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Death 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.
Continue ReadingI think our Gospel reading from Luke is a clear indicator that the idea of "once saved, always saved" doesn't work. If at the moment of being "saved," that was all that was needed, then there is no point in teaching us about fighting against temptation. One could argue that you still need to be a good person. But, why? If your salvation is assured, what does it matter? In fact, some have argued throughout the centuries that if you are "saved," you might as well give into temptation and do whatever you want, because "Jesus paid the price for everything on the Cross already." In Jesus' time in the desert, we see that temptations must be fought against, otherwise, why would Christ show us how to fight against them? Satan is actively trying to get Jesus severed from the Father. It's fruitless with Christ, but we need to see the danger there for us. Every time we give into a temptation, a bit of grace leaves our soul. With venial sins, we are taking small turns away from God; with mortal sins, we fully turn our back on Him. And each time we do that--give into sin--we are gesturing with our consent to either follow ourselves, follow Satan, or follow the world. What we cannot say is that we are consenting to follow God. St. Benedict XVI wrote, A Christian "must every day renew their decision to be Christian, that is, to give God the first place in the face of the temptations that a secularized culture constantly suggests." We are initially saved by grace through faith--that free gift. However, it would be wildly dangerous to think that we can't ever lose that. We can. Sin severs us from God. Grace is the Divine Life within us. Sin removes that. To be sunk in sin, specifically mortal sin, means we have lost the Divine Life within us. Confession restores it. Here in this earthly life, our faith in God is not a one and done event. It is, instead, the continually decision to stay close to Christ and allow the graces given by the Holy Spirit to sanctify us more and more. Have a blessed First Sunday of Lent, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingA mantra that Christians like to say is: In the world, but not of it. I was thinking about this slogan during prayer yesterday and I asked myself, “But, how are we doing with that?” Back in the days of my late teens and 20s, I called myself a Christian. I probably would have given lip-service to this slogan. And yet, I looked exactly like the secular culture wanted me to. I didn’t go to church. I didn’t read my Bible. I didn’t pray. I lived with my boyfriend. I wasn’t chaste. I had the mouth of a sailor. I watched and listened to whatever I wanted. In fact, there is not one single thing about my life that looked any different than a nice atheist’s life. Technically, there are still more Christians in the world than non-Christians and, yet, our world has fallen into moral decay. So, I’m not so sure we can claim that we are doing well with the whole “in the world, not of it” life-creed. If we want to call ourselves Christians and be taken seriously, we will have to lose our lives for the sake of Christ. That means we will have to live differently. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot plunge into the culture living no differently, believing no differently, than those who have entrenched themselves in all the ways of the world and still claim the identity of Christian. The identity of “Christian” must and necessarily includes dying to self and taking up our crosses to follow Christ, Catholic Pilgrims. Lent is a perfect time to honestly assess your life and cut away those areas that have led you to “gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit” yourself. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.
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