A Voice in the Church in Central Texas
A remark during the homily at midnight mass really struck me. The priest reflected how each Christmas is different, not because the Gospel story changes -indeed the story is everlasting – but because we come to Christmas each year a little bit different. Each year we bring with us the lived experiences of the whole past year…. [Read More]
You may remember the news headlines about Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. They focused on the bristling of some archdiocesan school teachers at the prospect of having to sign a statement affirming their support of the Catholic faith. As a former Catholic high school teacher myself, I thought it was much… [Read More]
I hope you are all having a restful and blessed Christmas season! Pope Francis invites us to contemplate what God teaches us in coming as a child: “He makes himself small, he becomes a child, to attract us with love, to touch our hearts with his humble goodness,” and also”Pope Francis said the creche reminds us that… [Read More]
Last night something rare happened: My husband and I found ourselves at the MOVIES. Shocking, I know. I’ll pause to let you collect yourself. (Seriously, we don’t go to the movies. We usually watch Netflix with the volume so low that we only catch about half of the dialogue and have to ad-lib the rest… [Read More]
I would like to give you, dear reader, this poem as a gift, in the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas and traveling with the Magi towards Epiphany, to give our humble gifts to the Christ Child. Many Christmas blessings to you all, and a joyful New Year! My dear Adult, ‘tis Christmas time,… [Read More]
Yesterday I found myself bringing St Augustine’s Feast Day to a close by reciting passages from his writings with a small gathering of friends; we raised a glass to the Doctor and Saint, and celebrated this man who was so dearly human. The passage I recited had been had been reverberating in my mind since that… [Read More]
My conversion to Catholicism occurred about eight years after the events I described in Grace Made Man. Only 3 short months after I was confirmed, God’s providence allowed me to serve with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the Missionaries de Christe in Honduras. This would become my greatest lesson in community to date…. [Read More]
As soon as Thanksgiving ends and the consumer world starts promoting and selling Christmas in earnest, I feel like I immediately start to hear from the Catholic media sphere the repeated mantra warning us against the spirit of materialism: Focus on the reason for the season, don’t get stressed out over Christmas shopping and buying stuff, don’t… [Read More]
Most of us would agree that rejection is never pleasant. As I look back on my life so far, I realized just how much effort I’ve put into looking for acceptance from the world. Sometimes it was as simple as which clothes I wore, the music I listened to, or what I drove. Other times… [Read More]
