St. Augustine is no stranger to widespread devotion. His incredible conversion story (pagan, playboy, convert, bishop, Doctor of the Church) is known and admired by many a convert and cradle Catholic alike. My favorite band has a song inspired by his well-known Confessions, and they’re not even Catholic!1 Everybody loves Augustine. I especially love him,… [Read More]
Friendship Defined in Two Words
Those in friendship must have the capacity to listen to one another. Second, there must be reciprocity in friendship. Can something so widespread and diverse be articulated and contained in two words? Friendship can be pleasurable, utilitarian, or virtuous (taken from Edward Sri). If it is pleasurable, the friendship has its foundation on some common… [Read More]
The Church and Mental Illness
A little over three weeks have passed since the tragic death of Robin Williams. Although most of us did not know Mr. Williams personally, many of us have felt moved by his work. As an actor and comedian, he made us laugh, made us feel; sometimes he made us think. In passing, his decision to… [Read More]
A Response to “Why Nuns Don’t Have Mid-Life Crises”
I probably watch more YouTube videos than I should, and I probably also think about nuns more than your average YouTube video viewer. I love it when those sides of me unite, though. In my wandering about the Internet, I stumbled across a delightful video from a TEDx talk at Virginia Tech, “Why Nuns Don’t… [Read More]
12 Things to Wear to Mass
My dear friend, Jocie, worried about showing up to daily mass in flip-flops, asked Fr. (now Bishop) Mike Sis if he thought her flip flops were disrespectful to wear to church. He said, “ I was just in the Sudan, where they had no other shoes to wear but flip flops to church. You can… [Read More]
A Manifesto for the New Revolution (Review: “A Return to Modesty”)
My journey to embracing modesty would be incomplete without “the step, step, pull down” and Wendy Shalit. I have had three major clothing conversions in my life. The first was when I acknowledged that, although I could get attention from men based on my body, that was not the kind of attention I wanted, so… [Read More]
Pray on Sunday, Cuss on Monday?
Shut the front door because we need to get real about our speech. This isn’t a flippant or unnecessary discussion about language. We are living in a time of dangerous persecution and wars, so it seems like this topic may not be as important, but our words are always needed and used, so it remains… [Read More]
Back-to-School Jitters: How to Help Kids Cope with Anxiety
It’s that time of year again, where parents breathe a sigh of relief as they prepare to free their children from the seemingly endless days of summer. Off they go to school again (sometimes begrudgingly, sometimes excitedly), to make friends, to learn new things and to bust out those shiny new school supplies. While some… [Read More]
I Will Be With You
“I will be with you.” We read this in the Great Commission, in Isaiah, and other places. It is true because it is God who says it to us. However, we can neglect to hear or listen to this. Ask yourself why. Why is it someone would reject this truth? In Isaiah 43, it’s in… [Read More]
How to Keep Youth in the Church (A Response to “3 Common Traits”)
Most of my friends in Austin are people I met at Catholic activities. Catholicism is the biggest part of my life (other than being female, I suppose), so it makes sense that I would mainly associate with other Catholics. What most of them don’t know, though, is that I haven’t always been like this. I… [Read More]
Straight from the Shepherd’s Mouth (Review: “Open Mind, Faithful Heart”)
I don’t really have an opinion on Pope Francis yet. I mean, he’s the pope, so I follow his authority on Earth and all that, but I don’t know whether I like his individual personality or not (as much as that matters). I realize that he’s been pope for over a year, however, I am… [Read More]
10 Amazing Miracles of Scripture (Outside of Jesus)
Even though it was the Church that gave the world the canon for the scriptures, it’s almost depressing to see how little most Catholics know the Bible. Recently, I’ve been focusing many of my personal prayers on the great power of God and reflecting upon the way the Lord is deeply involved with creation. The big… [Read More]
Seeds of Peace and Justice
John 15: 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. During a recent monologue on the changing situation in Iraq, comedian Jon Stewart lampooned conservative pundits for their use of the phrase “seeds of democracy” to justify the 2003 invasion. I know not everyone will… [Read More]
Breaking Down Our Babel: A Response to “An Open Letter to the Catholic Blogosphere”
For a church that professes to be “one,” we sure do have a lot of divisions. A few months ago, I wrote about the claim of being one church versus the reality and the ability of that disconnect to scandalize non-Catholics. This weekend, I read Fr. Denis Lemieux’s “Open Letter to the Catholic Blogosphere, On… [Read More]
Honeymoon & Newlywed Myths, Realized
