Amy Welborn Substack - Religious Education

 Amy Welborn's Substack Trust Walk focuses on the experiences of Catholics after the Second Vatican Council. This post is about religious education during the period:

So, my anecdote. This is mostly to remind you of how quickly things changed. You can read other accounts elsewhere, especially from folks who were older and suffered a great deal from the decisions of mostly priests and religious with the mission of forming them in adult faith by treating them like children who need to be taught a lesson and, like good children, accept what they’ve been told. I was younger, born in 1960, never experienced a Traditional Latin Mass (because I wasn’t taken to Mass until I was five years old), went to public schools and sporadic CCD until 1974, when I started at a diocesan Catholic high school in the South.

The freshman religion teacher was very good. We read Dei Verbum – I think I still have the mass-market copy of the Vatican II documents that we all had in those days – and spent the rest of the year on the Old Testament. Miss Olson was young, but fairly old-school in her approach – even as she was earnestly sharing the vision of the Council with us. She did a good job, and the material was solid.

Then sophomore year? 1975? The main text of the fall semester?

Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

MORE

The Psalms for Children by Amy Welborn

       

A Child's Book of Psalms by Amy Welborn  is a hardcover introduction to the Psalms.  It includes many of the Psalms themselves, and an introduction - written by me - explaining what the Psalms are and how they have been prayed by Jewish and Christian people over the centuries, and still are today.

(Illustrated selections from 22 of the Bible s best-loved Psalms. Author Amy Welborn explains the history, background, and types of Psalms in an introduction and two supplemental chapters. Includes a map and visual history of the Holy Land from Abraham through Solomon. Author: Amy Welborn Format: 61 pages, Hardcover Publisher: C. D. Stampley Enterprises (September 2007))

Bible Study Resources

            From Pope Benedict XVI's General Audience Catecheses on the Apostle Thomas. Image is from a study guide on the talks by Amy Welborn, available as a free download here. 

The Apostle Thomas' case is important to us for at least three reasons:  first, because it comforts us in our insecurity; second, because it shows us that every doubt can lead to an outcome brighter than any uncertainty; and, lastly, because the words that Jesus addressed to him remind us of the true meaning of mature faith and encourage us to persevere, despite the difficulty, along our journey of adhesion to him.

A final point concerning Thomas is preserved for us in the Fourth Gospel, which presents him as a witness of the Risen One in the subsequent event of the miraculous catch in the Sea of Tiberias (cf. Jn 21: 2ff.).

On that occasion, Thomas is even mentioned immediately after Simon Peter: an evident sign of the considerable importance that he enjoyed in the context of the early Christian communities.

Indeed, the Acts and the Gospel of Thomas, both apocryphal works but in any case important for the study of Christian origins, were written in his name.

Lastly, let us remember that an ancient tradition claims that Thomas first evangelized Syria and Persia (mentioned by Origen, according to Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 3, 1) then went on to Western India (cf. Acts of Thomas 1-2 and 17ff.), from where also he finally reached Southern India.

Let us end our reflection in this missionary perspective, expressing the hope that Thomas' example will never fail to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Our God.

Sts. Simon and Jude – October 28

   October 28 is the memorial of Sts. Simon and Jude. 

        From Pope Benedict XVI's General Audience Catecheses on the Apostles Simon and Jude. Image is from a study guide on the talks by Amy Welborn, available as a free download here. 

Today, let us examine two of the Twelve Apostles: Simon the Cananaean and Jude Thaddaeus (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot). Let us look at them together, not only because they are always placed next to each other in the lists of the Twelve (cf. Mt 10: 3, 4; Mk 3: 18; Lk 6: 15; Acts 1: 13), but also because there is very little information about them, apart from the fact that the New Testament Canon preserves one Letter attributed to Jude Thaddaeus.

Simon is given a nickname that varies in the four lists: while Matthew and Mark describe him as a "Cananaean", Luke instead describes him as a "Zealot".

In fact, the two descriptions are equivalent because they mean the same thing: indeed, in Hebrew the verb qanà' means "to be jealous, ardent" and can be said both of God, since he is jealous with regard to his Chosen People (cf. Ex 20: 5), and of men who burn with zeal in serving the one God with unreserved devotion, such as Elijah (cf. I Kgs 19: 10).

