Pharaoh
There are so many things unsaid. As we make our way to DC so many of us are grappling with unanswered questions. With what ifs and why nots. With memories, both painful flashbacks and cherished remembrances. But to be walking these roads again, is to honor Andrew. To move past the fear and the pain, put back on your walking shoes and answer God's call. To honor our brother Andrew in the only we can. With baby steps. Pharaoh we love you. Pharaoh we miss you. Pharaoh we thank you. God Bless, Lindsay Miller Central Walk
“Follow Me” – A Tribute…
“Follow Me” – A Tribute to Andrew Moore
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you” (MT 16:22, NABRev).
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him (JN 6:60, 66).
“He is possessed and out of his mind; why listen to him?” (JN 10:20)
“Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread (MK 8:15-16).
“Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?” (MK 8:17-18)
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
“Do you remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” “Do you still not understand?” (MK 8:19-21)
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (MT 16:22-23).
“Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.” But he replied, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me” (LK 22:33-34).
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head” (MT 8:20).
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!” (MT 23:37)
And Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (JN 18:38)
Barabbas was a revolutionary (JN 18:40).
“It is finished” (JN 19:30).
And Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” (JN 21:15).
Jesus then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” (JN 21:16).
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (JN 21:17).
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me” (JN 21:19).
Fr. Dan Pattee, TOR
Southern Walk, 2012
The Lord is my Shepherd.
Oh God, in my anguish I cry unto Thee.
The pain is numbing. How could this have happened? Several times I tried to cry or held back tears. Why? What are we doing here?
We are here to stand up for what we believe. To defend the defenseless. To witness to the dignity and sacredness of every human life. For this we have offered up our days, our work and our suffering. We have consecrated this land to Christ through our walk and our sweat and our tears and our blood. We have laid down our lives for this. Died for this. We will all lay down our lives, all die for this. Each in our own way and in our own time. This is the sacrifice that we make every day. To lay down our lives with Christ. To carry our cross as Christ carried his. To die for Christ and His people that we may live forever with Him.
Andrew Moore, our dearest friend and brother, intercede for us to the most Divine heart of Jesus that we may be ever strengthened and courageous in our ministry. Pray that we, like John the Baptist might be a voice crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” And that we, like John and Andrew, might give our lives for this.
Blessed be the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever.
Caleb Glaser
Central Walk
Thoughts from a New Walker
I have only been with Crossroads for one week, one tiring, sweaty, exhilarating week. Before setting out on this endeavor, I carried with me expectations of meeting people whom I would classify as pro-life or pro-choice; the pro-life ones I would encourage and inspire, and the pro-choice ones I would engage and hopefully transform. But I found a different distinction at the crossroads of our nation that I did not expect.
At breakfast yesterday, our host asked Father Dan, “Father, what is something you have rediscovered on this walk across America?” Our walking companion did not need any time to think about his answer. “I have been reminded again and again,” he said, “that Christ did not come to make bad men good, but to make dead men live.”
This is the great distinction I have seen on the highways and byways of our country. We cannot merely talk about pro-life people and pro-choice people, or even about the culture of life and the culture of death. There are the living and the dead. There are those who have accepted the life which Christ gave to them, those who live it to the fullest, and there are also those who reject him, his life, and his love.
Often Catholics and non-Catholics alike will accuse the Church of being outdated, or of having too many rules that have become antiquated in the modern era, especially when it comes to abortion, birth control, and sexuality. They say that having a life means living independent from any law or rule or community that would try to fix their morality. But Catholicism does not attempt to improve the behavior of humanity but rather guide humanity in understanding the fullness of perfection to which our behavior can ascend. Although it may seem at times that rules and requirements make up the large part of the Catholic tradition, what the Catechism expresses are not merely rules but glimpses into what our relationship with God might be like and how we can best attain it. There is life to be lived that comes to us from God, and he himself has revealed the path that will allow us to live that life to the fullest. With our fallen natures we cannot find the road to life alone in darkness, a darkness perpetuated by a society that would tell us to kill our children and sterilize our relationships. Our Catholic tradition is the light that breaks into this darkness. It is the fire that purifies the imperfections of our volition and melts the hardness of our hearts. It ignites life in us such as we have never known before, life that the Father made us for, life that the Son died to give us.
