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One thing that we often hear from people is that they don't want to go to church because they'd just rather worship God on their own. Now, it is true that you can worship God anywhere. Nature is a great place to connect with the Creator. Even going to Adoration by yourself to sit in silence with Jesus is excellent for our souls. However... Thomas Merton once wrote reflecting on attending church as a little kid, "It is a law of man's nature, written into his very essence, and just as much a part of him as the desire to build houses and cultivate the land and marry and have children and read books and sing song, that he should want to stand together with other men in order to acknowledge their common dependence of God, their Father and Creator." In Heaven, we will not be alone as we worship God. We will be with all the Saints and angels at the great Heavenly banquet. Imagine the multitudes. Mass is that participation here on earth. Don't neglect going to Mass, Catholic Pilgrims. We need to be united with our brothers and sisters in Christ at the Supper of the Lamb. Have a blessed Wednesday.
Continue ReadingIt’s hard to tell from this picture, but I’m standing on top of a high hill. I went for my evening run and because I’m still not quite ready to run up it, I walked up it…very fast. 😅 I got to the top and then I sat and prayed for all of you, my fellow pilgrims. The other day, I read something from St. Francis Cabrini that said: “You lost your cross? Then you are the most unhappy person in the world because the one who has no cross is not a follower of Jesus Christ; so I wish you a very long and very large cross full of thorns, which you will carry as a precious jewel with a smile on your lips.” The Saints are incredible people. For most of my life, I understood that Christ redeemed us on the Cross. It has taken me, though, a long time to understand Jesus’ command to “pick up your cross and follow Him.” We did not feel the pain Christ went through on the Cross and so the only way to truly appreciate His suffering for us is to carry our own crosses well. We do that with grace. It is our crosses that sanctify us—not comfort, not pleasures, not the easy way. If we have seemingly lost our cross because we seek to avoid them or refuse to carry them, we will be unhappy people. Why? Because we were made to be holy and if we aren’t striving for that, we will never be fully alive. It is hard, though, to carry crosses alone and so I prayed for you all up here on my desert-y hill. I prayed for your strength and your courage to brave them. Continue to live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingDeath Valley desert. I can't escape the desert. Lol. In Dante's "Inferno," Hell is a place of noise, which makes complete sense. I imagine it to be like loud static on a radio or just clanging cymbals. The first time I stood in Time's Square, I was overcome by all the noise: The traffic, the people, the visual stimulus, the shopping, the ads. It was sensory overload, for sure. At that moment, all I wanted to do was run to the tiny Kansas town my grandparents lived in. I wanted to escape to that quiet country town where all you heard were the birds, the wind, and the occasional storm rumbling in the distance. I was seeking silence and one of the only places I knew where to find that was in my grandparent's town. Our souls cannot survive on constant sound. They will become overwhelmed and burdened. Our soul wants to hear God, but it can't when noise drowns out His voice. This week of Lent, I challenge you fast from the noise of the news and all its political bantering. The news cycle moves so fast. You won't miss anything. By the time the week ends, the story at the beginning of the week meant to spool us into a frenzy will be long forgotten. So, I encourage you to step away. Step away from reading that news headlines. Step away from the political podcasts. Step away from having the news on 24/7 in your home and let silence fill that space. It will be uncomfortable and you may even experience FOMO, but it will be okay. I promise, it will be okay. Give your soul a break, Catholic Pilgrims. Just like my soul was dying to be in a tiny town in Kansas while standing in NYC, your soul is dying to reconnect with God...in the silence. Have a blessed Monday.
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