Thus, it is highly likely that even if this Simon was not exactly a member of the nationalist movement of Zealots, he was at least marked by passionate attachment to his Jewish identity, hence, for God, his People and divine Law.

If this was the case, Simon was worlds apart from Matthew, who, on the contrary, had an activity behind him as a tax collector that was frowned upon as entirely impure. This shows that Jesus called his disciples and collaborators, without exception, from the most varied social and religious backgrounds.

It was people who interested him, not social classes or labels! And the best thing is that in the group of his followers, despite their differences, they all lived side by side, overcoming imaginable difficulties: indeed, what bound them together was Jesus himself, in whom they all found themselves united with one another.

Should Catholics Celebrate Halloween?

        The Great Christian Feast-Halloween - by Michael Dubruiel

This is one of those thoughts that comes to you in a moment of clarity with such force that you wonder how it could be that everyone just doesn't see the truth of it.

Last night when I made one of my few trips to the door to hand out candy, it just hit me. There I was confronted with a skull painted white on the face of an African American, who was standing there holding open a bag, expecting something from me.

A home invasion? No.

Trick or Treat!

I gladly obliged his request with a handful of candy and he turned and went on his merry way to join the other hordes of beggars that flooded our streets.

I had just fulfilled the mandate of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I had just welcomed Him in the guise of the hungry, "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat." Matthew 25!

"When did we see you Lord?"

"Whenever you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it to me."

Is there anytime left in our year when Americans are so blatantly Christian, welcoming the strangers that come to their door? Is there anytime that we reward those who on purpose try to repulse us by their costumes?

Yet the thought that it is better to give than receive dominates this day and truly the day fulfills its purpose of being the eve of All Saints Day! For if we are ever to join the saints we must learn to make everyday Halloween!

So that today when we meet those we might otherwise demonize, we give what we have freely as though we were meeting Christ Himself in the streets (and if we believe the Gospel message we are in fact meeting him)!

I used to joke that strangers could in fact be demons, (this was when the angel rage was in full swing and I use to make the point that yes a stranger might be an angel but who is to say if it is a good one or a bad one--sort of a twist of the Glenda the Good Witch's question to Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ, "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"), but I would ask you to reflect on Halloween a bit more with me.

If we give to the stranger, indeed we welcome them as Christ. But if we look at the stranger only as someone who has something to give and we judge them based on that we are apt to conclude that all strangers are demons!

For example if we start viewing every middle eastern looking Arab that we do not know personally as a terrorist we are forgoing an opportunity to see them as Christ (who happened to be of middle eastern descent). Abraham was visited by three strangers (one would presume of middle eastern descent) and he fed them--they turned out to be angels and they gave him a blessing! But let's suppose that we in fact do come across some terrorists in our daily activities. What if our interaction with them, seeing them as Christ and giving them whatever we have to give at that moment (even if it is only a smile of acceptance) led them to change their whole way of viewing Americans?

It is sad to think that a day that is the perfect example of what it means to be a Christian has been protested by so many Christians in this country. Do they read the Gospels?

No one is celebrating or worshipping demons on Halloween. The children who dress up in their costumes are playacting and giving the individual behind every door an opportunity to imitate Christ.

It is also sad that many miss the point in the other direction. They overdo it in the name of "everyone else is doing it" and light their houses up as though it is Christmas, rather than encountering the little masked Christs in the darkness the way it is intended to happen and does happen in daily lives. The vacuous nature of their souls demands making a show of their giving. Sadly they have already received their reward--the empty praise of their neighbors and friends.

There have been moves lately among some Catholics to have children dress up as saints-- this may be a fine thing to do on All Saints day but it totally misses the point of Halloween. We will never be saints, nor will we imitate them, until we open the door everyday and welcome the ghouls we encounter as though they are Christ.

30 Day Devotional

    For the Jubilee of Hope, but useful any time: 

Hope: An Anchor for the Soul by Amy Welborn .  Here's a sample:

Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

In the midst of the consuming pain of childbirth, struggling to stay focused, a laboring woman re- minds herself-or might be reminded by those supporting her "The baby! At the end of this, you're going to be holding your baby!"

