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Note: The message of this post is about more than veiling and modest dress.
I used to follow this online Catholic group that was all about dressing modestly.
Oftentimes, ladies would show what they were wearing to church and, to be honest, it became a bit comical. In an effort to not show their womanly shape or their ankles or anything, some of them would layer so much, they ended up looking like the little brother in “A Christmas Story” when the mom shoves him into the bulky snowsuit.
They were strict adherents to veiling, which is fine. I’m not anti-veiling. But, what sealed the deal for me leaving the group was when one lady took a picture of herself going into church with a opened fast-food napkin on her head because she forgot her veil at home.
Because she thought this was a rule that had to be enforced, she did something completely undignified and ridiculous. Then in the comments, other ladies were encouraging her “creative use” of keeping the rule.
I was done.
As Catholics, we take a lot of heat for having too many rules. The truth is, though, the Church doesn’t.
There are only six Church Commandments that we are required to follow outside of the 10 Commandments, and obviously, the Two
Greatest Commandments given to us by Christ.
1. Attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.
2. To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
3. To confess our sins once a year.
4. To receive Holy Communion during the Easter time.
5. To contribute to the support of the church. (There is no set amount)
6. Observe the Church’s marriage laws.
That’s it, however this is not a pitch for doing the bare minimum.
There are many other practices that the Church allows for or encourages, but they are just that—practices. There are also somethings that the Church allows for that you may not like and the good news is, is that you are free to do it in the way you would prefer.
If you demand or force people to follow “rules” that the Church does not recognize as binding, you are being like the Pharisees and laying heavy burdens on people. You have set yourself up as the authority and disregarded the teaching authority of the Magisterium of the Church.
We don’t want to be so whetted to enforcing what we want to be rules that we come off us joyless, burdensome, or ridiculous, Catholic Pilgrims.
Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Sunday.
*St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Napa, California
Well, it's Friday, Catholic Pilgrims, and you know I like to be a bit more relaxed on Fridays. So, here are some Christmas-themed things about me! 1. My favorite Christmas movie is "White Christmas." I wanna dance in the pink dress worn by Vera-Ellen, because the "best things, happen when you're dancing." 2. My favorite non-religious Christmas song is the "The Christmas Song" sung by Nat King Cole. 3. My favorite religious Christmas song is "O Holy Night." 4. My favorite Christmas dessert is one I can't have anymore. Growing up, my grandma used to get these iced sugar cookies from a bakery in her hometown. They are the best sugar cookies, hands down. The icing was perfect smoothness and the cookies were buttery deliciousness. I'm gluten-intolerant so I can't have them anymore and I think the bakery is gone now, but sometimes, I dream about those sugar cookies. 5. One of the best presents I got back when I was young was a silver trumpet. I wanted one so badly because I was planning on being in the K-State marching band and you have to have a silver trumpet. I was so excited to see one on Christmas morning. I played three years for the K-State marching band and those were some good times. I played at the Fiesta Bowl, Alamo Bowl, and Holiday Bowl, marched through Disneyland, had a battle of the bands on the Midway aircraft carrier, played in Chief's stadium, sweated it out in August and froze in November. I loved being a band nerd. 6. Our Christmas tree is filled, and I mean filled, with ornaments from all the places we've visited as a family. Usually, the only souvenirs we buy when we travel are ornaments. That was quite the challenge in Turkey because generally they don't celebrate Christmas. A lot of magnets got turned into ornaments. Lol. What I love about this tradition of ours is that so many fantastic memories are on our tree and when I look at it, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. 7. I can pretty much recite the entire poem of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from memory. There's a little bit about me. I hope to hear some fun things about you, Catholic Pilgrims. I'm headed home and this Kansas girl says, "There's no place like home."
Continue ReadingDuring our Bible reading the other night with our son, my husband asked him, “Why do some people, like Zechariah, get punished for asking how something could happen but others don’t? Mary asks how it is that she’s going to be with child and she doesn’t get punished. What’s the difference?” My son sat there for a moment thinking and then he said, “I think maybe it’s about doubt.” “Can you explain?” “Well, some people are like, ‘Oh, yeah, how’s that gonna happen?’ Like they don’t really think it can happen ‘cause they doubt. Mary didn’t doubt, she just wanted to understand how God was going to do what He was going to do.” “That’s a really good answer, Buddy. Can you think of anyone else who gets punished for doubting God’s power?” “Yes, Moses. He saw all these things from God and then he doubted God about the water from the rock.” It’s one thing, Catholic Pilgrims, to ask God how His plan is going to unfold and to ask for the graces to understand. To doubt His power and ability to make something happen is quite another. Trust and have faith that God can do the impossible. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.
Continue ReadingI spoke a few weeks back about how I had recently made a comment on a pro-life page and ended up being attacked pretty ruthlessly by a number of people. Several men showed up to share their affinity for killing babies in the womb. One guy was interested in killing born and unborn to rid the world of people with "genes like yours." Margaret Sanger would be so proud. Anyway, I told one of the guys who was less insane that it was unbecoming of him as a man to want to "kill as many embryos as he could so that I can't make a difference." Those were his words. "You should use your strength to protect the most vulnerable," I told him. I remember so vividly each time my husband held each one of our children for the first time. Such a proud dad. With a small child in their arms, a man's masculinity is pronounced to the fullest extent because his strength is set in contrast to the most vulnerable. It is his honor and duty to be the protector for mother and child. A man fully comes into his manhood when he is entrusted with protecting those placed in his care and he takes that responsibility seriously. St. Joseph loved Mary. The situation of her being with child through the Holy Spirit before living together was a bit difficult for him to navigate, I'm sure. He decided to not bring shame upon her and divorce her quietly. But, then, he gets his great commission: "Take Mary your wife into your home." "You are to name him Jesus." He was being entrusted with the care of two people--The Son of God and His mother. They were under his protection now. How beautifully he arose--awakened--to the occasion. "When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home." May the men out there, especially the young men, look to St. Joseph as a model of what masculinity should look like. Thank you to those men who use their power and strength for good and who lovingly care for those that rely on them. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Painting by Bartolomé Esteban Perez Murillo
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