As a girl, and probably right up until I actually said “I do”, I assumed my honeymoon would be glamorous: all smiles and laughter, as my groom and I danced on the euphoric high of our perfectly magical nuptials, to the rhythm of tropical waves in the glow of a soft sunset. I mean, there… [Read More]
Drink Like A Catholic
I grew up in one of the few remaining dry counties in the country. In case you have never heard of it, that means they don’t sell alcohol there. It’s not prohibition, but you need to travel somewhere else to buy it. In that part of Texas, Baptist Christians have a huge influence on the… [Read More]
Naming Your Antagonist (Review: “Something Other Than God”)
The world is actually quite small. I’m a military brat, and I’ve lived in multiple U.S. cities and states for non-government reasons, as well, so I know a few things about incredible connections. Being part of the Catholic blogosphere adds an additional dimension to those connections. I followed Jen Fulwiler’s blog, Conversion Diary, for some… [Read More]
Spiritual Brotherhood and Christian Joy
A good wedding is always fun, and it brings out the happiness in everyone. Holy Matrimony is one of the best reasons to party, and it’s usually what Catholics are best at doing. The Holy Mass, a great feast, and all out dance and celebration are appropriate for such an occasion. Not because weddings are… [Read More]
Die to the Lord, Rise to New Life
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. -Psalm 127:1 Often the Christian will exhort the other and say, “Die to yourself! Die to your passions. Die to the world and live with Christ.” It is important… [Read More]
Falling into Ecumenicism, or Something I Never Thought I’d Learn From the Public Schools
When I was 18, I became Catholic. For months, leading up to the day of my entrance into the Church, I sat in the pew, in awe of this beautiful Church which had shown me so much in so little a time. I was amazed by the depth, the beauty, the wisdom, the overwhelming love. The… [Read More]
Apologetics Should Not Be Catholic Bible-Thumping
These days, at least in my circles, Catholics are familiar with the concept of apologetics. It is from the Greek apologia, which is not an “I’m sorry” speech, but a defensive speech. It’s more like an explanation than an apology. People who are defending their beliefs usually aren’t sorry they believe those things, anyway! It… [Read More]
Rediscovering Hope (Review: “The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years”)
I spend about half of my lunch break at work on Facebook, but I like to read something other than statuses and blogs for the second half. When I took this book to work, I was so embarrassed that I was careful to hide the cover. I work for a secular employer, and most of… [Read More]
What Engagement Taught Me About Single Life
When I was single and all of my close friends were single, life was pretty great. We stayed up watching movies, talking, or going out dancing. We had girls night all the time, talked about boys, and attended as many Catholic happy-hours that we could manage, always looking out for that one Catholic guy who… [Read More]
Holy Saturday
What’s so holy about it? It’s after Good Friday and before Easter Vigil. At first glance, it seems like an ordinary day that the Church forgot about and just stuck “Holy” in front of to make it seem legitimate. Nice try, but wrong. We pray today. Do you remember the ear of Elijah that listened… [Read More]
I’ll Bet You Caused a Scandal Today: A Response to “4 Things Catholics Do”
I used to work in marriage prep. You don’t actually have to be a priest, deacon, or married person to do some parts. Each time I met a new couple, I would ask for one person’s address, then ask if the other’s was the same, and finally ask if they lived together. Almost all of… [Read More]
Questions About Veiling the Cross in Passiontide
Lent is a slow build. With each passing week, we go deeper into the heart of the desert and seek a deeper dependence upon the Lord. We all know that the week leading up to the Paschal Triduum is Holy Week, but fewer know that the week before Holy Week is known as Passiontide. As… [Read More]
3 Ways the “My Five Wives” Pilot is Like a Punch to the Heart
As I prepare to get married and live with a dude, there are many changes happening in my life. One of those changes is getting cable TV, since my darling fiance’s quality of life dramatically improves when he is able to watch the Cornhuskers year-round. I never considered myself a big TV person, but now… [Read More]
Booze! A Lenten Reflection
When I started to write this, the sun was still setting on Ash Wednesday. The Lenten season had officially begun. I didn’t know until the sun rose that morning what it was God really wanted me to write about. While my more experienced cohorts in the ACNM were suggesting that people would naturally be looking… [Read More]
Lent: 40 Days and 40 Ways
Every year I try to approach Lent anew. I don’t want it to ever grow old. Lent holds a dear place in my heart, as it always reminds me of the days that brought me up to my joining the Catholic Church in 1994. Those emotional memories are strong, and they have always assisted my… [Read More]
Why do we fast during Lent?
