Game 6: An Apt Analogy

It's taken a few days for the sting to wear off a bit, but I am ready to talk about the World Series.  I was hoping to be writing a post about celebration and teamwork, instead I find myself reflecting on Game 6.  I made a presentation to the RCIA group yesterday and it hit me as I was beginning that Game 6 is a apt analogy for our spiritual walk or should I say race.

The race we are in is not for a pennant, but for the beatific vision - the Face of God.  St. Paul says in Hebrews (Heb 12:1) that we should "persevere to run the race that is before us."  That is exactly what the Cardinals did; they didn't give up. Even down to their last strike (twice!).  We need to take that same attitude into our spiritual lives, never giving up. We need not giving into despair (like Judas - see the scene in the Passions of the Chris).

On the flip side, we should never become so comfortable as to think we have finished the race, that we have closed the game.  We need to persevere in our pursuit of holiness, up to the very last strike, our last breath.

Catholics Descend on Dallas

Today the Dallas and Ft. Worth Dioceses are hosting the annual University of Dallas Ministry Conference at the Dallas Convention Center. I hope to obtain some audio and video footage from the weekend and some good ole Catholic "swag."

Here's a promotional video that includes Bishops Farrell and Vann:

Baseball - A Catholic Sport?

Ok, so I won't lie, I was looking for an excuse to post about the World Series. I am beside myself because the Texas Rangers are one game away from their first World Series championship.  I have followed the team since 1972 when my Dad took me to the Arlington Stadium to see the Rangers play the Oakland A's who would go on to win the Series that year.

This weekend, one of our Joe Catholic and RCIA catechists brought up the World Series wager between St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson and Ft. Worth Bishop Kevin Vann.  The point he made in bringing up the World Series wager was that Catholicism doesn't have to be a stuffy religion about rules and regulations. While there is a place for rules (10 Commandments) and regulations (liturgical rubrics), we also find God in the ordinary corners of our lives.

In honor of the World Series I have collected a few articles written on the subject of Catholicism and Baseball.  If you only have time to read one, start with A Perfect Game.

Catholic Dads - Catholicism and Baseball

Catechist's Journey - Catholicism and Baseball

First Things - A Perfect Game

Tuesday Tech Talk: Saint of the Day App

As we approach All Saints Day (which IS a Holy Day of obligation) I thought I'd focus Tuesday Tech Talk on another tool to help us reflect on the lives of the saints.

The Saint of the Day iPhone application was developed by American Catholic/St. Anthony Messenger. The material is derived from the book of the same name authored by Father Leonard Foley, OFM. The application is straight forward and allows you to search saints by name, cause and date. Additionally, the application has a short audio file link for each saint entry.  There are also other features that connect the app to the American Catholic web with snippets.  The app costs $2.99 and is available on iTunes.

Here is a brief video demonstration of the app:

Saint Talk: Blessed John Paul II

Today marked the first celebration of the feast day for Blessed John Paul II.

Related items:

Blessed John Paul II Intercessory Prayer

John Paul II Sister Spreads his charism

Saint Talk: St. Teresa de Avila

Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices.

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church. I like to call her the original flying nun because often while she was praying before the blessed sacrament, she would enter a state of ecstasy and begin to levitate. 

St. Teresa is best known as a reformer of the Carmelite order and a spiritual mystic. Her spiritual classic, Interior Castle is widely read and considered a monumental examination on meditative prayer. In addition to her writings on meditative prayer, St. Teresa had a tremendous devotion to St. Joseph and wrote about it in her autobiography.

St. Teresa's life was the subject of a Spanish film entitled, Teresa de Jesus which has recently been made available in the United States by Ignatius Press. Below I have included a video from Arcadia Films, Saints Speak series.

Tuesday Tech Talk: Catholic Mass Times

If you travel quite a bit or find yourself away from your local parish, the Catholic Directory's Mass Times application is a must. The app is FREE!

Using your "current location" or typing in a zip code, this app will find a list of nearby parishes along with their mass times and confession schedules.  This is a wonderful tool for helping you fulfill your obligation to attend mass on Sunday (or the Saturday vigil), which is one of the precepts of the Church.

This app is NOT associated with MassTimes.org, which has its own app, but it is not nearly as good as this one.  The website is still a great site to go to if you are at home or have wifi in your hotel.

Pray the Rosary

Today mark's the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary. It is also a reminder that October has been set aside as the Month of the Rosary. This is a good time to get back on track with incorporating the Rosary as part of your daily prayer life. Perhaps you can share the Rosary with your family one night a week. Father Peyton's saying is as true now as ever: "the family that prays together, stays together."

Remember, prayed properly - reflecting on the mysteries - the Rosary is not simply a set of repetitive prayers, but a meditation on the life, suffering and death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is NOT a Marian prayer, but rather a Christocentric prayer, for it is a meditation on the Gospel, the Word of God, made flesh in Christ!

Here's an inspiring video on the Rosary. After the video, I have posted a few links to help with praying the Rosary. Also check out the many links on the right column of the Catholic Culture link I have above for the Month of the Rosary.

How to Pray the Rosary

The Rosary Army Podcast

The Rosary Pope: Leo XIII

Saint Talk: Anniversary of Canonization of St. Josemaria

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the canonization of St. Josemaria, founder of Opus Dei. Blessed Pope John Paul II called St. Josemaria the "saint of the ordinary life." On this anniversary of his canonization, let us ask St. Josemaria for his intercession as we make our way in our daily lives, seeking to answer God's call to holiness.

Tuesday Tech Talk: Video Reflections on Daily Readings

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' website is a wonderful and robust website for all things Catholic. I plan to do a review of the complete site in the future. Today's Tuesday Tech Talk (T3) is focused on a recent addition to the site - video reflections on the daily readings.

The USCCB has produced a series of videos which reflect on the Gospel reading of the day. The reflections are led by priests and lay people alike. Most of the reflections are no more than five minutes long. They make a nice complement to reading the scripture of the daily mass.

The videos can be shared by email, IM, Facebook and Twitter. My one complaint is that the videos cannot currently be embedded in blogs or parish websites. I would have liked to have embedded one as an example.  For now, I will share the link to the Martha and Mary gospel reading from today.

One other minor criticism is that clicking on the Reflections link does not take you directly to the day's reflection. Instead you must click the tab for the month's reflections and scroll down for the day you are looking for. I am sure this will be worked out over time.

The Little Flower

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux who is one of the most beloved saints of our time. She is a Doctor of the Church, patron of missionaries and author of the Story of A Soul.

One of my favorite accounts about St. Therese is one describing her interaction with a fellow nun who was especially difficult to get along with. St. Therese's response was to simply be nicer to that nun and smile at her as often as possible. There is a great scene in the movie Therese (now available for streaming on Netflix) depicting this story. The other nun is so moved by Therese's kindness that she can't help but ask, "Why do you like me so much." Although Therese doesn't specifically say so in the scene, it's because she sees Christ in that nun.

Herein lies one of the simply ways which we can model the Little Flower. I am sure each of you reading this post, knows at least one person you work with or encounter regularly who challenges your ability to be friendly.

Give St. Therese's "little way" a try and enjoy this video from Arcadia Films on St. Therese.