Vacationing With God #12 - St. Anthony's Chapel, Pittsburg Pennsylvania

  From the outside, St. Anthony's Chapel appears to be a typical yet beautiful brick church  with a statue of St. Anthony standing between two towering steeples.  However, once you step inside this chapel you will discover there is nothing typical about this church.  St. Anthony's Chapel has more than 4200 relics contained in 800 different cases.  Outside the Vatican, no other church contains this many relics. There were relics from the twelve apostles, a piece of wood form the true cross, a piece of wood from the table of the last supper. There were bones, skulls, remnants of clothing from hundreds of saints including St. John the Baptist, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Anthony, St. Lawrence, St. Stephen, St. Catherine, St. Nicholas, St. Sebastian, St. Frances, St. Phillip Neri, and the list goes on and on.
  My children were taken back.  Their previous exposure to relics was very limited.  My son asked, "Why would someone take a saint's bone? "
  I explained that the Church has a long history of venerating sacred objects from the saints.  The relics remind us to pray for the intercession of that saint.  We remember their example of living out the Gospel and they inspire us to do the same.
 Then my son said very quietly, "I'm not sure if I can believe these relics are real."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because if these are all real, how come this church isn't filled with people?  Why wouldn't everyone want to see this?"
  "That's a good question," I said.  "The streets sure were crowded back by our hotel with everyone going to the Pirates baseball game."   
  This church shouldn't be packed just to see the relics, though, the church should be packed in order to spend time with Christ in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  Our actions always speak volumes of what we hold dear.  As I looked around at the hundreds and hundreds of relics from so many different saints, I wondered if this wasn't a small taste of heaven.  In heaven we will be together amidst all the saints worshipping God. As I knelt down to pray I couldn't help but smile when I imagined how incredible that day will be.

-Susan

We All Have a Story to Tell

        Theresa and I are back from vacation.  It's always nice to get out of town and experience new adventures.  Sometimes stepping out of the usual routine of things offers a new perspective.  I found that when I returned back home my house was just as I had left it, but I feel a wind of change blowing through it.
  I have a series called "Vacationing With God" in which I describe my experiences in the different cathedrals I have visited  (I have some new entries that will be coming soon.)  However, I felt God throughout this entire vacation in so many little ways, that I would like to share these stories as well.
  While we were in Virginia, we attended mass in a church not far from where we were staying.  It just happened to be there evangelization week called "Everyday Witnessing".  The priest gave a good homily telling a few short little stories from his childhood.  They were just small moments and experiences with his family that had a big impact on his faith life.  He tied all the stories together by saying this, "We all have a story to tell. We need to tell others about our experiences with God.  The more we share these stories, the more the Holy Spirit will be present in our lives, and our hearts will catch on fire."
  I sat in my pew wondering, "Wow, is this homily written for me?  Is this a pep talk from God encouraging me to continue to share my experiences and little stories?"  I came to the conclusion that yes this homily was definitely for me, but it was also for everyone else as well.  Evangelization is everyone's mission. We all need to inspire each other along the journey.  You never know how your words might influence someone.  Your small stories may be the spark that sets someone's faith life on fire, or it may rekindle a fire that has almost burned out.  
  I would like to encourage everyone to start telling their stories.  Don't over-think it.  Don't worry if it's good enough.  It is!  Just do it!  Tell everyone how God is present is your life.  It would be a shame if no one ever knew the beautiful story of you and God.

 ( If you would like to share your story here, please send it our way! Just hit the "contact us" option and email it to us.)

-Susan

Hidden Treasure

    "Mom!  Come here!  Look what I just found," said five year old Heidi.
    Andrea saw her daughter squatting down next to one of the larger trees in the park.  "What are you looking at Heidi?"
  "Look, Mom, do you see it?  It's a purple ladybug!  It's so cute!"
  Andrea bent down and peered into the bottom trunk of the tree and saw a rock painted like a ladybug.  "Oh, that is cute," said Andrea.  "I wonder who put it here."
  "Can I pick it up and see if there is a name on the back?" Heidi asked.
  "Sure, why not."
  Heidi reached into the tree, pulled out the rock, and tried to read the back.  It said, "I hope I made you smile.  Love, God."  Heidi's eyes grew as big as her smile.  "Mom, God put this ladybug here to make me smile.  I didn't even know He was thinking about me!" exclaimed Heidi.
  Andrea smiled too and said, "Well this must be our lucky day!  We have found a hidden treasure!"
  "You think this ladybug is a treasure?"
  "Not the ladybug, but the message on the back. God found a way to say 'I love you' to us today.  I'd say we struck it rich today!"
  Heidi smiled again hoping God would notice how happy He made her.  "Hey, Mom, can I take the ladybug home with us?"
  "No, we better leave it here.  God may need to give that message to someone else, too."
  "Ok.  Can we go home and tell Dad we found a treasure?"
  "That sounds like a great idea.  Let's go!" agreed Andrea.  Andrea and Heidi walked hand and hand out of the park towards home.  As they walked they never even noticed thirteen year old Autumn sitting on a park bench pretending to read a book.
  Autumn made the sign of the cross and began to pray.  "Hey God, did you see that?  Your idea totally worked!  I used the talent you gave me to spread your message!  Did you see how happy it made that little girl and her mom?  And I feel great inside, I made a difference!  Thank you for letting me a part of Your Plan!"
  Autumn closed her eyes and heard God whispered, "Thank you for listening to My Plan.  I need to get this message out to a lot of people.  This is only the beginning...."


