During the past few years I have found that the first Sunday of Advent, much like its secular equivalent of New Year’s Day on January 1, is a great time of looking forward with hope and anticipation, a chance to “restart the spiritual clock” and to reflect on what we can do to better prepare… [Read More]
Be a New You: Advent and Renewal
Here at ACNM, we’re quite excited about Advent. And we all should be! I love Advent because it is a promise, and similtaneously a promise fulfilled. Christ is coming. Christ has come, and Christ will come again, and we’re so grateful of that fact that the Church celebrates it every year with joy and anticipation. Rita’s… [Read More]
The Long View (Review: “A Canticle for Leibowitz”)
I’ll admit it: I like sci-fi. My mom and I used to tease my dad endlessly about how much he liked to watch Star Trek. I finally sat down to watch an episode with him one day, though, and I was hooked. It’s not just the scientific aspects that draw me in, though, it’s the… [Read More]
The 3rd Roman Missal: A MASSive Change & A MASSive Opportunity
“If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy.” –St. John Vianey By the time most people read this, most of us will have attended Mass on Sunday, November 27, the First Sunday in Advent. At that Mass, if you didn’t already know that it was going to be a special day in… [Read More]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Whether you are spending time with family, friends, coworkers, or even by yourself, we want to wish you a very wonderful and pleasant Thanksgiving. May your day be filled with the true sentiment of the day {laced with Mass for the ultimate thanksgiving in the Eucharist, followed by a yummy meal and the LAST UT… [Read More]
The Required “Remember To Give Thanks” Post
We’re neck deep with family here at La Casa de Kraft. My mom is the sole representative of my family in for the holiday. My wife’s family includes her parents, her grandmother, a cousin in the military in San Antonio for training, an aunt, an uncle and a few more cousins. Virtually every room has… [Read More]
The Advent of Black Friday Shopping
Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but it is deeply based in Christian tradition. We give thanks only because there is someone that gives us the blessings we receive. It is a wonderful day that gives us an opportunity to gather with our loved ones and be grateful. The day after Thanksgiving Day has become known… [Read More]
What is the Sacrament of the Sick?
You see it depicted in Hollywood all the time – a priest praying “the last rites” over a dead/dying person. However, as many of us know, “last rites” is a misnomer. It is a combination of the Sacrament of the Sick and Viaticum (the Eucharist received at the time of death). However, the Sacrament of… [Read More]
Happy to be a Dummy (Review: “Catholicism for Dummies”)
Most people don’t know that I haven’t been this religious all my life. I experienced a major conversion in my first year of college that brought me back to the Catholic faith of my middle school years and my first year of high school. At around that time, I combined my love of learning with… [Read More]
Priorities and Me
“Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to him. That is all the doing you have to worry about.” -St. Jeanne de Chantal Ever have those times in your life when you are overwhelmingly busy with work, home life, friends and just don’t seem to have enough time or energy? Yup, that’s been… [Read More]
The Sky is Not Falling
I am a news junkie. It’s probably a diagnosable sickness. I get out of bed in the morning and immediately grab my phone off of the alarm clock cradle in which it rests. The glow of the screen guides my steps to the bathroom. I turn on the water for the shower and get my… [Read More]
Ralph Martin to come to St. William tomorrow!
I have to say, when I first heard Ralph Martin* was coming to our parish, my first thought was I HAVE to meet this man and thank him profusely for his role in reenergizing our pastor, Father Dean Wilhelm. You see, Ralph Martin and Father Dean go back a “few” years and as it turned… [Read More]
Is Your Marriage for 72 Days or 72 Years?
