angels. Have a blessed Feast of the Holy Angels!
Continue ReadingThis past Friday, our bishop was on base for the Sacrament of Confirmation. His words in his homily really made me reflect on my path to my own confirmation. As many of you know, at age 17, I left God behind. This happened because of a series of devastating events and I thought the logical solution was to abandon God since I thought He had abandoned me. So, I stopped going to church, my Bible was shelved completely, not that I got it out much before my great self-inflicted exile. I didn't pray. I did participate in a Bible study with my friends in college, but I was a big hypocrite. I lived how I wanted, yet thought of myself as a good person. I still called myself a Christian and defended Christianity in my college classes, but I was not following Jesus at all. Then, I started dating a lukewarm cradle Catholic, we fell in love, gave no thought to our religious differences, got married and began the great tug-of-war to decide if we were going to be Protestant or Catholic. After the birth of our firstborn, all of a sudden, religion mattered. During this time, I fought with my husband as he explained Catholicism, but it was more of a wrestling with God--much like Jacob wrestles. After eight years of wrestling, I desired more than anything to become Catholic. The bishop this past Friday said, "When you receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, if you have received Him in the right disposition, the transformation in you will be so great that you will not be able to contain the love you have for God. You will most necessarily have to spread the message of Jesus to the world." Of course, because I'm a big weeper, this made me cry. I think back to who I was before my confirmation and who I am now and it is a night and day difference. I'm not a perfect follower of Christ, but I want to be and I want others to know Him and love Him. It's why I write here nearly everyday. I'm truly sustained by the Holy Spirit. I have known life apart from God where I was just wandering around aimlessly. I know it is a shallow, sad life. The best way to live is to take Jesus up on His words to "follow Me." Follow Him fully, follow Him faithfully, and your life will bear much fruit. Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims. St. Theresa, pray for us!
Continue ReadingHEY!!! (said in loud infomercial voice) Are you looking to improve your evangelism skills? Well, folks, you've come to the right place!! Listen, I've got a book called, "Tips and Secrets of Online Evangelism: Ways To Be Wildly Ineffective" that is gonna help you take your skills to a lower level. Just a few topics covered are: 1. Learning how to use all CAPS!!!! You may not have a bullhorn, but using all CAPS says, "THIS IS IMPORTANT!" and "IF I SAY THIS IN ALL CAPS, IT MEANS THAT I AM RIGHT!" 2. Repetition. This is where you learn to just repeat the same thing, no matter what your interlocutor says. For instance, no matter what they say back to you, just type "IDOL WORSHIPPER!" Do this over and over again and you'll have people on your side in no time, or not, but it requires little effort on your part. Don't forget the CAPS! Pro-tip: Sending a slew of links to videos that no one is going to watch is super ingenious, as well. 3. Refuse to stay on topic. The goal here is to not really engage in meaningful debate, but, instead, have the person you are trying to evangelize run around collecting red fish, if you catch my drift. With these and other great tips, you will be on your way to evangelizing no one, but instead just being massively annoying and getting yourself blocked. So, order now, by calling 1-800-BEA-GONG and get started on going no where TODAY! A little Friday sarcasm, Catholic Pilgrims, but with the intended purpose to remind us all that we are meant to be salt and light. When we seek to evangelize, let us be intelligent, mindful, clear-headed, sincere, and, above all, not annoying. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Friday!
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