This recording was made on November 18, 2012, on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time by Fr. Daniel Liu, St. Peter’s chaplain/director. Please visit www.baylorcatholic.org for more information. To download click here. 
#FishFriday – It’s Not Just for Lent
If you’ve heard the buzz lately, you know that the bishops plan to readdress and reemphasize that the faithful abstain from meat on Fridays, but do you know why? I know that, for many of us, this can come across as “lotsa rules” or “how can the Church be so determined to focus on this […]
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Catholic Daughters of the Americas—2013 National Education Contest
Week of November 19 – November 23
St. Peter’s Weekly Schedule November 19 – November 23, 2012 Visit www.baylorcatholic.org for more information Monday, November 19 5:30pm – Mass 7:00pm – Theology of the Body Tuesday, November 20 7:00am – 30 Minutes with Jesus 7:30am – Morning Prayer 5:30pm – Mass, followed by pot-luck dinner Wednesday, November 21 10:00am – Mass (Center closed) Thursday, November 22 Center closed for […]
A few things
This is such a odd time of year for me. I’m frantically getting things done, finishing up web projects, baking all kinds of food and planning travel so I can suddenly stop and enjoy Thanksgiving and then the beginning of Advent and the Christmas season. It’s a mad dash and then a grand […]
“Mondays with Mary” – The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This coming Wednesday, November 21, is the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (in the Temple) and that is why today’s “Mondays with Mary” is dedicated to this important date in the liturgical calendar. As stated by … Continue reading →
No Greater Love Than This
This post was written on September 19, 2012. As I sit here typing my house is quiet. My children are all in bed. I can hear the soft whirling of the fan overhead and my husband gently snores beside me. I’ve been staring at the screen wondering what I want to say, what I […]
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“Joy is not a flag Jesus plants in us; it is a fruit he grows in us”
I received a copy of a new book while I was at the monastery this week. I planned to read it when I got home, but as soon as I glanced at the first page, I knew I’d been given something special. I ended up spending hours poring over its pages, soaking up its insights […]
Splendid Sundays – November 18, 2012
Let us join together, quietly reflecting on today’s readings: Follow this link to today’s readings. Heavenly Father, Today we also bring to you the Prayer Requests that are left here on our Catholic Sistas site. For all General Intentions, we pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer. For our Homeward Bound Intentions {for […]
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Social Justice: Faithful citizenship after the votes are counted
By Barbara Budde, Director of Social Concerns, Diocese of AustinIf you are reading this before Nov. 6 and you have not yet voted, please vote. It is a privilege to live in this country and our votes are important so please make your voice heard and cas…
Social Justice: Faithful citizenship after the votes are counted
By Barbara Budde, Director of Social Concerns, Diocese of AustinIf you are reading this before Nov. 6 and you have not yet voted, please vote. It is a privilege to live in this country and our votes are important so please make your voice heard and cas…
4 Thoughts on Meatless Fridays
 |
| Cardinal Dolan Photo Credit: archny.org |
Recently, Cardinal Dolan addressed his fellow American bishops, suggesting that we bring back the mandatory meatless Fridays. Previously in the Church, every Friday (not just each Lenten Friday) was a day on which we were required to abstain from warm-blooded meat. That’s why restaurants offer fish specials on Fridays. In fact, that rule is still in tact, with one small exception . . .
Each conference of bishops has the ability to change the particular penances for their flock. The US bishops decided to allow US Catholics to substitute another penance of equal value on non-Lenten Fridays. Over time, this has degenerated into a complete lack of observance of any penance on the part of most American Catholics–predominantly out of ignorance, not rebellion.
Yes, Catholics are required to do some penance every Friday to honor Christ’s sacrifice on Good Friday. The normal penance is abstaining from warm-blooded meat. Currently, outside of Lent, American Catholics may substitute that with a different but relatively similar level of penance (mortification, prayer, and/or almsgiving). That being said, here are 4 thoughts on meatless Fridays that came up in a discussion on Facebook today:
1. How is eating cold-blooded meat a penance?
Personally, I’d rather eat a steak than ANY cold-blooded meat (though a good case may be made for crab or lobster), so giving up warm-blooded meat is a penance (sometimes larger, sometimes smaller, depending on the alternatives).
