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Much More than a Virtual Holy Land Pilgrimage

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Here is my column that appears on the book page of this week’s print edition of The Catholic Post. 

Most everyone who knows me is aware that high on my “life list” is a whole-family Holy Land pilgrimage, once all my children are teenagers (should my husband and I survive parenting teenagers. But I digress.).

I’ve heard from those who have been on a Holy Land pilgrimage that it can be life-changing and spiritually transformative.  I’m a little scared but also truly excited by the prospect. Since my own pilgrimage is still several years away, I seek out books, shows, and other resources about people who share their Holy Land experiences, so I can virtually-if a little enviously-follow along for now.

No surprise, then, that I would gravitate towards James Martin, S.J.’s newest book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage. But this is a remarkable book by any measure, and for just about every reader.

Fr. Martin, the cultural editor of America magazine and a gifted spiritual writer, tells the story of Jesus through selected Gospel stories, woven through his own faith life and his travel to the Holy Land.

But throughout and within, this book is energetically about the person of Jesus, what makes Him so attractive and compelling to Martin, and to those who follow Him.

Jesus: A Pilgrimage is kind of like an extreme version of Ignatian contemplation, or prayer using the imagination. Fr. Martin picks out key moments in the Gospels and tells those stories through his own Holy Land travels and musings. It is a simple concept, but by no means a simple book-it’s rich in stories, wisdom, and inspiration.

As Fr. Martin shares, when he was asked by a friend what he could say “new” about Jesus:

“ ‘I’ll write about the Jesus whom I’ve met in my life. This is a Jesus who hasn’t been written about before.’ It may be similar to hearing a friend tell you something expected about a mutual friend. ‘I never knew that about him,’ you might say wonderingly. Seeing a friend through another pair of eyes can help you appreciate a person more. You may end up understanding your friend in an entirely new way.”

Read this book to get a fresh and timeless perspective on Jesus, and be inspired to look at Him—and your faith— in a new way.

If you’re also intrigued by visiting the Holy Land as I am, you might be interested in the “The Faithful Traveler” DVD series by the young husband/wife team of David and Diana von Glahn . The series has aired on EWTN, and with the charming Diana as a host, virtual travel through the Holy Land is enjoyable and edifying.  I’ve written  about this series before.

Some notes, post-column:

**I actually read and wrote about Jesus: A Pilgrimage before I realized that my column would appear in print just as Pope Francis was about to be in the Holy Land.  I’ll be following along, and I do think this book would make an excellent companion to it.

**I also wrote about several other “recent reads” in my print column, but I will share those as separate posts because they are unrelated to the “Holy Land” theme of this post.

What’s Your Favorite Mom-ism?

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Wasn’t she gorgeous?

In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend and my own mother, who was–rather intentionally– the Mrs. Malaprop of Mom-isms, what is your favorite mom-ism?

My favorite mom-ism from my own mother is

“We’ll jump off that bridge when we get to it.”  

So much so that my children have all asked me at various tender ages, “Mom, why are we going to jump off a bridge?” My child, I was wondering the same thing…

Do you have a favorite mom-ism, either from your mom, or one you say to your kids? I definitely want my kids to remember this one, and use it with their kids.

[Note on the  cropping of the photo.  When I had the idea to honor my mom and also have fun with mom-isms, I thought of some of these early photos of my mother, who died in 2008, and who was lovely in every way throughout her life.  The photos we have of her from the 1950s and 60s are just so wonderful.  This was the first one I could easily find, but the four siblings also in the photo (the two youngest, me included, weren’t born yet) look a little on the extra goofy little-kid side, complete with one sister unhappily trying to crawl out of some beach stroller-type contraption.  It’s hilarious, but since I’m the most “online” person in my family, I wanted to err on the side of caution.]

Dear Moms, Will You Go To a Movie With Me? #MomsNightOut

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If you’re having deja vu: yes, this is an expanded version of my prior post, now that I can reveal more details about the movie.

True confession: I’m not the greatest at self-care.

Like many moms, I tend to take care of everyone else around me before me. The needs/wants/crises of kids, dogs, husband and house can seem so vital, and it’s easy to let those take over the majority of our days.

