I have spent a lot of time in my life following politics. I was a rare 12-year old when I started reading newspapers, watching TV newscasts and listening to radio news. After getting a degree in broadcast journalism, I became a news reporter. And working at a radio station in Austin, Texas the late 1990s… [Read More]
Pocket-Sized Pointers for Picking a Partner (Review: “101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person”)
Today’s review is of a short book, so this will be a short review. Following on the heels of their successful book 101 Tips for a Happier Marriage, Jennifer Roback Morse and Betsy Kerekes have released a guide for getting to marriage in the first place. This new title basically begged me to read it:… [Read More]
Keeping the (inner) peace on election day
I messaged a friend the other day, “How ARE we going to keep calm on election day?” She wrote back: “I’m going to be drinking! You don’t drink, so you shall have to pray, I suppose. :P” I do plan to pray a lot, in whatever way I can, but most of all, I plan to pray in ways… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 6, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday November 6, 2016 Lectionary: 156 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14 This week’s first reading is from the book of 2 Maccabees. This book covers the period of time between the 180 -161 BC, which was during the “intertestamental” period, and provides a link between the Old and… [Read More]
Year of Mercy: Reflection on the Prodigal Son
If we attend Mass regularly we have more than likely heard the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32). It is a parable that speaks to all of us at the very depth of our hearts because the parable of the Prodigal Son is a story of mercy and a story of unconditional love. In… [Read More]
Challenges (and answers?) of Election 2016
It’s not really surprising to me how this election has gone. The fact that we ‘ended up’ with the nominees that we did on both sides, the trend of seemingly ever-increasing polarization, each side out-doing the other in ad-hominem attacks and blow backs each day, frequent new leaks of scandal-inducing info that triggers media frenzy, each… [Read More]
Five Minute Guided Meditation with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Join me and my daughter, Roise, in this five minute, guided prayer break with the newly canonized St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, feast day November 8. (see below) [powerpress] “May nothing distract me from You, neither noise nor diversions. O my Master, I would so love to live with You in silence. But… [Read More]
Rap Music and Christianity
One of the most amazing ways to connect to God is through music and to praise his name and to worship him with lyrics. Some of the most popular Christian artists that a lot of people know are Hillsong United with wonderful songs such as Oceans, and Matt Maher who does a lot of blues… [Read More]
Literature Teaches Us What It Means to Be Human (Review of Laura M. Berquist)
Forgive me for geeking out a little bit here. I studied English and education in college, and I used to be an English teacher, so it’s safe to say that I like reading. In particular, I like stories. For my writing here at ATX Catholic and for much of my pleasure reading, I cover a… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 23, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday October 23, 2016 Lectionary: 150 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 This week’s first reading is on from the book of the Book of Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus), part of the great wisdom literature in the Old Testament. This book was written approximately 180 years before Christ… [Read More]
Christians Cannot Rely on the Law to Evangelize
There is a strange sentiment among American Christians that makes us think that we are somehow God’s favored ones in the world. This vision imagines the American Constitution as a perfect document almost equal to the Gospels. Our nation’s capitol is a physical embodiment of this idea, like a great temple in honor of the… [Read More]
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
On October 2, 2016 Pope Francis commented about the upcoming U.S. presidential election, “Study the proposals well, pray and choose in conscience.” While I was praying and thinking about the above comment the four horsemen of the Book of Revelation came to mind several times. Pope Francis added, “When a country has two, three or… [Read More]
La Misericordia de Dios para la mujer que ha abortado
“La humanidad son los niños. Todos los niños porque a todos los crea Dios desde el Amor”. Sheila Morataya Una vez más me ha pasado. Al relatar mi historia desde la tranquilidad, y llegar a un punto que sólo Dios sabe, todo mi interior se conmueve y las lágrimas simplemente brotan. Brotan como un agua… [Read More]
The Song and the Priesthood
Recently, thanks to my Old Testament Writings class, I have spent a lot of time reading, meditating on, and writing about the Song of Songs. It is a marvelous book which I highly encourage you to read. In some ways, the Song is a remarkable book to find in the Bible. The Making very little… [Read More]
A Hat Tip to the Holy Ghost Writer
If you like this story, you can thank the Holy Spirit. As I’ve learned so many times since discovering my faith 11 years ago, there is no such thing as a coincidence. Whenever my monthly deadline to write for ATX Catholic approaches, I frequently turn to the Holy Spirit and the daily Mass readings for… [Read More]
