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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.
So last week, I saw a video of a female "pastor" doing a "I'm a pastor" take on social media. Throughout the entire church, the going theme was rainbow flags and banners galore. And they weren't there because this "church" was super into Noah. It was weird because it looked like she had taken over a church and just gutted it, turning it into a place where maybe a mosh pit would be? I don't know. It was weirdly hollow...or maybe that isn't weird...but instead incredibly on the nose. Anyway, at one point, she said, "I'm a pastor, of course, I believe all lives are sacred, which means that women and those who can bear children should make the decisions that they, their doctor, their family, and their god believes is best for them." So many problems with the nonsense uttered here. I responded with, "I 'love' when they say, 'I believe all lives are sacred' and then go on to support women deciding that it's fine to murder their unborn babies. There's such a disconnect." To which I got this response: "How about we stay JUDGMENT FREE and continue to love thy neighbor, like Jesus taught?!" Beware the ALL CAPS, as we discussed a few weeks ago. So, I said back, "Loving people doesn't mean we just let them sink in sin. Also, your comment doesn't address what I said. Her nonsense belief that all lives are sacred and, also, unborn babies are fine to kill if the mom wants them dead, is contradictory and utterly wrong. Also, you showing up to tell me to be judgment free is a judgment call. We can and should judge actions as morally good and morally bad. What we can't do is judge souls to Heaven or Hell." "She never stated 'Unborn babies are fine to kill,' YOU said that. Vilifying someone doesn't make you right." "She couched her thoughts on abortion in a slew of euphemisms. I'm making it clear." "You interpret what in YOUR heart {sic}. Ask yourself what would Jesus do?! and do THAT. "No, I'm not interpreting what's in my heart. I'm using clear language because I know what abortion is--the murder of unborn babies. And Jesus would say, "Thou shall not murder." It's in the Ten Commandments, clear as day." And that was it. It's so important, Catholic Pilgrims, that we speak firmly, truthfully, and with clarity. When you have truth on your side, you don't need to shroud your language in euphemisms. If all lives are sacred, they are from conception to death. Live the faith boldly and travel well.
Continue ReadingNot too long ago at our base chapel, my husband and I took down the red altar cloths for Confirmation and put back on the green ones for the following Sunday. I've never been the one in charge of putting them back on, though I've watched it done several times. Now, I've laid out tablecloths on many a table throughout my life and there's nothing to it: Lay it out, adjust for equal length, carry on. Dressing an altar is different and I had never experienced the difference until I was in a quiet church, working with my husband to get the altar ready for the next Mass. We have two chapels on base. One is used almost exclusively by the Protestant community and the other is used primarily by the Catholic community. The chapel used by the Protestants has no altar; the sanctuary is just a stage. In contrast, our sanctuary has an altar and a tabernacle. In fact, we have two of each--one in the main church and one in a little Blessed Sacrament chapel. In the Old Testament, the altar was a consecrated object meant for sacrifice. It is was "a place of consecration and sacrifice, where God met man." --Catholic Answers We still have that today in our Catholic Churches--the Sacrifice of the Mass is still very much a reality. It is where God--Jesus Christ's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity--meets man for Holy Communion. The OT altar was never meant to be discarded, it was meant to be elevated to hold Someone even greater. On our Catholic altars, the priest re-presents the Sacrifice of Christ in an unbloody manner. And so, as I was putting on the altar linens, the significance of touching the altar and treating it with loving care and respect was a very keen reality to me. Our altar in our base church is not as strikingly beautiful as the one in this picture taken in Portugal. But, because it has held Our Lord upon it, beautiful or not, it is infinitely significant. What struck me the most was how much of an honor it was to get the altar ready for the next time Jesus would be there and so I wanted to get it just right. Our Catholic Faith is so rich with meaning, Catholic Pilgrims, and we are truly blessed. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Monday.
Continue ReadingBefore I begin the meat of what I have to say here, my intention is not to embarrass or shame anyone. I've gone back and forth on whether I should write about it, but, in the end, I was so moved by the experience that I felt I needed to share. This past weekend, my family attended Mass at St. Joseph's in Big Bear Lake, CA. At the start of Mass during the procession, the priest was taking awhile to come into my view. When he did, I could see that this relatively young priest had a disability in his legs that made walking difficult. As he climbed up to the altar, it was clear that he was in pain. During his homily, he was telling us about how he used to ski when he was young and he joked by saying, "Back when I was more agile," which caused a gentle laugh by the congregation. But, it was how this priest was during the Consecration that compels me to write. As you know, during the Consecration, the priest genuflects three times out of reverence for Our Lord. Given this priest's limitations, I didn't think he would genuflect, which was understandable. I thought he would bow. He didn't bow, though, and at each time for genuflection, though it clearly was difficult, this priest slowly, and so very reverently, genuflected to Jesus. Normally it is pretty quiet during this time, but there was an even deeper silence as we all watched this man struggle to genuflect. It was so powerfully moving and such a sight of beauty that I have tears falling even as I type this. Then we proceeded with Holy Communion and it was one of the most reverent Holy Communions I've ever experienced. I think the priest set the precedent. Afterwards, when he was "cleaning up the dishes," as my son once said when he was little, the priest lovingly and carefully performed this act. It was almost mesmerizing watching him be so attentive. When my husband and I walked out of the church, we both commented on how moved we were. Again, I don't write this to embarrass and I don't write to shame anyone who can't genuflect because of physical limitations. I write because this priest's effort and even his willingness to not try and hide his disability was sincerely touching. For love of God, Catholic Pilgrims. May everything we do and say, be done for love of God. Live the faith boldly and travel well.
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