via Holy Naps
13-Day Pilgrimage to the Shrines of Italy September 2019
Join Fr. Juan Carlos Lopez on a life-changing pilgrimage to visit holy sites and important sacred art throughout Italy. September 8 – 20, 2019 DEADLINE TO REGISTER: JUNE 8, 2019 Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez: guadalupe-rodriguez@austindiocese.org $3,899 Per Person Round Air Trip from Austin, TX Price Includes: First class hotels with double occupancy option, Two daily meals,… [Read More]
The Spirit of Focolare: Unity and Love
In a bomb shelter in the Italian town of Trent in 1943, a group of young girls talked about how their hopes dreams were being crushed by World War II. Their town was relentlessly bombed. Families who could were leaving as the town literally fell apart. Those left behind were suddenly living in poverty and… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XX: “War in Heaven” (Rev. 12:7)
The Book of Revelation describes the “War in Heaven” (Rev. 12:7) between St. Michael and his angels against the Red Dragon and his angels, when a vision of a woman about to give birth is shown to them. What was the first battle like? Why did it happen? What was the trial of the angels? … [Read More]
Easter Pilgrimage
During Holy Week I was on a special pilgrimage. I went to a mountain in Oregon, almost to the top, and lived with my daughter and her little family off the grid. I took few belongings; only what I could fit in a back pack. At the airport I was so glad to… [Read More]
Look Up, Child: An Invitation for Holy Week
Lent has ended and Holy Week has begun. And you might say that we have all lived a really “good” Lent. The beginning of Lent was marked in a special way, coming as it did on the heels of Pope Francis’ meeting about the abuse crisis with all of the bishops in Rome. Now as… [Read More]
The Crowning of St. Joseph!
“Thus should he be honored whom the King desires to honor!” The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. This year is also the 61st anniversary of the church approved apparitions of St. Joseph in America in which Sr. Mary Ephrem (1916-2000) saw him being crowned… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XIX: The Angel of Peace in America
In the fall of 1954, the Angel of Peace came to prepare Sr. Mary Ephrem (1916-2000) of the Sisters of the Precious Blood of Jesus for the coming of Our Lady of America. In 1960 and 1972 these apparitions received official imprimatur approval from Archbishop Paul F. Leibold (1914-1972) and in 2007 the president of… [Read More]
A quest to forgive
Forgiveness is at the very heart of the Gospel, and it is a clear tenet of our faith. Jesus made it clear he expects us to forgive as we have been forgiven. But what about traumatic, destructive wrongs done to us? What about toxic relationships and people who have done us serious harm? Even in… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XVIII: St. Michael the Angel of Peace!
For centuries St. Michael the Archangel has been known as the Angel of Peace! In the pre-Vatican Roman Breviary (Liturgy of the Hours) published in 1482 and in use until Vatican II, it clearly states, “St. Michael is the Angel of Peace because he was the leader of the heavenly hosts that fought the rebel… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XVII: The Power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
January is the Month of the Most Holy Name of JESUS, and the name of JESUS is the most powerful weapon against “the dragon and his angels (Rev.12:7).” This special feast is celebrated on January 3, and it is associated with the Circumcision of JESUS (Lk. 2:21) when Joseph officially gives Him, “the name of… [Read More]
Mary, Mother of God!
