The National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics Seminar in Austin, TX will be January 26 & 27, 2018 at Seton Healthcare Family Administration Offices — Registration now open — see Schedule for the Seminar. Overview: Each Fall The National Catholic Bioethics Center presents a series of two-day seminars in various cities across the United States to address… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons VI: “Set the Oppressed Free!” (Luke 4:18)
This article is about setting the demonically oppressed free and “ proclaiming liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18) using deliverance prayers. It is not about the demonically ‘possessed’ but about the everyday spiritual battle which Christians face against “the dragon and his angels” (Rev. 12:7) in these ominous times! Immediately after my diaconal ordination, 11 years ago,… [Read More]
Let Me Bless You
My five-year old has taken up a renewed interest in the Barbie movies she got when she was three. My house is filled with the sound of Barbie with her puppies or Barbie as a mermaid or Barbie in fairy wings. My little one sings along as Barbie plays a different character who is always… [Read More]
Arroja oraciones al cielo esta navidad contra el aborto
“Nuestra sociedad está tan herida a causa del aborto, estoy convencido de ello”. Estas fueron las contundentes palabras de un hombre extraordinario residente en Austin, Texas donde también vive esta servidora. Es extraordinario porque es un católico que se ha convertido en otro seguidor de Cristo que pasa en nuestra ciudad. Es co-fundador de Movile Loaves… [Read More]
Spiritual Nourishment for the Last Week of Advent
On the last leg of this Advent journey, I’d like to share with you two little bits of spiritual nourishment that I have found really helpful along the way. We are getting closer and closer to Bethlehem now, just one week away in this shortened Advent season. Can you feel the pace picking up? The… [Read More]
The Most Important Prayer in a Cataclysmic Event (Part II)
While the Act of Contrition prayer is the most important prayer for someone facing imminent death in a cataclysmic event, it is also the most important prayer for a survivor. During cataclysmic events like the current California fires, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, and the 7.1 earthquakes in Mexico, victims gather in huge numbers… [Read More]
A Sword Pierced Her Heart
Our Lady was sobbing. The sword had pierced her through. She wept for her son, who was going to die. We are soon to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. But since September, I have been contemplating Holy Mother under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows. As I… [Read More]
Juan the stranger
As my son-in-law swept up the toddler for her evening nap, I stepped silently out the front door for an evening walk, rosary in hand. It was dusk, and the sky was alight with rose colored clouds. Everything looked pink. As I walked, the beads slipping quietly between my fingers, I alternately poured out my… [Read More]
Tiempo para el silencio
Ha sido un año intenso. Muchos de los que me leen dirán: “Ha sido el año más terrible de mi vida”. Otros pensaran: “¡Ha sido el mejor año para mí!” Y no faltará alguna persona que diga: “No pasó nada para mí, es como que si mi vida no avanzara y siempre fuera igual”. Hay… [Read More]
This Advent, Let Our Relationships Be Transformed
The King’s Criteria In the rhythm of this getting-back-to-normal after the long Thanksgiving holiday, if we glance up we see that Advent is just ahead. And while Thanksgiving can often bring many blessings as we enjoy time together, oftentimes relationship challenges surface as well. We speak of Advent as a time to prepare… [Read More]
Thanksgiving All Year Long! Part II
This “Thanksgiving Day” begin with mass, thanking God for His daily blessings and favors. The Catholic Catechism explains: “Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is….The thanksgiving of the members of the Body participating in that of their Head.” (2637) Yes, let this… [Read More]
Thanksgiving All Year Long
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest national holidays that our country celebrates. Everything comes to a standstill while families gather together around a meal to thank God for all the many blessings they have received throughout the year. Thanksgiving does not need to be a one-time, once a year event but it can also be… [Read More]
Making the Root of Holy Wisdom Our Own
“…and he shall find her sitting by his gate.” You know those moments when you’ve been thinking about or reading about something, and then it happens to come up at Sunday mass? When the readings or the homily are about exactly what’s been on your mind/heart? I love when that happens! That happened to me… [Read More]
Thoughts on the “thoughts and prayers”
Some people are upset about the “thoughts and prayers” response to mass shootings. I understand. I am tired of hearing that myself. It seems such a fill in the blank response; even glib and inappropriate when we all feel sickened by this cycle of seemingly endless gun violence followed by the same responses and counter… [Read More]
Do You Want To Be Well?
