Community Posts Archive - Page 5 of 35

Getting a Grip on My Fertility

Published October 23, 2012 • Written by

In a community where 3 kids make a family large, I have received my share of the classic dumb ‘big family questions’: “are you done?” “do you know what causes that?” We’ve been greeted with congratulations upon news of pregnancy…and other less positive responses. We have announced a new baby to more than a few […]

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10/22/2012 Daily Readings and Homily

Published October 22, 2012 • Written by

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Ephesians 2:1-10 Psalm 100:2-5 Luke 12:13-21 Subscribe in a reader

Week of October 22 – October 26

Published October 22, 2012 • Written by

St. Peter’s Weekly Schedule October 22 – October 26, 2012 Visit www.baylorcatholic.org for more information Monday, October 22 5:30pm – Communion Service Tuesday, October 23 7:00am – 30 Minutes with Jesus 7:30am – Morning Prayer 5:30pm – Mass 7:00pm – RCIA (Dinner at 6:30pm) Wednesday, October 24 12:15pm – Mass, followed by lunch 4:30pm – Confessions 5:30pm – Adoration 7:00pm – The […]

“Mondays with Mary” – 37th Annual Arizona Rosary Celebration in Phoenix, Arizona

Published October 22, 2012 • Written by

Yesterday I attended the 37th Annual Arizona Rosary Celebration in Phoenix, Arizona. This event is one of the largest events (5,000 attendees) that shows honor to the Blessed Mother and the Holy Rosary in the United States. Most of the … Continue reading →

On A Mission From God!!

Published October 22, 2012 • Written by

Today is the optional feast day for the memorial of Blessed John Paul II. On May 1, 2011, Pope John Paul II was beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. Last year, the United States Bishops asked the Vatican if … Continue reading →

The Promise of Cord Blood Research

Published October 22, 2012 • Written by

Meagan was our fifth child, so ultrasounds were nothing new to me. I remember seeing the solid black in the picture of her head on the screen and having a hunch something was not right. Turns out my gut feeling was correct. 20 weeks into my pregnancy, our unborn daughter was diagnosed with severe fetal […]

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Homily for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle B October 21, 2012

Published October 21, 2012 • Written by

Anyone here ever work as a waiter or waitress? As a chauffeur or maid or some kind of servant? Did you love it? Was it great fun? Or did you do it only for the money, and as soon as a better job came along you grabbed it?

“Gospel” means “Good News”. But I have a hard time hearing today’s Gospel as good news. That is because I am lazy, and I like to be waited on. I don’t want to serve, but rather to be served. I like going to a restaurant, have someone else clean the room, someone else cook the food, someone else take my order and bring the food, and then I especially enjoy getting up and leaving someone else to do the dishes. Now to me, that would be good news. But that is not at all what today’s Gospel calls us to.

The Gospel is challenging us to go deeper into the issue of service. You see there is service and then there is service.

There is service that is rather degrading: that is forced and coerced, that demeans and makes us less. This is always the case with slavery, with “involuntary servitude” to put a polite name on it. And that is why, in spite of the teaching of today’s Gospel, slavery and human trafficking are always moral evils.

But there is also another kind of service. Not one that degrades, but one that ennobles.

I will tell you a little story. My Dad Charlie is 91 years old. He is still active and lives in the same house I grew up in. He can do this because two of my sisters, Barbara and MaryJane, every Saturday get up early and drive an hour down to where he lives. They wash the dishes piled in the sink, do the laundry, vacuum the floor, fix little things that break, throw out stuff my Dad has been hoarding, and generally clean up. Now one of my sisters still works, and they have their own families, so they don’t have a lot of free time. But they choose to use their Saturday mornings in service of their Father because they want to. Because they love. Service like this is nothing more than love in action. Practical, actual, love serves. That is what love does.

This kind of service does not make us less human, but more human. It is the kind of service we see in the lives of people like Dorothy Day, Mother Theresa, Pope John XXIII, Martin Luther King Jr., Kateri Tekawitha and Mother Marianne Kope who are being canonized today, and all the saints.

In Vatican Council II, this is what the entire church is called to. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, begins with these words: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts.”

In examining this, American Catholic theologian Paul Lakeland states: “the Church that bears the name of Christ exists not for its own sake but for the sake of the world.”

As Church we are called to serve the world, to be a servant.

Most importantly, this is the way God serves us in Jesus Christ. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus did not do this out of some coercion, being forced to do it. Rather it was the compulsion of love for us that lead Jesus to serve. And in this way He raised loving service of others to the divine. Loving service of others is not degrading, but is the best of human actions. Indeed, it is God-like.