2. Do people actually do this?
I observe it almost every Friday of the year, and there are many other Catholics who understand the disciplines of our Church and follow them. By far, however, the majority of Catholics are ignorant of our own disciplines (and our doctrines for that matter). When I do occasionally eat warm-blooded meat on non-Lenten Fridays, I substitute with some other penance. It becomes tough because even though I have worked at Catholic schools and parishes for the last 8 years, most of them have their special luncheons on Fridays, at which they often forget to offer a fish option (which is just endemic to contemporary American Catholicism’s ignorance of its own disciplines). Sometimes I avoid the entree, or sometimes I simply offer up a different penance that day.
3. Abstaining from warm-blooded meat isn’t that tough. How is it a penance?
We’re not called to some horrible gut-wrenching act of impossibility–just an extra penance (mortification, prayer, and/or almsgiving) to honor and unite with Christ’s suffering and death for us. Holy Mother Church only asks for a small penance, not something huge (though we may indeed make a bigger penance).
4. What if sushi or lobster is a treat for me?
If sushi or lobster isn’t very penitential for you, then eat something else. Whether or not it is very difficult for you, intentionally abstaining from warm-blooded meat is the universal observance to remember Christ’s sacrifice. The fact that you remember Our Lord, and offer your penance to Him, and honor the authority of His Bride is more important than sushi, tuna, or cheese pizza. Of course, the greater the difficulty the greater the act of love as your sacrifice is willingly united to His sacrifice on the cross.
4 Thoughts on Meatless Fridays
|
| Cardinal Dolan Photo Credit: archny.org |
Recently, Cardinal Dolan addressed his fellow American bishops, suggesting that we bring back the mandatory meatless Fridays. Previously in the Church, every Friday (not just each Lenten Friday) was a day on which we were required to abstain from warm-blooded meat. That’s why restaurants offer fish specials on Fridays. In fact, that rule is still in tact, with one small exception . . .
Each conference of bishops has the ability to change the particular penances for their flock. The US bishops decided to allow US Catholics to substitute another penance of equal value on non-Lenten Fridays. Over time, this has degenerated into a complete lack of observance of any penance on the part of most American Catholics–predominantly out of ignorance, not rebellion.
Yes, Catholics are required to do some penance every Friday to honor Christ’s sacrifice on Good Friday. The normal penance is abstaining from warm-blooded meat. Currently, outside of Lent, American Catholics may substitute that with a different but relatively similar level of penance (mortification, prayer, and/or almsgiving). That being said, here are 4 thoughts on meatless Fridays that came up in a discussion on Facebook today:
1. How is eating cold-blooded meat a penance?
Personally, I’d rather eat a steak than ANY cold-blooded meat (though a good case may be made for crab or lobster), so giving up warm-blooded meat is a penance (sometimes larger, sometimes smaller, depending on the alternatives).
2. Do people actually do this?
I observe it almost every Friday of the year, and there are many other Catholics who understand the disciplines of our Church and follow them. By far, however, the majority of Catholics are ignorant of our own disciplines (and our doctrines for that matter). When I do occasionally eat warm-blooded meat on non-Lenten Fridays, I substitute with some other penance. It becomes tough because even though I have worked at Catholic schools and parishes for the last 8 years, most of them have their special luncheons on Fridays, at which they often forget to offer a fish option (which is just endemic to contemporary American Catholicism’s ignorance of its own disciplines). Sometimes I avoid the entree, or sometimes I simply offer up a different penance that day.
3. Abstaining from warm-blooded meat isn’t that tough. How is it a penance?
We’re not called to some horrible gut-wrenching act of impossibility–just an extra penance (mortification, prayer, and/or almsgiving) to honor and unite with Christ’s suffering and death for us. Holy Mother Church only asks for a small penance, not something huge (though we may indeed make a bigger penance).
