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All throughout history, since Christ’s coming, man has been trying to downplay who He is.
There’s been heresies that deny His divinity.
There’s been heresies that basically deny the Incarnation because they deny Christ’s humanity.
There are those that deny His existence.
Today, Jesus is mostly just a great social justice advocate.
In many ways, people try to get Him on the same playing field as us. The biggest reason we do this, is because ultimately we want to follow our own way. If Christ is just a great guy that lived a long time ago, well that’s nice and all, but I don’t really have to pay Him much mind. My life doesn’t have to break open on His Cross and on His Will.
This never works, though, and whether we realize it or not, living our own way leaves us crying out in the desert—even if we don’t live in a literal desert. The reality is that the desert is within our soul and when it’s not filled with Christ, we die of thirst.
John the Baptist said in our reading today that he was not even “worthy to loosen the straps of His sandals.” Why? Because Christ is God. The only one Who can save us. Fully God, fully Man.
The beautiful thing is, is that though we are unworthy, He still invites us into a relationship with Him. When we let go of our own will and accept that invitation, everything changes for the better.
Have a blessed Third Sunday of Advent, Catholic Pilgrims.
For most of my life, my grandparents had a big garden. Whenever we would go and visit in the summer time, we always had to take a garden tour and see what my grandpa was growing. My grandparents lived in a tiny Kansas town and these were the kind of things you did when you visited: Tour the garden, go for a drive, have tea on the patio, check out my grandma’s flowers, and feast on delicious food. Simple things that mean even more now that I’m older. My grandparents are gone now, but they left their mark. The past several years, my siblings, my mom and I share pictures of our gardens. We all live in different environments, but the need to garden is basically ingrained in us because of my grandparents. My sister, who would probably admit, never had an ounce of interest in gardening for most of her life, now has a thriving garden. My brother has found a way to make it work in Colorado with raised beds. My mom recently moved and now has space for a huge garden that rivals my grandparent’s. And me, well, I’m limping along out here in the desert, though I do have an indoor hydroponic garden that gives me herbs. 😂 Today is St. Isidore’s feast day, patron saint of farmers. Reading about him today made me think of my grandparents and the way they passed on their love of tending the earth to so many of their grandkids and my mom. There’s something about being good stewards of the land and growing your own food that grounds you. Pun intended. The most beautiful thing to me, though, is that my grandparents live on through us as we garden and try to imitate them. Have a blessed Thursday, Catholic Pilgrims. St. Isidore, pray for us!
Continue ReadingFor the past two years, my oldest has been serving as a Focus missionary at Berkeley. I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous to have her go there, but we can’t shy away from going into places where Jesus is needed most. Rhianna has always been up for a challenge and has never been one to shy away from the hard things. It has been incredible to watch her and her team work so hard to help students grow in relationship with Christ and each other. Dustin and I have had the privilege of hosting some of those students at our home and it has been a blessing for us. To know my Rhianna is know that she thrives on human connection. Focus gives her ample opportunities to connect through coffees, Bible studies, mission trips, late-night talks, grocery store runs, spontaneous picnics, and retreats. I know she has planted many seeds, and I know, that God has blessed her immensely through the people she has met. Her time at Berkeley ends today. As a military brat, she knows moving and leaving very well. It’s always sad to leave behind friends and places, but duty calls elsewhere. Rhianna will now be the team director for the Focus missionary team at the Air Force Academy. I can’t think of a better fit for her. She grew up living the Air Force life, she’s knows the lingo, the lifestyle, and she’s high energy. So, she and my mom are rumbling down the road to the next mission field. Please pray for their safe travels. As we sing in the Air Force…”Off we go, into the wild blue yonder..” 🎶🎶 Have a blessed day, Catholic Pilgrims.
Continue ReadingIt took me years into my conversion to Catholicism to invite Mary into my faith life. After converting, it wasn’t that I was against her, it’s just that having a relationship with the Saints felt foreign. Growing up Protestant, I was never taught to have relationships with the Saints. Mary is really only mentioned at Christmas. You are taught that you don’t “talk” to people in Heaven because that’s “talking to the dead.” Well, except your grandparent who is now “an angel” and who you ask to watch over you. That’s fine. So, I just didn’t know how to invite Mary into my life. My early attempted conversations with her went something like this: “Hey, Mary. How are you? Good? Cool. So…thanks for being Jesus mom. K-bye.” Through the years, I’ve learned to naturally bring Mary and other Saints into my faith life. As baptized believers, we make up the Body of Christ. A body’s parts are connected. To cut off body parts from other body parts means to sever a once working relationship. Then, the body doesn’t work properly anymore. The Saints are still a part of the Body of Christ and they are the healthiest parts of the Body. It makes no sense that God would cut us off from each other. My conversations with Mary go more like this, these days: “Mary, I’m struggling right now. I feel impatient and grumpy. Would you please pray for me?” Today, we honor Our Lady of Fatima, Catholic Pilgrims. Here is the beautiful church at Fatima. Like a good mother, Mary often comes to warn us and encourage us to draw closer to her Son. That’s what she wants more than anything—a world united in love for Jesus. Live the faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.
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