As I’ve gotten older, and my kids have gotten older, I have gotten better at self-care, but mostly in a solo way. I run, and I make the time to read a lot of books, and I make sure to get my daily quota of chocolate (especially now that Lent is over).

But I’m not very good at self-care of the “getting together with friends” variety.

As I get older, I realize how important that kind of self-care is: being intentional about fostering friendships that nourish us.

Last month, I got the chance to see a screening of Moms Night Out, a movie coming out this Friday. (!!!)

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I get invitations to a fair amount of movie screenings, usually family friendly ones, often by faith-based filmmakers. I wrote about October Baby here , and I loved that one (coincidentally— or not—Moms Night Out is made by the same filmmakers: the Erwin Brothers.) But I haven’t written about very many others.

Sometimes the movie, even if it’s pretty good, doesn’t seem like a good fit for a review here, or I run out of time. Sometimes it wasn’t a good fit for me—I tend not to like violence in films, or too slow-moving films. Sometimes the movie is good but not great, or it’s not very good at all.

Moms Night Out is a good, good movie. It’s a super-fun, going out with your friends, laugh-out-loud movie.

It’s not just a fun “faith-based movie,” or a fun “clean movie.” It’s a fun movie, period.

If I haven’t convinced you already, I loved Moms Night Out so much that I’m not only going to see it again when it comes out on this Friday, May 9 (Mother’s Day weekend, natch), but I’m organizing a group of moms to go see it.

This movie made me laugh, smile a lot, and even tear up a few times.

Loves:

*Sean Astin as one of the dads. Because I’m such a LOTR geek.

*Trace Adkins. I don’t know much about country music, so I didn’t realize that Trace Adkins is a country star. I would not have known he wasn’t a “real actor” at all. He’s does well and carries several pivotal scenes admirably.

*Patricia Heaton is super enjoyable as the “older mom.” I realize that I’m now “that older mom” and so it’s great to have an attractive, funny actress playing that role for us.

*the term ”stress paralyzed.”  Yes.  Often.

*a cameo by musician Manwell Reyes of Group 1 Crew as a tattoo parlor concierge. In a family friendly movie. That’s all I’m going to say there.

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*nothing contrary to our Catholic faith. Sometimes faith-based films can have something a little “off” in theology, but there’s none of this here. It’s just good fun, and the message of moms practicing self-care, being supportive of one another, and mostly moms knowing that we are all doing the best we can, and that God loves us unconditionally.

*I don’t know the rules for spoilers in movie reviews — I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to give away. So, being as non-specific as possible, let me say that I loved Donny Osmond as a child, and I still do? In another rare moment of self-care, not too many years ago I went to a Donny Osmond concert with my best friend from kindergarten (we LOVED Donny back then) and another similarly aged-friend, and it was SO.MUCH.FUN. This relates to an extremely funny line in the movie, but I felt the need to share this here.

Did I mention? The film comes out on May 9, the beginning of Mother’s Day Weekend.

Mother’s Day day (and weekend) at our house usually involves Mass, a family hike (or, as my kids like to say, a forced march, but it’s my day), chocolate, and lots of down time at home. I don’t often want to go out to eat, in general, as the restaurants are crowded, so we’ll make something delicious at home.

Added to that mix, this Mother’s Day weekend will kick off with a showing of Moms Night Out, and I hope a big group of friends will be going with me.

My friend Lisa Schmidt of The Practicing Catholic also reviewed Moms Night Out. I wish she were close enough to come along with us! Read her review here.

Some questions for you:

Are you good at self-care or not? What kind are you best at?

What do you plan for Mother’s Day for yourself and your family?

Will you go to Moms Night Out with me?

Here is the trailer, in case you’re not convinced:

7 Quick Takes About #2PopeSaints

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1. Did you know there is a hashtag for the canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII? It’s #2popesaints.

2. John Paul II was the pope for most of my teen years, and most of my adult life, as well. John Paul II was the first pope I remember being pope, and such vivid memories—when he was elected, when he was shot, how he traveled the world and was so full of life.