4. What if sushi or lobster is a treat for me?
If sushi or lobster isn’t very penitential for you, then eat something else. Whether or not it is very difficult for you, intentionally abstaining from warm-blooded meat is the universal observance to remember Christ’s sacrifice. The fact that you remember Our Lord, and offer your penance to Him, and honor the authority of His Bride is more important than sushi, tuna, or cheese pizza. Of course, the greater the difficulty the greater the act of love as your sacrifice is willingly united to His sacrifice on the cross.
4 Thoughts on Meatless Fridays
|
| Cardinal Dolan Photo Credit: archny.org |
Recently, Cardinal Dolan addressed his fellow American bishops, suggesting that we bring back the mandatory meatless Fridays. Previously in the Church, every Friday (not just each Lenten Friday) was a day on which we were required to abstain from warm-blooded meat. That’s why restaurants offer fish specials on Fridays. In fact, that rule is still in tact, with one small exception . . .
Each conference of bishops has the ability to change the particular penances for their flock. The US bishops decided to allow US Catholics to substitute another penance of equal value on non-Lenten Fridays. Over time, this has degenerated into a complete lack of observance of any penance on the part of most American Catholics–predominantly out of ignorance, not rebellion.
Yes, Catholics are required to do some penance every Friday to honor Christ’s sacrifice on Good Friday. The normal penance is abstaining from warm-blooded meat. Currently, outside of Lent, American Catholics may substitute that with a different but relatively similar level of penance (mortification, prayer, and/or almsgiving). That being said, here are 4 thoughts on meatless Fridays that came up in a discussion on Facebook today:
1. How is eating cold-blooded meat a penance?
Personally, I’d rather eat a steak than ANY cold-blooded meat (though a good case may be made for crab or lobster), so giving up warm-blooded meat is a penance (sometimes larger, sometimes smaller, depending on the alternatives).
2. Do people actually do this?
I observe it almost every Friday of the year, and there are many other Catholics who understand the disciplines of our Church and follow them. By far, however, the majority of Catholics are ignorant of our own disciplines (and our doctrines for that matter). When I do occasionally eat warm-blooded meat on non-Lenten Fridays, I substitute with some other penance. It becomes tough because even though I have worked at Catholic schools and parishes for the last 8 years, most of them have their special luncheons on Fridays, at which they often forget to offer a fish option (which is just endemic to contemporary American Catholicism’s ignorance of its own disciplines). Sometimes I avoid the entree, or sometimes I simply offer up a different penance that day.
3. Abstaining from warm-blooded meat isn’t that tough. How is it a penance?
We’re not called to some horrible gut-wrenching act of impossibility–just an extra penance (mortification, prayer, and/or almsgiving) to honor and unite with Christ’s suffering and death for us. Holy Mother Church only asks for a small penance, not something huge (though we may indeed make a bigger penance).
4. What if sushi or lobster is a treat for me?
If sushi or lobster isn’t very penitential for you, then eat something else. Whether or not it is very difficult for you, intentionally abstaining from warm-blooded meat is the universal observance to remember Christ’s sacrifice. The fact that you remember Our Lord, and offer your penance to Him, and honor the authority of His Bride is more important than sushi, tuna, or cheese pizza. Of course, the greater the difficulty the greater the act of love as your sacrifice is willingly united to His sacrifice on the cross.
The Faith of the Believer – Podcast
My dear friends in Christ, however we choose to think of it or whatever we want to make of it, the truth about life is that it is largely mysterious. From the very beginning of creation, the human effort has been to understand the universe in which we …
Fr. Chuck’s Column, Sunday, November 18
This week Fr. Robert Cary, CSP, is guest posting for Fr. Chuck’s bulletin column!
Fr. Bob’s Occasional
Last month, October, was Respect Life Month. As Catholics we seek to respect and protect human life against what Pope John Paul II called a culture of death in our society that too readily accepts abortion, the death penalty, euthanasia, and war as the solutions to problems in society.
November is traditionally the month that we remember and pray for the deceased, those who have passed from this life to new life in the communion of saints. Remembering the dead and believing in their new life calls us to acknowledge and accept death as a part of life. As Christians we accept death with hope in our resurrection with Jesus Christ. So truthfully, November should be Respect Death month.
