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]
The Immaculate Heart of Mary – The New Ark
“Go into the ark, you and your whole family.” (Gen.7:1) This year, 2017, is the centenary year of the messages of Fatima. On May 13, 2010 when visiting Fatima, Pope Benedict XVI said, “[May] the centenary of the apparitions HASTEN the fulfillment of the prophecy of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,” and… [Read More]
“I am Crowned” the Assumption and Coronation of Mary
To me a cup was given Myrrh and mara, burning my hands Deeply I drank, losing myself in love I am the Rose of Sharon and the Lilly of the Valley From my Sun-filled body came a river of grace Tying my feet I have grown wings Radiant and chanting, I will go to… [Read More]
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Ps. 84:5)
“Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover.” (Lk.2:41) Jesus went on pilgrimage to the “Holy City” (Mt. 4:5) from infancy until His death. We don’t often think of Jesus on pilgrimage to the “City of David,” (1Chron.15:1) but Jesus’ parents would make pilgrimages three times a year as God decreed,… [Read More]
Speaking ill of the dead and why we should
As we walked out of my mom’s funeral, my brother said, “Let’s talk about how Mom used to cheat at scrabble.” We chuckled. “Really,” he said. There’s a tendency to make people perfect after they die. But if we talk about their faults it keeps them human and real to us.” “Well,” I said, “She… [Read More]
Calling all young adults! – An invitation to sit down with our Bishops
What are you doing next Monday evening? Young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 are invited to attend a Diocese of Austin listening session with Bishop Joe Vásquez and Bishop Danny Garcia on August 7 from 6-8 pm at St. Louis, Austin. This listening session will assist the diocese in preparation for the… [Read More]
¿Tienes planes ESTE VIERNES? ¡El Obispo de Austin quiere hablar contigo!
Si tienes 18-35 años de edad y hablas español, esta invitación para ti! Aparta el 4 de agosto de 6-8 p.m. y acompaña al Obispo Joe Vásquez, y al Obispo Danny García, en la parroquia de St. Helen en Georgetown. Sera una sesión de escucha que ayudara a la diócesis en preparación al Sínodo… [Read More]
I Am, not I Do
My kids had been watching the Veggie Tales DVD “Mo and the Big Exit,” and my four-year old asked a question. I turned to the book of Exodus and began to read aloud: “Doesn’t that sound familiar?” I asked, linking the bible verses to the show. But very quickly, she lost interest and I found… [Read More]
A visit to St.Mary Magdalene
I have come to the top of the mountain to a place we now call, St. Baume (Holy Balm) * to visit my patroness, St.Mary Magdalene. I am not in as good a shape as I used to be. Getting myself up this mountain was not that much fun for me, plus I’m very banged… [Read More]
Diocese of Austin Men’s Mass on July 22, 2017
For the 9th year in a row, there will be a Holy Mass celebrated as an encouragement to men. It’s easy to feel discouraged in a world that is confused and seeking to erode the virtues of masculinity in Christ. By gathering as a community of men of the local Church, we can pray for each… [Read More]
#CatholicConvo Through the Eyes of an Texan
“Uplifting, motivating, challenging, community, transformative.” That’s how Theresa Prudhomme, a mid 20s young professional from Katy, describes her experience of #CatholicConvo in 5 words or less. The weekend before last, while we were all firing up the grill and making July 4th plans, Theresa joined thousands of lay leaders, religious, priests and bishops from across… [Read More]
The Brown Scapular and “The First Born” (Col. 1:15)
July 16th is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel where the faithful have their Brown Scapulars blessed, and they are enrolled into the Order of Mount Carmel. The feast originated when Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251 and said, “Receive my beloved son, the scapular of thy Order…. [Read More]
July 4th is Love
I know that today we’re supposed to think about the history of winning our independence. I do. I think that is OK. We think about freedom and the Constitution too. We are glad we don’t live somewhere there isn’t freedom. We are grateful to be Americans. We are proud of ourselves. That is cool. But… [Read More]
Summer for your Soul
In the Sunday homily yesterday, the priest preached about the relationship between the body and the soul, taking this line of scripture from the Gospel reading as a starting place: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy… [Read More]
Who Would Choose This?
