It always amazes me how people that have nothing to do with a group or entity, or may even hold disdain towards it, can have (and voice), such fervent and vile opinions about the internal affairs of that group or entity.  

I recently ran across an opinion article in a local newspaper (which after considering it, decided it was too insulting to warrant dissemination) that brought this point to mind.  The article was written by a respected and obviously learned international journalist, who has written several books, and is considered by (possibly millions) as a man of integrity and objectivity.

Miami Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez, who has been serving as interim pastor at my parish for the last couple of weeks, has been selected by the Vatican to be the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

In a statement, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, states:

I congratulate Bishop Estevez on his appointment as the new Bishop of St. Augustine.

For me, there's nothing like a good conversion story.

From the story of St. Paul, who was persecuting Christians and was thrown from his horse when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, to St. Augustine of Hippo, who was living a life of paganism and debauchery, before his conversion, I truly enjoy reading and hearing stories of people turning their life around to follow Christ.

Probably my favorite Mass of the year is the celebration of the Lord’s Supper Liturgy on Holy Thursday.

The night is significant for most Christians, since it is the beginning of the Paschal Mystery, better known as the Passion of Christ, but for Roman Catholics, it has an even deeper meaning.

As a father, who wants his children to grow up with sound understanding and fervor for Christ and the Church, I'm always looking for teaching opportunities to share the faith with them, without, as my wife warns me, overwhelming them (which, as you can imagine, as zealous as I can be, is not always easy).

In the story of the Prodigal Son, the younger of two sons demands his half of his inheritance, goes out to a distant land and squanders it on wine, women and song (so to speak). After blowing everything he had, a famine hits the land and he finds himself broke, starving and working in a pigsty.

The ungrateful son realizes that his father’s hired help is living better than he is.

Several times, I have mentioned an upcoming 10-part documentary on Catholicism, expected to be released in September. This is not your garden variety documentary. It is a major and visually spectacular undertaking by Chicago Archdiocese priest, blogger and You Tube evangelist, Fr. Robert Barron and his Word On Fire staff.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, “There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church.

People come in and out of our lives throughout our existence.

Some leave profound impressions, while others, unfortunately, we hardly remember after a few years.

Some leave us through death, as my grandparents, who helped make me the man I am today and I was never able to express the gratitude, love, and respect that they deserve, although I know someday I will, while others just drift away because of circumstances.

Setting a good example for my children can have its downside.

Several weeks ago, I wrote that one of my Lenten Season commitments was to pray every night with my children before they went to sleep. I actually have been doing pretty well, except for a few nights that I have not been home because of meetings or a night out with my wife.

Wednesday night however, I was just being lazy (one of my many faults).

It’s not every day that Hollywood decides to do a film on a Roman Catholic saint. It may be even less likely when the saint featured is the founder of Opus Dei (Dan Brown's favorite group) and the movie presents him in a positive light.

Yet that is what director Roland Joffe, of The Killing Fields and The Mission fame (who by-the-way considers himself an agnostic), appears to have done in next month’s release of There Be Dragons.
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Born in Oriente, Cuba, raised in Hialeah, Fl and graduated from The U. I’m a husband, father, son and older brother. I was a lapsed Catholic for most of my life until attending a men’s spiritual retreat in April 2006, which totally changed my perspective on life. That weekend, the emptiness I had always tried to fill with the things our culture promises will make us happy (wealth, pleasure, power and honor; St. Thomas Aquinas’ 4 substitutes for God), was filled with the love of God. I have been passionately studying my faith and, hopefully, drawing closer to God ever since. Now, I see my purpose in life is to become a saint and to lead my wife and kids to heaven. It’s not easy! I am no expert by any means. I'm just learning and trying to live my faith to the best of my abilities.
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Books I Have Recently Read...
Books I Have Recently Read...
  • Long Shot by Mike Piazza with Lonnie Wheeler
  • The Protestant's Dilemma by Devin Rose
  • Jacob's Ladder; 10 Steps to Truth by Peter Kreeft
  • Absolute Relativism: The New Dictatorship and What to do About it by Chris Stefanick
  • Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love by Bret Baier
  • The Church and New Media by Brandon Vogt
  • The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
  • Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt
  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Be A Man! Becoming The Man God Created You to Be by Fr. Larry Richards
  • Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life by Charles J. Chaput
  • Raising Good Kids Back to Family Basics by Ray Guarendi
  • The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
  • The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri J. M. Nouwen
  • How Firm a Foundation by Marcus Grodi
  • First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity by Scott Hahn
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