Every year during Advent, the Johnson clan leads a church-wide food drive. We ask our church community to draw a family from our sister parish in downtown Houston and pray for them, give them boxes of food, and maybe get them a present or two. Then two Uhauls get filled up with boxes and we… [Read More]
The Story of the King and His Kingdom (Review: “New Testament Basics for Catholics”)
Thanks to a few years of Bible studies, I could easily tell you that the “plot” of the Bible is the fulfillment of the covenant between God and his people. Now I can tell you that the New Testament has its own “subplot,” so to speak. A few summers ago, I made the trek from… [Read More]
Living and Praying a Novena
A novena can be a special time between God and the praying soul, a pilgrimage of transformation and insight, as well as a way of “storming heaven,” with a petition. A novena prayed with faith is also a time of expectant waiting. Whatever I am praying for, I try to ask with… [Read More]
Advent: The longing in our hearts for Love Incarnate
“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love, for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen” (1 Thes 3:12) We heard… [Read More]
The Prayers – 1st Sunday of Advent
One of the guiding principles of the early church in formulating her doctrine was the phrase, lex orandi lex credenti, which translated means “the law of prayer [is] the law of believing.” In that time, the Church Fathers, plagued as they were with heresies no less than we are and faced with formidable intellectual rhetoricians… [Read More]
Sunday Says – November 29, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
Sunday, November 29, 2015 First Sunday of Advent Lectionary: 3 (NAB Translation) This is the first week of the season of Advent when the liturgical color is purple and we anticipate the season of Christmas that begins on December 25th. We also officially begin a new liturgical year. Reading 1 Jeremiah 33:14-16 This week’s… [Read More]
What’s Your Myers-Briggs Thanksgiving Style?
Oh, Thanksgiving, you marvelous holiday full of gratitude and food and love, you’ve come a long way from your origins in 1621. You used to be based on the idea of celebrating a bountiful harvest with a feast among friends and neighbors. In Christian tradition, this included praising God for His countless blessings and goodness, as well… [Read More]
Sunday Says – November 22, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
The Solemnity Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Lectionary: 161 This week we celebrate the end of the liturgical year with the great solemnity of Christ the King. Reading 1 Daniel 7:13-14 Last week and this week, we hear from the prophet Daniel as he proclaims the prophecies of the coming King. This… [Read More]
Is Organized Religion Good For Humanity?
I recently came across a website of an organization called “Freedom from Religion” which had a very specific goal: to help all people purge religion from their lives so that they could be “free.” This view on religion is nothing new, and it isn’t surprising that a movement is currently happening to abolish religion from… [Read More]
Parish Spotlight: St. Anthony’s in Bryan
This piece is one of a series in which ACNM is featuring different parishes of the Austin Diocese, so we can all get to know one another better, increase our sense of community, and grow in unity. “It makes you feel so Catholic to come in here!” This is what my youngest daughter, Roise, has said,… [Read More]
Is it possible entitlement & individualism go hand in hand? (On the parable of the attitude of a servant)
Last Tuesday I was at St William’s in Round Rock for daily mass, and Fr Dean’s homily got me thinking. That day the gospel was from Luke, on the servant who comes in from the field: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the… [Read More]
Novena for Religious Liberty
Join the March for Religious Freedom November 22 at the Texas State Capitol. There will be veneration of the relics of the 6 Knights of Columbus saints at St. Austin Catholic Church at 1 pm after the march. Join us in prayer for the 9 days leading up to the march. Read Part I and… [Read More]
Let the Children Come to Me
[This is a guest post by Norine Shaivitz.] “[Jesus] called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 18:2-3 I wonder if the child Jesus chose was perfectly quiet and still, after… [Read More]
Liturgy and Culture: A Review of Ratzinger’s “Spirit of the Liturgy”
Pope Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ratzinger, wrote a magnificent book called The Spirit of the Liturgy which I had the opportunity to read, think, and write about for one of my classes here at the seminary. He has a great insight into the Liturgy’s meaning and its centrality to the world in which we live…. [Read More]
When Your Significant Other is Addicted to Porn: A Practical Guide