From the early centuries of the Church, Mary is called Mother of God “Theotokos”, or “God-Bearer.” Mary, “Mother of God,” is the first official title given to her by the Catholic Church and maybe her most essential and most powerful title, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “From the most ancient times… [Read More]
A “Small” Christmas Poem
Merry Christmas dear readers! May you be drawn this Christmas into the humility and smallness of the Christ Child – for our world is hungry for hearts that are uncomplicated and open, humble and warm. Let us make a home for others in our hearts this Christmas, through the grace of smallness that the God-Made-Man… [Read More]
An Advent Interview with St. Therese of the Child Jesus
“The Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty. You shall see his glory within you.”- Liturgy of the Hours We are sitting in my living room, reflecting silently together in the glow of the blinking lights of the Christmas tree. It looks particularly lovely in the dark. It’s light turns the smooth, gentle… [Read More]
Order, Disorder and Grace in Advent
I’m looking forward to offering these thoughts to you, dear readers, to be a small light on your Advent journey towards Christ. In His Providence, all these pieces fell together over the past few weeks. That doesn’t always happen in blogging, but when it does, it gives me the sense that the Lord is up… [Read More]
Christma Posadas at Community First Village – Dec 15, 2018
Join us for the “live” Christmas Posadas at Community First Village Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 7:30 PM. Bring the whole family, friends, clergy and religious for this special Christmas celebration of communal song, prayer as we walk with Mary on a donkey and Joseph searching for lodging. Posadas is a Spanish word that means… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XVI: St. Michael & All Souls
What happens when we die? And what does the Archangel Michael have to do with our life after death? The Catholic Church teaches through the mass prayers, Her prayers for the dying, and through the lives of the saints that St. Michael has been given a very important role both during and after our death…. [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XV: The St. Michael Statue
In 490 A.D. St. Michael the Archangel appeared to Bishop Lawrence Maiorano (the second apparition) at Gargano, Italy, giving him instructions on how to defend the area against a vast army of pagan invaders. During the battle a sand storm overwhelmed the attackers, blinding them and pelting them with giant size hail-stones, making them flee… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XIV: Mont Saint Michel
Saint Aubert, the Bishop of Avranches in France, founded Mont Saint Michel in 708 after St. Michael the Archangel appeared to him in his dreams three times. Saint Aubert ignored the Archangel in the first two dreams, but in the third dream St. Michael drove his finger into Aubert’s skull and commanded him to build… [Read More]
Cardinal Sarah: Defender of the Faith
Within the ranks of the Church leadership, Robert Cardinal Sarah stands out as a rare example of outspoken zeal for the faith accompanying his conspicuous love of God. Born and raised in Guinea, he first became a priest and then archbishop of Conakry (covering all of Guinea). He was made Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI… [Read More]
Bishop Joe calls for a Novena of Reparation – this week!
Bishop Joe Vasquez of the Diocese of Austin has called all faithful to join in a Novena of Reparation starting Tuesday, October 9th through October 17th to pray for victims of abuse and offer prayers of reparation. In an interview from August, when the Pennsylvania grand jury news broke, Bishop Joe said the following: Editor:… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XIII: The Glorious Michaelmas!
The Michaelmas is the centuries-old Latin Mass celebrated in honor of the Archangel Michael on September 29th. Devotion to St. Michael the Archangel existed in the Old Testament (Daniel 10:13, 10:21, & 12:1), and it continued in the New Testament (Jude 1:9 and Revelations chapter 12.) The Apostle John prophesied a healing spring which was… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XII: St. Michael’s Flaming Sword!
