Daily Reflections

When my husband and I were dating neither one of us gave a thought about our Faith life. I was the mad Protestant who had turned her back on God and Dustin was a cradle Catholic that lived right across the street from the Catholic Church on campus, but never went. The day our oldest…

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Recently, my husband had to go on a work trip to Los Angeles. When he got back, he told me about how near Santa Monica, there’s this plane that social media influencers can rent out to make videos, pretending like they are traveling to some exotic place. They get in it, video a fake scenario…

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I used to love a good battle. Give me a political battle and I’d happily enter the ring. My competitor and I would battle it out with our words and then exhausted, we’d both leave the “ring” not changed one bit. It was after the summer of 2020 when my eyes were opened to the…

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I finished this book last night and I’m still sitting here wondering what to think about it. Never have I read a book that more clearly shows how mortal sin utterly sinks a soul. Dorian Gray is a young, wildly handsome man who captures everyone he meets. Basil Hallward, a painter, is enraptured with his…

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I was watching a video of Bishop Sheen the other day and he was talking about the differences in the way God and Satan speak to you before you commit a sin. God says, “Don’t do this.” We hear His voice in a demanding, overbearing way. Satan says, “Do it!” We hear his voice as…

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Yesterday, as you know, was Good Shepherd Sunday and the Church asks us to pray specifically for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. My priest said, “What does it mean to pray for more priests and religious? Is it simply to ask for more numbers? No, I think there is something else, especially for…

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If you’ve ever been on a military installation when a lot of active duty members are milling about in uniform, it’s not uncommon to see a little kid pick out the wrong dad. Being so little and among a sea of camouflage pants and boots, it’s easy to see why they sometimes grab the wrong…

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Oh Paul, how I relate to your story and conversion. Today, in our readings, we get the famous Damascus story. As you know, Saul was running around full of “murderous threats” towards Christians and he was full of pride. He thought he knew better, he was on the attack, and he was going to set…

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The day I was doing prison ministry, the other volunteer who was there said to me at one point, “You know, it seems like many of the women here have mental issues.” “Yeah,” I responded back, “One thing I learned through my work is that for many, somewhere in their past, someone who was supposed…

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One of the biggest reasons I turned away from my Faith after tragedy struck was because I was under the impression that Christianity was synonymous with an easy life. I believed Jesus had taken care of everything back in the day and His followers afterwards would live the “good” life. Good meaning easy, comfortable, pleasant,…

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Last Thursday, my son had a baseball game. Afterwards, his team was going to have a little birthday celebration for one of his teammates. Since they were going to have pizza and cake, I knew I needed to get some gluten-free pizza and a gf cupcake for my son so he could feel a part…

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Yesterday, after months and months of waiting for them to clear me, I finally got to go with one of my parish priests to do prison ministry. When I was working, I used to go into many different kinds of places where those convicted of crimes were held, including prisons, and I’ve missed serving that…

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Ave Maria Grotto, St. Bernard Abbey, Cullman, Alabama In 1892, Brother Joseph Zoetl came from Bavaria to begin his monastic life at the abbey. He was in charge of the furnace, but in his spare time, he started building miniature buildings out of anything he could get his hands on. Most of his miniature buildings…

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If you are someone who knowingly persists in mortal sin there are three responses you can have when they see others engage in mortal sin. 1. Indifference. You just don’t care. 2. You get incredibly angry at the other. It’s a projection thing. You are really angry with yourself for how far you’ve allowed yourself…

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Hey, Pilgrims, I’ve got my backpack on and am ready to embark on our quest to find sky-god, that “mythical man who lives in the clouds” that supposedly us Christians believe in. So, (big arm wave) come on! Let’s go! “We’ll look high, we’ll look low, to the top of a mountain we will go!…

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Some of you asked me to tell about the first time I received Communion as a new convert. I realized that I have never actually written about that…so here goes. Before I met my husband, I was engaged to another guy. He was fine, but as my dad said, “we were unequally yoked.” That was…

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When I was pregnant my senior year of college, I was still in Air Force ROTC. Once I started to show, I stood out like a sore thumb in my maternity clothes. (Side note: Maternity clothes have gotten way more stylish than when I was pregnant with my first.) Everyone else was in uniform and…

