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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 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
Continue ReadingDuring my few attempts to read the Bible when I was younger, I loathed the beginning of Matthew's Gospel. Old names upon old names. Who cares?????? As I got older, though, I began to truly value my ancestry. I felt a huge desire to know who my people were and where they came from. I'm mostly Scottish and Scandinavian, or as I say, Viking. 😅 When I learned this, it explained a lot about me. I can be a bit like the female version of William Wallace mixed with Eric the Red. Spicy. Lol. As I explored my history, I was fascinated to learn what I could about my ancestors. I think seeing your line helps you to see how you got to you. What all did it take from my ancestors to get to my point in time? Once I started to appreciate my line, I began to appreciate the beginning of Matthew's Gospel. What it truly shows is God's plan for salvation. For whatever reason, God wanted a story through all these people's lives before Jesus came through the Incarnation. It's a line full of messy lives, but, in the end, it all worked out for our great benefit. I think it also takes reading the Bible to become familiar with the names in the ancestry list in Matthew's Gospel. When you become more familiar, you can then say, "Oh, yes, that person did this. Or that's what happened with them." It makes the picture more clear. I don't mind reading the beginning of Matthew's Gospel anymore because it's the line that led to my Savior. Just as I can know myself better by learning about my family that has gone before me, I can learn more about Christ in the same way. Have a blessed Tuesday, Catholic Pilgrims.
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