Even if you've never given birth, you've prob- ably experienced something similar: enduring

months of physical therapy or cancer treatment. Sacrificing big chunks of your life in pursuit of a worthy goal. How do we keep going and do so in a fruitful way? We think of what awaits us at the end of our labor and suffering.

The theological virtue of hope is the gift, given to us at our baptisms, that helps us remember what awaits us at the end of the labor and suffer- ing of this life. It's the desire for eternal life above all things—and the trust in Jesus' promises and mercy to guide us there.

The Lord knows that this life is hard. We can be tempted to stew in those difficult moments and forget God's love, forget that we're here because God loves us and so deeply desires us to dwell with him forever. And so, in the midst of the suffering, we're invited to hope: to let God in and allow that hope to grow and renew us.

Pray: Lord, strengthen my hope in you.

Book about Pope Benedict XVI

      

     

    

From Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI by Amy Welborn. 

 Purchase a pdf copy here. 

Why are you here?

 Not just, why are you wherever you happen to be, reading this book on this particular day? But why are you—the individual you are—on this earth? Why do you exist? Why do you not exist? What’s your purpose? What is going to bring you the most joy, peace, and satisfaction in the blip of time you’ve got here with the rest of us before you head on?

 There may be times—huge chunks of time, even years—during which we think we can dismiss that question, or that the answer seems too obvious for comment. Perhaps life keeps us too busy to think about it, or perhaps we purposefully avoid it. But most of us have to face the question at some point, because life has a habit of forcing us to do so. 

Several years ago, I was sitting at the dentist’s office, waiting for a routine appointment. For some reason that day, I was thinking about life’s meaning and faith and such matters and was at a point of throwing up my hands, in a relatively cheerful kind of way, at the complexity of it all. Maybe it didn’t all need to be so complex. Maybe I should stop worrying, be happy, live and let live, and not stress so much about the big questions. Maybe I shouldn’t even worry so much about the spiritual stuff, with all of those hints of “sacrifice.” Life is good. Why not enjoy it?

Then a woman rushed in, announced herself at the reception desk, and was told that her appointment was actually the following week. Frazzled, she breathlessly said, in a torrent of words, “Oh, I’m sorry. I was nine months pregnant, then last week the baby just died. I’m not really thinking straight.” And she rushed out. Like a heavy, damp cloud, the big picture rushed back in, and the questions reasserted themselves again, loudly, like an unexpected late summer storm.

October 22 - Pope John Paul II

        You can get John Paul II's Biblical Way of the Cross by Michael Dubruiel and Amy Welborn here.  

In 1991, Pope John Paul II introduced a new Bible-based interpretation of the Stations of the Cross. This devotional guide invites readers to prayerfully walk in solidarity with Jesus on his agonizing way of the cross—from his last torturous moments in the Garden of Gethsemane to his death and burial.

Now with full-color station images from previously unpublished paintings by Michael O'Brien, this booklet creates an ideal resource for individual or group devotional use, particularly during the Lenten season.

Introduction to Pope Benedict XVI

     

    

From Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI by Amy Welborn. 

 Purchase a pdf copy here. 

When we think about life’s meaning, it comes to us in (at least) two different ways.

 First, like the philosophers, we consider the general meaning of existence—why things exist, what the shape and nature of reality reveals about meaning, and so on. We also consider, more urgently, the reason for our own personal existence instead of non- existence. Why did that random sperm and egg meet at that particular moment to create me? What if it hadn’t? The fact that even the very beginnings of our existence seem so contingent on so many variables—on whether or not our parents ever met, or whether or not they were feeling romantic at that moment—can stop us in our tracks. If the difference between my existence and non-existence was an extra glass of wine or an argument finally resolved, what meaning can that existence actually have?

 Mixed up with that type of meaning is the question of purpose. I’m here (however that happened) . . . so now what? Happiness, pleasure, satisfaction, sacrifice, accomplishment, contentment . . . is it about that? Or is it about completely forgetting my own needs and pouring out every gram of my soul for others? Is suffering a sure sign that my life is meaningless—or most meaningful? The world gives plenty of answers.