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Twice in our Gospel reading from John, we get the detail that the Apostles were hiding behind a locked door. They were scared and I’m sure I would be, too. You can imagine the mood behind the locked door: Intense with fear, gloominess, anxiousness, every sound making the Apostles tense up. Most of us have…

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We are out of Lent, I can do a fun Friday with y’all. (Working on my Alabama accent there) 1. The correct word is pop. Not soda, not Coke to cover all soft drinks. Pop. 2. I get asked often (mostly by California residents) if we still drive covered wagons in Kansas. We do. My…

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This past Sunday at church, after I had received Holy Communion and was praying, I saw the visiting priest put the Eucharist in the hand of a young girl. However, as he went to place it, she moved her hand and the Host fell on the ground. I instantly gasped. Quick as a flash, though,…

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When I was 16, in a last ditch effort to be seen by my neglectful boyfriend, I drove to his house to beg for his love. He was home, playing some game on the computer. Though I tried with all my might, I couldn’t get him to engage in conversation with me. In cruel fashion,…

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I’m the bed-maker in our marriage. For 22 years, I’ve made our bed each morning. The other day, I jokingly said to my husband, “If I went on a business trip, like you always do, the poor bed wouldn’t get made here at home.” He said, “Yes, it would. Believe it or not, I make…

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I’ll be off for Good Friday and Holy Saturday, Catholic Pilgrims. There will, also, be no podcast episode for today. I’ll see you all in a few days. “Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the salvation of the world: come, let us adore.”…

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Here we are at Holy Thursday. This is the day Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders. In the reading today from John, Peter initially refuses to let Jesus wash his feet. While I know Peter’s intention was an attempt at humility, it is, no less, a false humility. Christ wants…

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Two days before my husband and I were marrried, we went with our wedding party to the amusement park “Worlds of Fun” in Kansas City. At one point, I sat down on a bench and discovered right beside me a Crown Royal bag. When I looked inside, I found hundreds and hundreds of dollars, maybe…

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Judas and Peter. Both are going to betray Jesus. As I was reading the Gospel this morning, I noticed something I had never thought about. Both men commit to do something: Judas to do evil, Peter to stand by Jesus. Judas follows through and commits his evil deed. Peter does not, at least initially, follow…

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“Amy, you cannot live so close to such beauty and not go see it!” On her way home back to Ohio from my house, that’s what my best friend texted to me after her family stopped off to see The Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. My goodness, Catholic Pilgrims, the beauty in…

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Yesterday, while my son was at nature club, I took a little walk to a pond to pray my daily rosary. It was so nice seeing the signs of Spring all around, hearing the birds, watching the big ‘ole fat bumblebee hover right in front of me, and watching the tallest tree you see in…

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Isn’t this tree incredible? While researching things to do in Charleston, I came upon this tree—Angel Oak Tree—and planned for us to see it and have a picnic on the grounds. It’s kind of out of the way, but it’s free to see, so with just a little effort, you can stop by and spend…

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Catholic Pilgrims, I wanted to share some gift ideas for Easter. I recently became acquainted with Dina Zeldon of The Saint Symphorien Institute. She has written the sweetest book called, “The Little Way of Trust.” The book is based off a true story of St. Therese from when she was a small child. It is…

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For those that don’t love God or those that have a weak relationship with Him, God seems like a rule-making taskmaster. He’s like a spouse that you don’t really love, who you view as demanding all kinds of things. This makes it very hard to want to do what He asks. In fact, you’d sooner…

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On our last day in Charleston, I knew I wanted to see the oldest parish in the Carolinas, which had been established in 1789. It was getting close to 4:30pm and the church was about to close for the day, so my family quickly headed over so I could at least lay eyes on it.…

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One of the things that impresses me so much about many of the Saints is that after being removed from difficultly they often went back into the fray or they went searching for those situations that were surely to be a battle. St. Patrick, after being kidnapped and held as a slave for many years,…

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Hey, Catholic Pilgrims. I recently got to have a wonderful chat with Amy and Jacki from the “Design Your Life” podcast. We cover a wide range of topics: My conversion, meeting my husband, how I started my Catholic Pilgrim page, and the healing from past trauma that I experienced once I entered the Catholic Church.…

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f you’re gonna laugh, laugh big. This is me with my momma and sister. When I was 17, in my dark place, I was trying to convince my mom to let me go to another high school. We were arguing about it in the kitchen and because I wasn’t being clear in my reasoning, she…

