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]
An “Alternative” Advent/Christmas party
Come to me, all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest for your souls. ~Matt. 11:28 The invitation said “Shawna’s Day of Silence.” When we arrived, her house was open, breezy, and, obviously, quiet. My friend had set up areas to be comfortable to think, read, journal or pray… [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
Picture courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org. 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… [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]
The Unofficial Start to Summer: Now What?
They say Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer. Alongside being a day where we remember those who’ve given their lives for our country, and a day where families and friends gather to celebrate at the lake, at the parks, etc, it’s also a day that signals the end of the school year and… [Read More]
The Modest Ornaments of the Day: simple routines that re-center
I have a cup of coffee, and I am listening to jazz (Alice Coltrane today,) because it is 2 o’clock. That’s what I always do this time of day; jazz and coffee. Somehow this makes me feel more present in the day. The loose, open-ended routine of stopping the day, at least a little bit,… [Read More]
Following the Shepherd’s Voice
“My sheep know my voice and they follow me (John 10:27).” I read that line a long time ago, proclaimed in the week after we celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday. But it has stayed with me for weeks. I know His voice and I’m supposed to follow it. So, why do I so often follow my… [Read More]
The Corpus Christi Procession and Divine Mercy
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (the feast of Corpus Christi) is the celebration of Christ’s Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. As Our Lord is carried through the streets of cities and villages around the world, the faithful give public witness to their faith and devotion to the Holy… [Read More]
Come, Holy Spirit, renew my life
Something that seems to be returning to me as I very slowly recover from the grief and trauma (it’s complicated) of these past few years is a sense of self determination. I had not realized it was gone in the first place. What I did know is that for a long time it was… [Read More]
Love as presence
I want to talk about a great part of my life, Mac, who has Cerebral Palsey, and about what it’s like to spend my days with “his Eminent Lovableness. ” Mac and I don’t actually “do” much. I mean, not really. We mostly just hang out together. We mostly just “are.” Fortunately, we are really… [Read More]
The Older Sibling Comes Back
I recently went on a retreat that gave me a great deal of joy and then a great deal of pain. I was on the mountain. And then I fell off. Among other things, Father Charlie Garza’s day retreat focused on the seven deadly sins – how to recognize the false gods within them and… [Read More]
Properly Clothed for Holy Week
The man came to the turbulent mob scene of Jesus’ arrest wearing only a linen cloth. It was right after the 12 had fled. What a time to show up. And then he also fled, somehow losing the little bit of clothing he had. I find that passage curious each year when we follow the… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons X: St. Faustina’s Battles
For 40 days we have watched Jesus prepare for His final battle on Calvary. All His life He has trained for this day. He was born for this! And so are we. The life of a Christian is a constant battle. Against ourselves, the world, and the powers of darkness. As Gaudium et Spes states,… [Read More]
Dear Austin, let us pray…
It is a morning to pray. We woke up to the news today that the suspect behind the recent package bombs had been caught, and indeed had taken his own life in the process. Let us pray this morning together for peace in our city, for peace in our families, for peace in our own… [Read More]
A traditional St. Joseph altar in the Brazos Valley
He is sweating in the morning sun, easily turning a huge table top over in a cloud of wood shavings. I cough but he doesn’t break his concentration, only smiles as he measures an edge with his hands, squinting, nodding to himself as he stands up. “You still do this kind of thing in Heaven?”… [Read More]
The Betrothal and Love of Joseph and Mary
As the Solemnity of Saint Joseph approaches let us contemplate the betrothal and love of Joseph and Mary and how it can help couples today. It is mentioned very little in scripture. Yet it was the foundation for the family into which Jesus Christ was born. Blessed Pope John Paul II says in the church… [Read More]
The “Waze” of God
You know that moment when you plug your destination into Waze, and you hope and thinking, “Am I going to make it on time?…Waze says I’ll get there 5:23pm…but maybe the traffic will lighten up? Or it will find me a short cut??” A couple of weeks ago I was caught in that circumstance. Chugging… [Read More]
She Pondered the Greeting
“Hail, full of grace,” said the angel to the young woman. And Mary was perplexed. She pondered the greeting. I’ve spent a lot of time pondering this greeting too. It comes up every Monday and Saturday as the assigned meditation of the rosary. And I also heard it four times between Advent, Christmas and a… [Read More]
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