As humans, when we face serious illness, advanced age or imminent death, we can turn to certain guiding principles from scripture and Catholic tradition, but are also accessible to all persons as natural law. These principles are 1.) human dignity, 2.) duty to preserve life, 3.) fact of human finitude, 4.) the diversity of humans, and 5.) social nature of humans. Modern medicine provides us wonderful new technologies and treatments to help us preserve life, but medicine has limits and cannot postpone death forever. In addition, sometimes medical technologies and treatments intended to help actually hurt or burden persons under certain circumstance. What is our duty in caring for ourselves in such situations? What should be our loving and responsible actions for those we serve as caregivers?
Our Catholic tradition provides us very helpful guidelines in the Ethical and Religious Directives for healthcare givers (ERD). Depending upon the circumstances of a particular patient ―we respect his/her human dignity and unique nature and circumstances―some medical technologies and treatments may not be necessary to preserve human life and the patient can forego them. To the objection this seems like suicide or euthanasia the ERD would respond that foregoing these treatments, when they would provide little or no value to the patient or impose an excessive burden, is simply allowing a patient to die. Respecting life means respecting death when the times comes. As believers we allow the human person to move on to the next stage of their journey with God.
Our physical life is very important and we have a duty to preserve it, but it is not an absolute value. Our relationship with God ―our soul―is absolute. As Christians we place a limited faith and hope in medicine. Our absolute faith and hope is in the resurrection. In faith and hope we respect death.
There will be a workshop, Tough Decisions, on Saturday, December 1 when this issue and related issues will be discussed. All are welcome. Bring your friends and relatives.
Fr. Bob Cary, CSP
Surrender to Motherhood
I’ll be totally honest. I am such a failure….and then I remember my spiritual director’s advice and how I kept on failing. This weekend he said to me “Don’t get insulted okay? But you keep doing this and it has to stop.” I was in tears! I think he wanted to charitably say, “You fool! I […]
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My Favorite Bible Verse
The discovery of my favorite Bible verse was a transformative experience. It was one of the first times in my life when I could actually feel God’s presence.It was a cold winter morning in the second semester of my freshman year in college.  …
St. Joseph students promote the culture of life
By Mary P. Walker, Senior Correspondent, Catholic Spirit
For the last five years, St. Joseph School’s Eagles for Life club in Bryan promoted the culture of life primarily by focusing on the rights of the unborn. As visible witnesses, they stood and prayed outside a local abortion facility, led prayers after Mass and marched to the Capitol in the Texas Rally for Life. While continuing these efforts, this student-led high school club is broadening their pro-life outreach to help those whose human dignity is not always honored by society.
“I believe that making students aware of the many ways in which society marginalizes the elderly, the poor, those with disabilities, and of course, the unborn, helps them feel an urgent need to reach out to make a difference,” said Patty Blazak, faculty adviser of Eagles for Life.
As a result of this renewed focus, the Eagles are volunteering at a local food bank and have made an ongoing commitment to the Down Syndrome Association of the Brazos Valley (DSABV). This organization provides information, assistance and support to families and those with Down syndrome, allowing them to be contributing members of society and lead full lives within the community.
Parish Council Nominations!
We will be having elections for Parish Council soon! This means that we need YOU to nominate who you think would be right for the job by Sunday, November 24. The main purpose of the council is to have a forum in which Father can hear what the students feel about the issues of the […]
It Is Right and Just: Mass Changes One Year Later
It has been almost one full year since the new translation of the Mass has been implemented in the Roman Rite. Can you believe it has been almost a year already?? I certainly can’t. A little over a year ago I wrote a post about change in our every day lives. In that post I discussed […]
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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 196)
— 1 — I hope nobody thought that I wouldn’t do Quick Takes just because I’m up at a monastery! I’m putting the labora in Ora et Labora. (Perhaps a little lame that my labora is blogging, but we take the talents that God gives us, however unimpressive they might be.) — 2 — One […]
7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 196)
— 1 — I hope nobody thought that I wouldn’t do Quick Takes just because I’m up at a monastery! I’m putting the labora in Ora et Labora. (Perhaps a little lame that my labora is blogging, but we take the talents that God gives us, however unimpressive they might be.) — 2 — One […]
Austin’s Cooperation Texas receives CCHD grant
By Enedelia J. Obregón, Senior Correspondent, Catholic Spirit
When María Muñoz was 14, she started working as a domestic servant. She cared for children, ironed clothes, cleaned house –– even washed windows –– and cooked meals.