Lent is now upon us and it will soon be time for fasting and abstaining from meat. Why do we do these things and why is it necessary to fast in our spiritual life? A few days ago I was in line for confession and ended up staring at and thinking about the cross on… [Read More]
A Seminarian’s Reflection on Faith
The Lord Our God, Our Father, sees all things. No matter how much we try to hide from him, and no matter how much we might think we are doing things in secret, he sees all things. Night is not dark enough to hide us away from his loving view. He does not look upon… [Read More]
The Chair of St. Peter
(31) “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, (32) but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.” (33) And he said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” (34)… [Read More]
A Little Story of the Little Way (Review: “The Story of a Soul”)
If you’ve been reading my reviews here for a while, you know that I love stories. I frequently remind you, dear readers, that I love stories because it helps explain my affinity for movies with bad acting or TV shows with morally objectionable content (which, these days, is all the shows). From the story of… [Read More]
In All Its Inexhaustible Richness: Neuroscience and the Heart
A good friend of mine tagged me this week in an article on Facebook, about epigenetics and the 9 components of mental health, by Dr. Gregory Popcak. Dr. Popcak does a fantastic job of showing the organic relationship between neuroscience and the heart, our brain and theology, between spiritual knowledge of man’s heart and scientific… [Read More]
Choosing Sides (Review: “The Great Divorce”)
This may be the hardest review I’ve ever had to write for Austin CNM. It’s not my last (unless the Lord knows something I don’t), and it’s not because I don’t know how to express myself here. It’s because I’m not quite sure how I can impress upon you the importance of this book and… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Cold Feet
Confession: I’m terrified of getting cold feet. This fear can be applied both literally and figuratively, since my base temperature is that of a small lizard, and I have so much anxiety, that were I to use my powers for good, I could probably generate enough energy to run a small city. So, yeah cold… [Read More]
Why the church can’t win a culture war.
According to Wikipedia the term “Culture War” was derived from the German word Kulturkampf (cultural struggle).The Kulturkampf was literally a set of 19th century Prussian laws designed specifically to undermine the Catholic church. Among other things these laws temporarily expelled the Jesuit, Franciscan and Dominican brothers from Prussia. Americans started using the term in… [Read More]
A Book That Changed My Mind (Review: “The End of the Affair”)
I can’t stand cheaters—the romantic kind, not the board game kind. (Okay, both kinds.) Trust in relationships is so important that I shudder when anything that purports to be entertaining makes infidelity seem okay. That’s why I don’t like The Notebook, and that’s why I regret seeing Something Borrowed, although I do like Ginnifer Goodwin…. [Read More]
Jeans or a Suit? 4 Things a Man Should Wear to Mass
Going to Mass requires some effort. You have to schedule it in your calendar, make sure that nothing else will prevent you from going, and even do a little prep for the readings (insert plug) by listening to the Sunday Says Podcast. With our our busy lives today, that can be a really big feat… [Read More]
Veiled Question: An Exploration of the Re-emergence of an Ancient Custom
The young people at St. Mary’s in College Station have a flare for making old things new again, for transforming customs and practices that could be considered old fashioned or obsolete, into fresh, passionate expressions of the uniqueness and beauty of our Catholic faith. Aggie Catholics tend to add flourish to their devotion. Several of… [Read More]
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