Recently a Catholic gentleman asked me about my calling to the priesthood.  The question struck me as strange.  He was obviously curious with a good question.  I don’t question his motives.  He was actually thinking about his teenage son who had told him he was thinking about the priesthood.  However, the man’s language struck me as strange.  I don’t think in terms of a “call” to priesthood.

We have all heard the word, “calling”, with respect to a religious vocation.  It is very common in today’s language.  [Read more…]

We are initiating a new Liturgical Year.  We are also initiating a new cycle of biblical readings in the Mass.  This year we will explore the Gospel of Mark, which may have been one of the first Gospels written, shortly before the year 70 AD, probably in Rome.

Mark gets right down to business in the first chapter.  Jesus had already been baptized by John in the Jordan.  John has been arrested.  We heard that, [Read more…]

Jesus’ birth was not a “surprise party”.  God did not sneak up on men when he became a man.  There had been prophecies of the Messiah from long before.  The problem was that many Jews, especially their leaders, had ceased to care whether God would come among them or not.

Look what happened when the three “Magi” appeared in Jerusalem.  There had long been prophecies that God would send his Messiah, his “anointed one”. [Read more…]

The Church today celebrates “Gaudete Sunday”, the third Sunday of Advent.  “Gaudete” in Latin means joy.  St. Paul tells the Thessalonians,

“Rejoice Always!”

With all that is happening in the world, with all the sadness and poverty around us, how can we rejoice? [Read more…]

One of the greatest myths proclaimed by Protestants deals with reconciliation and forgiveness of sin. You have all heard it. Many Catholics even believe it. It goes something like this: “Why confess your sins to a man?”, or “I don’t have to go through a man to confess my sins. I go directly to God.”

This is myth! This is hogwash! It is false. But even worse, this myth does so much damage because it prevents people from confessing and reconciling with God. This myth is evil.
[Read more…]

A most unusual thing happened in human history.  Almighty God, the God of all creation, creator of heaven and earth, creator of mankind, became man.  The God of Gods became a small baby, born of the Virgin Mary.  This only happened once in all of history.  We are preparing to celebrate that fact again with the season of Advent.

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin, “advinio”, for “the coming”, or “He comes”.  [Read more…]

Do you believe in Hell?  Do you believe in it enough?  Does the existence of Hell guide and instruct your life and your moral decisions?  There is an old American expression for living as if there were no consequences to our immoral actions.  We say it is like “whistling past the graveyard”.

We don’t speak about Hell very often.  Many prefer to think and act as if Hell does not exist.  However, Jesus has spoken about it frequently.  At least five times in the Gospels, Jesus is quoted as saying that a person will be judged and thrown outside the gates of the Kingdom of God where there will be darkness and “wailing and gnashing of teeth”.   [Read more…]

Today’s feast of All Souls, and yesterday’s feast of all Saints, could not be more different. Yesterday, we acknowledged how happy we are that some of our race have made it to heaven and received the Promises God promised to the Just, the “poor in Spirit”. Today, we acknowledge that it is not that easy to get in, given our attachments to property, money and habits and lifestyles.

If there were no Purgatory, we would have to invent one. We can’t walk into our Grandparent’s living room, onto their clean, white carpets, with muddy feet. And, let there be no mistake, we all have muddy feet.
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A deacon friend of mine, Deacon Willie Cortez had a ministry in East Austin, working among the poorest of the poor.  At Our Lady’s Family Center, he created several youth programs for different ages of children and youth, including help with schoolwork.  Deacon Willie wanted to get the kids off the streets and out of gangs.  At every meeting they always learned something about Jesus and the Gospel.

One of his primary tools was a bowl of hard candies.  At the opening of every meeting the bowl of hard candies, which was always full, would be passed around. [Read more…]

Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning. [Read more…]

Although we believe we are Christian, sometimes we discover some really deep-seated pagan beliefs among us.  Pagan beliefs die hard.  For example the popular belief that heaven begins after death, after the cemetery.  That is wrong, and very pagan.  For Christians, heaven begins with our baptism.  That is our Christian faith.  Listen carefully with me to the words of the prayer Jesus taught us, “The Our Father”.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

And, Jesus said frequently, [Read more…]

Adrienne and Bill Makens

In the Gospel Jesus is showing us that love is a commandment, when he says, “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.”  If we learn about love from our culture we may think love is something we feel, or something we deserve to receive.  If we learn from Jesus, we learn that love is something we choose, no matter how we feel.  It is not something you receive, but it is something you give.  In the wedding ceremony you will promise to one another: “I will love you and honor you all the days of my life”, in good times and in bad.
[Read more…]