“One felt humiliated,” said Muñoz. “They treated us badly, but we didn’t have a choice. If you complained they would fire you and quickly find someone else who would take the job.”
There were not many employment options in the small community in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, and her income was needed to help her parents and nine siblings.
Today, however, Muñoz is part owner of the Dahlia Green Cleaning Services in Austin with Lorena Hernandez, Cyndi Jiménez, Brenda Jiménez and Eva Marroquín.
The business was launched in June with the help of Cooperation Texas, an Austin-based nonprofit organization founded in 2009 to create sustainable jobs through the development, support and promotion of worker-owned cooperatives.
Catholic voices must be heard in the public square
I was recently asked why it is important that Catholics vote and that the Catholic voice be heard in the public square. Let us look at the situation of our world and our country as we attempt to give a brief answer to this question, this very important question.
We can, of course, describe our society today as secular, as a society that has turned away from an objective or universal moral code and towards a more relativistic attitude to values; meaning that there is no or little objective truth by which people individually and collectively should lead their lives. This, and many more characteristics, brings us to understand that God has been marginalized in peoples’ lives and from society in general.
One principal reason for this, which is important to acknowledge–especially during this Year of Faith, is that we as Catholic Christians have contributed to this phenomenon by our own lack of attention to God’s will in our lives and in our participation in society.
How many of us actually think in terms each day of “doing God’s will?”
Feeding the needy
The Valley CatholicCatholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley is making final preparations for its annual Sharing Basket event, which provides food for families in need just in time for Thanksgiving.Channel 5 News and Peter Piper Pizza are teaming up …
Close to Home: Benedictine Monastery, Rio Grande City
By Brenda Nettles Riojas, The Valley CatholicSanctuary found among the mesquites in rattlesnake country RIO GRANDE CITY – Sometimes, we need a break from routine, so I went west. I made my way to an oasis of quiet, hidden among the mesquites, brush and cacti in Starr County where the Sisters of the Benedictine Monastery of the Good Shepherd welcome visitors year round.
Some guests come to visit for a few hours, some to stay at one of the casitas on the property for a personal retreat, and some for a discernment weekend or a group retreat. I came for a combination of field reporting and a mini private retreat.
The rock and gravel road leading to the monastery slowed my pace from the start. There is no speeding, no rush, on Monastery Lane.
It’s a good idea to call in advance and make arrangements. Some weekends the retreat center and casitas fill with retreatants. Plus, the sisters like to be on hand to welcome every guest.
They personalized a note outlining some essentials (the gate code and the code to the Fountain of Life Chapel for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament). Included as well, some advice in case snakes are around: “Just let them pass and continue.”
Bishop Vann leaves a solid legacy of accomplishments
By the North Texas Catholic Staff
Pope Benedict XVI has named Diocese of Fort Worth Bishop Kevin W. Vann, 61, as the new bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, California.
The announcement was made Friday, Sept. 21, in Washington, D.C. by the Holy See’s apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano.
Bishop Vann will conclude his 7-year tenure as the shepherd of the Diocese of Fort Worth on December 10 when he is installed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Orange since its establishment in 1976.
Bishop Vann became the third bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth on July 13, 2005 after the unexpected death of the late Bishop Joseph P. Delaney
During his tenure as bishop, Bishop Vann has won the hearts of North Texas Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The bishop is known for his outgoing personality, compassion, and love for every person he meets. His travels throughout the 28 counties and 90 parishes of the diocese have caused him to be well known and loved by the Catholic people of the North Texas region. On his visits, he frequently would offer an impromptu demonstration of his piano playing skills on whatever keyboard was available, endearing him to all.