If you don’t know someone who is or has struggled with viewing pornography, then you are in the minority. Unfortunately – due to crazy-easy access, increased social acceptance, and the high chance of getting hooked – pornography habits or full-blown addiction, is something more and more Americans (Catholic and otherwise) are experiencing. For recent stats,… [Read More]
Mass As Gift: Receiving The Father’s Love
Here’s the point: we don’t need to ask for more grace. We need to be open to the grace God gives. Were you ever part of the “Mass Is Boring” Club? There were some requirements for membership. You were not supposed to pay attention to the readings in Mass. You were supposed to mumble the… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 8, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflections
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 155 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 1 Kings 17:10-16 The first reading is from the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament. In our passage for today, we see a poor widow and her son during a time of famine in ancient Israel. The widow and her son… [Read More]
March For Religious Freedom November 22 Part II
Saint Relics of Knights of Columbus: Kevin Russell, Vice President of the Greater Austin Area Knights of Columbus and lead organizer, stated that, “It will be one of the greatest days in the history of the Knights of Columbus in the Austin area,” referring to the relics of the six Knights of Columbus saints that… [Read More]
Making a Man Out of You
You know, I really wish I could just go troll Instagram or Facebook without the lustful temptations that seem to be hiding around every other click. In the overly sexualized world that we live in, the idea of our sexuality is being seen less as a gift and more as a right. Unfortunately all this… [Read More]
Saint Maria Goretti in Texas and Basics on Relics
Texas has been blessed to get a unique saintly visitor this week. The Pilgrimage of Mercy has been traveling the country in preparation for the Jubilee of Mercy, and the bones of St Maria Goretti are traveling for the faithful to venerate and ask for her intercession. I went to visit her in Dallas, but… [Read More]
Prayer is Love, Love is Prayer: A reflection on praying with and for the dead
November is the month the praying Church dedicates to remembrance of the dead. As one whose life has been especially marked by death and grief, my prayer with and for the dead is an important part of my spiritual life. However, my devotion tends more toward relationship than specific set prayers for them, though I… [Read More]
Bubble-wrapped Saints
Bubble-wrapped saints? Let’s take in that image…bubble-wrapped saints! How ridiculous, right? Saints are brave, tough, warriors and queens who sweat through struggle and shed blood fulfilling the will of God, steadfast and stouthearted no matter how difficult the task! But wrapped in insulating bubble wrap…? But, if you think about it, if we carried our… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 1, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
November 1, 2015 Solemnity of All Saints Lectionary: 667 (NAB Translation) [powerpress] We celebrate the great Solemnity of All Saints this Sunday. Reading 1 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 In this week’s first reading we hear an apocalyptic passage of the great witnesses that have gone before us. We hear of how the ones that are near… [Read More]
The Art of Preaching and Teaching (Review: “Rebuilding Your Message”)
I used to think I was indecisive. Now I’m not so sure. I can usually come down squarely on one side or the other about my opinions on books. Bumped? Loved it. Wild at Heart? Did not love it. Then I read Rebuilt, and I mostly liked it. I liked its foundational ideas, although I… [Read More]
Coping with Grief on All Souls Day
One week from today, on November 2, 2015, we, the Church, will celebrate All Souls Day. All Souls Day is a time to remember those who have gone before us, a time to pray for them, and to ask them to pray for us. In doing so, we recognize that we are still connected, that… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 25, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
October 25, 2015 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 149 (Jerusalem Bible Translation)(NAB Translation) [powerpress] Reading 1 Jeremiah 31:7-9 This week’s first reading from the prophet Jeremiah is a unique visual in the Old Testament. We hear of a mixing of the lame and blind with the normal people. At this time, all those that… [Read More]
Parish Spotlight: St. Peter Catholic Student Center at Baylor University
This is another installment in the series called Parish Spotlight, which is dedicated to featuring the different parishes in the Austin Diocese. Today we will be featuring St. Peter Catholic Student Center at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. St. Peter’s Catholic Student Center is where I found myself during the four and-a-half years I studied… [Read More]
