The second attitude of Evangelical Parenthood lies in a readiness for dialogue. All too often, as a parent, we can be “preachy”. That is, we desire to control any conversation to the extent that there may be a difference of opinion or lack of time. We, some of us more than others, really need to… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood: Approachability – Part 2
In order to answer our parental vocation to evangelize our children, Pope Francis says we must be approachable to our kids. We must develop and cultivate an attitude of approachability. As a parent, you want your children coming to you to ask difficult questions, right?! After all, if they don’t come to you, to whom… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood
Parents are called to evangelize their children – to be evangelical parents. Yet, all too frequently many of us fail to answer the call to share the “Good News” with them because we never preach the Gospel to our children. We leave that to the priest in the Sunday homily or the religious education teacher… [Read More]
Part 5 of 6 – Pope Francis, Teaching, and Parenthood
As with previous Popes, Francis teaches. It’s his job so to speak. As parents, we also are called to be the first and primary teachers, the “first heralds” of the faith to our children. We can learn a great deal about fulfilling that role by watching him do his job. In order to help us… [Read More]
Part 4 of 6 – Pope Francis, Parenthood, and the Importance of Admission
By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will be better able to guide and correct them. (Cathechism of the Catholic Church, 2223) Early in his pontificate, Pope Francis has given parents yet another tip – admitting our failings to our children. One of the common themes of Pope Francis has… [Read More]
Part 3 of 6 – Pope Francis, Parenthood, and Questions
Another important tool for parents that we have learned from Pope Francis is the use of questions in our parenting. In his interview with an atheist, when asked a question, Pope Francis responded with a question on several occasions. We, as parents, can learn from this. Questions are frequently the best response initially to… [Read More]
The Theology of Womanhood, Eternal
The Glass Ceiling Last Sunday I attended mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Downtown Houston. I was in town for a wedding, and the 11am mass at the Co-Cathedral just happened to work for my day. It turns out that day they were having a beautiful special ceremony to honor the city’s… [Read More]
Pope Francis and Parenting by Example – Part 2 of 6
Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2223) From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has led by example. He has put flesh on the message, so to speak. He as our “Papa” has taken ideas, concepts, and truths and concretely put them into… [Read More]
5 Things Pope Francis Can Teach Parents About Parenthood – Part 1 of 6
Pope Francis has taught us quite a bit about parenthood. In word and deed and in just the first six months as “Papa”, his words and his actions have taught us and can teach any parent something about raising children. Today, we’d like to share some of what we’ve learned from him and to challenge… [Read More]
ICYMI: Good Samaritan, Catholic Bands, Respect Life & Wisdom From the Pope
Did you have a good weekend? I hope your Monday (and week) are off to a great start! The following is a collection of cool news, resources and even some wisdom from the Pope you may or may not have heard about – hence the title – In Case You Missed It. Is there anything… [Read More]
Have you read Lumen Fidei yet? Part III: Faith in Relation to Love and Truth
I’m still working on reading it myself! As we follow our Pope in all his tweets and homilies, and that beautiful and authentic interview released last week, and how the media responds, etc, let’s take a break from the sound-byte surfing and dive back in to the deep end – to continue our slow process… [Read More]
What Pope Francis is Asking from Us
photo credit: the guardian Today I read several different excerpts from various publications of the August 2013 interview with Pope Francis from the America Magazine and tried to process the angles which were presented. I admit, several of the Holy Father’s points I found refreshingly honest and true, yet they simultaneously left me with a… [Read More]
#prayforpeace and #fast4syria
“Let the cry for peace ring out in all the world!#prayforpeace” –@Pontifex, Pope Francis, Twitter, September 4, 2013 This past Sunday, September 1, during his Angelus Address, Pope Francis called upon Catholics around the world to observe a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria on Saturday, September 7. As Pope Francis made… [Read More]
Some Monday Morning Inspiration To Get You Going