As a young adult and beyond, I read his encyclicals, his poetry, and his books. HE’s influenced my life in so many ways. I wrote about the then-upcoming conclave that elected Pope Francis here: and reflected back on when John Paul II died and what we did. I will be getting out that scrapbook again this weekend.

To be honest, I don’t know as much about John XXIII.

I’ve had a post “in draft” for more than a week with books by/about the two popes, and I was feeling bad about not finding tons of books written by/about John XXIII, like there are of JP II. Then I was out to dinner several weeks ago with my husband and a dear friend (a bit older than both of us, who has seen more popes). He pointed out that Pope John XXIII was only pope for five years, contrasted to JPII’s 26 years as Holy Father.

This article from the Knights of Columbus “Columbia” magazine:

“Good Pope John and the Knights” was a helpful introduction to me.

Also: “Jokes, quips, wisecracks-John XXIII lived with a keen sense of humor.”  Sweet.

3.  So, books.

John XXIII is best known, book-wise, for Journal of a Soul: The Autobiography of Pope John XXIII.

This was a very moving and inspiring book.  It’s a collection of a lot of different elements–the bulk is formed of his diaries, arranged chronologically from when he was a seminarian  (for some reason, written as “seminarist” in this book) through when he was Holy Father. Things that impressed me:

*John XXIII’s deep holiness. He’s always reflecting on how to grow in holiness himself, and inspire that in others. His ideas for retreats, outreaches and

*his spiritual testament and will, showing the state of his life and faith towards the end of his life.

*prayers that he wrote for various occasions and various saints. Just one out of many that is impressive and sweet: One written in 1960 to “St. Joseph the Worker.” A lot of the language in it prefigures a major theme of the Vatican II documents: holiness in everyday life.

*in the appendices, a section of “maxims heard or gleaned from various sources” that Pope John XXIII made as a seminarian.  It contains quotes from Scripture, the saints and church documents, all pointing towards  holiness and heaven.  I have been a huge quote fan since I was young–some of my most prized possessions are various quotation books, like a number of Bartlett’s Quotations, that were gifts from my father, also a huge quote lover.  For some time, I’ve had a goal to collect various scraps of things into a commonplace book, or inspire my children to start one of their own.   Reading John XXIII’s selections is giving me a nudge to get that going this year.

4.  Books by John Paul II. So, so many. Just two of my favorites:


This was answering a series of questions put by journalist Vittorio Messori about the Catholic faith, truth in other faiths, and just human life over all.  I love this one; I haven’t read it in years but I’m pulling it off the shelf to read again.

I love the poetry of John Paul II.  I have several versions of his poetry, and I think this book includes most of them. I shared two of his poems  (read them here and here) three years ago when JPII was beatified.

5. Books about John Paul II.  Again, there are so many, but here are three (plus one not quite “out” yet).


George Weigel’s Witness to Hope is the definitive biography of JPII.  It is fantastic, and really a must-read by everyone college age on up. But at more than 1,000 pages, it is a long read.  For those who want a more popular and good introduction to the heroism, holiness and charisma of John Paul II, may I suggest Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Evert.


I really enjoyed this book.  The short biographical chapters remind us just what a remarkable man John Paul II was and why he is “the great,” and it works really well to organize the rest of the book into JPII’s five loves: young people, human love, the Blessed Sacrament, the Virgin Mary, and the Cross.  And this one is just a bit over 200 pages–much more manageable.  I plan to have my kids read this book, and hope that it whets their appetite down the road for tackling Witness to Hope.

Peggy Noonan’s John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father was a gift to me by one of my sisters many years ago, and I must confess I’ve never read it.  Pulling off the shelf to give it a go this summer, perhaps?

This book looks so promising: The Story of Saint John Paul II: A Boy Who Became Pope by Fabiola Garza. I downloaded this on Kindle because I didn’t think (rightly) that a print review copy would arrive before writing about JPII books.  Regrettably, there are some glitches with the e-version.  You can read and listen to it, but the illustrations aren’t there.  I think it being worked on, and I can’t wait to see a physical copy of this book, and an improved e-version.  I’ll be writing about it once I do.

6. Links about JP II

*21 Awesome Facts about John Paul II.

*Loved this “Letter to Artists” excerpts read by students at John Paul the Great University. “Beauty will save the world.”

