Easter Season is such a rich season for symbols, for imagery. It is the season where I appreciate most the Church’s rich liturgical tradition – she really has a way of understanding the relationship between the natural and the supernatural world, which gives birth to such rich spiritual life. Last Sunday I was blessed with the… [Read More]
The Promise
photo credit: St. Thomas Aquinas parish, College Station, Tx I tuck my arm into my husband’s as we kneel during the consecration at Mass. I watch the communion line through eyes blurred by tears and listen to his steady voice blending with the rich harmonies of Ave Verum Corpus, while beside him I shake like… [Read More]
Fraternity: A Place of Charity and Indulgence
What does it take to be a man of God? The place of fraternity cultivates what we as men aspire to, masculinity. It sounds easy enough, but we don’t always cultivate the word of God in our heart (Col 3:16). We don’t always act in charity toward our brothers, sometimes we indulge in sin. Sometimes… [Read More]
Confirmation is NOT Graduation: Seeing Sacraments as More Than Goals
In our lives it’s hard to measure success, or even know if we’re moving forward and growing without goals, markers and signs. In school we learned material, took a test to make sure we had comprehended and studied that material and received a grade for our efforts. As adults, we earn raises or reprimands based… [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]
5 Common Misconceptions About Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday not only marks the beginning of the season of Lent, it is also a time when Catholic new media takes center stage, albeit not in the most obvious ways. This is because Ash Wednesday masses are some of the most attended all year, and most of those mass goers rely upon church websites… [Read More]
Catholic Time Travel 101
The call came in at 1:20p.m. on a Tuesday. My professional association had run a nice “member spotlight” on me in its magazine. It wasn’t much, just a few pictures of me and my family and a nice questionnaire about my career and personal interests. So, when a colleague called and mentioned it, I figured… [Read More]
Prada for God? 5 Things Every Woman Should Wear at Mass
You’ve glanced at the Sunday readings. You shuttled all your children and a husband to the minivan. You even remembered to brush your teeth. You made it to Mass before the first reading, so does it *really* matter what you wore? Yes, yes it does. Below, I share why it matters, how it can make… [Read More]
Being Connected
I tend to face life’s challenges and situations looking for the correct answer – Lord, what is the right thing to do? Lord, show me the right way to go! I was doing that yesterday in mass, seeking how to follow God’s will “correctly” – job stuff, grad school, the elections, friends and relationships were all on… [Read More]
75 Year of Faith: St.Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church
From simple beginnings, through tremendous growth, with a focus on educating the minds and hearts of Catholics and with a passion for serving, St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Parish has been through quite a bit in its 75 years as a Catholic faith community. A parish founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross parish in 1937,… [Read More]
Beauty of Truth Podcast – Ep 7 Why do we have to go to church every week?
Ep 7 Why do we have to go to church every week? Questions Can’t I just pray and read the bible at home? Why aren’t the big celebrations enough? What if I have to work or am on vacation? Catechetical Moment CCC # 2181 Living the Truth What can I do to get more… [Read More]
What’s with all the Rituals and Repetitive Prayers?
As a Catholic, you may have heard this before: why does Catholic worship involve so many repetitive rituals? It’s weird that you all say the same thing at the same time! It alienates others who don’t know the words and it looks funny. Or you may have thought this to yourself instead: Why do we say the same thing over and… [Read More]
Lessons from the Giving Tree and Thorns in our Side
Growing up did you ever read the Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein ? In this sad-for-a-kid-but-wonderful book, a tree and a boy become friends and the tree gives all it can to help the boy be happy. Here’s a video version if you haven’t read it, narrated by Shel). I’ve liked sappy stories my whole… [Read More]
VBS is for Catholics, Too
As a Protestant “it” was a must-do summer event. Every church I knew saw “it” as their greatest evangelizing week. Of course, I’m talking about one of the greatest weeks of summer, Vacation Bible School, otherwise known as VBS. Growing up as an evangelical and mainstream Christian, some of my fondest “Jesus memories” stem from… [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]
Summer Movie Mania and Catholic Mass
Have you ever stood in line hours before the midnight premiere of the movie you expect to be your new favorite? Even better, did you dress up for the event? We’re in the beginning of the summer movie season, and I’m hoping that it lives up to all the hype about the new movies. There… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: February 12, 2012 Readings and Reflection
Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reflection star at 3:00 Link to readings: http://catholic.org/bible/daily_reading/?select_date=2012-02-12 First Reading:Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 Second Reading: 1Corinthians 10:31 – 11:1 Gospel Reading: Mark 1: 40-45 Reflection done by Christopher Williston – @cwillistonvi Theme song – Ignite – Soundwave soundwave.cc Feedback Line Number: (512) 200-ACNM (2266) feedback@austincnm.com http://www.austincnm.com
