Tuesday, February 20, 20180195A rising pastoral topic in the Church these days is the proper way to respond to those who say they are transgender. As Catholics, a good place from which to orient ourselves is Amoris laetitia by Pope Francis.
Tuesday, February 6, 20180160
By Father John Bayer
Special to The Texas Catholic
A thorny theological problem that occupies many people is the relationship between divine grace and human freedom. Nothing happens apart from the will of God, who creates and governs all things. And yet, we are still free to choose whether to go left or right every time we stand...
Wednesday, December 27, 20170159On January 8, 2018, we celebrate the baptism of Jesus “in the Jordan by John” (Mk 1:9-11). The evangelist Mark tells us that the baptism John preached was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk 1:4). But if it is for the forgiveness of sins, why does Jesus, the all holy Son of God, accept to be baptized?
Monday, November 27, 20170323Christ commands us to love with “all” our heart, soul and mind (Mt 22:34-40). But what does that look like? To speak about “all” a heart is to speak about a “pure” heart: a simple, whole and straightforward heart, free from anything extraneous. When we love purely, we are unified by a single love.
Thursday, October 19, 20170414Confession is a great gift of Catholic spirituality. Thankfully, we enjoy it at every Mass; and, hopefully, we enjoy it sacramentally at least once a year. Catholic faith has always insisted upon freedom and so upon the need to examine our conscience and to accept responsibility for our lives. Anyone who follows Pope Francis knows that...
Thursday, October 5, 20170192A story. Some time ago I had lunch with a black friend in a major city. I asked him what it was like when he first met the couple that informally adopted him by mentoring him after he aged out of foster care. He said something like, “During the first six months I was suspicious, because I had been burned many times before, but then I...
Friday, June 30, 20170303
By Father John Bayer
Special to The Texas Catholic
Pentecost, which we celebrated last Sunday, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles (Acts 2:1-47). Shortly before Jesus suffered, died and rose again, he promised an advocate, teacher and counselor to his budding church – the Holy Spirit (John...
Wednesday, May 10, 20170428I am convinced Catholics have an important gift to give to the world through the “social teaching” developing in the Church since Rerum Novarum in 1891. But even though all the popes between Leo XIII and Francis have put the economic, political and social impact of the Gospel at the forefront of their agendas, the world is still...
Thursday, April 20, 20170143Lent is over. Now it is time to celebrate Holy Week and Easter. For forty days, we tried to understand the rough words spoken to us as a priest marked our foreheads with ashes: “Remember, mortal, that you are dust and to dust you will return” (Gn 3:19). Now we try to understand that marvelous event which took place two-thousand years...
Saturday, March 11, 20170147What is the difference between evangelization and proselytism? As Christians, we have been commanded to go out and “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). And yet, we are sensitive to the conflicts that emerge from proselytism, or from attitudes that are – rightly or wrongly – sometimes associated with Christian missionaries:...
