A Diocesan Pilgrimage

40+ priests of the Diocese of Arlington process after Bishop Burbidge concludes Mass.

Last weekend, the Diocese of Arlington hosted a major pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC. I say major because such a thing would always be a large scale undertaking, and in particular post-COVID. As it turned out, the faithful of Arlington were just a’clammerin’ for such a pilgrimage, as around 2,000 people turned out - the largest single event to be held at the Basilica since shutdowns were put in place in March 2020. The pilgrimage was in honor of St. Joseph.

Here’s a link to the Arlington Catholic Herald’s write-up about it. Ya girl made the quotes. It was nice to meet Zoey, whose writing on church goings-ons I have appreciated, as she tends to focus on human interest stories occurring in the life of the church.

What I was trying to get at in that quote is that I truly did feel grateful that day, to have that beautiful building, the witness of all the priests celebrating Mass, the faith of all who attended - it was just normal Catholic stuff, which is so grand, and which has been missing now for nearly two years. It was triumphant, it was joyful, it was the way it ought to be. When we don’t have the opportunity to gather publicly and make a big, public demonstration of faith, something is wrong. Something is off. Dare I say it is actually bad for the soul. So, being at the pilgrimage was like giving my soul a nice, big, refreshing drink of water after many months of dehydration. It was good.

And, as you can see from the picture, most importantly: it was the eternal triumph of the Cross. Even when Jesus is hidden, he is among us, and will always have the final word - over politics, and over pandemics.

We are getting close to the end of the remaining days of the year of St. Joseph. I continue to learn about new devotions, and ways St. Joseph has impacted people’s lives, and am glad to see many Catholics taking seriously this directive to learn about and honor St. Joseph. “Ite ad Joseph” - Go to St. Joseph!

Here’s a prayer to St. Joseph that was given out on a prayer card to pilgrims:

O Saint Joseph,

to whom God entrusted

His Son, Jesus Christ,

and our Mother Mary,

we, who are members of your Son’s Body,

turn to you as our guardian.

As we make this pilgrimage,

bless us and protect us,

as you did the Holy Family.

Guide us to recognize the Body of Christ

truly present in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Having received Him,

help us to live more fully in Him,

so that we may rejoice forever in your Kingdom,

Amen.

(St. Joseph, Guardian of the Body of Christ, pray for us).

Are hauntings real?

A full moon in spooky Virginia

On the eve of Halloween, and All Souls and All Saints Days, I appreciated this article from The Pillar, Are hauntings real?

It takes a look at several common questions that come up when considering the possibilities of ghosts, spirits, and demons, answered by Dr. Regis Martin, author of The Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell.

To the question about what the Church teaches about hauntings, and whether places can actually be haunted by spirits, Dr. Martin say,

I think [they] can be...We're not alone. This [world] is a very rich sort of mosaic that we're looking at; there is a lot more than you can see.

When you die, you become more intensely real than you ever were in the flesh, and I don't see why that shouldn't spill over into this world from time to time. 

I’d agree with that. It reminds me of a book I read recently, C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce. In it, the author is taken on a bus ride from Hell to Heaven, and you learn what sorts of people stay in hell (a world they create themselves) and what sorts of behavior get one into Heaven (spoiler alert: it is not becoming famous or rich).

One of the lessons the protagonist must learn is how to physically get around in the new world of Heaven, where every movement is painful to his body. Lights are brighter, grass is sharper, movements are slower. It is explained to him that this is because everything in Heaven is realer, and even that great, dark chasm he thought he was leaving in Hell to enter Heaven was no bigger than a virtually unseeable sliver of an opening, compared to the bigness, grandness, and realness of all he saw and experienced in Heaven. Imagine an opening in the earth as wide as a football stadium, which is rendered nearly unseeable by the reality of the bigness of God.

The interview with Dr. Martin goes on to cover other good topics, including whether Catholics can celebrate Halloween (yes, yay), the value of having holy water in the home, a bit on purgatory (I hope you pray for the souls in purgatory - you will have an opportunity to on All Souls Day Tuesday, November 2), and demons, because as Jimmy Aiken would say, it’s always demons.

I find nothing wrong with Halloween, and actually have always thoroughly enjoyed getting dressed up and a little spooked. As Dr. Martin points out, you can actually look at wearing a mask as making fun of the Enemy, that:

Those masks that you wear are really a way, I think, of ridiculing the devil. Unmasking the devil. You make fun of him. He can't bear derision. And Halloween is one of those wonderfully risible moments when we poke fun at the old guy, and when we look at him and say, “You are really quite laughable because you have no power, except for the power we give you.”

On the topic of masks and being real, I recall that scene from the 1994 movie “The Mask” where Jim Carrey has taken the mask to an anthropologist, played by Ben Stein, who gives him this piece of wisdom: masks, as often as they allow us to hide, actually allow us to truly be ourselves, as well. In having on a mask, our inhibitions and fear drop. We can be more real.

So, what do heaven and masks have in common? Apparently, the ability to require of us our realness.

Wishing you an excellent Halloween, with just the amount of spookiness you desire.

Getting to know St. Monica

Dear reader, you know I am a fan of the community at Pray More Novenas, and I received an email this week that the next novena they’re planning - and which starts tomorrow - is the novena to St. Monica.

“This next saint we're calling on is especially known for being a persistent intercessor, and she also desired for those closest to her to reach Heaven someday,” the email tells us.

St. Monica is known for being a persistent pray-er because she prayed a long time for the conversion of her son, now known as St. Augustine, and also her husband.

I think about prayer a lot. Not what it is, but how it works - that it is not just about supplication, but also fidelity. Also, the knowledge that God works outside of time. So it is not simply a transaction, wherein I ask, and God gives. The act of praying is a sort of journey, to get to somewhere - and that might not be a “yes.” It might be greater trust in God, greater reverence for His will, greater obedience, or humility. God does always answer prayers, as they say, just not necessarily always how we want him to.

In praying for St. Monica’s intercession, you may want to consider difficult, long-lasting areas of concern in your life. Naturally many of us turn to tough relationships we want healed, yes. But is there something else? Is there something in your future that needs prayer? Is there an outcome that feels like an impossibility, something that needs developed and will take time? These are good matters to bring to St. Monica.

I am reminded, too, that it never hurts to pray for greater love and trust in Jesus. St. Monica, pray for us!