7.  Finally, I couldn’t resist sharing–yet again!– John Paul II autotuned.  I just LOVE this one.

Linking up with Jen Fulwiler for 7 Quick Takes.

What books/videos/resources/links can you share about 2popesaints?

To Bring Christ to Others {Lent Book Series}

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Today the Lent Book Series features Lindsey Weishar.

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For about half a year, Caryll Houselander has been in my life. It’s both funny and beautiful how God leads us to the books we need to be reading.

I had been part of a book group over the summer, and one of the reading selections was a chapter from a book by a Jesuit. This Jesuit, whose name escapes me, had compiled a list of his favorite books, and one day I decided to look for this list online. One of the books on the list stood out to me. With an almost formidable title, Houselander’s Guilt became a book that would accompany me through my first semester out of college. With its searching questions, its beautiful images, and its abundant compassion for the human condition, Guilt has given me much to ponder.

Caryll Houselander’s name might be familiar to some readers. The Magnificat uses a reflection by her about once a month. I also hear she was mentioned recently at a women’s conference in the diocese.

Caryll Houselander was a British writer, artist, and spiritual guide. She lived during World War II, and was attracted to people suffering from neurosis—including those affected by the awful horrors of the war. An avid writer, she wrote books and scores of letters to people who wanted her advice. She sought to find Christ in everyone she met.

Though Guilt is initially what drew me to Houselander, I actually want to recommend her autobiography, A Rocking-Horse Catholic. (Guilt is currently a rare book as it is no longer in print.)

A Rocking-Horse Catholic is a brief book in which Houselander tells about her rather lonely childhood, and a few of her mystical experiences as a young woman. Her parents’ divorce and her own poor health left Houselander often feeling alone and guilty. She identified herself as neurotic, but also shows readers the way to transform neurosis—surrender it to God:

In this surrender is, I believe, the cure for the torment of self, which is precisely what most psychological suffering is. It is the cure for the weakness that cannot carry the common burden of the world’s sin; the cure for the fear that causes the will to wither before the challenge of life, the cure for the feebleness that makes the impact of natural beauty painful, the cure for the cowardice that causes the heart to contract and shrink before the challenge of love (RHC 54).

The beauty I find in Houselander is her ability to use her own personal cross to bless other people. A biography written about Houselander (That Divine Eccentric by Maisie Ward) cites Houselander saying, “‘Again and again in human history those in whom Christ lives have been able to heal because they could not be healed’” (278). She believed in the redemptive power of suffering, that a person could move from “‘the narrow prison of self to share in the common suffering of all mankind’” (TDE 278).

The Mystical Body of Christ was a theme in her work, and was closely connected to her mystical experiences as a young adult. These experiences are described by Houselander not as visions, but as “[seeing] Christ in man” (RHC 137). One of her experiences happened on an underground train, where she suddenly saw the vastness of Christ in those around her:

not only was Christ in every one of them, living in them, dying in them, rejoicing in them, sorrowing in them—but because He was in them, and because they were here, the whole world was here too, here in this underground train; not only the world as it was at that moment, not only all the people in all the countries of the world, but all those people who had lived in the past, and all those yet to come (RHC 137-138).

That responsibility to bring Christ to others, to find His face in the face of others, to share in the world’s suffering and its joy, to see ourselves as a small part of something unimaginably vast and deep, reminds me of the mass, where we believe all of heaven joins in the celebration of the Eucharist. Houselander ends her short (and only partial) narration of her life, with a look at Christ as the all-encompassing King of the universe:

“…because Christ and His Church are one, the world’s sorrow…is only the shadow cast by the spread arms of the crucified King to shelter us until the morning of resurrection from the blaze of everlasting love” (RHC 140).

As we approach Christ’s Passion this Holy Week, I am reminded that we share through our little crosses in His great sacrifice. Our connection to each other and to the world is made strong in His loving gaze, which transforms our struggles into opportunities to reach out and minister to others.

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Linsdey Weishar is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois in English Literature, and is currently a teacher’s aide at a high school in Champaign. She is a member of St. Matthew Parish and has participated as a leader in the Peoria Diocese’s Totus Tuus Program for the past two summers. Writing poetry and reading are sources of inspiration for Lindsey, as they help her look at life in different ways.