Let me first say I am no marriage counselor, nor do I have the world’s best marriage. I do love my husband like crazy and I think we have a good thing going. That’s really where this is coming from…my heart. This year, we celebrated 15 years of marriage and I feel like we are… [Read More]
The Power of Positive
First, as a follow-up to my last post about how we get my two-year-old through Mass, I predicted that after a few months, our tactics wouldn’t work any longer and we’d be back to being “those parents” who can’t keep their kids under control. Well, I was wrong: Parenthood is about humility, eh? Moving… [Read More]
Young Adults and the Parish
Looking back on my childhood, I am very grateful for the role that our parish had in my life. We prayed together, and we played together. Outside of school, the parish was everything to me and my family. That community consists of only a couple hundred families and is the only Catholic church in that… [Read More]
Purgatory – A Sign of God’s Mercy and Hope for All Saint-Hopefuls
So I knew coming into this post that I was going to be writing after a few others had their pick of All Saints and All Souls topics. But my blog is about becoming a Saint! And we can never learn too much about them, right?So, let us place ourselves in God’s presence, and the… [Read More]
Nationwide Catholic Commercials to Air in December and How We Must Help
Television airtime is going to be a little bit more sparse for politicians this fall. An article on the National Catholic Register’s website has announced that Catholics Come Home has successfully acquired over 400 prime time commercial spots over three weeks starting December 16 on several national networks. (Just in time for Christmas!) NCR reports this campaign will… [Read More]
Real Role Models (Review: “Saints Behaving Badly”)
Happy All Saints’ Day! Remember, today is a holy day of obligation, so if you are Catholic, you must attend Mass sometime today if you didn’t go last night. Check out the parish locator, call for Mass times, and take advantage of the graces of such a fantastic feast! (Snag our communion of saints coloring… [Read More]
I keep my cape in the car. Where do you keep yours?
Have you ever been guilty of being in awe of friends and family members who appear to “have it all together?” Have you felt the pressure to be like them? Do these friends and family members post the most productive, up-before-6 a.m.-and-have-already-done-everything-you-would-hope-to-accomplish-in-one-day Facebook statuses? Do you look to them with drool-filled awe, only to fall… [Read More]
Mass and Children
Last month, I wrote about some ways to prepare for Mass, intellectually, in light of being distracted more because of the kiddos. But, how can we prepare to reduce those distractions? First, a disclaimer, we are no experts. I’m just a father of a two-year old and an eight-month old. These are some suggestions that… [Read More]
Dear Me: A Letter to my 80-year-old Self
I’ve been reading several blog posts about the fancy book full of celebrity advice to themselves. Blog authors all around have been posting similar letters to themselves. I’m sure there are plenty of bits of advice I could give my 16-year-old self, like “don’t try and sneak back into your house after curfew, your mom will… [Read More]
Engaging the Culture of Today
I’m often surprised by the way some people seem to think that God doesn’t put much thought into the details. Almost as if things accidentally fell into place and He just hopes for the best. He deserves a lot more credit than that – God is omnipotent and He has no limits. We are living… [Read More]
A Wandering Journey (Review: “The Way” film)
October has been a good month for Catholics in film. Not just one, but two films that were made by Catholics and about Catholics have made it to wide release. “The Way” is one of these films and is currently showing at three Austin area theaters. About the Film The main character in the movie… [Read More]
Spending Our Best Gifts First!
Halloween is coming! As a child, I loved to trick or treat. My efficiency-minded personality really shone in my Halloween planning – I made sure to use a strong pillowcase because they were bigger and stronger than plastic bags or bucket, and I strategically picked which streets I’d frequent based on the number of decorated… [Read More]
Deep in the Shallows (Review: “The Giver”)
We Americans live in a world where choice reigns supreme. Everything from what exotic fruit to enjoy at any given time of year to when and whether to have children is up to our choosing. Whether we should make those choices is an entirely different question. That requires wisdom, faith, and a well-formed conscience. But… [Read More]
#OccupyYourParish
Last weekend was an oddity in Austin, TX… an overcast and rainy blip in an extended season of drought. As I got my family moving for Sunday mass, an email came in on my phone stating that the power was out in the religious education building and, thus, there would be no Sunday school for… [Read More]
The power of grass roots movements…
My husband and I had the opportunity to attend the Texas Alliance for Life banquet Tuesday evening, where we heard Lila Rose speak about her first experience with abortion at the tender age of nine and how that shaped her youth-led program, Live Action, in her teens. The enthusiasm she recalled as they all sat… [Read More]
Children, The First Teachers of Faith?