I have gotten a lot better at walking in my six months since the onset of vestibular neuritis. I’m out of the wheelchair, I’m caring for myself and my family again and I can drive to run all the errands I did before. Sometimes I forget I have a problem at all. But I find… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons V: Minor Exorcisms
With today’s increase in pagan practices such as astrology, mediums, psychic readings, cleansings, New Age religion, Reiki, magic, angel touch, witchcraft, tarot cards, séances, Ouija boards, ghost hunters, Satanic music or worship, etc., people who have participated in any of these occult practices, including Christians, may feel demonically oppressed. When combating evil spirits there are… [Read More]
Is God Punishing Us with Nuclear War and Meteors
This article is a continuation of two previous articles (Is God Punishing Us with Hurricanes and Earthquakes? and Is God Punishing Us with Fires and Shootings?). The church approved private revelations of Fatima and Akita seem to disagree with the conclusions of those articles, “The Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It… [Read More]
El dolor del aborto
Aún la recuerdo. Hace muchos años, tuve una conversación con una mujer que servía en mi casa y que me confió algo que hasta hoy me conmueve. Estaba deprimida. La relación entre ella y su marido cada vez era más tensa e insoportable. Ella no sabía qué hacer pues eran de escasos recursos y tenían… [Read More]
How to Show Gratitude to Your Guardian Angel
Since the moment of your conception, you are accompanied by a great spiritual being known as a guardian angel. Their mission is to guide and protect you and do everything they can to guide you to heaven. They are the faithful companions that have never left our side. It feels almost too incredible to be… [Read More]
Note to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
I run to the place we always meet, all the way crying angry tears. In the candle light, I kneel. I cross myself. I breathe. Breathe. In this quiet room is my refuge, the nearness of the One I love. I know I have come close to Jesus. I know the Eucharist is truly a beating… [Read More]
Philosophy in Catholicism and Everyday Life
Modern Catholicism has roots all the way back to when Jesus Christ was alive, but the ideas and values of Catholicism originated long before Jesus himself. Plato, one of the first Greek philosophers, believed in two separate worlds known as the world of being and the world of becoming. The world of becoming is where… [Read More]
I Already Love You (The False Self Part II)
Since the last post seemed have struck a chord with y’all (I received quite a response!) I wanted to pick up where we left off, and give you my two best “signposts” for how to move forward in this whole allow-your-false-self-to-be-chiseled-away thing. Signpost #1: Keep your eyes fixed on our merciful, loving Father There is… [Read More]
Is God Punishing Us with Fires and Shootings? Part II
This article is a continuation of “Is God Punishing Us with Hurricanes and Earthquakes?” More specifically exploring the fourth possible option mentioned in the first article if God is indeed punishing us with evil? The answer is yes and no. YES, when we die, and NO, while we are living here on earth. NO PHYSICAL… [Read More]
Carmelized Fatima Clips
During the final apparition of Fatima Mary appeared briefly in the brown habit of Carmel, or as “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,” a silent witness to Carmelite spirituality and the order’s special and unique relationship with her. Carmel is a Marian order. Our devotion to Mary is intimate and deep. We have long considered ourselves… [Read More]
Dios nos llama a orar
Dios nos quiere despiertos Despiertos para ver, escuchar y responder a la angustia de los hombres heridos. La tragedia por el paso del Huracán Harvey en Texas, Houston parece no terminar. Son miles los que ha la fecha de hoy no han podido recuperarse. Los estragos son incalculables. Nunca en la historia de Texas, como… [Read More]
Litany of the False Self
You know those moments at work which you wish you could take back? Where you make a mistake in front of a whole group of your coworkers and your cheeks flush and you shrink a size or two? I had a few of those moments this week. And in God’s fantastic sense of humor, on… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons IV: St. Michael’s Protection
September 29th is the Feast Day of the Archangels. With the evil and cataclysmic events occurring in the world, surely it is time for St. Michael the Archangel to arise… “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a TIME OF DISTRESS such as has not happened… [Read More]
