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]
Sunday Says Podcast – January 15, 2017 Mass Readings and Reflections
The Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday January 15, 2016 Lectionary: 64 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Isaiah 49:3,5-6 This week’s first reading is from the forty-ninth chapter of the book of Isaiah. This chapter introduces us to the “Suffering Servant” whose vocation was to liberate the people of Israel and bring salvation to the whole… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – December 18, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Fourth Sunday of Advent Sunday December 18, 2016 Lectionary: 10 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Isaiah 7:10-14 This week’s first reading from the book of Isaiah is a prophecy of the Messiah as the Immanuel- meaning “God is with us.” This prophecy was given by Isaiah to King Ahaz as a form of reassurance at a… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – December 4, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Second Sunday of Advent Sunday December 4, 2016 Lectionary: 4 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Isaiah 11:1-10 This week’s first reading from the book of Isaiah is a prophecy of the Messiah as the One who will descend as a branch from the root of Jesse in the lineage of King David. The Christ (Messiah) will… [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]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 14, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday August 14, 2016 Lectionary: 120 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10 This week’s first reading from the book of prophet Jeremiah recounts for us the challenges we may be faced with when conveying God’s truth when the message is unpopular. In this passage Jeremiah is accused of demoralizing… [Read More]
Sunday Says – June 5, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday June 5, 2016 Lectionary: 90 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 1 Kings 17:17-24 In this week’s first reading from the first book of Kings in the Old Testament, we see the Prophet Elijah demonstrate the power of God by raising someone from the dead. A poor widow in the pagan… [Read More]
The Hail Mary, the Visitation: a reflection
Mary… the name of that beautiful flower which I always invoke morning and evening.” ~ Dante I remember learning the Hail Mary when I was 20. I was dating the Catholic boy who I would one day marry. I was curious about the Hail Mary, never having heard more than the first line of… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – April 24, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Fifth Sunday of Easter Sunday April 24, 2016 Lectionary: 54 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Acts 14:21-27 In this week’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas continue their first missionary journey where they experience both opposition and acceptance in their efforts to evangelize. Through preaching, prayer, and fasting they are… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – March 13, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Fifth Sunday in Lent Sunday March 13, 2016 Lectionary: 36 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Isaiah 43:16-21 This week’s first reading is from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. This passage from Isaiah is a message of hope directed to God’s people who are in exile in Babylon. It is a reminder that… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – February 14, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
First Sunday in Lent Sunday February 14, 2016 Lectionary: 24 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Deuteronomy 26:4-10 This week’s first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Just before the death of Moses and before the Israelites enter the Promised land, Moses gives a repetition of the Law given at Mount Sinai… [Read More]
Mary, Sister of the Carmelite Soul
We are holding hands as we walk together along a rocky path on a hot July evening. We are talking about this and that. She asks me questions, listens thoughtfully as I talk about my life. She has a lot going on too, these days, and she unburdens her heart to me about her work,… [Read More]
Easy Green: A Reflection on Ordinary Time
My daughter, Maire, got in trouble at her Catholic middle school for wearing green nail polish, which was against the rules. (Only clear or light pink nail polish allowed, if I remember right.) When asked about her indiscretion, she said, “It’s for Ordinary Time!” I laughed hearing about that. At least she remembered what season… [Read More]
Shopping with Jesus
“When Black Friday comes, I’m gonna dig myself a hole, I’m gonna lay down in it ‘till I satisfy my soul.” -Steely Dan The Advent Season is at the same time as the Shopping Season. I wish it wasn’t so. I wish, when December comes, that I could spend my Advent and Christmas as a… [Read More]
The Catholic Roots of Halloween
Every year the questions about the acceptability of celebrating Halloween arise in Catholic and Christian circles: Can my family to celebrate Halloween? Is it okay for my child to dress up and trick-or-treat? Is Halloween a pagan, satanic or secular holiday? These, and a myriad of other questions about Halloween haunt the consciousness of Catholics… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood: Patience – Part 4
The third attitude of evangelical parenthood is patience. As we write this, we’ve just returned from a stint at the grocery store – one that we thought was going to be 30 minutes. An hour and a half later, we’ve just put up the last of the groceries. And …. where are/were our children? Somewhere… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood: Readiness for Dialogue – Part 3
The second attitude of Evangelical Parenthood lies in a readiness for dialogue. All too often, as a parent, we can be “preachy”. That is, we desire to control any conversation to the extent that there may be a difference of opinion or lack of time. We, some of us more than others, really need to… [Read More]
Being Open to the Bride
Last weekend I was blessed to witness the marriage of two very dear friends. The wedding was absolutely joyful, full of celebration that flowed spontaneously from the deep love and commitment of my two friends. On the drive home, with a heart full of the echoes of the celebration and the presence of my friends… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood: Approachability – Part 2
In order to answer our parental vocation to evangelize our children, Pope Francis says we must be approachable to our kids. We must develop and cultivate an attitude of approachability. As a parent, you want your children coming to you to ask difficult questions, right?! After all, if they don’t come to you, to whom… [Read More]
Are You the “Disciplinarian” in Your Family?
