All Daily Reflections

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When I started out with this page, I had a loose idea of what I wanted to do with it. I knew I wanted to share the Faith, but I was still kind of all over the place with my focus and my purpose for the page. I was called Passionate Purpose back in the day and I mostly limped along with like five followers, one of them being my husband who never gets on social media. 😅 Then I saw the movie, “The Way” and, as a new convert, I was introduced to the idea of pilgrimage. It was a message that resonated with me so intensely that for days I could think of little else. I knew I wanted to call myself The Catholic Pilgrim because I love going on pilgrimages, but I also love the concept of our whole life as a pilgrimage. I, also, knew that I wanted a page for both men and women, which is a hard feat to attempt. I didn’t want to just be a mommy blogger. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just I wanted to attempt to appeal to both sexes. Another thing I knew is that I had to be authentically me. I say hard things sometimes not in the softest manner. I’m sarcastic and goofy. I love a good spar. I have a low tolerance for stupidity. Those all may be faults; I am fully aware of that. Most importantly, though, I knew I had to challenge people. I couldn’t just show up here everyday and say nice things like “Jesus, loves you” (which He does) and leave it at that. We need to be rocked a bit and shaken in our boots. Our culture is decaying before our very eyes and, for better or worse, I am incapable of just being the nice gal. I know I’m not perfect and I know I don’t have all the answers. Sometimes I’m too harsh and more justice minded than maybe I should be. But, if we are afraid to offend or be seen as big meaners, we will cease to be relevant in any fashion. Doesn’t mean we have to be jerks, but we do need to weigh into the fray and battle evil. My motto here is: Live the Faith boldly and travel well. We need to have courage and conviction on this pilgrimage through life, Catholic Pilgrims. You may not have a temperament just like me but we do need courage from all Catholics, especially right now. Have a blessed Wednesday.

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“The Alamo shuddered, Pearl Harbor, as well The Statue of Liberty wept as they fell And echoes were heard in the Liberty Bell When they came for the soul of America And the Manhattan skyline Blew my mind the first time We went down to the scene of the crime Lookin' for the soul of America” —Ian Hunter The best way, Catholic Pilgrims, to honor our beloved dead is to strengthen our soul. The true soul of America has courage, strength, resiliency, gratitude, moral convictions, and a deep faith in Our Creator. May we never forget our fellow Americans who lost their lives on this day. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

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I was looking at something the other day from this couple that was all about helping people find their purpose. Everywhere on their site was about purpose this and purpose that. Basically, it all boiled down to this message: Working a 9-5 is lame. We’ll show you how to ditch that and start making millions and then you can be like us and wear fancy clothes, drive a cool car, and be smoking’ hot like us. That was the purpose they would help you find. Everything was intentional vague and ambiguous because, of course, they want you to pay them to help you find your purpose. Here’s the thing, your purpose is not to make a lot of money. You may make a lot of money in this life, but that’s not your purpose. Your purpose is not to ditch a 9-5 job. You may not be cut out for a 9-5 job, but whether you work a 9-5 or work two hours a day has no bearing on your purpose. Your purpose is not to accumulate expensive things. You may be one of those people that can afford expensive things and quality products are nice, but that’s not your purpose. Your purpose is not to be the hot babe or the stud muffin. You may be a beautiful woman or a handsome man, but that’s not your purpose. If anyone talks about purpose and that doesn’t involve talking about God, they can’t even begin to help you. They might help you make money. They might help you “be your own boss.” But, they will not even come close to helping you find your purpose. The Baltimore Catechism says it the best: Your purpose is to know, love, and serve God in this life so that you can be happy with Him in the next. How you serve Him, Catholic Pilgrims, will be based off of your talents and gifts given to you by God and the vocation you enter into, so it will look different for all of us. The purpose, however, is the same for us all. One more thing, finding your purpose in God is free. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.