This is the life that I have rejoiced to see the fullness of in some and lamented to see the lack of in many. Christ came to make dead men live, and if I am to be his hands and feet on this walk, I must go forward intending to bring life to those who are dead.
In Him,
Susan
Southern Walk 2012
Record Breaking Heat!
All four of our US walks are inside the blue oval. Please keep them in your prayers as they near the end of their 7th week of walking. And if you happen to see them walking on the side of the road, some cool water would never be turned down.
Satan has laid down challenges upon challenges this week for us. Through all our sufferings and all of the trials, we must remain faithful to the Lord. It is easy, when facing challenges, to fall beneath the trials and refuse to keep moving forward. It would be easy to let Satan win, to stop walking, to feel utterly useless, to return home immediately. Instead, we must continue moving forward.
In our mission this summer to take the Gospel of Life into the streets and the public places, we are following the example of the Apostles. But we do follow their example in more than just proclaiming the Gospel. We must also follow their example of perseverance, of complete trust, of unfailing love.
We must be unafraid to follow the Apostles in these ways as well. We must keep walking, one foot in front of the other. We must keep faith and trust in God’s infinite mercy and goodness. We must keep in mind God’s love for us and we must continually offer our own love and adoration to Him.
God loves each and every one of us unconditionally. He wants us to succeed in this walk. Our walk must always be a walk of faith, trusting that God will provide for us around every corner, over every hill, and beyond our expectations. God’s grace is enough if only we allow His graces to enter our lives and allow the Lord to work in us.
We try our best to do all this, to trust God in all things. With the intense heat and health problems betraying us, we have only one recourse: faith.
May God bless you abundantly and bestow upon you all of the graces you stand in need of.
With God,
Amanda
Northern Walk 2012
Grasshoppers and Texas Hospitality
Howdy Ya’ll! We are just starting our fourth week in Texas and it has been a blast. I will admit that when I first read the schedule and saw that we would be spending over three weeks in Texas I was less than thrilled. I figured by the end of the second week here we would all be itching to cross the border and reach our next boarder breakfast; But I could not be more wrong! After our less then enjoyable stay in New Mexico, Texas has been a breath of fresh air. Don’t get me wrong, we met some amazing people in New Mexico, but in general that state strongly disliked our team and the feeling was mutual. From the minute we crossed the Texas boarder we could all feel we had started a new chapter in our journey.
We are walking along the 380 highway which is mostly a back-road highway filled with hunting trucks and oversized loads. Not a day goes by though that at least 5 people will stop us and ask if we need a ride; not if we need anything or if we are okay, but they offer two sweaty smelly strangers a spot in their 3 seater truck. We have also been handed countless bottles of water and the occasional Gatorade. When we explain our mission the response is always a wide eyed grin and a big old “God Bless!” To make things even better our host families have been an absolute joy! Every family we share a meal with or who open up their homes to us, our response as a group is the same, “Can we please stay here forever?!”
We spent three weeks without an RV and it has been quite the adventure. Each of our host families (especially our New Mexican family who let us leave our RV leftovers sitting in their spare bedroom) haven’t even thought twice about letting our messy, loud, joyous, constantly singing team of 12 over run their homes. They each welcome us into their homes with joy and excitement. But more importantly then giving us a place to rest our heads and wash the sweat off our bodies, they have welcomed us into their families. We were not just house guests, but extended family. Family and friends were invited over to meet the new extended family and break bread with us. Endless meals were prepared and people were gathered to spend a few hours in community with us. The feeling of people’s pure excitement and joy is overwhelming and sends shivers down my spine even now thinking about it. People’s kindness and generosity has honestly been the only fuel getting any of us through some of the tougher days. The random hugs and kisses at parishes that we receive from woman so excited about our mission is worth any amount of money they could put into our baskets.
Now here in Texas, not only are the people extra friendly, but so are the grasshoppers! If I could only share with the amount of “hugs” I have been given by grasshoppers while walking. Today I had one jump onto my sunglasses and not let go! He was extra friendly ; ) With only a few more days to go in Texas before we say our goodbye to this great state we all eagerly look forward to what adventures are to come and who we are going to meet next.
