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]
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]
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]
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]
Family, Faith and the Fall College App Craze
There are some big things happening right now in the world of the family in our culture. And as much as we are sons and daughters of God, we are also children of our time, swimming in the atmosphere of our every day environments. That’s not a call to move to the mountains and become… [Read More]
Faith, Consumerism, and More (Review: “The Year Without a Purchase”)
Minimalist stories don’t usually contain much God-talk. Some have hints of spirituality in their suggestions that you can declutter your soul, make time for what’s important, and find peace in a life that’s not so full of stuff. On the flip side, there is plenty of writing about how to grow in your spiritual life…. [Read More]
Something Greater Than Ourselves
In a little less than 2 weeks, on October 11, Bishop Joe Vasquez will celebrate Mass at the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Schoenstatt, and to give thanks for the first year anniversary of the Shrine. What might inspire us to go? What might… [Read More]
Back to Busy – Inspiration for Fall 2015
Fall is in the air! Well not actually in the air weather-wise – I wish! But despite Texas’ insistence outdoors that summer persists, this week kiddos are loading back into school buses, parents are cheering, teachers are groaning, and the boost of energy and activity seems to pervade many realms of economic and social life…. [Read More]
Why Kids Are Pro-Life
Yesterday afternoon, while walking through HEB with my family, a hurried mom with her two little girls rushed by us in the coffee aisle. The mom didn’t look at us or say anything as she moved past us, but one of her little girls (probably 4 or 5), stopped and said, “I like your baby!”… [Read More]
I want you to be MORE than happy
I find myself thinking and saying to the people I love that “I just want you to be happy.” Don’t we all want that for the people we care about, and for ourselves? Happiness is a good thing to want for one another. On the surface, I believe it is good… [Read More]
3 Annoying Traits of a Catholic Husband That Point You to Heaven
Last night something rare happened: My husband and I found ourselves at the MOVIES. Shocking, I know. I’ll pause to let you collect yourself. (Seriously, we don’t go to the movies. We usually watch Netflix with the volume so low that we only catch about half of the dialogue and have to ad-lib the rest… [Read More]
Easy Green: A Reflection on Ordinary Time
My daughter, Maire, got in trouble at her Catholic middle school for wearing green nail polish, which was against the rules. (Only clear or light pink nail polish allowed, if I remember right.) When asked about her indiscretion, she said, “It’s for Ordinary Time!” I laughed hearing about that. At least she remembered what season… [Read More]
Holy Naps
When I go to sleep, I take time, after I get comfortable, to let myself be loved and to feel that God surrounds and fills me with His loving, protective presence. Early in my young widowhood, I used to make it a habit to say, as I sank into my bed, “Into Your hands, I… [Read More]
A Response to “Should Children Make Up Their Own Minds About Religion?”
I did not grow up in church. That surprises people who have only known me as an involved Catholic, but it’s true. My mom’s side is the Catholic side of the family, and they’re only occasional churchgoers. My dad’s side is mostly non-churchgoing, and they’re not Catholic. When I go home for Christmas, I go… [Read More]
You’re Not a Bad Mom If You Spend Time with People Who Are Not Your Baby
This segment of “Bad Mom” brings us to Part Two of this three part series. (See Part One here.) Mother’s Day was yesterday, and if your guilt about not being Super Mom 24/7 kept you from enjoying your well-earned day, then please, read this post. Preferably with a coffee or piece of chocolate. You’ve earned a… [Read More]
No Room at the Inn: an ongoing true story
My youngest daughter begged me to help a friend of hers whose family had no place to live. It was an emergency situation. They had tried everything. Her friend had come to her in tears- a friend who I had only ever seen smile and laugh- a kid I remembered by his radiant smile. This… [Read More]
You’re Not a “Bad Mom” If You Don’t Breastfeed
I’ve only been a mom for about 4 months now, and I recognize that I’m definitely still in the newb phase of parenting. But these 4 months have felt like a crash course, full of guilty, stressed and confused feelings over what I should or shouldn’t be doing. In an effort to normalize these guilty… [Read More]
4 Irrational Fears of a Girl During Mass
Mass is a time of community, prayer, and a whole lotta holy. But sometimes my brain will not focus for the life of me. These are just a few of the things that can distract me during mass (this was pre-baby… kids add a whole new level of distraction to the list). Enjoy, and feel free… [Read More]
What My Husband Taught Me About Lent
This Lenten season is the first one Danger and I have experienced as husband and wife. We began the season as brand new parents, and didn’t spend much time discerning what our Lenten sacrifices would be, either individually and as a couple. At first, I declared I would give up Sonic for Lent. Those of you… [Read More]
An Open Letter to Angry Christians Against Gay Persons
Dear Reader, Before I begin, let me start off by explaining what this letter is NOT: It is not meant to be a theology lesson. (For info on the Catholic church’s teaching on gay “marriage”, look here and here.) It is not about the politics around being gay in the US. This letter is simply a reminder that we are… [Read More]
Parenting teens with mace… I mean, GRACE