Your Weapons Are Scripture and Tradition (Review: “Dual Wielding”)
I’ve discovered a new kind of Catholic nerdery! I like books and learning and grammar and trivia, so I’ve long considered myself a nerd with personality. When I came back to the Church just over a decade ago, I found it only natural to become a Catholic nerd, too. There are, however, limits to my… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 9, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday October 9, 2016 Lectionary: 144 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 2 Kings 5:14-17 This week’s first reading is on from the book of the second book of Kings. This reading completes the story about Naaman, a successful army general from Syria, who had contracted leprosy. Although Naaman had been… [Read More]
Christian Skate Jam – Oct 8th in Pflugerville
Extol Skate Jam is a Christian event that brings together people from all walks of life together to celebrate skating. The event will take place on October 8, 2016 noon to 4PM at Northwest Metro Park in Pflugerville. Visit ExtolSkateJam.com. This is an ecumenical event that brings together people of all faiths and even those of… [Read More]
How a St. Francis statue changed my life
I was 19, and living back home with my family for a while, when, coming in one evening, I found everyone very bemused with me. “We got a call from the Christian book store that the book you ordered is in…….?” My mom queried. “OK.” “We thought it might be a wrong number……?” “No, that’s… [Read More]
Therese of Lisieux & The Marian Jubilee of Mercy
It’s possible that St Therese of Lisieux is one of those saints of whom we hear so often that we think, well, we already know that story – next! Yet I think we often only capture her “slogan” of childlikeness, and in skipping over it, we miss the profound and prophetic truth manifested in her life…. [Read More]
Go to Joseph (Gen. 41:55)
On March 4, 2004 in my sixth year of law enforcement, I was involved in a car chase that spanned four counties and ended in a shoot-out with a man carrying drugs worth half a million dollars. Traveling at 100 mph in my police vehicle a tire blew out. The night before, I had… [Read More]
What Does a Marriage Culture Look Like? (Review: Helen Alvaré, “Restoring Culture from Confusion”)
Since the decision of the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges effectively legalized civil marriage between two people of the same sex in all 50 states, many opponents of same-sex marriage have been wondering what to do. Is there anything to do? The law has clearly come down on one side, and it’s not the… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 25, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday September 25, 2016 Lectionary: 138 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Amos 6:1,4-7 This week’s first reading is from the book of the prophet Amos. Amos was a shepherd from Tekoa (a village in the southern kingdom of Judah), but preached to the rich in the northern kingdom of Israel. He… [Read More]
El Año de la Misericordia de Dios
Este es un Año Santo que es ofrecido por Dios a su pueblo, es un año para ti y para mí que nos invita a descubrir y vivir a Dios y en Dios con una nueva conciencia y entusiasmo. Privilegiada yo que he estado en Roma en dos ocasiones durante este año y he… [Read More]
Dawn from on high: the other side of a crisis pregnancy
My first granddaughter, Arelani, at this writing, is six months old today. I just got a happy text from my daughter to remind me. My daughter’s was a “crisis teen pregnancy,” and it happened at what seemed like the worst time. After a series of recent tragic deaths in my family, the last thing we needed… [Read More]
The Bible Is a Story About Jesus (Review: “Walking with God”)
I love to read. I also love Jesus. I must confess, however, that I do not always love to read about Jesus. I would wager that most Christians (and many non-Christians) know that the Bible is a book about Jesus. I would also wager that many of those same people might struggle to explain how… [Read More]
Be Like Jesus: Ask for Help
School is very helpful. Kids learn stuff. They make friends. And their moms are suddenly free to do things without them. I was dreading the end of school last spring and eager for the start of school this fall because I was going to have a lot of meetings that I couldn’t bring the kids… [Read More]
Freedom – Part 2 – Why is it so hard to be free
As discussed in the last article in this series, in order to know what we ought to do to be happy, we must understand who we are, which means understanding what we are. If we desire to be truly happy, we must learn the truth about ourselves. That deepest truth is found in our identity in… [Read More]
A Wedding Garment (Matt. 22:11)
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read about a guest who is not wearing “a wedding garment,” (22:11) and how the guest is bound hand and foot and expelled from the ceremony. What is this all about? This parable points to the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and holy orders and much more. We receive… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 11, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday September 11, 2016 Lectionary: 132 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Exodus 32:7-11,13-14 This week’s first reading is one of the great passages from the book of Exodus. God has led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt with mighty miracles. He then formed a covenant with them binding them to Himself… [Read More]
“My heart will triumph! And yours will, too.”