So, as Jesus succinctly tells us: “whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus turns all of our assumptions about privilege and rank and status upside down – completely reverses our normal human approach to power and to perks: In the Kingdom of God power is not for self-aggrandizement, not for self-promotion, not even self-preservation. Power is for service.

Clearly this is the mystery of the Cross – that the way to the fullness of life leads through death: that the way to wholeness and holiness requires letting go of ego and of dying to self.

Paradoxically, selfishness and ego are traps. If we live primarily for ourselves, then we live for something really rather small. And the more the self turns in on itself, the more it shrinks, the smaller it grows, till our soul nearly disappears: no matter how rich, or powerful, or famous we are.

Selfishness is slavery. Love is freedom. Therefore, “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”

Still, that drive to promote myself ahead of others so clearly shown by James and John in today’s Gospel, that desire for glory of the sons of Zebedee, is deep, deep, deep in each of us.

Even now, as I preach, called to serve you by proclaiming the Gospel, called even more to serve the Gospel by proclaiming it fearlessly and compellingly, I am at least as concerned that I will look good, that you will be favorably impressed, that you will say “Oh, that was a great homily, Father”, that “you really touched my life,’ and ‘you really made the Gospel come alive”; and I will have the glory of looking great – and you will like me and affirm me: all that ego stuff – as much as I want to serve the Gospel and serve you.

Dying to our ego is difficult. Living a life of service to others, out of love, is not for sissies or the faint-hearted.

So how do we do this? We can only do it in Christ. More than our role-model, more than our teacher, more than our coach, He is our Saviour. He has gone before. He’s been there, done death, been raised to Life, and now empowers us. He lives in us, so that we can do it too.

As we heard in today’s second reading: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace in time of need.” AMEN.

Splendid Sundays – October 21, 2012

Published October 21, 2012 • Written by

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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The Greatness that Counts – Podcast

Published October 20, 2012 • Written by

Our world seems to be going in a direction that will not take us to where we ought to be. Very many people in today’s world are focusing on things that they should not be bothered about, while they neglect those things that make life worth living. Let us reflect on the Lord’s teaching about true greatness and pray for the grace to live in a way that befits our Christian call.

Fr. Chuck’s Column, Sunday, October 21

Published October 20, 2012 • Written by

Our civil liberties must be exercised to stay strong. Just like our muscles, if we never use them, they weaken and atrophy. So I want to strongly encourage you to do your duty as a citizen and VOTE. Also, I encourage you to VOTE EARLY. Early voting begins TOMORROW, October 22. It does not cost any more than waiting till Election Day on November 6, and it will be a lot more convenient for you.

I urge you to vote early because the ballot is LONG, and it will take a while to fill it all out. There will likely be long lines on November 6, and you will do yourself a favor and better fulfill your civic responsibility if you vote early and take the time to do it right.

The ballot in Austin is TWELVE PAGES LONG. There is a lot of stuff in there, and it is all important. In addition to the voting for President, Senators and all the other elective offices, there are a number of propositions, mostly dealing with bond issues. These are important and should not be skipped.

One bond issue I want to recommend to you is Prop 15, dealing with housing. It is supported by iAct, the interfaith organization to which St. Austin Parish belongs, and by Micah 6, the local ecumenical group that runs a food pantry and also a drop-in for street youth on Sundays. St. Austin Parish also belongs to Micah 6 and was one of the founding congregations.

Proposition 15 funds affordable housing and rental units in the city. Six years ago a similar bond issue was passed, and it did a great deal of good. Both of the properties of Saint Louise House, which provides housing for women with children, were purchased with some of those funds, but those monies are now spent and gone. To continue to help people, especially the elderly, repair and remain in their homes, another bond issue is necessary. AISD reported 1,635 homeless students in the schools in 2011. So affordable housing is also a great need for the young. I understand that this bond measure is “tax neutral,” that is it does not require an increase in taxes. I take this to mean that the taxes imposed six years ago for the previous set of housing bonds would just continue but there would be no increase. Given the positive track record of the city using housing bonds in the past (you can get more info on the PowerPoint presentation at yesforhomes.com), given that Federal Funds for housing have dried up, and given the continuing need, this is a worthwhile effort. Our parish is justifiably proud of having served as the incubator for the wonderful work of Saint Louise House in offering affordable housing to homeless women with children. Saint Louise House is under a financial crunch, even more so now than usual. This is one way to assist them. So I offer to your consideration support for Proposition 15: Housing.