 During his pontificate, Pope Benedict has alluded to these answers many times. Some might assume that a man in his eighties who worked within the confines of the Roman Curia for decades would have little insight into the shape of the contemporary search for meaning, but that is not true. Pope Benedict is a close observer and a careful listener, profoundly interested in how human beings encounter God, not just in general, but in this particular cultural circumstance in which we find ourselves, because curia or not, those are the circumstances in which he lives and ministers as well. Pope Benedict has, indeed, listened to modern men and women. He was a parish priest and a bishop; he hears confessions; as prefect of the CDF, he read the files of troubled clergy for decades; and throughout his whole career, he has interacted generously and open-mindedly with non-believers. He knows the obstacles, the temptations, and the barriers this world throws up, not only to God, but to the possibility of ultimate meaning and transcendence in general.

 He also seems, in a personal way, very familiar with doubt—the question of doubt reappears often in his writings and comprises a large section of the first part of his Introduction to Christianity. But he also knows that this world is not so different than it always has been, despite our tendency to think so. The wheels may spin faster, on cleaner streets, but human beings still yearn, life still confounds, and Jesus still waits for us, ready for us at the moment we decide that we are ready for him.

Book about Pope Benedict XVI

      

From Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI by Amy Welborn. Get a free pdf of the book here.  

We’re not going to take the time to rehearse the entire history of scientific thought since the Renaissance and Enlightenment, because we’re all conversant with the outline: As human knowledge about the material forces of the universe has expanded, the transcendent have been pushed out. Contemporary human beings live in a confusing mix. We are so aware of those material forces but still just as aware of the reality of what lives in our own hearts. Certainly we are collections of cells and we do spin on a planet, in a universe governed by various laws, and perhaps we even evolved from lower life forms, but really . . . is that all there is to us? And if there really is more, is it just a matter of my own individual experience and opinion, as the world suggests, unique to me, which means that even as my own personal set of meanings lives with me, it will also die with me? Is there an objective, lasting ground to anything about my life? 

One of the consequences of a world from which God has been marginalized or ejected is that humans then believe themselves to be self-sufficient—a problem that Pope Benedict often addresses. If the universe does not need God, a rational creating Mind, that must mean that the rational products of this universe do not need God either. 

Everything that exists, everything that we create—our culture, our social systems, our moral systems, our political and civic organizations—is better off without God. To believe in a creator God, however, doesn’t mean we have to question the value or necessity of science or secular fields of study, or even randomness, chance, or chaos, all of which seem to play a role in the cosmos. Instead, it means placing explanations of the physical aspects of the world in their proper context: It is not the elemental spirits of the universe, the laws of matter, which ultimately govern the world and mankind, but a personal God governs the stars, that is, the universe; it is not the laws of matter and of evolution that have the final say, but reason, will, love—a Person. And if we know this Person and he knows us, then truly the inexorable power of material elements no longer has the last word; we are not slaves of the universe and of its laws, we are free. In ancient times, honest enquiring minds were aware of this. Heaven is not empty. 

Life is not a simple product of laws and the randomness of matter, but within everything and at the same time above everything, there is a personal will, there is a Spirit who in Jesus has revealed himself as Love.16 Still, we might ask, as I did on that morning in the dentist’s office, so what? Isn’t it all good? What’s the harm in letting the secular dominate in the realms of science, culture, society, and politics, and saving God for the privacy of my own heart?

 Well, we might answer with another question. How’s that working out for us so far? Pope Benedict has an idea, as he expressed it here to young people in Cologne at World Youth Day in 2005, just months after his election:

 In the last century we experienced revolutions with a common program—expecting nothing more from God, they assumed total responsibility for the cause of the world in order to change it. And this, as we saw, meant that a human and partial point of view was always taken as an absolute guiding principle. Absolutizing what is not absolute but relative is called totalitarianism. It does not liberate man, but takes away his dignity and enslaves him.

 What Pope Benedict points out is also an ancient observation: that when human powers establish themselves as the primary arbiters of meaning and freedom and turn from the transcendent, they place themselves in the role of the transcendent and the absolute, and often end up demanding absolute authority and submission.

Book about Pope Benedict XVI

      

    

From Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI by Amy Welborn. 

 Purchase a pdf copy here. 