I lay in bed, but the room continued to spin. I shut my eyes and stayed as still as I could. I was a prisoner of my illness, unable to leave the bed, the room or the house unless someone else came to help me. I thought of Jesus, laying in a ciborium, locked in… [Read More]
Pray with me: the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
Opening Prayers for the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy well beloved spouse, and Queen of the Holy Rosary. Help us to… [Read More]
Diversity in Ministry Part III – Financial
In the first two posts of this series, I explored how diversity in Gifts and Age can provide a richer experience of the faith and allow parishes to better minister to the community. Christians of all denominations today tend to look for communities where they feel like they can belong to the larger group. Sometimes the neighborhoods have similarities… [Read More]
Freedom & our relationship to God: Are we galley slaves or free children?
In the echoes of Trinity Sunday, I found myself thinking about how we are called to relate to this mystery that is the Triune God, and how we are made in the image of God. The priest reflected on this during his Sunday homily, about how it’s pretty much impossible for our minds to capture how… [Read More]
A little shisha, a little Nostra Aetate, a slice of real life
We are sitting on cushions at a low table, enjoying shisha from a shared hookah in the corner of a light, airy building in a shopping center in Central Texas. There is country music on the radio, and a minty, fruity smoke rising around us in the late afternoon sun. Frank, (or as I call… [Read More]
Strewing Flowers at the Corpus Christi Procession
For centuries one of the customs at Corpus Christi processions is strewing (throwing) flowers before Jesus in the monstrance to proclaim Him our King in a very special and public manner. Many saints have written about this wonderful experience but one of the most well known is St Therese of Lisieux (Doctor of the Church),… [Read More]
World Marriage Encounters 2017
WWME (Worldwide Marriage Encounter) weekends for 2017 03/31/2017 08:00 pm – 04/02/2017 04:00 pm Austin WWME Weekend Wingate Hotel in Round Rock 06/09/2017 08:00 pm – 06/11/2017 04:00 pm Austin WWME Weekend St Elizabeth Non-residential 09/08/2017 08:00 pm – 09/10/2017 04:00 pm Austin WWME Weekend Wingate Hotel in Round Rock 11/03/2017 08:00 pm – 11/05/2017… [Read More]
Congrats Bishop-Elect Bill!
Fr. Bill Wack, CSC, Pastor of St. Ignatius, Martyr, has been named as the sixth bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee.
It Is Finished! (Jn. 19:30)
The fight went the distance! Fifteen rounds of pure guts, grit, and blood! It was a courageous nail-biting fight of perseverance and determination that left the onlookers spellbound. Those on the sidelines witnessed a tenacious battle against our oldest and unseen enemy – death. My mom, Gloria Rodriguez age 89, passed away on May… [Read More]
Tiny Dynamine: a reflection on my mom, Delphia
Today is my mom’s birthday. She would have been 68 today. And I feel like talking about her. She was a warrior for love, justice, and for her children. I want you to know her. I want everyone to know her. She had several names but the one she liked best, and that suited her… [Read More]
Pensando en María
Mayo es el mes de la Virgen María. Madre de Dios, Madre de Jesús, Madre la Iglesia. Madre de todas las madres. El gran modelo para la mujer que quiere tener un corazón y una forma de ser tal y cómo Dios lo desea. ¿Quién es María para ti? ¿Qué tan de cerca esta de… [Read More]
Why Mary?