Sunday Says Podcast: January 29 Readings and Reflection
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 29, 2012 (New Jerusalem Bible Translation) Skip to 3:45 to go to reflection. Reading 1 – Dt 18:15-20 Responsorial – Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9 Reading 2 – 1 Cor 7:32-35 Gospel – Mk 1:21-28 Reflection done by Cristobal Almanza – @SoulPainter Theme song – Ignite – Soundwave soundwave.cc Background music from JewelBeat Feedback Line Number: (512)… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: January 1 Readings and Reflection
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – January 1, 2012 Skip to 2:52 to go to reflection. Reading 1 – Numbers 6:22-27 Responsorial – Psalm 67:2-3,5,6,8 Reading 2 – 2 Galations 4:4-7 Gospel – Luke 2:16-21 Reflection done by Cristobal Almanza – @SoulPainter Theme song – Ignite – Soundwave soundwave.cc Feedback Line Number: (512) 200-ACNM (2266) feedback@austincnm.com http://www.austincnm.com
The Greatest Miracle – Movie Review
My family and I recently watched The Greatest Miracle movie and truly enjoyed this inspiring Catholic movie about the Catholic Mass. The movie is about three different people going through personal struggles, who find their way to Mass one day. Their Guardian Angels walk them through the Mass, encouraging them to fully live out their… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: December 4, 2011 Readings and Reflections
December 4, 2011 – Second Sunday of Advent Skip to 4:25 minute mark to go to reflection. First Reading Isiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Responsorial Psalm Psalm 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14 Second Reading 2 Peter 3:8-14 Gospel Mark 1:1-8 Reflection done by Cristobal Almanza – @SoulPainter Theme song – Ignite – Soundwave soundwave.cc Feedback Line Number: (512) 200-ACNM (2266) feedback@austincnm.com http://www.austincnm.com
The 3rd Roman Missal: A MASSive Change & A MASSive Opportunity
“If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy.” –St. John Vianey By the time most people read this, most of us will have attended Mass on Sunday, November 27, the First Sunday in Advent. At that Mass, if you didn’t already know that it was going to be a special day in… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: November 13, 2011 Readings and Reflection
November 13, 2011 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 1st Reading- Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-3 2nd Reading- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 Gospel- Matthew 25:14-30 Reflection by Rita Suva– @ritamgs Theme song – Ignite – Soundwave http://soundwave.cc Feedback Line Number: (512) 200-ACNM (2266) feedback@austincnm.com http://www.austincnm.com
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]
Sunday Says Podcast: Readings for October 30, 2011
October 30, 2011– 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 – Malachi 1:14b-2:8; 8-10 Reading 2 – 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9; 13 Gospel – Matthew 23:1-12 Hosted by Rita Suva– @ritamgs Song “Ignite” by Soundwave. Visit them at http://www.soundwave.cc and find their music on iTunes. Feedback Line Number: (512) 200-ACNM (2266) feedback@austincnm.com http://www.austincnm.com
Mass and Children
Last month, I wrote about some ways to prepare for Mass, intellectually, in light of being distracted more because of the kiddos. But, how can we prepare to reduce those distractions? First, a disclaimer, we are no experts. I’m just a father of a two-year old and an eight-month old. These are some suggestions that… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: October 9th 2011
October 9, 2011 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time To skip to the reflection go to the 4 minute mark. Reading 1 – Isaiah 25:6-10a Responsorial Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 Reading 2 – Phil 4:12-14, 19-20 Gospel – Matthew 22:1-14 Read the readings Hosted by Cristobal Almanza – @soulpainter Theme song – Ignite – Soundwave soundwave.cc Feedback Line… [Read More]
Mass Starts Before You Walk In
Altar serving is one of those gigs that is virtually always reserved for youth and, sometimes, older, retired parishioners for funerals or daily Masses. I started serving as soon as I was a practicing Catholic at age 13 and it remains the venue of service by which I felt most fulfilled. I haven’t served since Easter Vigil… [Read More]
Football and Faith
“Saints look at everything with God’s eyes; they measure their existence in God’s light; they do not give in to confusion because they live in reality and truth.”- Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan Last week high school football began. This week, college football kicks-off. And next week, we’ll see the 2011 NFL season we… [Read More]
The Issue of Kneeling
There are many different arguments among the faithful about the issue of kneeling. In fact, this argument has been around since the time of the Greeks and Romans, and it has been described as barbaric, demeaning, and enslaving. Most often it is said that we are past that and that it no longer suits the… [Read More]
It’s a Difference of Feeling – Making Mass Meaningful
We’ve all thought it at some point in our lives: “Why does Mass have to be so boring?” I’ll admit to it. Growing up in a Catholic household, I used to dread going to Mass (although for a youngster I think that’s almost expected). And there have been times – yes, even as an adult… [Read More]