We have met Jesus. We suspect—or even affirm—that he is what he says he is: the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We confront the image of him crucified, and it won’t leave us. We read what he says about being free from burdens, the possibility of eternal life, and God’s care for us when we are lost. We are, as Pope Benedict wrote of St. Peter, “fascinated” by Jesus. Now what? 

The figure of Jesus Christ beckons and intrigues us. We’re drawn to learn more about him, so it makes sense that we turn to the source: the Bible. It does, indeed, make perfect sense to turn to the Scriptures as we seek to know Jesus. In fact, as St. Jerome says, it makes no sense to claim to know Jesus without the Scriptures: “He who is ignorant of the Scriptures is ignorant of Christ.”

 Pope Benedict said in a speech in 2008:

 How can one love, how can one enter into friendship with someone unknown? Knowledge is an incentive to love, and love stimulates knowledge. This is how it is with Christ too. To find love with Christ, to truly find him as the companion of our lives, we must first of all be acquainted with him. Like the two disciples who followed him after hearing the words of John the Baptist and asked him timidly, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” they wanted to know him better. It was Jesus himself, talking to his disciples, who made the distinction: “Who do people say that I am?”—referring to those who knew him from afar, so to speak, by hearsay, and “Who do you say that I am?”—referring to those who knew him personally, having lived with him and having truly penetrated his private life, to the point of witnessing his prayer, his dialogue with the Father. Thus, it is also important for us not to reduce ourselves merely to the superficiality of the many who have heard something about him—that he was an important figure, etc.—but to enter into a personal relationship to know him truly. And this demands knowledge of Scripture, especially of the gospels where the Lord speaks to us.

 But for many of us, finding and getting to know Jesus through the Scriptures is really not as simple as it sounds. We may be intimidated by the prospect of reading the Bible, since we have never really studied it. We may, unfortunately, think of Scripture reading and study as something for Protestants, not Catholics. We may also be working within some particularly modern paradigms of viewing the Bible, paradigms that are of great interest to Pope Benedict and that he addresses frequently in his catechesis. In short are we too studious about the Bible—and not prayerful enough?

Catholic Story Bible

        

\

The Great Adventure Kids Catholic Bible Chronicles  by Amy Welborn  is designed to help children ages 8-12 understand the greatest story of all time. It features 70 stories carefully chosen to capture the story of salvation history in its entirety from Adam and Eve to Christ and the Apostles.

Written by a gifted children’s storyteller, the Catholic Bible Chronicles makes the stories of Biblical heroes like Abraham, Moses, David, and the Blessed Virgin Mary come alive. Each story features an illustration that helps readers imagine what it would have been like to be present as biblical history unfolded. 

This 320-page book reads like a novel and incorporates the 12 color-coded time periods of The Bible TimelineⓇlearning system throughout to make it easier for children to grasp the chapters of Biblical history.

With a focus on how the stories of God’s family members intersect across time, Catholic Bible Chronicles will allow young people to see for themselves that God has a plan for us all.

This collection of Bible stories will excite young readers about the great adventure God has in store for those who love him.

October 17 - Ignatius of Antioch

       An introduction, from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:

St Ignatius was Bishop of Antioch, which today is located in Turkey. Here in Antioch, as we know from the Acts of the Apostles, a flourishing Christian community developed. Its first Bishop was the Apostle Peter - or so tradition claims - and it was there that the disciples were "for the first time called Christians" (Acts 11: 26). Eusebius of Caesarea, a fourth-century historian, dedicated an entire chapter of his Church History to the life and literary works of Ignatius (cf. 3: 36).

Eusebius writes: "The Report says that he [Ignatius] was sent from Syria to Rome, and became food for wild beasts on account of his testimony to Christ. And as he made the journey through Asia under the strictest military surveillance" (he called the guards "ten leopards" in his Letter to the Romans, 5: 1), "he fortified the parishes in the various cities where he stopped by homilies and exhortations, and warned them above all to be especially on their guard against the heresies that were then beginning to prevail, and exhorted them to hold fast to the tradition of the Apostles".

