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]
Would You Walk Away?
The woman serving as extraordinary minister reached into the ciborium and grabbed a host. At that moment, something white seemed to fly out. We both saw it. It flew off, falling to my left, her right. We looked at each other. “Body of Christ,” she said. “Amen,” I said, and I received on my tongue… [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]
You are gods (Jn 10:34)
Jesus says, “You are gods.” (Jn. 10:34) How is this possible? At baptism, we become “partakers of the divine nature,” (CCC 1265 or 2Pt.1:4) or as St. Athanasius states that we are, “becoming by grace what God is by nature.” The Catechism quotes St. Athanasius to explain this teaching, “For the Son of God became… [Read More]
Popular Misconceptions About the Catholic Mass, Part III: Communion Reception
“The concept that communion in the hand is the only or preferred form of reception for Catholics since Vatican II is mistaken.” Also in this series: Popular Misconceptions about the Catholic Mass Part I: Music Popular Misconceptions about the Catholic Mass Part II: Ad Orientem With this third and final piece in our series on… [Read More]
Liturgy and Culture: A Review of Ratzinger’s “Spirit of the Liturgy”
Pope Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ratzinger, wrote a magnificent book called The Spirit of the Liturgy which I had the opportunity to read, think, and write about for one of my classes here at the seminary. He has a great insight into the Liturgy’s meaning and its centrality to the world in which we live…. [Read More]
The Soul’s Movement at the Moment of Communion
Consider this article as a monologue or an interior thought, as if someone was thinking out loud and searching for an answer within themselves. At some points, I address the soul as “her,” instead of “it.” I do this partly because St. John of the Cross uses that kind of language in his writings. It… [Read More]
Short Meditation on Saints
The other evening I watched the biographical movie of Saint Hildegard of Bingen. As I sat there and watched this very beautifully made movie about the inspiring life of this very wise and holy Saint, I began to think how by today’s standards all the Saints that had heavenly visions, the mystics, would be considered… [Read More]
Our Good Friend, St. Philomena
Once upon a time in Rome, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian (in the third century), a young girl gave her life in witness to Christ under harrowing circumstances hard to imagine. She did this in spite of frightened parents, repeated and successively more cruel tortures, threats and even persuasive words and temptations… [Read More]
Second Pew, Choir Side
I can point to the pew I sat in the first time I went to Mass at St. Mary’s in College Station. It was my first week as a freshman at Texas A&M. I had only been to Mass a few times before in my life. A Christmas with my grandmother as a small child,… [Read More]
Beauty of Truth Podcast – Ep 6 Why would Jesus become bread and wine?
Ep 6 Why would Jesus become bread and wine? Questions How can an infinite God become bread? Why would it look, smell, taste, and even have the same nutritional value of bread if has changed? It sounds cannibalistic, why would a loving God do this? Catechetical Moment CCC # 1324 Living the Truth How… [Read More]
Beauty of Truth Podcast – Ep 4 Why are the saints important?
Ep 4 Why are the saints important? Questions What is a saint? Do Catholics worship them? If they all point to Jesus, then why pay any attention to them now that they’re dead? Catechetical Moment CCC #828 Living the Truth Can I really become a saint? Hosted by Casey Truelove and Cristobal Almanza Feedback Line Number: (512)… [Read More]