Children get it. We can learn much about faith from listening to the words of toddlers. Last weekend, my mother-in-law was in town and went to Mass with us. During one of the readings, she whispered into my two-year-old Olivia’s ear, “I love you.” Olivia turned, put her mouth to my mother-in-law’s ear and went… [Read More]
Better Catholic Websites
For centuries, the Catholic Church supported the most talented, pioneering artists and designers to create churches, icons, altars and other religious art. Although spending all that money on art hasn’t gone without question. The Church has often been criticized for spending so much on fancy buildings and priceless paintings instead of using that money to feed… [Read More]
How Can I Keep from Singing?
I like to think I’m a funny person. I mean, my jokes are so funny, I laugh at them even though I know the punch line…But in this blog, I am going to be writing, comically at some times, about a serious issue – the issue of our very purpose on Earth….which is…. to be… [Read More]
The Most Efficient Family in the World (Review: “Cheaper by the Dozen” book)
Kids don’t always understand why their parents do what they do. I have seen and vaguely enjoyed both Cheaper by the Dozen movies. After watching the remake of Yours, Mine, and Ours and reviewing Who Gets the Drumstick? last month, I was eager to read Cheaper by the Dozen, the first of two books featuring… [Read More]
The Many Faces of Evangelization
Whenever I hear the words “New Evangelization,” my ears perk up, like a child who is watching those fabulous toy commercials that make them feel like they HAVE to have, well, everything under the sun. Except, I am assured that my grabby hands and “want want want” are necessary and needed in today’s society. So,… [Read More]
Mass Starts Before You Walk In
Altar serving is one of those gigs that is virtually always reserved for youth and, sometimes, older, retired parishioners for funerals or daily Masses. I started serving as soon as I was a practicing Catholic at age 13 and it remains the venue of service by which I felt most fulfilled. I haven’t served since Easter Vigil… [Read More]
The Catholic Checklist
Sometimes, I feel like other Catholics measure another’s “true pedigree” with a pre-determined checklist of items. Are you pro-life? Check. Do you use NFP instead of artificial birth control? Check. Are you against the death penalty and euthanasia? Check. Do you homeschool? Check. Are you against co-habitation? Check. Do you participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation… [Read More]
The Need for Catechists
Throughout the world, ordinary people carry out an important mission of the Church – catechises. I am no priest or doctor of theology, but I am a catechist for high school students. Often times, people will ask me why I would ever want to do such a thing, as if it were some kind of… [Read More]
Broke open (Review: Matt Maher’s “The Love in Between”)
I’ve been dancing since Sunday. Not physical, hip-swinging, arm flailing kind of dancing. The heart-fluttering, non-stop humming, whistling-in-the-halls dancing. All because of a contemporary Christian music album. Five years ago, I would not have believed it. I guess my heart had to be a certain place before it was open to being moved by the… [Read More]
ACNM Q3 Meet-Up Is Next Week!
Have you ever wanted to start your own blog or podcast? Do you get writer’s block whenever you sit down behind the keyboard? Well then Austin Catholic New Media’s Q3 Meet-up is for you! We will be doing three mini-workshops on starting your own podcast, your own blog and how to formulate your first blog… [Read More]
This One’s for Everyone (Review: “Who Gets the Drumstick?”)
Do you have a favorite childhood movie? Mine was probably one of my Disney Sing Along Songs videos. I also remember the real movies my mom made me watch: Grease (which I was definitely too young for), The Sound of Music (which is always awesome…when you have 3 hours to spare), and Stephen King’s It… [Read More]
How Stuff Works: Cat-e-what? (Catechesis)
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. –Matthew 28:19-20a Ever see one of these and felt thoroughly confused? CCC, CCD, CEP, CYM, DRE, DYM, EM, FF, RE,… [Read More]
Ten years ago today…
Ten years ago today, our then small family was getting ready for the baptism of our second child, our son. Days earlier, our lives had been shaken from the effects of 9/11. You see, at the time, we lived in Mannassas, a town in the Northern Virginia area, which borders Washington D.C. Our ties to… [Read More]
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