The description of someone as a “disciplinarian” carries certain connotations. Typically, the “disciplinarian” in the family is considered to be the person who administers punishment, who is considered the more strict of the parents. You may remember when you were a child hearing your mother say (after disobeying her or talking back) something along the… [Read More]
The Giver and the Gift: A New Year’s Resolution
Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights – James 1:17 A little over 40 years ago, my mom taught me a lesson that I will never forget: The giver of a gift is always more important than the gift itself. I believe that it was either… [Read More]
Lying, Confession, and St. Andrew
Lying Have you ever lied to someone? Did you mean to? Did you feel bad afterwards? What about during prayer? A friend and I recently shared a conversation about lying. In our own way, we each had entered into a state of sin; we fell short of our call to holiness and virtue. We shared… [Read More]
Graces of the Child Mary: a Reflection on Our Little Mother’s Presentation in the Temple
When I was a kid, I loved looking at pictures of my mom from when she was little. Not only could I see hints of who she would become–those eyes, that smile…those knees…. That spunk! I could also more easily see the ways I looked like her. I could compare pictures of the two girls,… [Read More]
New Evangelization, Reality TV, and Parenting
Effective parenting calls for new ways of communicating the Faith to children. In essence, parents must answer the call to the New Evangelization in their own homes with their own children. As parents, we’re called to find ways in every day life to convey the truths of the faith in ways that, perhaps, are a… [Read More]
Parenthood, Faith, and Mystery
In reality, it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man truly becomes clear … Christ the Lord, Christ the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of His love, fully reveals man to himself…He, who is the “image of the… [Read More]
The Perfect Time for Parenting
I’ll never forget when my wife, Michelle, told me we were pregnant the first time. I unwrapped a gift to find tiny baby booties inside with a note that said, “Can’t wait to meet you, Daddy.” As I recall, I just started laughing. And then I kept on laughing. And then laughed some more. For… [Read More]
Thanksgiving and Detachment
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad! Did you read what happened in that verse? The author acknowledged God’s work of creation and God’s work in creation. What follows when God is acknowledged? His creation is glad and rejoices! We are glad and we rejoice. The heavens declare… [Read More]
Four Keys to Setting Our Families Ablaze – Part 2 of 5 – Faith
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen … And without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:1,6) If our families are to be set… [Read More]
Four Keys to Setting Our Families Ablaze – Part 1 of 5
I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49) Jesus desired then, and He desires now that a fire be kindled on earth. Today, as much as at any time before in history, we as Catholics, as Christians, must take these words to heart. We must “rekindle… [Read More]
The Mystery of Parenthood
Fifteen years ago at St. Mary’s in College Station, I walked down the stairs with my then 3 year old son. What happened on those stairs opened my eyes and subsequently my wife’s eyes to the fact that parenthood does more for the parents than it ever does for the children. On that stairway, our… [Read More]
The Best Me
Last week marked the premature end of an all-too-short era in the Williston house when, after a remarkable temper tantrum by my son, Lincoln, we decided to sell the Wii and Xbox on Craigslist. It all started, as most family crises do, with a father/son matchup in Mario Super Sluggers, a Mario Brothers-themed Baseball game… [Read More]
Confession and Pentecost; Grace and Power
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6 This verse is not like Confession; this verse is Confession. Four things happen. I entrust myself to God through a spiritual father, a… [Read More]
No, no, no
All week long I’ve been trying to write about Boston, attempting to write some words of sense that are born out of a senseless situation. When sidewalks are awash with blood, an eight year old boy, among others, is dead, and limbs are lying on the ground, there is no sense. All I have are… [Read More]
NBC’s ‘Parenthood’ Addresses Teen Pregnancy and Abortion
In its four season history as a television show, NBC’s Parenthood has addressed issues that are honest, relatable and believable. From addiction to special needs children to infidelity to being a single mother to cancer to infertility issues to adoption to a soldier’s return from Afghanistan and more, Parenthood has not shied away from tough… [Read More]
Death & Your Marriage
This may be a little unusual for someone to admit, but, I’m not afraid to die. And I even look forward to death one day (not in a “I want to die today” type of way but in a “I look forward to being in God’s presence for eternity and in communion with the saints”… [Read More]
Authenticity & the Year of Faith
I have to be honest. When I heard that the Catholic Church had declared this year the “Year of Faith”, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Maybe it’s my ‘convert’ status rising up again, but while those around me were excited about the upcoming Year of Faith, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed… [Read More]
Fly Fishers of Men
Last week, I discovered a new obsession and, in the process, learned a thing or two about the new evangelization. While the nation celebrated the Fourth of July with hotdogs and hamburgers, my Dad and I headed into the New Mexico desert to the San Juan River for our first fly fishing trip. There is,… [Read More]
I am not Brandon Vogt
I know you can’t hear me sigh when I type these words, so you’ll just have to imagine it. I am not Brandon Vogt. A couple of months back, I made the fortunate mistake of following Brandon Vogt on Facebook. For those who don’t know who Brandon is, he’s what I’d call a celebrity. Not… [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]
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]
