Excerpts on St. Michael the Archangel, Conductor of Souls were taken from the messages from a Soul in Purgatory [Sister M.G.] to Sister M. de L. C. who was under the care of a spiritual director (priest) when receiving the messages. The messages were published in a book called: AN UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT ON PURGATORY The… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons V: Minor Exorcisms
With today’s increase in pagan practices such as astrology, mediums, psychic readings, cleansings, New Age religion, Reiki, magic, angel touch, witchcraft, tarot cards, séances, Ouija boards, ghost hunters, Satanic music or worship, etc., people who have participated in any of these occult practices, including Christians, may feel demonically oppressed. When combating evil spirits there are… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons III: The St. Michael Relic Stone
In 490 AD, through a series of miraculous events, St. Michael the Archangel indicated that he had chosen a cave in Gargano, Italy, to be a shrine in his honor. He appeared to the local bishop, and he explained how unique and special this cave was to him, “I am the Archangel Michael, and am… [Read More]
Spiritual Lessons from a Lake Travis Tragedy
[This is a guest post from Norine Shaivitz.] Ten years ago today, I opened the newspaper and saw the story I had very briefly covered the day before took a turn I wasn’t expecting. Back then, I was a news anchor at a radio station and the day before had been busy. The few reporters… [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]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 1, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
November 1, 2015 Solemnity of All Saints Lectionary: 667 (NAB Translation) We celebrate the great Solemnity of All Saints this Sunday. Reading 1 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 In this week’s first reading we hear an apocalyptic passage of the great witnesses that have gone before us. We hear of how the ones that are near the… [Read More]
Build a Relationship with Your Guardian Angel [Audio]
Angels are one of my favorite topics, and I have been giving various presentations on angelology for the last 5 years. People are often surprised by how much they didn’t know about their angel. I have taken a short segment of some of those presentations and put it in audio format to share in honor… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons II
What is a Dragon? The Hebrew word “tanniyn” is used to depict a mysterious and vile creature similar to a giant reptile. “Tanniyn” is found 28 times in the Old Testament, with English translations sometimes referring to it as dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale, or jackal. In the New Testament the Book of Revelation uses the… [Read More]
Angels & Dragons
“Proclaim a War! Let the weak man say, ‘I am a warrior!’” (Joel 4:9-10) In these dark times we must contemplate and understand the spiritual battle we are facing. We must take a step back and ask ourselves, “What is happening to the world and to us?” The answer is that mankind is at the… [Read More]
All Saints Day
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” “Follow me, as I follow Christ.” This call of St. Paul to the Corinthians is high. Notice he does not encourage the community (in this passage) to seek the straight and narrow pathway of the Christian life alone, nor does he give a list of vague… [Read More]
Misconceptions About Death, Angels, and Dia de Los Muertos
I’ve been intrigued by how much interest there is about angels in the world today, especially from the secular world. In fact a 2011 poll found that 77% of Americans believe in Angels. Which is somewhat surprising considering that there is a growing number of people that don’t believe in God today. Sadly enough, angels are… [Read More]
Sunday Says – June 1, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflections
The Ascension of the Lord – June 1, 2014 Lectionary: 58 Traditionally this would be the 7th Sunday of the season of Easter, but in our diocese, like in most of the country’s we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord on this Sunday so that more people can attend it than if it were… [Read More]
Answering Your Questions: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory & Limbo
Last week we received a message from a group of students working on a class project at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Austin. They asked some great questions and while we can’t address all of their questions in one blog post, we wanted to be sure to respond to their main question and provide them… [Read More]
Choosing Sides (Review: “The Great Divorce”)
This may be the hardest review I’ve ever had to write for Austin CNM. It’s not my last (unless the Lord knows something I don’t), and it’s not because I don’t know how to express myself here. It’s because I’m not quite sure how I can impress upon you the importance of this book and… [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]
Hole-y Hearts: A Testimony to Ritual
Three days ago I moved into my apartment at Texas A&M. The good-bye to my family was sad, and although I could see how hot some of their eyes were getting, they held it together, which meant that I could hold it together. I love my family dearly and it was painful to see them… [Read More]
Mary is Our Homegirl: A Reflection on the Assumption of Our Humble and Barefoot Queen
She is so often portrayed as too pretty to touch, air brushed like a fluffy cloud or a pink puff of spun cotton candy. But she knew gut-wrenching grief. She cried real tears when she was widowed. Of course she did. Joseph’s death must have been a bottomless loss for her. She walked… [Read More]
Growth in Sober Consideration
“As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts are above your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) There often seems to be a subliminal attitude, which originates in Protestant circles but pervades many Catholic parishes. Because Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have already brought us full assurance… [Read More]
Beauty of Truth Podcast – Ep 20 Is Purgatory Real?
Ep 20 – Is Purgatory Real? Questions 1. Is Purgatory Real? (What is Purgatory?) 2 Macc 12:40-45 2. Who goes to purgatory? 1 Cor 3:11-15 Mt 12: 32 3. Is purgatory painful? 1 Pet 1:6-7 Catechetical Moment CCC 1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of… [Read More]
The Great Party in the Sky
Bear with me – there is a point to all this. In one of my favorite cartoons, Yosemite Sam finally catches Bugs Bunny after the usual chase and associated gags. After tossing some logs and a match into his oven, Sam orders Bugs in at gunpoint. Soon Bugs comes back out of the oven and… [Read More]
Beauty of Truth Podcast – Ep 3 Is Heaven real and how to I get there?
Ep 3 Is Heaven real and how do I get there? Questions Is heaven a real place? Who is there? Does everyone go to heaven? Catechetical Moment CCC #1821 Living the Truth How can I know for sure that heaven is real? Hosted by Casey Truelove and Cristobal Almanza Feedback Line Number: (512) 200-ACNM (2266) feedback@austincnm.com… [Read More]
The Gradual Road to Hell (Review: “The Screwtape Letters”)
I have finally found some paranormal romance that I like! Well, that’s not entirely true. This week’s book is about the paranormal and does contain romance, though. I will concede only one thing to Twilight and its successors in the paranormal romance genre, and I will admit to two: they’re getting girls to read, and… [Read More]
Mary, Our Star of the New Evangelization
Real beauty is seductive. It catches your attention, and then it draws you in. True beauty is so appealing that our souls recognize something very good communicated through it – something True. Just look at a starry night sky, a beautiful sunset, or a baby’s face. They all communicate a profound Truth – God is… [Read More]
When Mass Hits Home
Sometimes Mass just hits home. Completely out of the blue, you’re showered with the Holy Spirit. That happened this weekend and it was awesome. During this weekend’s Mass, newly ordained Deacon Barry Cuba gave the homily. He always approaches the pulpit with humility, humor and insight so I was excited to hear what he had to say. … [Read More]
Why We’re Here
Volunteering for education-related ministries is one of the ways that I’ve learned the most about our faith. This school year is my first year volunteering with high school teens. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but I kept the slate blank to let God fill in the details with the wonderful people involved in… [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]
Spending Our Best Gifts First!
Halloween is coming! As a child, I loved to trick or treat. My efficiency-minded personality really shone in my Halloween planning – I made sure to use a strong pillowcase because they were bigger and stronger than plastic bags or bucket, and I strategically picked which streets I’d frequent based on the number of decorated… [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]