What to decide about dialysis
By Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center
Patients and families sometimes struggle with the question of whether dialysis is “worth it.” A young woman wrote recently on a website addressing dialysis patients’ concerns, “My father has been on dialysis for three years and he’s 62 years old. A few days ago he said he wanted to stop going because he was ‘sick of it.’ We talked to him and told him that it would hurt us if he did that, but now I’m thinking that maybe I shouldn’t have talked him out of it — this isn’t about me and my feelings. This is about what he has to deal with.”
When would discontinuing dialysis be a reasonable and morally acceptable choice? Could discontinuing dialysis ever be tantamount to suicide?
While every person is obligated to use ordinary (or proportionate) means to preserve his or her life, no person is required to submit to a health care procedure that he or she has judged, with a free and informed conscience, to provide little hope of benefit or to impose significant risks and burdens.
Would We Have James Bond if it Weren’t for Caryll Houselander? I Wonder…
Oh, we might owe James Bond to Caryll Houselander after all! I’m so excited I could almost burst. Did you know that Ian Flemming, the author of the James Bond books, and Caryll Houselander were friends? Did ya know that Caryll’s one true love was the inspiration for James Bond? You didn’t know that!? Wanna […]
Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Saint Albert!
Today is the feast day of the famous Dominican Friar, Teacher, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church – Saint Albert the Great. Born in the year 1206 to the family of Bollstadt at the castle of Lauingen. Not much is … Continue reading →
You Are What You Eat
We’ve all heard it before: “You are what you eat.” Never is that more true than when we consume the Most Holy Eucharist. In that small wafer lies an infinite God, an infinite God who laid down His life for our sins. If you have small children, there are doubtless portions of Mass that are […]
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11/14/2012 Daily Readings and Homily
First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Titus 3:1-7 Psalm 23:1-6 Luke 17:11-19 Subscribe in a reader
Advent Book Giveaway!
**WINNERS: Deena and Barbara!** I’m so excited to offer my first book giveaway here at The Loveliest Hour. For a girl who loves books, this is only natural! So, I have two books to offer, and I know you’ll love them! They are written by my new friends over at CatholicMom.com, Lisa Hendey and […]
Upward and Onward
By Debbie Shannon, Director of Ministries and Development, St. Peter’s Catholic Student Center I recently heard a clever fable about a farmer whose mule fell into a well. Since he had no way to get him out, and figuring he was a goner anyway, the farmer decided to just bury him there. He got a […]
How to Be a Good Mom and Not Lose Your Mind.
(As posted over at Austin Catholic New Media) While I’ve been ‘Mom’ now for almost 13 years, it seems that I’m still figuring out this motherhood thing. It can be hard to balance being an individual woman with thoughts, ideas, plans and inspirations that are all my own with the… thoughts, ideas, plans, inspirations, […]
Rosary Walk
As a mommy in charge of 5 little souls, I often worry that we do not pray enough together. We forget to pray before meals when there’s five demanding children at the table, we miss bedtime prayers when there are over-tired kiddos, the Divine Mercy Chaplet gets cut short by the trifecta diaper change. Life […]
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Big news, and a TRAILER!
Here it is, the official trailer for Minor Revisions, the program that critics are calling the most thrilling docu-reality special involving someone whose name rhymes with Schmennifer Schmulwiler: And some huge news: The show has been picked up by the Verizon FiOS network, and will be available as an on-demand show to their 3.5 million […]
Jane Austen Movie Recommendations
I’ve had several conversations recently about Jane Austen and her books. And the movies about her books. I actually have these conversations frequently, and will continue to ’till the day I die. I love Jane Austen. Not just because she writes nice love stories, but because her stories last, her characters have depth and she […]
11/13/2012 Daily Readings and Homily
First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Titus 2:1-8, 11-14 Psalm 37:3-4, 18, 23, 27, 29 Luke 17:7-10 Subscribe in a reader
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