The first place Ignatius stopped on the way to his martyrdom was the city of Smyrna, where St Polycarp, a disciple of St John, was Bishop. Here, Ignatius wrote four letters, respectively to the Churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralli and Rome. "Having left Smyrna", Eusebius continues, Ignatius reached Troas and "wrote again": two letters to the Churches of Philadelphia and Smyrna, and one to Bishop Polycarp.

Thus, Eusebius completes the list of his letters, which have come down to us from the Church of the first century as a precious treasure. In reading these texts one feels the freshness of the faith of the generation which had still known the Apostles. In these letters, the ardent love of a saint can also be felt.

Amy Welborn's Books

Catholic Bible Study

      The Apostles is a collection of the catecheses Pope Benedict XVI gave during his weekly General Audiences in 2006 and 2007. The talks were given in either St. Peter’s Square or, in less favorable weather, the Paul VI Hall next to St. Peter’s Basilica.

Below are excerpts from a study guide written by Amy Welborn and available for free download here. 

Below are some of questions for the first session on "Chosen by Jesus" 

Questions for Study

7. Pope Benedict describes the essence of the Church as “communion.” • What is the source of communion in the Church? How does it come about? • What are the two dimensions of communion for members of the Church? • “‘Communion’ is truly the Good News . . .” (page 22). Why is this so?

 8. Given the centrality and understanding of communion, what, then, is the Church?

 9. What is the ministry of the Apostles all about, particularly in relationship to communion? 

10. What is the relationship of the ministry of the Apostles to truth? 

11. What is the relationship between truth and love?

More

St. Teresa of Avila - October 15

      St. Teresa of Avila is  in The Loyola Kids' Book of Saints by Amy Welborn, and Loyola has a very readable excerpt here 

I. Saints are People Who Love Children
St. Nicholas,St. John Bosco, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla

Saints Are People Who Love Their Families
St. Monica,St. Cyril and St. Methodius, St. Therese of Lisieux,Blessed Frederic Ozanam,

Saints Are People Who Surprise OthersSt. Simeon Stylites,St. Celestine V,St. Joan of Arc,St. Catherine of Siena

Saints Are People Who Create
St. Hildegard of Bingen,Blessed Fra Angelico,St. John of the Cross,Blessed Miguel Pro

Saints Are People Who Teach Us New Ways to Pray
St. Benedict,St. Dominic de Guzman,St. Teresa of Avila,St. Louis de Monfort

Saints Are People Who See Beyond the Everyday
St. Juan Diego, St. Frances of Rome, St. Bernadette Soubirous, Blessed Padre Pio

Saints Are People Who Travel From Home
St. Boniface, St. Peter Claver, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini

More

(If you would like to read a pdf version, click here.) 

Free Book on Kindle

        Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life by Amy Welborn- free today

An excerpt from Chapter 1:

Forgetting someone?

You may have noticed that in all of this talk about voices, forces and influences, we seem to have left someone out.

Ah, yes. God.

You're reading this book, so it's probably safe to assume that you're a baptized Christian - maybe even a baptized and con- firmed Catholic who goes to Mass regularly. Or at least a lot, rel- atively speaking.

So tell me. Where's God in your life?

And I don't mean that in terms in vague, abstract terms. I mean ... really. As you live your life, make your decisions, open your mouth to speak, spend your money, choose your career and pur- sue it... where's God?

I'll leave that up to you to figure out and confront. But after you've thought about it a bit, come back here and confront this:

If you say you're a Christian, you're saying that God is at the center of your life.

Because, you see, that's what being a Christian is. It's not a club dreamed up to keep you busy or make you feel like a useful mem- ber of society. It's not about just having a religious label because a religious label is a useful thing to have in our society. Believe it or not, it's not even about having standards or guidelines to live by or being a better person.

It's about this question: Who do you belong to? And this one:

Who's your judge?

Oh, and this one, too:

Who loves you, without end or limit?

In other words, being Christian - contrary to what you might have heard is most definitely not about obligations, rules, stan- dards, or membership. Oh, those things may spin out of our Chris- tian identity, especially as we live it in the world with others, but the heart of it all goes a whole lot deeper than that.

Free Catholic E-book

        Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life - free today

From Chapter 1:

here. now.

Thinking...

... Does your physical appearance matter to you? Why? Who told you it should matter?