Oh, Monday, here we are again. Maybe your weekend was packed with activities or maybe it was used for a Netflix-surfing-couch-time. Yet, here we are again, on a Monday with a full week ahead of us until the next well deserved weekend. While channel flipping over the weekend, I caught a few minutes of the… [Read More]
Lumen Fidei: Part II, We Have Believed in Love
(This is the second reflection over Lumen Fidei in a series. This installment covers Chapter One: We Have Believed in Love. For the introduction, please see Lumen Fidei: Part I, Illusion and Illumination). Introduction We received a perfect inspiration to return to studying Pope Francis’ encyclical, Lumen Fidei, The Light of Faith, during last Sunday’s mass…. [Read More]
Lumen Fidei: Part I, Illusion and Illumination
With all of the excitement from World Youth Day in Rio, we’ve been receiving fresh doses of inspiration from our dear Pope each day. Pope Francis has been building a deep and coherent message for all of us these past few weeks, starting with the publication of Lumen Fidei, his first encyclical. Even as he… [Read More]
No Me Juzgues
Acabamos de ver la inmensidad de la Jornada Mundial De La Juventud 2013 con tres millones de jóvenes atentos a las palabras y cada movimiento del Papa Francisco. Los mensajes del Papa nos han dejado a todos inspirados y listos para seguir el camino como discípulos de Cristo. Nos ha bendecido de nuevo con su… [Read More]
Pope Francis Homily to Seminarians, Novices and Young People Discerning their Vocations
“You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” -St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church On Sunday July 7th, Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with many… [Read More]
This I Believe* – I Believe in Community
The human reality of community has been on my mind and heart a lot lately. How we experience community is so foundational to how we experience Church. Pope Francis recently put forth a challenge to each of us: “What do I do to make the Church a community in which everyone feels welcomed and understood, [in which]… [Read More]
from my side of the curtain: a memory.
I don’t remember much about having my babies. It’s a foggy time, really. I find myself periodically asking my husband to tell me the stories, like child who likes to hear the same favorite fairy tale over and over again. I guess it’s a ‘mommy fog’, made up of adrenaline, hormones, fatigue and pain medication… [Read More]
The *Best* Mother’s Day Gift
The older I get, the higher priority I place on spending quality time with my parents and the more I realize the profound role I have in shaping my own children.Perhaps it’s because I now have a middle schooler in the house and I see time slipping away. I’m beginning to understand what it means… [Read More]
The Audacity of Pope Francis
On Good Friday morning last week, I received this text message from a friend, “Your new Pope is all kinds of awesome.” You can probably derive from the message that my friend is not Catholic. He read in the news about Pope Francis’s Holy Thursday visit to wash the feet of prison inmates and, like… [Read More]
Two Guys a Girl and a Catholic Podcast Episode 87: The Pope Is Still Catholic
Episode 87 [powerpress] Current Events: Recap of Unofficial event http://www.austincnm.com/index.php/2013/03/listen-to-the-sxswi-unofficial-catholic-panels-and-keynotes/ Pope Francis’ Coat of Arms and new ring http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/pope-francis-ring-pallium.cfm Cardinal Borgolio, now Pope Francis was not a popular vote. View Fantasy Conclave results http://blog.ecatholicwebsites.com/fantasy-conclave-update/ Church News: The annual Chrism Mass will be held March 26 at 10:30 a.m. at St…. [Read More]
St Francis 101 – Our New Pope’s Patron!
We have all received a significant and beautiful first message and gift from our new Pope through the patron/namesake he took on when he accepted the call to serve us as our Shepherd: St Francis. What stirs in your heart when you hear that name? How does your soul respond when you pray for our new… [Read More]
Quiet Thunder
Photo: AFP Quiet Thunder From a canopy of umbrellas open, eyes and hearts are lifted heavenward. Flags are waved, and prayers are uttered through misty rain. Hope rushes smoky white from an ancient chimney for what seems an eternity. A stirring on the balcony and silence falls. Quiet thunder is coming. Millions gather to… [Read More]
Habemus Papam! Pope Francis
UPDATE: The following is Bishop Joe Vasquez’s press conference about our new Holy Father. Thanks to Relevant Radio and Pat Ryan! [powerpress] Original Post: At approximately 1:13pm CST on Wednesday March 13, 2013 white smoke began billowing out of the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel. Viewership online at EWTN, CatholicTV.com, Salt and Light and more jumped… [Read More]