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This past weekend our church community on base got together to clean the chapel and the grounds before the start of R.E. We spent all Saturday cleaning, washing, organizing, and bringing the chapel back to life. The chapel isn’t anything to be excited over. It’s a simple white concrete block building that can’t be too Catholic because we share the space with the Protestant community. Anyway, the whole day, was spent working hard but it seemed we all really enjoyed each other’s company and it felt good to make the buildings looked lived in again. Then, yesterday, was Mass, I helped to teach RCIA, my husband went to a Bible study, and my son went to his R.E. class. To top off the weekend, we had a dinner with other Catholic families over at our neighbor’s house to celebrate Mary’s birthday. We ate and prayed a Rosary together. Our chapel isn’t the prettiest, we can’t even have a Tabernacle visible. We are stationed in a remote area and so this is what we have. Everything is plain and simple and the church community has to pitch in for everything. Yet, we are bonded in community over our love for Christ. Even when things aren’t perfect or stunningly beautiful, the community makes it a place you want to be. Sometimes, it’s in the imperfect, that you find the perfect at a deeper level, Catholic Pilgrims. The sound of reveille just went off here on base, so time to start the day. 🎺 🫡 🇺🇸 Have a blessed Monday.

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This past Wednesday, my Jeep’s battery died and I was super frustrated because I had things to get to. My son had soccer practice and since it’s still been in the 100s here, we were going to attempt riding our bikes to his practice, all while carrying a soccer ball, water bottles, and his other gear. There was also a holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament at our base chapel and I wanted to go but didn’t think it would work given the lack of car situation, the heat, and all the things we had to carry to practice. A friend from church called me to ask about something else and she asked if I was coming to the holy hour. I explained my dilemma and she said very matter-of-factly, “I’ll come get you, we will make it work. It will be good for you to have some time with Jesus.” She was right. The hour with Christ was just what I needed. At one point, right before Benediction, she turned around and smiled a big smile at me and whispered, “It’s good you are here.” In today’s Gospel reading, I’m impressed by the people who bring the deaf and mute man to Christ. We see that a lot in the Bible: Someone has a bodily sickness and they seek healing for their loved one. And we would most likely do the same if we had a loved one that needed to be restored to bodily health. But, how often do we bring people to Christ that need Him spiritually? We forget the soul needs healing just as much. It’s harder to help people, though, because they are less willing to be helped spiritually than they are bodily. Nevertheless, we still need to try and be ready to “come and get” them as my friend did for me. Even if you are as healthy as can be in your body, Catholic Pilgrims, we still need time with Christ. Our soul always needs Him. Have a blessed Sunday. *Picture is an old Holy Water font in Mission San Francisco de Solano.

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I was listening to a song the other day that reminds me of my maternal grandma. As I was thinking of her, I wondered, “What trait did I take from her? Does a part of her shine through me?” That got me thinking of my grandparents and the best parts of them that I have tried to incorporate into my life. From my maternal grandmother, I got my feistiness and love of laughing and being silly. From my paternal grandmother, I got my romantic side and love of the arts. From her, I have learned to feel deeply and seek beauty. From my maternal grandfather, I got my hard work ethic and love of simplicity. He also gave me the realization that we always need to make time for those we love. From my paternal grandfather, I got my understanding that blood and is blood and you fight for your family. I, also, got from him a bit of a rebel heart. God makes each one of us unique. It’s what I love about the saints. They weren’t lemmings, they didn’t try to be just like the crowd. They are all different individuals with different paths, but all the same goal—to be the unique person God created them to be. I’m not going to look just like my grandparents, but I have taken the parts of them that are the absolute best and tried to incorporate those character traits into my life. It’s my way of keeping them alive in my life. Living out the virtues is one of the ways we keep Christ alive in us, Catholic Pilgrims. He is every virtue. When we attempt to incorporate Him into our lives, we will still be us, only better. Have a great Friday and a blessed weekend.