St. Padre Pio did spiritual battle with demons to free souls, and at his shrine, there is a mosaic of the Archangel Michael handing Padre Pio a sword. In the book “Deliverance Prayers For Use by the Laity,” exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger uses the sword of St Michael, together with the sword of Our Lady… [Read More]
Judas and Peter, Mary and the Children in the Church Abuse Crisis
Amid the violent chaos of the impending crucifixion of Jesus were at least a few children. The eighth station shows they were in the crowd with their mothers, maybe the same ones who once asked the indignant Apostles whether Jesus could bless them. Jesus, who once said the meek were blessed, has also said the… [Read More]
2018 Catholic Build
Austin Habitat for Humanity and Catholic churches and individuals in the Austin area have been coming together for over twenty years to build a home for a deserving family in our community. This year will be no exception as we head to East Austin to build a home for the Mendoza family. Through faith in… [Read More]
On Disagreeing With the Pope
On August 2, in light of an address last October to the Pontifical Council, Pope Francis made a modification to the Catholic Catechism declaring that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”. As an officially declared teaching of the Church, this poses a serious… [Read More]
One Way to Be An Answer to the Current Crisis
We’ve had a lot of difficult news to absorb these last few weeks. It would be easy to look at the Church’s current situation and wonder if we’re not splitting apart at the seams. Some have called this the US Church’s worst crisis in history (see interview below). So before sharing my thoughts on… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons XI: “Michael the Archangel will Arise.” (Dn.12:1)
Throughout history St. Michael the Archangel has arisen to protect God’s Church and heal God’s people. St. Michael will arise now during these most turbulent times, but we must invoke his protection with prayer, consecrations, penances, novenas, and processions as in the ages past. In the year 590 Pope Pelagius and many souls died of… [Read More]
Angels & Demons Conference September 28-29
Angels & Demons: Discerning the Glorious from the Fallen September 28-29, 2018 (On the feast day of St Michael the Archangel) at Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Parish in North Austin Friday 5:30-9:30 pm Saturday 7:30 am-5:00 pm Boxed-lunch provided Saturday These exciting topics will cover the background knowledge of the Creation and mission of… [Read More]
A Church On Our Knees
I was praying the decade of the rosary I try to say everyday for clergy and I had to stop. I was internally yelling and externally crying, and that emotion had to find another outlet. So, I’m writing. I’m glad to have the Eucharistic company of Jesus, consecrated by one of the priests at the… [Read More]
The Church is true but we are a very sick family right now
I entered the Church officially at the age of 22, in 1990. It took me a long time. I attended daily mass for two years even though almost everything about the Catholic Church freaked me out. I had authority issues. I had spiritual issues. I had sexual abuse issues. I had issues with men. I… [Read More]
The Jesus We Never Knew
The Gospels we hear week by week focus on the venerable accomplishments of Jesus as He went about His ministry here on earth. And generally the homilies that follow focus on the message to be gained by these stories in conjunction with the other readings. We are exhorted to imitate this message in our… [Read More]
Summer Reading: A Few Quick Book Reviews
Here’s a glimpse at a few of the books I’ve been reading this summer. I hope these short reviews are a helpful inspiration on your journey. Edith Stein: The Life and Legacy of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross by Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda I had long heard of Edith Stein, but had done no serious… [Read More]
Swimming Under Mary’s Mantle
The swimming instructor called for us to do the positions we had learned. She asked us to lay on our backs in the water. I was very happy on my back. I kicked hard and happily thought about how fast I was going – maybe faster than the others. It turns out I was definitely… [Read More]
Crowd Funding Hail Marys
After a week of losing sleep over the suffering of little children taken from their parents at the border, many days of speaking out and also of sending what money I could to organizations trying to help these separated families, I texted to one of my sisters in Carmel, still feeling very sad. I asked… [Read More]
The American Personality and our Mission as Catholics
It is a day to celebrate, to be with loved ones, and to pray for our nation. Let it also be a day to reflect on who we are, and who are called to be! What is our mission as Catholics in the US? And what does it mean to talk about our mission as… [Read More]
Blessed Isidore Bakanja – Martyr of the Brown Scapular
Blessed Isidore Bakanja is the first martyr of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel whose feast we celebrate on Monday, July 16th. Isidore Bakanja was a young black teenage martyr from the Boangi tribe in Zaire, Africa with plenty of zeal, valor, and faith for the gospel and Our Lady. Receiving the… [Read More]
We Went Away Sad
“Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, and sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then, come, follow me.’ At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions (Mark… [Read More]
Sin? Not a problem.
Sin? No problem. This Sunday we heard the Gospel reading on the Fall, of the moment sin entered creation and divided all that was meant to be united. Since then the human person has been faced with the conditions of inner division and brokenness as a personal reality and as a reality in creation. Yet,… [Read More]
Jesus, give us your Heart, make us strong to love!
I have to think, in these dark times, during this epidemic of heartlessness, that we need to look to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that we need the refuge and the example of His Heart more than ever. Every day I think we are all having to find ways to decompress from all the hatred,… [Read More]
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