"A Humble Servant's Catholic Blog"

The post read, "If you break the law to get here, you will break the law while here.  Period." Then there was a link to a story about an illegal immigrant who had committed a horrible murder. My comment: "That's not true. You should talk to my Mexican family member. She has really opened my eyes. She was brought here illegally as a teenager, snuck in. It's a nice, warm, fuzzy idea that good people who want to come here in search of a better life should just put their name on a nice little list, and eventually it'll happen, but that's not how it works. If you lived in squallor with your children in a totally different world than anything we've ever dreamed of, you'd risk your life to change their future too. My family member was married to an American man for nine years. (Former Navy, by the way) who had never even been to Mexico. And she still couldn't get legal status. She worked hard for her family, AND paid taxes, even while she was ille...

Are you Church history buff looking for an opportunity to participate in the restoration of a historical Christian monument? Or an architectural history nerd who would love the opportunity to help restore the very last building design by the man behind Annunciation Catholic Church's bell tower? A philanthropist looking for a great cause to donate to for the betterment of society, history, and faith? Need to donate some money to a charitable organization for tax purposes, but want to find something really worthwhile? Or do you simply have some spare cash or other assets looking for a good place to go? Look no further! The " Hail, Full of Grace Capital Campaign " has exactly what you are looking for! From the campaign homepage, we learn that " Annunciation Catholic Church is a vibrant and historic parish community that dates back to 1869. For over 140 years, our church has been ministering to the needs of our greater Houston community. As the mother church...

In several reports regarding “ The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable ” (GCGI), released by the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, media outlets wrongly summarized and reported that Christians “ should not evangelize Jews ”. Blogs and media outlets from every corner burst out with half-informed op-eds, and all the reactionary comments that go with them, reporting and commenting on a wrong conclusion by an  author who chose to write an article on a topic he/she had not taken the time to fact check. Are we surprised? Of course, I won’t pin all the blame on the media. Most Catholics have come to expect statements from our current Pope to be less than crystal clear and easily misrepresented. Most media outlets don’t recognize the difference between the various Vatican documents, either. I doubt that more than a handful would have recognized GCGI “… is not a magisterial document or doctrinal teaching of the Catholic Church, but is a reflection ...

I once heard this: " Peter was only the head Apostle for the Jews, and Paul was the Apostle for the Gentiles ." Noting that most Christians in the US would be considered “Gentiles”, the person summarized that, therefore, “ Paul’s writings are the most important ones for us, and Peter’s writings are not required ”. There was also mention that Peter is shown more in relation to preaching to the Jews, and Paul preaching to the Gentiles. But even if that were true, it’s not a logical step to say that, because “person A” preached mostly to “group Y”, he was therefore ONLY the Apostle for that group. That’s not only illogical, it’s also unbiblical. According to another person, there is even a Christian group that claims we don't need the rest of the Bible at all , only what Paul wrote, because Paul is “our Apostle” and because, while Paul was converting Gentiles, the Jews rebelled against him, and so he stopped proclaiming to them. Paul did indeed stop preaching to *s...

My wife and I were sent a video link to a Fundamental Baptist preacher's sermon on the Virgin Birth, and what that means for Christians. ( The Virgin Birth as explained by pastor Charles Lawson.)  I half-expected the sermon to be the usual anti-Catholic hate-speech that I am sent from time to time by anonymous readers.  But instead of an anonymous person, this was sent to us by a good friend of my wife's, someone who genuinely cares about us and for whom we also care and pray daily.  So it should not have surprised me when the sermon was far from the usual.  While he did accuse Catholics of "worshipping" Mary a couple times, he spent most of his time sounding Catholic on the topic of Mary.  Compared to the usual, it was music to my ears.  In watching the video, I was excited to find that we have so much common ground on such an important person as Christ's Mother. I couldn't help but wonder if this pastor kn...

“He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.” (Col 1:18) “As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” (1Cor 12:20-27) “For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes an...

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20) “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk 16:15-16) “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Lk 10:16) “…The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles…Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he...

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church...” (Mt 16:18) “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (Jn 10:16) “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (Jn 17:17-23) “…making ev...

I once listened to a talk by John Martignoni of the Bible Christian Society called "One Church". If I had to pick a single message during my life where I really felt God was calling me to take a role in working to heal the divisions that have taken place in His Body, the Church (Eph 1:22-23), I would have to say that it spoke the loudest to me through that talk. I've listened to it several times, and I will post a link to it below, but here I am going to do my best to re-present it in writing*. From it, I want to share what I believe should be important to every Christian: unity in the Body of Christ. In Jn 14:6, Christ tells us, " I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me ". Jesus is telling us two important things here. 1) There is ONE truth. 2) The truth is a Person...Christ. We know this isn't the first time the Jews had heard something like this, because John writes, " Then Jesus said to the ...