In other news, on this very day, October 21, Pope Benedict XVI is canonizing seven new saints, including two Americans! The new American Saints are: Kateri Tekakwitha, (1656–1680) the first Native American to be canonized, often called “Lilly of the Mohawks,” and Mother Marianne Cope of Molokai (1838–1918) who joined Sisters of St Francis and worked for many years among the lepers in Hawaii. She cared for the dying Fr. Damien, and succeeded him in caring for the outcasts on Molokai for 30 years until her death. St. Kateri and St. Marianne, pray for us!

God bless!

Happy Birthday

Published October 20, 2012 • Written by

When I was little I would spend all year waiting for October to come around. And then when October did come I’d mark down the days until my birthday. My little heart would be filled with anticipation as I would gaze longingly at the calenda…

Catholicism 101: The Unity and Trinity of God

Published October 20, 2012 • Written by

We bless ourselves daily, “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” These words came from the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, verse nineteen (Matthew 29:19). This is what is called the Unity and Trinity of God. The image below (black & white) helps us to get some idea […]

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10/19/2012 Daily Readings and Homily

Published October 19, 2012 • Written by

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Ephesians 1:11-14 Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13 Luke 12:1-7 Subscribe in a reader

Strengthening education for youth, a challenge we must meet

Published October 19, 2012 • Written by

There has been healthy public debate in San Antonio on the proposed “PreK 4” plan, a pre-kindergarten education plan for four-year-olds that will appear on the ballot in November. Citizens will have to determine if a vote for this is in the be…

The New Breed of Holy Priests in the Catholic Church

Published October 19, 2012 • Written by

This came to me from LarryD of Acts of the Apostasy – a great blog that uses humor and intelligence to spread the beauty of the Catholic Church. This is a great vocations video! I found it very funny. The … Continue reading →

What our Children can Teach us about Faith

Published October 19, 2012 • Written by

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” (Mark 10:14-15) This passage from the Gospel of Mark was part of the Sunday Gospel […]

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7 Quick Takes Friday (vol. 192)

Published October 19, 2012 • Written by

— 1 — So, today is the craziest day ever. I drop the toddlers off at Mother’s Day Out; run back home; throw the baby in her crib for a power nap; flash-homeschool the big kids; go back to MDO early to watch the preschoolers race tricycles and jump through hoops for Olympic Day; go […]

Catholic Church – True Defender of Women

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

The John Paul II Life Center in Austin supports women by providing cutting-edge Ob/Gyn medical care, offering 3D/4D sonograms to women facing crisis pregnancies, and providing educational opportunities to couples and youth.

Who can claim to be…

10/18/2012 Daily Readings and Homily

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: 2 Timothy 4:10-17 Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18 Luke 10:1-9 Subscribe in a reader

Three prayer services highlight 25th anniversary of Papal Visit

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

Observances of the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to San Antonio were highlighted by a Night of Prayer for Vocations at St. Rose of Lima Church Sept. 13, above, and a prayer service at the Papal Mass&nbsp…

Defending moral issues

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

As we approach the election for president, the senate and congress, it is essential to remember that as the U.S. Bishops’ document on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship states, Catholics’ political engagement should be “shaped by the mo…

Respect Life Month

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

Each year, the first Sunday in October is observed as Pro-Life Sunday and the entrance into a whole month of reflections on the Gospel of Life. It has been a treasured observance in the Catholic Church in the United States for many years. The materials…

Ralph Martin to Speak at St. William Catholic Church November 4 & 5

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

Last year, St. William Catholic Church opened the doors for folks to come and hear Ralph Martin speak. I want to extend an invitation again because this time Mr. Martin will be fresh off the Synod of Bishops in the New Evangelization in Rome, where he was named an expert. He is also a consultor… [Read More]

Who are the Knights?

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

by Helcio Sumbe, a Sophomore Psychology major from Houston, Texas. Who are the Knights of Columbus? This question, though it may differ with each council of Knights, can be answered as follows. The Knights of Columbus is first and foremost a Catholic fraternal service organization founded by the Venerable Michael J McGivney. Built upon the […]

What’s So Wrong with Gay Marriage?

Published October 18, 2012 • Written by

I’m a print junkie. Which is why I can get online to find a recipe for beef stew, start clicking through links, and end up still online three hours later reading about the spotted Brazilian cave slug or Kim Kardashian. This weekend, for instance, I was looking up information on the presidential debates and came […]

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