Articles For Heart Mind Soul

Letter to the Editor, Advice for Graduates The best advice for graduates is: Don’t follow your dreams because they can turn into your worst nightmares; instead follow your inspirations because they are always imaginative and innovative. Dreams are ethereal; inspirations are experiential.  Dreams are “pie in the sky”; inspirations are “sky in the pie”.  The pie is up above the earth so high in our dreams; however, the sky is here on earth in our inspirations.  Dreams are daunting and unattainable but inspirations are doable and achievable. Dreams are just dreams; they will always be just dreams.  Dreams can never become reality because dreams are dreams and reality is reality and the two shall never merge.  Following through with inspirations moves us to a more positive, joyful and confident place because we actually accomplish something tangible.  The magnitude of the in...

Afterwords:  Pentecost Pointers ·            * For a new Pentecost , we have a new openness * We need to receive a new Pentecost , or else be overwhelmed by distress * Confessing with the lips indicates in turn that faith implies public testimony and commitment. A Christian may never think of belief as a private act. Faith is choosing to stand with the Lord so as to live with him. This “standing with him” points towards an understanding of the reasons for believing. Faith, precisely because it is a free act, also demands social responsibility for what one believes. The Church on the day of Pentecost demonstrates with utter clarity this public dimension of believing and proclaiming one’s faith fearlessly to every person. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that makes us fit for mission and strengthens our witness, making it frank and courageous * Questions asked in humility lead to answers and even to th...

Letter to the Editor, Dismemberment Abortions Banned On April 7, Kansas became the first state to ban abortions by a procedure known as “dilation and evacuation,” and called “dismemberment abortion” in the law. This abhorrent procedure is common during second-trimester abortions when the pre-born babies are four, five or six months along in their development. Pro-life advocates say the legislation is an opportunity to save pre-born babies from a horrific procedure which rips the arms and legs off of children in their mother’s womb because there is scientific evidence that documents the developing child feels pain. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said he was proud to sign this bill that protects life “at its most vulnerable stage” and noted bipartisan support because the Kansas House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 98-26, and the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 31-9. The legislation, known as the “Unborn...

Submitted by Marian Casillas, Ed.D. and Eva Nieto SACRED HEART  The Pray for Vocations (Traveling Crucifix) Program at Sacred Heart Church in Del Rio, Texas began in the summer of 2013. It was started by parishioners Jim and Wanda Thornton while working with the parish’s ACTS community. Jim stated that he had witnessed a similar version being done at a parish in Grapevine, Texas about 10-15 years ago and he thought it was really a neat idea and brought it up to Father Jim Fischler, the previous pastor at Sacred Heart Church, but Father Fischler left for Castroville before the program could get started. Jim mentioned that the idea came back to his mind following Archbishop Garcia-Siller’s issuance of his Pastoral Vision, and the current pastor Father Pius Ezeigbo was very supportive when they approached him. The Pray for Vocations Program is on a monthly rotation at the different weekend Mass times.  There is a sign-up...

Letter to the Editor, Nursery Rhymes Past and Present THEN: Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O With a moo moo here and a moo moo there Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O NOW: @olddonaldo* had a smartphone, AAMOI (As a matter of interest) And on that smartphone he did tweet , AAMOI With a tweet tweet here a nd a tweet tweet there Here a tweet, there a tweet, everywhere a tweet tweet @olddonaldo had a smartphone , AAMOI *Not a real person’s Twitter account THEN: A-tisket a-tasket A green and yellow basket I wrote a letter to my love And on the way I dropped it, I dropped it, I dropped it, And on the way I dropped it. A little boy he picked it up and put it in his pocket NOW: I text and I text, All day long all I do is text, I typed a message to my love And on its way, they hacked it, They hacked it, They h...

This year marks the  fifty-second anniversary  of the  World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  The purpose of this event is to publically fulfill the Lord's instruction to  “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest”   (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2).  As a climax to prayer continually offered throughout the Church, the  World Day of Prayer for Vocations  affirms the primacy of faith and grace in all that concerns vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. Use this resource to pray for vocations throughout the year with your community. Click  here  to learn more.