You know that moment when you plug your destination into Waze, and you hope and thinking, “Am I going to make it on time?…Waze says I’ll get there 5:23pm…but maybe the traffic will lighten up? Or it will find me a short cut??” A couple of weeks ago I was caught in that circumstance. Chugging… [Read More]
#CatholicConvo Through the Eyes of an Texan
“Uplifting, motivating, challenging, community, transformative.” That’s how Theresa Prudhomme, a mid 20s young professional from Katy, describes her experience of #CatholicConvo in 5 words or less. The weekend before last, while we were all firing up the grill and making July 4th plans, Theresa joined thousands of lay leaders, religious, priests and bishops from across… [Read More]
Leadership in Difficult Times: Thanking God for Pope Francis
There’s plenty to be anxious about right now. Plenty to sweat over and stress over and just wear ourselves out with worry over. It could make anyone want to live under a rock — honestly I kinda understand the appeal of living under a rock as a reactive response to everything that’s happening. Against the… [Read More]
Binge Watching is Holding You Back
We need to have a talk about viewing habits. Netflix and other streaming services have become the new staple in media consumption because of it’s low prices and on-demand access to massive collections of media. For just a few dollars a month, we have access to more media than we could actually consume in a… [Read More]
Priests Say The Funniest Things!
“Well, the good Lord did invent humor.” I vaguely recall Fr. Mulcahy saying that once on MASH after someone apologized to him for cracking a joke. Fictional TV characters aside, priests are people too. While their primary job is to lead us to Jesus, it’s also okay for priests to be funny. To give… [Read More]
Don’t Read This Blog: Enjoy Labor Day Unplugged
We live in an overstimulated society. Between TV screens, phone screens, computer screens, tablet screens, phablet screens, laptop screens, and movie screens, are brains are just plain ol’ overloaded. Just for fun, think back to your last work day. How many hours were spent looking at a screen? What about when you got home? If… [Read More]
3 Ways the “My Five Wives” Pilot is Like a Punch to the Heart
As I prepare to get married and live with a dude, there are many changes happening in my life. One of those changes is getting cable TV, since my darling fiance’s quality of life dramatically improves when he is able to watch the Cornhuskers year-round. I never considered myself a big TV person, but now… [Read More]
The Call Behind the Silence
One unfortunate artifact of the technological mindset of our age is that we are uncomfortable with what we cannot grasp. Silence makes us uneasy because it makes us aware of a certain emptiness inside ourselves. So we fill our lives with noise and distractions – television, games, music, frivolous shopping. Our advances are geared toward… [Read More]
Our Story, Our Voice: Why ACNM Is Needed
On my way to work on Wednesday morning I heard a story on the radio that almost made me drive off the road. Apparently the majority of American Catholics want a younger, hipper, more liberal Pope. As you can imagine this was news to me. According to the story… 54 percent – would like the… [Read More]
Media Discernment and You
I have a love/hate relationship with the media. I am Catholic and I am committed to my faith, but I work with many non-Catholics and with Catholics who are seeking direction. Being a good evangelist means I have to keep track of what’s going on outside the Catholic bubble, to follow the Bible’s advice to… [Read More]
A New Media Guide for the New Evangelization (Review: “The Church and New Media”)
Here at Austin Catholic New Media, we strive to harness the most popular social technologies of the day to aid in the New Evangelization. In other words, since everyone and his grandma is on Facebook, can we share our Catholic lives in photos and status updates? Can we use YouTube to teach people about Catholicism?… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: November 6, 2011 Readings and Reflection
November 6, 2011 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1, Wisdom 6:12-16 Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 Gospel, Matthew 25:1-13 Skip to 3:55 if you would like to go straight to the reflection. 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
Engaging the Culture of Today
I’m often surprised by the way some people seem to think that God doesn’t put much thought into the details. Almost as if things accidentally fell into place and He just hopes for the best. He deserves a lot more credit than that – God is omnipotent and He has no limits. We are living… [Read More]