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I was sitting with my 9-year old son the other day and I asked Him, “Do you understand that God loves you?” He said, “Yes.” “Do you always feel that love?” Shyly, he answered, “Well, it’s kind of hard sometimes.” “Yeah, it can be. He’s not here to hug or play ball with.” He replied,…

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You’ve all heard my story of how when I was 17, I turned my back on God. I didn’t become an atheist, I was just incredibly angry with Him. In an attempt to punish God, I basically stopped doing anything religious. I didn’t go to church. I didn’t read my Bible. I broke a lot…

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My priest told a great story yesterday at Mass. He said, “I don’t remember where I read this, but its message is important. There was a Bishop from Europe meeting with a Bishop in Africa. They were having breakfast together. The European Bishop commented on how alive the Church was in Africa, specifically Nigeria. The…

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Finished another book in my list of recommendations from you all. I finished “The Last of the Mohicans” last night. It’s not my favorite book by any stretch of the imagination, but I am glad that I read it. The story opens with two sisters trying to get to their father, a colonel in the…

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Recently, when I was in Charleston, my family went on a sailing trip for two hours. The sun was out, the sky was Robin-egg blue, the clouds were fluffy cotton balls, the sun was warm, but the wind was cool, and the dolphins were playing in the water. It’s in those moments, those perfect moments…

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A little Charleston Catholic history lesson for you today, Catholic Pilgrims. Before the year 1716, Catholics were worshipping in South Carolina. However, in 1716, Catholics were banned because there was fear that Catholics would band together with the Spanish Empire and, as we know, Spain and England weren’t exactly best friends through the colonial era.…

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A couple of days ago, I told you that my husband had a late night talk with a younger guy while on a business trip. They got on the subject of religion and it was clear to my husband that the younger guy is very much searching. There’s a question my husband always asks other…

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Recently, my husband and our oldest have had good theological discussions with people—people who are searching. My daughter, the Focus missionary, was telling me about a recent tabling experience on campus. (Tabling is where the missionaries just set up a table and engage the college students.) Anyway, a guy with genuine curiosity come up and…

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I’m a very black and white person. For me, there’s right and there’s wrong and it’s really not too complicated to know which is which once you educate yourself. Basically, for the most part, if the world condones or encourages some issue of morality, beware. And I get it, there are areas of gray, or…

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Before moving to Alabama, I had told my son that the neighborhood we were moving into was going to be teeming with kids. I knew it was a place where a lot of families lived and so I presumed that the streets would be full of kids riding their bikes and playing games. But, when…

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Yesterday, I finished reading Immaculée Ilibagiza’s book, “Left to Tell.” Once I finish reading a book, I always add it into my Goodreads account. I like having a list of all the books I’ve read because it helps me remember titles and stories. Plus, I like reviewing the books for other readers. Real quick, the…

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Awhile back, someone that I know was pretty consistently posting hateful rhetoric about Christianity on their Facebook page. Most of the flat out bigotry, I let pass, as I didn’t have time to address it all. A high number of the posts were memes from other pages. One was called “Religion is Evil” to give…

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I was making a podcast yesterday and St. Francis de Sales was talking about purifying ourselves from the affection to sin. While no Christian on earth would probably admit to you or themselves that they have an affection to sin, the hard truth is this: We all have at least one sin that we struggle…

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I was listening to Bishop Barron’s homily yesterday and he was focused in on the first reading about Abraham and Isaac. The story of Abraham taking Isaac up the mountain to sacrifice him because God told him to is, perhaps, one of the most challenging passages in the Bible to read. Bishop Barron said it…

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Have you ever really noticed Abraham’s response when God calls him in Genesis 22:1? Abraham immediately replies with, “Here I am!” Following this response, God asked him to do probably the most difficult thing ever—sacrifice his son…and Abraham immediately sets off to do what God has asked, with a heavy heart, I’m sure. Now for…

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The time has finally come, Catholic Pilgrims. Season Four of the “Journeying with the Saints” podcast starts this coming Monday, February 26, 2024. We will be reading St. Francis de Sales’ book, “Introduction to the Devout Life.” I’ve been prepping for weeks and I love this book already. It’s such a practical guide for living…

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Back in 2015, my family went to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. At the end of the week, we got to have Mass with the pope. There were over a million Catholics in the streets of Philly and it was incredible. I’ve never felt the universality of the Church quite as keenly as…