-Susan

Less is More

  Funny how the world is always telling us we need more.  Jesus tells us we need less.  We need to empty ourselves of the foolishness of this world, so that He may fill our hearts completely.  This weekend spend some quality time preparing for the Eucharist in prayer.  Try to mentally imagine all that your heart holds dear.  One by one remove each thought.  Do not be afraid.  The Lord will refill and magnify your heart with all that is pleasing to Him, and then fill you with whatever you were lacking.  We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Only a God who loves with no bounds could be this generous!

-Susan

Working On Being Great

  How many of us dream of coming into some unexpected money allowing us to quit our jobs and stay at home.  I have had that passing thought more times than I like to admit, usually just before another work week.  But a "Lazy Susan" only turns in circles over and over and over.  I don't think God wants me spinning in circles, I believe He has a much different path for me.  Sure I have stumbled many times trying to follow this path and I sometimes have no idea what direction I should be headed, but I trust that God has a definite purpose in mind for me.  
  God has a definite plan for each of us.  He wants us to become saints-- how great is that?! And although the idea sounds fantastic, it's not easy.  It requires work and sacrifice.  We must follow Jesus' example of serving in order to become great in the Kingdom.  Jesus never said. "Kick off your shoes and relax in your Lazy Boy." He said, "Pick up your cross and follow Me." 
  I would like to suggest a compromise.  How about we all grab a comfortable pair of shoes and then follow our Master to Eternity.  We might have to work for a living, but we can be happy knowing that this is exactly the work God needs us to perform.

-Susan

Anything But Boring

  God is anything but boring.  Christianity is anything but boring.  Christianity started with a small group of people on fire with the joy of the Holy Spirit.  These men and woman were passionate, courageous, and willing to risk their lives for Jesus. Whenever I read about the lives of the saints, I am completely amazed how active and full their lives were.  Based on your own experiences, I would like to ask you, "Do you think God is exciting?"
  I guess your answer might depend on how active God is in your life.  Do you invite God into your life while you are praying or at church?  Do you invite God to come along when you are having fun with family and friends?  How about when your bike riding, jogging, singing in the car, swimming, etc.?  If you only experience God in church, you are really missing out on half the adventure.  The saints had such amazing lives because they never left God in church, they shared all of life's experience with Him.  Their prayers never ended, they flowed from one experience to the next.  They saw God in everything they did!
   Life is an adventure and it can be completely amazing if we invite God to be a part of our experiences.  I have been white water rafting, parasailing, zip lining, mountain climbing, and snorkeling all with God by my side.  My experiences are heightened by His Presence!  And to tell you the truth, I have had some very intense prayer moments on a rollercoaster car as it climbed to the very top of a step hill and plunged into the unknown with my heart racing and my voice screaming with fear.  Life is meant to be lived with joy and excitement.  I hope you experience some of your own fantastic moments with God this summer.

-Susan

Go ahead and Lead the Way

  During the Offertory at my church, the youth are invited to bring  food for the poor and place it in front of the alter.  This past week I noticed something that made me smile.  A  three year old boy began following his older sister (who was probably five) down the main aisle towards the alter with his food.  He began looking around at all the people.  His steps slowed down a little bit and he began to veer a little to the left.  His sister must have sensed he wasn't directly behind her any more, and turned around.  In an instant she grabbed the back of his shirt collar and began leading him again.  The boy smiled and was perfectly happy to have been pointed and pulled in the right direction again.
  This got me thinking..... I wonder if this is how our guardian angels help us everyday when we are distracted? How often do they have to turn around and gently pull us in the right direction again? Do we happily follow their lead without even realizing the dangers we have been fortunate to avoid? Are their arms around us while we pray?  Does it hurt them when we forget they're beside us?
  Let's spend some quality time thanking our guardian angels for everything they have done for us during our lifetime.  See yourself walking hand in hand with your angel, and allow them to lead you on the path to heaven.


-Susan

6th Grade Modern Day Prophets

  Theresa and I have spent this past week on a summer intensive religious education program for our upcoming Confirmation class and our 6th & 7th grade Hebrew Scriptures program.. It was an amazing week!  We thought we would share the end of the week project.  The 6th graders were asked what message does the world need to hear today and how would you go about spreading it as a modern day prophet.  This is what they came up with "we will spread this message  by making an evangelization video featuring our singing, dancing, and other talents to convey our message. We will then post it on social media and go viral. Hopefully from it's popularity we will be asked to go on a TV talk show."
  Theresa and I are hoping you can help these modern day prophets with their mission.  Please share this video with everyone.

Thank you!

-Susan & Theresa