My father & Friend Jesus, My Guide: Pilgrimage Journey to Philadelphia World Meeting of Families 2015
The following is a guest post by Michelle Mata from Austin, TX sharing her experience for the visit of Pope Francis to the US in September 2015. Jesus’ representative on earth, the “Pope of the People”, as he is often called, inspires me; he inspired me to go all the way to Philadelphia, PA. Where I volunteered… [Read More]
Vincent Van Gogh: A Self-Portrait – Nov 5
Vincent van Gogh is a definitive artist that is often only remembered for his brushstrokes and Starry Night. Like many other great artists, his story and personality is often over-simplified and forgotten. At one point in his life, van Gogh had tried a life as a preacher, but the Dutch Reformed Church didn’t find him suitable… [Read More]
October 2015 Lunch
Join us for our monthly Austin Catholic New Media meal! Whether you’re a contributor, reader or listener, ACNM meals are a time to get together for fellowship. Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Time: 12pm Location: Jason’s Deli at 1000 E. 41st Street UPDATE October 28: This event has been canceled. Please look for information for… [Read More]
March for Religious Freedom November 22 Part I
“[T]he most fundamental human freedom [is] that of practicing one’s faith openly, which for human beings is their reason for living.” Saint John Paul II On Sunday, November 22nd, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Knights of Columbus from the Austin area and around the state of Texas will march for Religious Freedom from… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 18, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflections
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 146 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Isaiah 53:10-11 In this week’s first reading from the book of Prophet Isaiah, we hear from a passage commonly referred to as the fourth Song of the Servant. This passage is a poetic prophecy of how God’s servant will endure pain and humiliation… [Read More]
8 Minute Guided “Prayer of Recollection” of St. Teresa of Avila [Audio Post]
Prayer Break! Take a break in your day and enter into interior prayer in this brief, guided version of the Prayer of Recollection of St. Teresa of Jesus, with Shawn. [powerpress] Whoever has not begun the practice of prayer, I beg for the love of the Lord, not to go without so great… [Read More]
Shred Away Your Sins
You can learn a lot about sin from a paper shredder. At least I did. Stay with me. It’ll make sense eventually. With apologies to my local letter carrier, most of what arrives in my mailbox falls into the dreaded category of junk mail. It would be quick and easy to toss all that unwanted… [Read More]
A Fruit of Discipleship – Authentic Praise and Worship
This summer I had the amazing experience of visiting my friend, Katie Smith, who is a supervisor with the National Evangelization Team (NET) in St. Paul, MN. In case you have not heard of NET, here’s a quick background: NET is devoted to challenging “young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the… [Read More]
The Great Good of Celibacy (A Response to “Dismantling the Cross”)
I had a really tough time at Mass last Sunday. Since the readings were so clearly about marriage, I expected to hear a homily on that—and I did. I heard a great homily, actually; I’m thankful for that. Yet as someone who is openly celibate and may well remain so until death, I wasn’t hearing… [Read More]
Get to Work: Reflections on Turning 30
Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. – Luke 3:23 I spent the eve of my 30th birthday sitting in the car eating Oreos, and wearing old workout clothes, pigtails and Converse. Had I not included “30th birthday” in that sentence, I could have been describing a 7 year old. I… [Read More]
Sunday Says – October 11, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
October 11, 2015 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 143 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Wisdom 7:7-11 In this week’s first reading from the book of Wisdom, we hear a section of praises for Sophia (Wisdom), but her name is never mentioned. The writer is promoting a continued adherence to the traditions of their faith when… [Read More]
Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary [Audio]
Join us in the Joyful mysteries of the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Each mystery is led by one of our contributors. [powerpress] The First Joyful Mystery THE ANNUNCIATION – Shawn Chapman The Second Joyful Mystery THE VISITATION – Brit Echtenkamp The Third Joyful Mystery THE NATIVITY – Cristóbal Almanza The Fourth Joyful… [Read More]
Taking a Lesson from C.S. Lewis
“I have no intention of explaining how the correspondence which I now offer to the public fell into my hands. There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy… [Read More]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- …
- 50
- Next Page »
