It was with great anticipation that I watched the ABC Nightline Primetime Special "Beyond Belief" last night, where they showcased Our Lady of Good Help Shrine in Champion, Wisconsin. My sisters and I are planning a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Help Shrine next month so I was eager to see how it would be portrayed on television and I was pleasantly surprised to see such a well-done program highlighting the love that Catholics have for the Blessed Mother. Watching it increased my anticipation of my upcoming pilgrimage.
My clever son Joe was quick to point out that I really don't need to travel to a Shrine because I create my own each and every day when I work out on the treadmill at the YMCA. He sees me with the treadmill's television tuned to EWTN for the Mass and I've always got several prayer books and some spiritual reading lined up on the treadmill shelf so that my daily work-out becomes a prayer. I always called it multi-tasking but Joe says that I'm "enshrined" on my treadmill and he is sure to tell me that my one-dimensional lack of interest in anything that isn't about God and religion is not normal. But, I am equally quick to retort that if I am truly not normal then I am grateful to be in the company of St. Paul! ("Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me." 1Corinthians 15:8) And how blessed we would all be to become so enshrined in our faith that nothing else would matter!
Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us!!!
If you missed "Beyond Belief" you can watch the episode here. The program that followed on Nightline Late Night about Consecrated Virgins was equally well done.