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I’ve been learning a lot about false humility the past couple of years through reading the works of different saints. Most of us, especially those of us that have committed grave sins, try to live out the virtue of humility by living out this false sense of it. “I’m just the worst. I don’t deserve Jesus’ love or forgiveness.” “There’s no hope for someone as bad as me. I’m just a lost cause.” (Sigh) “I’ve done so many bad things, I can’t even begin to ask Jesus into my life.” “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” That last one is Peter after doubting Jesus when He told Peter to keep fishing after a fruitless night.” I love Jesus’ response. He doesn’t play along with the pity party. He doesn’t try to overly console Peter. He just says, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” God already knows all we’ve done. It’s no surprise to Him. He didn’t come to save people with just some minor sins. He’s not so weak in power that He’d ever say, “Oh, boy, sorry, pal. Your sins are just too big for me to forgive. Guess you’re out of luck.” We aren’t honoring God with false humility. We think we are, though. The I’m-so-bad-I’ll remove-myself-from-God schtick doesn’t give God any glory or show your littleness. In fact, it says, “I’m beyond your help, God.” Don’t be afraid to come to Christ, Catholic Pilgrims, with all your hurt and all your sins that need forgiven. He’s not going to turn you away. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday. *Picture is from the Sea of Galilee.

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Yesterday, my family went to the movies to watch “You Gotta Believe.” It’s a baseball movie based off a true story.One of the coaches of the team comes down with brain cancer and it’s serious. He has to step back from coaching while he does chemo. At one point in the story, this coach’s son, devastated that his father isn’t getting better, runs out on the ballfield at night and yells out to the sky, “I hate you! I hate you!” That was enough to make the tears flow hot on my face because I once did just about the same thing, except it was a football field and I was 17. After my night on the football field, I went on to “wrestle with God,” much like Jacob in the Bible for years. Yesterday, after I got home from the movie, I read a comment on my post from the other day that was wildly misunderstood. So many people missed the point of my post on burdensome rules. Anyway, a woman, still missing the point, commented that respecting Christ in the Eucharist means that we dress up for church and women cover their heads. Boom. End of discussion.Part of me wanted to defend my deep love of Christ, but the Holy Spirit kept saying, “Stay. Just stay. Don’t do it.”While I was standing there at the stove with tears in my eyes, I asked, “Why not? Why not let me defend my love for You?”What I heard was, “Because for some, it will never be enough what you do. Let me handle it. I know your heart.”I realized how true that is. Because we humans are always trying to one up each other and prove we are better, sometimes, it will never be enough for many. I have been to the depths with God and fought my way back to a relationship that I never thought possible after that night on the football field. Nobody but God truly understands my love and respect and nobody ever will. There are a million and one ways, Catholic Pilgrims, that we can practice our Faith. And even if we did all those ways, there would still be someone who comes along and says, “Not enough.” Of course with God, we can never give Him enough, but the only one we need to prove anything to is Him. He knows our hearts and His understanding of our hearts is all that really matters. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Tuesday.*Picture is from the synagogue in Capernaum from our Gospel reading today.

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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 TwoGreatest 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

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It’s a gruesome painting, isn’t it?I first saw this hanging in Thomas Jefferson’s house and I thought it such a strange painting to have in your home.The painting symbolizes two things to me.1. Destruction is what happens when people live for themselves and cannot stand to hear any kind of reprimand. The thing that pricks the conscience must be exterminated for people who want to remain in their sin. Herodias could not stand to have John the Baptist tell her that her marriage to Herod was sinful. Because she wanted to live how she wanted to live, she obsessed over ruining his life. The first chance she got, she took it and it was to silence him forever. Innocence will always be attacked by those that are self-serving and steeped in sin. Why? Because innocence shines a light on their darkness and they don’t want to let it go. 2. This is the reality of a life lived for Christ. Faithful Christians may not suffer the extreme of John the Baptist, but the light of Christ within us will be a problem for those who worship themselves and love their sin. It’s one thing to sin and hate it, it’s another to sin and love it. When you love it, you seek to destroy anything that tries to remind you of your enslavement to it. While this isn’t the most uplifting reality about Christianity, it does create a line in the sand. We either live for Christ or we live for the world. If the world is patting you on the back and leaves you alone, you can be sure that you look more like the world than you do Christ. So, we must have courage to live like John the Baptist, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Thursday.St. John the Baptist, pray for us!‍