After a fierce conflict on the battle- field that parenting a teenager is at times, I was standing in my front yard trying to calm down. I was furious, so calm was not easy to come by. I tried to look around and notice my surroundings, to take refuge in the present moment. It was… [Read More]
Wails from the Cry Room: A Design for the Future
What’s the least desirable place inside any church to attend Mass? The cry room, of course. Spending time inside a cry room is a little bit like visiting a mini war zone or taking a trip back to the wild, wild west. You step into a crowded cry room and immediately feel, and sometimes smell,… [Read More]
When Religion Gets Real (Review: “Yom Kippur as Manifest in an Approaching Dorsal Fin”)
If I were Jewish, I would still write about my faith. I’m not Jewish, and I don’t plan on becoming a Jew. But I am Catholic, and you can probably tell from my writing here at Austin CNM or on my personal blog that I write a lot about my faith. It’s such a huge… [Read More]
Feminized, Feminine, or Human? (A Response to Cardinal Burke on the “Catholic Man-Crisis”)
It’s another hot season for high-ranking church officials making comments to the media. You may have heard about Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke’s recent assignment to patron of the Order of Malta. I will refrain from commenting on that because I don’t really know the story. I do know how to read an interview, though, so… [Read More]
Tips for Handling Grief During Christmas
Grieving during the holidays is like riding a giant, wooden roller coaster that you never even wanted to get in line for in the first place. You go up and down, you get queasy, your body feels banged up and you never know what turn is coming next. (Fellow ACNM blogger, Rita Suva, posted an… [Read More]
5 Ways to Survive Awkward Thanksgiving Moments
Let’s face it: not all of us have the 60’s-TV-sitcom-family experience during the holidays. Some of us may have small families, large families that never see each other, families that see each other too much, or maybe families that consist of friends and no actual blood relations. And while we may love our families however they… [Read More]
Does Forgiving Always Mean Forgetting?
Forgiveness is one of the most difficult admonitions that Christ has given to us. Its importance is highlighted by the specific reference to forgiving others in the Lord’s Prayer. The notion of forgiveness has evolved to an idea summarized in the common cliche “forgive and forget”, which in turn tends to bring Christianity within the… [Read More]
Behold the Face of God with a Pure Heart (Review: “Bought with a Price”)
Much has been said regarding the celebrity nude photo leak involving Jennifer Lawrence, among others. Lawrence partly explained having such photos at all by saying her long-distance boyfriend would either look at porn or look at her. Wrong. No one should look at pornography. Reflecting on Lawrence’s statement and reading a post by Bishop Paul… [Read More]
Jabba the Hutt, “Sexy” Costumes and Other Things That Distract from All Souls Day
All Saints Day and All Souls Day are coming up this week, and instead of basking in the rich history and awesomeness of these days, I find myself looking at what constitutes for a female Halloween costume these days and fending off negative self-talk. So, yeah, I’m pregnant. I’m 25 weeks and while I understand… [Read More]
How Adoption Saved My Life
On September 22, 1966 a little boy was born in Minnesota. His mother, for reasons unknown, was unable to keep him and left him in the hands of a group of nuns who devoted their work to the care of children without parents. Unbeknownst to the boy and his mother, there was a young couple… [Read More]
5 Relationship Myths Debunked
Cinderella. Belle. Jasmine. Disney’s version of Rapunzel. Disney’s version of Ariel. All of these love stories have their struggles – what with missing glass slippers, evil sorcerers, solitary confinement and being half-fish – but they all end the same way: happily and without problems. Hundreds of other movies and songs tell us the problems in… [Read More]
Don’t Read This Blog: Enjoy Labor Day Unplugged
We live in an overstimulated society. Between TV screens, phone screens, computer screens, tablet screens, phablet screens, laptop screens, and movie screens, are brains are just plain ol’ overloaded. Just for fun, think back to your last work day. How many hours were spent looking at a screen? What about when you got home? If… [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]
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]
Breaking the Girl, Part Two: The Hype of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and Why Slavery Isn’t Love
Let me start off by admitting that when I was in college I was addicted to romance novels. I would binge-read stacks of them in bed while eating my way through a roll of cookie dough. Healthy, right? It started out as a means of escape from my seemingly soul-crushing breakup with my boyfriend of… [Read More]
Breaking the Girl, Part One
This is the first of a mini-series of posts focused on socially acceptable things that make me fear for the future of girls everywhere. I recognize some of these topics are not the most popular to bring up, and in fact, many friends or readers may not agree with what I have to share. But… [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]
Memorial Day the St. Michael Way
Hello dear readers. It has been awhile since my last post, but that’s because I just got married (AUGH!!!) and have subsequently been dealing with this: My house has become a whirlwind of leftover wedding decor, moving boxes, gifts, empty gift boxes, and other random wedding paraphernalia that I will wade through once I… [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]
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]