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*I met Lindsey two summers ago when she was one of the Totus Tuus team at the Totus Tuus that my kids attended. I loved talking over super-literary books with her–she’s a fellow English major–and I’ve gotten a lot of good ideas from her, both for religious reads and for English-major reads.  Currently I have A Rocking-Horse Catholic on my Kindle App, and I hope to make some time this week to read it.

*Lindsey was featured in The Catholic Post as a Reader in 2012.

The Bigger Story {Lent Book Series}

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Today the Lent Book Series features Katie Bogner.

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Call me overly sentimental, but I would take something old, well-loved, and unique over a brand new item any day. A used item has a story that goes beyond the surface, a story that I appreciate and enjoy discovering.

The book that I would like to recommend for the season of Lent was already old when it fell into my hands.

After arriving at an extended family gathering a couple of years ago, my cousin asked me if I owned Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen.

Venerable Fulton Sheen and I have become quite good friends over the past few years, and my cousin knew that. She had seen a copy of the book at a Spoon River Drive garage sale just before coming to our family party. We hopped in the car and drove the few miles into town, visited the sale, and found the book.

Since it was not priced, I went forward to pay for it, questioning what the seller would like for it. He asked what I had picked out. When he saw my choice, he said, “Oh, no. It’s yours. I never take money for sharing Jesus. That Fulton Sheen was a good man.” Yes he was, and so was this giver. Instead of a dollar, he gets my prayers for his generosity.

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My “new” book was a little worse for the wear, and doesn’t look much better after a couple of readings by me. However, I have found the content to be rich and timeless and a treasure that I will return to again and again.

Sheen’s Life of Christ gives a detailed commentary on the days of our Savior’s earthly walk, from the Annunciation to the Ascension. In typical Sheen fashion, new revelations about the Gospel stories are shared with wisdom, wit, clarity, and depth. Written in his easy-to-read everyman’s style, it still astounds me the truths that he unpacks line after line. When read alongside Scripture, this book has given me a fuller image of Christ and His Kingdom.

Why read it during Lent? We relive snapshots of Jesus’ life all throughout the Liturgical year. Lent seems to be a good time to soak it in as a whole. Add the detail and depth that Sheen includes about Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday, this book is a perfect companion during Holy Week.

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The cover of my book is battered, and I have added tape, notes, highlighting and some wear of my own. There are mementos still tucked inside from the former owners and some added by me. It certainly wouldn’t win any book beauty contests, but this is one of the most valuable books on my bookshelves. It has a story, and tells a story, and leads me to understand the much bigger Story that we are all a part of.

So I encourage you to go pick up a copy of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen’s Life of Christ. You might have to settle for a shiny new copy, but I am sure that Sheen (and Christ) would love nothing more than for your book to one day be falling apart from repeated readings and passing between many hands. Because isn’t the life of Christ meant to be treasured and shared? That is something worth being sentimental over.

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Katie is a teacher by day, DRE by weekend, crafter in her spare time, and late night reader. She blogs at Look to Him and Be Radiant.

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*Katie’s blog is so worth exploring, for so many reasons.  She has amazing resources for catechists of all kinds, and lots more.  Unfortunately, I have used very few of them, but now that I’m taking another look perhaps it is time for me to add to our Easter calendar making this Way of Light mini-book, or encourage my younger kids to make a Fulton Sheen notebook. I fear that her blog in some ways is like Pinterest–full of lots of great ideas I don’t implement.  Before I go and make a board of all her ideas (another way to procrastinate!), I better complete one or two.

*Our diocese is currently in the midst of the Annual Diocesan Appeal, and this video was shown yesterday at all the Masses, to encourage giving. I remarked to my husband– I know a lot of people featured in that video!  One of them was Katie, who looked and sounded great.

*Katie was featured in”Meet a Reader” last year in The Catholic Post. Reading through that again I see that “story” is a theme that informs Katie’s reading and writing.  “Story” is something to ponder this late-in-Lent Monday as we grow close to entering into the Triduum Story.