In our culture and our American church, I come across this question quite often – Why Mary? Sometimes its connected to other related questions like: Can you ever pray too much to Mary? How do I know if I’m worshipping Mary or praying to her for intercession? Does praying to Mary distract from Jesus? And… [Read More]
Susan Conroy, author of “Praying with Mother Teresa” May 20
Are you ready for one of the most profound, meaningful experiences of your life? Susan Conroy, author of Praying with Mother Teresa, will present a collection of prayers, insights, and wisdom from the inimitable Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of heaven’s newest saints. Saturday, May 20, 2017 St. John Neumann Holy Family Center 10:00 am–1:00… [Read More]
Easter Joy, Family, and Heaven
On Easter Sunday 2017 my family and I gathered at the family home to celebrate Easter by partaking in our regular Easter feast (our family does food well). My grandparents and many of my dad’s graduate students joined us for the feast. I enjoyed getting to know some of the graduate students better during dinner… [Read More]
The Freedom that Comes When Our “Yes” Means “Yes”
I was late the other day (again) on my way somewhere, and I was driving, this scripture came to mind: Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one. Matt 5:37 (NABRE) Have you ever made a decision, and then tried to avoid the consequences of that… [Read More]
Santa Faustina: apóstola de la misericordia
Dios escogió a una mujer para nacer en medio de los hombres. Jesús escogió a una mujer para que fuera la primera testigo de su resurrección y Cristo eligió a otra mujer extraordinaria con el fin de preparar al mundo para su segunda venida. Santa Faustina era una mujer que anhelaba en su corazón mirar… [Read More]
Where Is Jesus?
A mother and father bring their small child to a shopping mall on an extremely busy day. They take turns keeping their eyes on the little boy and holding his hand as they move from store to store and then to the food court with a few bathroom breaks in between. Mommy suddenly glances around… [Read More]
The 7 Contemplative Gazes
Peter constantly gazed at Our Lord but like most of us listened poorly. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains how “gazing” at Jesus is a form of contemplation by stating, “Contemplation is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus.” (2715) Contemplation is the highest form of worship, and it is none other than two… [Read More]
El mundo esta en guerra y Dios está triste
Ningún cristiano puede cerrar los ojos a lo que está ocurriendo en Siria, en donde cientos y miles de familias están siendo asesinados, masacrados, despojados de lo más sagrado: la vida. La frase con la que comienzo este post del Papa Francisco quien constantemente nos está haciendo exhortaciones de rezar, de acercarnos a Dios, de… [Read More]
“Do you want to live?”
I had had a big fight with my mom and brother. I was walking super fast across town. It was cold and I had forgotten a jacket. A car full of girls from school drove by, rolling their windows down to jeer and shout insults. I picked up a few rocks and bottles to throw… [Read More]
To My Father For All His Love: A Lenten Reflection
Guest Post by Deacon Dan Lupo In Chicago, where I grew up, March days are shrouded in gray, blasted by icy wind, and blanketed by snow. Perfect Lent weather. The weather is Lent-perfect because the gray skies evoke a somber mood, which matches the serious attitude Lent fosters. Lent calls for soberly examining our faith… [Read More]
Cuando la humildad es el camino
La psiquiatra Elizabeth Kubler-Ross ahora ya fallecida escribió un libro titulado: “La Muerte y el Morir”. El libro surgió de una entrevista que hizo a cientos de pacientes que habían sido declarados clínicamente muertos y luego habían sido reanimados. En sus narraciones estos pacientes repetían prácticamente lo mismo al ser entrevistados por la doctora. Ellos… [Read More]
How does modern man best hear the call the conversion?
In this liturgical season of conversion, we are faced with the question: Just exactly how does “conversion” happen? How is change possible in our daily lives, and in a lasting way? I’d like to go deeper into thoughts from my last post, as a kind of part II (see: Living Lent Like a Little One)…. [Read More]
What Would Padre Pio Say?
Have you ever been to confession with Padre Pio? I think I have. Someone asked me to pray a novena to Padre Pio for an intention. I love novenas. Not everyone does. But I love them. As long as I had him on the phone for that intention, I asked him about a few other… [Read More]
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