St. Therese Day Family Traditions
Here is how my daughters and I celebrated St. Therese day, (October 1) when they were growing up, and we still do! After dinner on the evening of St. Therese day, we read the book God’s Little Flower, the story of St. Therese. Even after the girls were “too old” for this book, we… [Read More]
The Most Important Prayer in a Cataclysmic Event
During a life-threatening cataclysmic event like a major hurricane, earthquake, tornado, fire, tsunami, or other disasters, our most important goal is to save our lives but most especially our souls if we are facing imminent death. To save our souls there are four ways to forgive mortal sins, but three of them will most likely… [Read More]
This Child is Destined
Jesus was approaching the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, snuggled in the arms of either His mother Mary or His step-father Joseph, and the Holy Spirit was waiting, filling Simeon who had also come to the Temple that day. A not quite two-month old Jesus was presented as the law commanded (Leviticus 12:2-4), and the joy… [Read More]
Holy Name of Mary (Miriam)
[Jewish parents,] choosing a name is a big deal. A person’s name is not a mere label; it expresses the essence of its bearer. The letters that make up your name, its sound and its meaning are descriptions of your soul. Only a prophet has the vision and foresight to know which name fits the… [Read More]
Is God Punishing Us with Hurricanes and Earthquakes?
We are having unprecedented hurricanes and earthquakes plus many deaths from the “destructive forces of nature.” (CCC 309) The big questions in the back of everyone’s mind is are we at the point in the bible where it says, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations… [Read More]
Differences Between Gifts and Charisms
God is definitely somebody who is very unpredictable once a person first experiences the real world, because he made all of us with gifts of course, including with all the wonderful fruits of the Holy Spirit, but how can a person tell the difference between a gift and a charism? I can say that from… [Read More]
The Crowd Mentality of Today (Conviction & Stress Part II)
When I was young I had an odd, somewhat unconscious anxious habit. Someone would say, “It’s like in that movie _______, ya know?” and I would say, “Yeah,” and they’d continue with their story. The conversation kept flowing, the other thought I was in tune with them, and all was well. Except that I had… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons III: The St. Michael Relic Stone
In 490 AD, through a series of miraculous events, St. Michael the Archangel indicated that he had chosen a cave in Gargano, Italy, to be a shrine in his honor. He appeared to the local bishop, and he explained how unique and special this cave was to him, “I am the Archangel Michael, and am… [Read More]
Breath of God: an intercessory prayer for Houston
We are sitting across from one another on the floor, legs criss-crossed, knees touching. I had been worried about so many things, and though I feel peaceful now, looking at the sweetness of His face, and being strengthened by His warm, strong presence, I still hold in my lap, wrapped in my bandana, all of… [Read More]
En el corazón del pueblo
Hola querido lector Todos los días en Austin, recibo personas en mi consulta para hablar de aquello que les preocupa, les hace sufrir, les está impidiendo ser feliz. Los días viernes manejo aproximadamente casi tres horas al norte de Austin, hacia un pueblito llamado Centerville. Ahí vive gente muy pobre. Dios me ha llamado… [Read More]
Conviction, Belief & Stress
I hope this isn’t like every other blog about stress management. Rather than practical techniques to reduce stress (which are important nonetheless), I’d like to draw attention to the longer term project that you might say awaits each of us: How do I manage myself when things get difficult? And how can I work on… [Read More]
Masculine Spirituality Thrives in Brotherhood
Adult men often have a difficult time making friends. It’s easy to have passive relationships with coworkers, guys at the gym, or even at church, but intentional friendship takes work. This is true for both men and women, but my focus here will be particular to men. Deep Connections Aren’t Accidental It’s easy to feel… [Read More]
Holy Things Are Veiled
Saint Paul speaks of shame when it comes to women covering their heads before the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:5-6), but I was brought to do so for a reason that came about earlier than the entrance of shame in the Garden. A priest on Relevant Radio said God had a very specific order when He… [Read More]
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