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My son heard what his dad was doing for Lent and so he modeled a lot of his Lenten practices after him. Not as difficult or intense, but appropriate for a young kid. The other night, my husband was tucking him into bed and asked him how his Lenten practices were going. Our son said,…

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I woke up greatly missing Turkey this morning. Even 2 1/2 years removed from living there, I still miss it. So, we get a picture from Turkey today. As I was reading through the next chapter in Job, the thing that stood out to me the most was when Job said, “How painful honest words…

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One day, years ago, I was sitting with a co-worker at our work lunch table and I was lamenting the fact that I wasn’t a patient person. I said to her, “I pray all the time for God to make me patient and I’m still the same.” She kind of good-naturedly laughed at my ignorance,…

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Oh, how I love the angels. Sometimes, I don’t think we even realize how often they show up in Scripture. When I did my study on angels a few years back, I was struck by how often they minister to different people. I love the image of the angels ministering to Jesus in the desert…

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For many of us, our first thought when suffering comes our way is, “Well, God must not love me. If He loved me, He’d never let this happen.” Prevalent in our culture today is this idea that any amount of suffering automatically makes life not worth living. If we don’t get a smooth ride, what’s…

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What lengths do we go to as humans to stop suffering? Now, that may seem like a silly question at first blush, because it could imply that we should just sit around and watch people suffer or do nothing to help ourselves. Many people forget that the Christian life—any life really—entails suffering. Christ told us…

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I was sitting in the pew yesterday before Mass and thinking about how I am going to read the Book of Job for Lent. Out of the blue, my dark past flooded my mind and the images and memories just wouldn’t stop. I grabbed my son’s hand to have a bit of comfort and tried…

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Are you leaving me this Lent, Catholic Pilgrims, but still want to get my daily posts? Here are three options for you that keep you off social media. 1. If your church has the MyParish App, you can find me on there. Your church will have to select me as one of their “picks,” so…

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During my sophomore year of track, I was running the 4×100 relay at a mid-season meet. The first-leg girl of our relay had been off flirting with some boys and my team had to scramble to find her once 2nd call came. Consequently, none of us were warmed up and we were all a bit…

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One of the most difficult burdens to bear is watching a loved one lose their faith. That, or knowing someone who’s never had a relationship with Christ. We look at them and they look tortured. You can see the lack of God in their lives manifesting itself externally. You feel desperate to give them what…

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This whole week, I’ve been at Command Spouse Training and my brain is tapped out on this Friday. Consequently, I have no deep thoughts today. Let’s do a top five of pretty random things for fun: 1. Favorite animal: Black Panther 2. Favorite movie from when I was a kid: Goonies 3. Favorite type of…

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My first boyfriend I ever had, the one who I was desperate to have love me, did nothing to make me a better person. Not one thing. The next boyfriend was even worse. He absolutely tanked my moral compass and set me up for a world of pain. The third was…eh…okay. While he wasn’t horrible,…

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Lent starts in one Lent starts in one week, Catholic Pilgrims. Believe it or not, we celebrated Christmas yesterday. Now, though, we will enter into the Way of the Cross. I’m not here to tell you what to do, what to remove, or what to add in—that has to be personal to you. Whatever you…

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One of the problems with us, as humans, is that if things aren’t super entertaining or if they are an obligation, we do them half-heartedly and with little focus. “I mean, I’ll do it, but don’t expect me to get anything out of it.” The Mass often gets accused of not being “fun.” It’s not…

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When I was in college, I cleaned houses my sophomore year to get by. It was not my favorite job, but I needed the money and I needed something with a flexible schedule. Mostly, I cleaned houses for elderly people and one lady with 18 Persian cats. The cat house is a story for another…

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The land beyond the Sea of Galilee in this picture is the Golan Heights and it’s over in this area that our Gospel reading from Mark takes us today. You are looking eastward. This passage today about the unclean spirits and the swine is a curious one. The response of the people after seeing the…

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This is the synagogue in Capernaum, Catholic Pilgrims, from our Gospel reading today. It’s scary to think of people with unclean spirits in them. As scary as it is, we are being bombarded with the demonic pretty consistently now in our culture. Nobody is even trying to be subtle about it anymore. Build-A-Bear has a…

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