7QT: Priestly Scandals and Beautiful Vocations

Welcome to the weekend!!

1)

Our former pastor (and Harvard grad) Fr. Roger Landry wrote about the newest scandal and I think it's worth a read.  I truly don't have anything to add about those disgusting priests.

2)

I do however, want to say something about the good guys.  The faithful, holy priests who are actually chastely living out their vocation.  I'm sure you know some, or at least one.  We are lucky enough to know quite a few because we take the time to have them over to our house and make them part of our family life.  Priests need the support that families can give them, just as we need their support to live out our vocation.  So please, please welcome one of the good guys into your home soon.  

3)

And don't worry about the house looking perfect or the meal being four stars.  It's the relationships that matter.  Just yesterday at lunch with Fr. Jay, my Dad was talking about how when a priest used to come visit a home in Ireland, the host would tell all the neighbors and it was a big affair, with polished silverware and the finest food they could offer.  Fr. Jay replied that he's glad those days are over, because maybe that's what led to certain priest's sense of entitlement and power.  Don't get me wrong, I still do my best for a visiting priest, but I don't let perfection stop the good from occurring, ya know?  We had BLT salad, chicken salad sandwiches, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, and brownies a la mode.  Easy peasy.

4)

I mentioned in yesterday's post at Catholic Women Run, that Phil and I have had a weekly holy hour since April.  I am not saying this to boast about my (usually terrible) prayer life, but just to encourage you to try and add this devotion to your lives, if possible.  For the longest time, we did not commit to taking a holy hour at our parish because we had lots of little kids and full time jobs, and blah blah blah every excuse in the book.  We'll just go for an hour each week, we thought.  No need to make it official, we said.  Guess how many times we went?  Ummmmm maybe once?  I told God that if He wanted me to take an hour each week, then He had to give me the perfect hour.  I wasn't about to do a 3 am hour at this point in my life.  Well, God worked His sneaky ways and one hour opened up on a weeknight at 7:30 pm.  It's right after the little kids go to bed, and Phil and I have been able to sneak out together for this date each week almost every time.  Sometimes the sports schedules get in the way, and then one of us takes a kid with us instead.  But for the most part, we can go on our Adoration date and our focus is to pray for our children together.  It's been such a lovely addition to our prayer life, and can I say that seeing my handsome hubby worshipping Our Lord is incredibly attractive?  What?! You already know I have a thing for guys in scapulars.

5)

We said goodbye to Haley this past week and she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother on Sunday.  I miss her so much already.  I keep seeing a car like hers drive by or wanting to text her and then remembering she has no car or phone anymore!  We all wrote her letters and I mailed them yesterday, but we won't be able to get many replies from her since she can only write one letter a month.  Next summer can't come soon enough!

6)

Tonight we have religious sister staying at our home for the weekend - Phil's sister, Sr. Denise!  She is currently living in Texas, and is doing great works of mercy as I shared on Instagram a while ago:

It’s easy to talk the talk when it comes to politics, and a lot of people are understandably upset over what has been happening at our border, but I wanted to show you someone who is walking the walk instead. Meet Sr. Denise, Phil’s sister, who is serving the immigrants seeking asylum at the San Antonio border. She’s passing out backpacks with necessities. Not judgments. She’s giving them hugs and a smiling face. Not refusal. She’s quietly serving. Not shouting without action. While most of us can only pray from afar, she’s praying with the families seeking asylum. We must remember that all Americans are immigrants...and all lives matter. Thank God for the sisters who tirelessly serve our brothers and sisters in need, and thank God that we don’t live in a country where the thought of losing our family is less scary than staying put. 

7)

We are so, so blessed to have all these wonderful examples of religious vocations in our kid's lives, but also of beautiful, holy marriages too.  When discussing the priestly scandals with Fr. Jay at lunch, he said "All I can do is focus on growing in holiness myself, and if we all tried to do that, we wouldn't be in such a mess."  I agree!  It's so easy to get caught up in the evil and sensational wrongdoings that we lose sight on the beauty our vocations have to offer.  If we all just kept our eyes on our own papers and grow in our own journey to holiness, the world would be a much better place.  Always remember that Christ wins in the end, and where sin abounds, grace superabounds.  Have hope and keep the faith.

(linking up with Kelly)