...What kind of music do you like? Why? How did that type of music come into your life?

...What are your career goals? Why? Where did the standards that you're using to judge how successful you are come from?

...When you imagine a happy life, now and in the future, what do you think of? Be honest. Where does your understanding of "hap- piness" come from?

Well? What did you come up with? Are you completely in charge of your own life, the Master or Mistress of your own Uni- verse, totally beyond the influence of others?

Didn't think so. None of us is.

It's not that we're slaves of fate, either robots acting only in response to stimuli and commands. Who you are is the result of an interaction, a dynamic between your free will, your uniqueness, the choices that your world presents, and what it's taught you is valuable and important.

But if you answered those questions in the box honestly, you might have confronted that Myth of Total Independence. In a rather shockingly major way, your life is a response to voices and challenges raised by others. Nothing is excluded, not how you style your hair, not how you define what "happiness" means for you.

Listening...

... What messages did you pick up from your family about your value? Do you find yourself trying to please or argue against those messages in your choices?

... What messages do your peers give you about what makes you valuable?

... What messages does your culture-your music, mass media-give you about what makes your life worth living? Do you believe them?

Free Catholic Book

        Here. Now. A Catholic Guide to the Good Life - free today

 So many questions. So many "answers."

Who am I? What do I want out of life? When did everything get so complicated? Where will I find true happiness? Why do I think that’s even possible? How do I choose what’s right and what’s best in a world with a million different voices trying to get me to listen to – and live by – their answers?

There’s a voice that will always tell you the truth. The voice that belongs to the One who created you. The voice that belongs to the One who loves you the most deeply and who wants nothing but the absolute best for you. The voice that belongs to the One who knows where your personal path to true peace and happiness lies.

Originally published in 2004 by Our Sunday Visitor, this ebook version is published by the author, Amy Welborn

Amy Welborn in Living Faith

                               Amy Welborn is a contributor - five devotions per issue -  to the Living Faith daily devotional .

Today, October 10

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

More than one year ago, I stood in St. Peter’s Square when white smoke arose, signaling the election of Pope Leo XIV.  What an experience! Folks from all over the world, so different in some ways but all filled with joy, one in Christ.

What’s amazing is that I don’t have to go to Rome to experience that. Every time I’m at Mass, even if there’s only a few other people present in the dimness of 6:30 a.m. in our Cathedral, it’s the same, really.

MORE

September 29:

I witnessed some serious road rage the other day. It was so aggressive that I hung back from traffic, not wanting to be caught in the middle.

A driver honked at the hesitating car in front of him. That driver slammed on his brakes, inched forward, slammed them again, gunned forward into the busy intersection, circled, then raced back in the direction he’d come, engine roaring. What in the world was that for? I wondered. What did that accomplish?

MORE

 June 23:

God’s presence is like that. To the ends of the earth, every moment with the Lord gives me the opportunity to learn something new—even in the grocery store I visit daily or in the company of an old friend.  Even when ever-old, if my eyes and heart are open to the presence of the living God, what he has to reveal will still be ever-new to me.

MORE

 April 23:

I can sometimes allow my understanding of myself, my life and God to stagnate. I assume I get it, that I’ve got the answers for all the good—and bad—questions and challenges. 

But is that really so? Is what I think I know now all there is to know? Might I be more open to the Philip I might meet along the way, ready, as the Ethiopian, to have my eyes opened to something new?

MORE

April 4:

Have you ever hit rock bottom? Have you ever been in a situation of such sadness and darkness that you could not imagine ever—I mean ever—feeling anything close to joy again? That there was simply no way to loosen the chains, to not feel the weight of grief, frustration or helplessness that afflicted you at that moment?

And have you ever made it through? Have you found that with time and grace, light glimmers and the weight that seemed to define your days has lightened?

That glimpse? Take that and blow it up, expand it to eternity and let it surround and then sweep away all the heavy darkness of your entire life—of the world.

MORE

March 23:

To imaginatively place ourselves in a Gospel scene is an ancient spiritual practice. To do so here invites us to first see ourselves in a special place: alone with Jesus.

Now he asks: Who has condemned us?

