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Do you think God only calls extraordinary people to do something special? Here you will find regular people, like you and me, who heard the invitation from God. They responded, and today walk with our people, faithful to God’s wishes. How will you respond?
By Carmen F. AguinacoThere is an anecdote about a punk teen who went into a church when Mass had already started. He had spiked purple hair, chains and spikes. The middle class congregation held its breath, somewhat horrified. An usher followed the young man who walked decidedly to the front of the church. For a brief moment, people thought the usher was about to kick the young man out of church. But something surprising happened instead: the young man sat on the floor since there was no room on the benches and the usher sat down next to him. Both followed the celebration of the Eucharist...
Invigorate the taste of life as salt does.Christians are to season the tastelesswherever they go,in the place where they live,with the people they meet.We are to make life agreeable,treat others with such pleasantnessthat their lives become seasoned.Pedro Poveda
Song of “the Posadas”OutsideIn the name of heavenI ask for lodging,For my beloved wifeCan walk no longer.InsideThis is no inn.Just keep on going.I shall not open,For it might be a scoundrel.OutsideDo not be inhumane.Have mercy on us,For God in the heavensWill come to reward you.InsideYou can just leave nowAnd bother no more.For if I get angryI will come out and strike you.OutsideWe come exhausted from Nazareth.I am a carpenterBy the name of Joseph.InsideI don’t care what your name is.Just let me sleep,For I told you alreadyI shall not open the door.OutsideLodging is asked for,...
The waiting of Advent is a longing for the desires of our hearts. Advent is the anxious wait for news from the doctor about the result of a biopsy. It is the anguished wait for the verdict from a judge or jury about guilt or innocence or jail time; it is the nerve-racking wait for a teenager to make it home at night or a child to come home safely after school. It is the seemingly endless wait for our immigration papers to arrive before the Migra decides on our deportation. It is the wait for a fever to go down or depressed spirits to rise up. It is the wait for mortgages and credit to...
“About ten years ago, I had a strong urge to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (La Virgen de Guadalupe) in Mexico City. I kept having visions in my mind of her image as I was praying. I knew little about her story except what her image looked like and that her image was honored in the Mexican culture. I had a gut feeling that these recurring visions were a sign from God to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. . .Over the years, I read a lot of literature, looked her up on the internet, and spoke with different people about Our Lady of Guadalupe. People...
By Guadalupe RodríguezHappiness is finding one’s true vocation in life. In today’s world the word vocation can take on many meanings. If you are in school the word vocation can mean a plan of study you wish to undertake in high school or college. In church we use it to identify our call to holiness through the married, single, or consecrated life in a Christian vocation. Sometimes there can even be a vocation within a vocation. For many in the church, the permanent diaconate has brought us happiness beyond what we thought we could experience. It is a vocation within a vocation because we are...
By Carmen F. AguinacoIn a Catholic.net forum, Olinda, a young Hispanic woman, affirmed that she opted for the single life, not by accident or because she had no other choice, but as her response to God’s call. Olinda says, “Being single is not so bad. Sometimes our life as a single person can be very good. Not every is born to be married. Some are called to religious life, others are called to marriage and some of us are called to be happy as a single person because it is how God wants it and our personal path toward holiness.”If Olinda’s affirmation may seem provocative and different to many...
By Sandra NavarroWhen Claretian Brother Manuel Benavides was in high school, he felt a strong attraction to the sacred, but he was afraid to investigate whether religious life was his vocation. When his father died, he felt a tremendous emptiness and, on the advice of a relative, he went to a priest to ask him for help to discern what to do with his life. But he recognized his vocation in an uncommon way: at a party where a priest was invited, a conversation with him changed Benavides’ life and perception of God. From that time on he was sure that his way in life was as a religious brother.“...
By Vanessa MartínezAt the age of six, I had my first memorable encounter with injustice. I was having lunch with my classmates when an argument interrupted our routine. A friend was demanding money from another girl, who had no way of paying. One look at the girl and you could see she was very poor—her rubber sandals were worn out and dirty, and one had been shoddily sewn together to keep it from falling apart. It was the attitude of those classmates witnessing the encounter that led me to get involved in the argument. It seemed everyone had sided with the girl who demanded the money, while...
By Sandy Ruby HuizarMy mother is always looking for ways to help others and is very involved with St. Francis of Rome Parish in Cicero, a suburb of Chicago. As a young child, she taught me that an all powerful God, who is our Father, exists, cares for and protects us. Thanks to her efforts, today I have the opportunity to work in the parish as an assistant secretary. Through this work, I share my life with other Catholics and come into contact with many people of faith. And every Sunday, I attend Mass with my family and truly enjoy being a young Catholic. My parents, godparents, the priests...
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