This is Our Lady’s birthday week. (September 8, is the Nativity of Mary.) I have been thinking about her a lot, and wondering what I could give her for her birthday. While I have been thinking about her, it seems she has been thinking about me, and giving me gifts for her birthday. One who… [Read More]
A Labor of Love
We often get distracted from the best thing because we pursue many good things. This thought is the key with which Fr Patricio Rodriguez, ISP, opened up this passage from the Gospel of Luke in a recent homily: At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they… [Read More]
ATX Catholic Meetup – September 7
Come have dinner and/or drinks for a social night and open discussions on current events and Catholic media. These meet ups are intimate events with an opportunity to have face time with other interested in Catholic media in our area. This is a relaxed setting for networking and dialogue. The group is small enough to… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 28, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday August 28, 2016 Lectionary: 126 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Sirach 3:19-21,30-31 This week’s first reading comes from the great wisdom book of Sirach also known as Ecclesiasticus. The purpose of this passage is to emphasize how important humility is if we are to please God. By contrast, anyone who… [Read More]
Seek His Face (Psalm105:4)
In Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis states, “Introduce everyone to the great mystery of God’s mercy by contemplating the face of Christ,” (25) and similarly on June 29, 2016, he states in the newly released apostolic constitution, “Seeking the face of God has always been a part of human history.” (Vultum Dei quaerere “Seeking the Face… [Read More]
Drink like a Catholic (Professional)
Let me begin by clarifying – I don’t mean drink like it’s your job. Unless of course, you’re a sommelier. The past two years, I have published posts about the relationship between our faith and drinking. I still get some interesting questions and discussions about the topic. If you haven’t, I recommend reading Drink like… [Read More]
Recovering from family suicide: a year later
This month, it has been a year since my brother’s suicide. I am a woman much acquainted with grief. But this has been a different kind of grief than I’ve ever experienced before. The shock and constant sense of horror didn’t start to wear off until recently and much of it is still in place…. [Read More]
An Organic Approach to the Assumption & Queenship of Mary
I’d like to offer some thoughts on an organic approach to understanding the Assumption and Queenship of Mary. What do I mean by organic? Mostly I mean an understanding that captures the organic connection between ideas and life. For example, you think about it something but those thoughts don’t permeate your actual life, don’t actually shape your… [Read More]
La más audaz de las santas de la Iglesia
“El amor más fuerte y más puro no es el que sube desde la impresión, sino el que desciende desde la admiración” . Catalina de Siena Hoy te quiero presentar a mi nueva mejor amiga: Catalina Benincasa, mejor conocida en la Sociedad Católica como Santa Catalina de Siena. Esta espectacular mujer nació en la ciudad… [Read More]
Diversity in Ministry Part II – Age
In part 1 of this series, I began a conversation about the need for intentional diversity in ministry. I explored the ways in which we could encourage people of different gifts and talents to join forces to more effectively serve the Lord. Diversity is a word that is being used often today in various contexts,… [Read More]
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