MORE

March 8:

Once again, Jesus’ disciples seem to be almost clueless. They’re also intimidated: They don’t dare ask Jesus why he’s talking to this woman. Here, they can’t see past the literal meaning of his words about food. This dynamic can be both a concern and a comfort to me.

If the disciples spent day and night with Jesus and still didn’t grasp his meaning or purpose, what hope do I have? On the other hand, if even the disciples were confused, I suppose I shouldn’t feel badly when I am either.

MORE

, February 26:

There are so many ways that the Lord gives us strength. It can come as we open ourselves to his grace and just find ourselves stronger in mind, spirit and body. He can bless us with wisdom that gives us perspective and, therefore, strength.

And, of course, God answers our call and strengthens us through others who share our joys and pain, who laugh and cry with us. They are brothers and sisters with whom we can stay strong and even joyful during the journey serving God’s people.

MORE

February 2:

What a richly layered feast this is. It’s the real and final end of the Christmas season: Until a few years ago, the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square stayed up until this feast. It’s a day to remember and celebrate religious women and men. And over the centuries, the tradition has grown of bringing candles from home to church to be blessed on this day. Candles that, before electricity, would have been used throughout the year, not just for a decorative touch but to give light necessary for everyday living. The candles, then blessed, would shed not only natural light, but be a sign of Christ’s presence.

MORE

December 28:

Among all the genres of viral videos out there, one that I find most affecting is one I’d call “Children meeting their newborn siblings for the first time.”

From teens to toddlers, those moments are nothing but joy. Even small children break into happy tears when their tiny swaddled-up brother or sister is gently placed in their arms. What a mysterious, profound bond is family love!

MORE

November 19:

Could it be that part of Jesus’ “love language” is to gently and persistently remind me to never rest comfortably in my own worldview? That God always has more to reveal to me, and that I always have more to learn?

MORE

November 2:

In many of these shrines, small and large, there’s another image too. It’s a photograph. An old woman. A child. A young man in a uniform. A candle flickers nearby.

Don’t forget, they say. You walk by and ask for prayers. Don’t forget to pray for us too.

MORE

 October 11:

A friend is going through a terrible, world-shifting time. Life today looks completely different than it did even six months ago. She’s done what she could, but she really can’t do any more. It’s hard and sad. We do what we can to accompany those in difficult places. But it’s a challenge to offer words that don’t end up sounding like empty platitudes, isn’t it? Or even, if we’re going through our own hard times, reading words like the psalmist’s and believing them.

MORE

, June 6:

A few years ago, I wandered into a little church in Ferrara, Italy, and saw a black and white photo of a woman religious in front of a tomb. This Sr. Veronica of the Blessed Sacrament was a Carmelite mystic who had died in 1964. Her canonization cause (in Italian) is: SuorVeronica.org.

I was struck, first, by the notion of running into a new-to-me saint around the corner. What surprising people and stories might I encounter anywhere if I’m paying attention?

Free Catholic Book

      

Here’s Mary and the Christian Life by Amy Welborn.  It's free today, on Amazon Kindle. 

Here is an excerpt from the book, about the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

The image of Mary as a woman “clothed in the sun” certainly has power and has a place in Christian iconography. It is also important in Catholic and Orthodox understandings of Mary’s place in heaven. But the image is also so complex that it serves to enrich our understanding even beyond this identification to help us see God’s gift of Mary as the Mother of the Church-as our mother.

As we’ve seen throughout this book, Mary is a powerful presence in our lives as individuals and as a Christian community because in her we see the promise God holds out to all of us. We see that our yes-our fiat-matters. God moves and redeems in the midst of the most fundamental human mysteries of pregnancy and childbirth, using creation to re-create, to save.

In our presence to one another, we bear and welcome Christ. Our love of God and neighbor is part of the cosmic course of history. In welcoming the light of Christ, in celebrating his justice and passionate love, we are part of something astonishing and miraculous because it is God’s work in the world, through us. The heart of discipleship is seeking Christ and, once we find him, listening and following his word. Suffering happens, and in the suffering of every person is Christ, to whom we are called to be quietly, lovingly present.

This is Mary’s life. It is our life as well, lived, not alone, but under the care of a most loving mother, the gift of a most loving and understanding God.