Catholic East Texas
The Magazine of the Diocese of Tyler
Mary: Model of Discipleship
Prior to joining the St. Philip Institute team and moving to the Diocese of Tyler, I was living in Tallahassee, Florida, pursuing a PhD in religious studies at Florida State University. Doing coursework in religious studies rather than theology proper was a bit of an...
Bringing the Faithful Closer to Jesus in the Eucharist Through Communal First Saturdays
By Communal First Saturdays Apostolate What is the distinguishing characteristic of the message of Fatima? It was at Our Lady’s second visit, on June 13, 1917, that she spoke of the distinguishing characteristic of Fatima for the first time, yet not the only time. The...
Burdens and Blessings of Infertility
By Mikki Sciba – The cross of infertility was heavy. It seemed like everyone around us was blessed with babies except us. When there was news that a family member, friend, or acquaintance at church was expecting, our hearts would be flooded with joy at new life but also sorrow that we may never get to experience the joy of expecting. When my friends would get together for much needed girl time, the conversation would often shift to topics about pregnancy, birth stories, and breastfeeding. I had nothing to share and I couldn’t relate. I felt left out and sad wondering why God would deny us such a great gift.
NFP from a Priest’s Perspective
By Fr. Justin Braun – An honest response is the best response, and my honest response to why I still believe passionately in NFP is simple: it is the closest thing I can see to an act of true faith in God for a couple, and it is what the Church offers to a world hurt by so many lies about women’s health and lies about what marriage should be like. Our culture tells couples that marriage is really about just feeling good, having the most likes on your social media posts, and really never doing anything that requires hard work or sacrifice.
Prayer and Discernment: The Key Components of Responsible Parenthood
By Deanna Johnston – If Natural Family Planning is correctly understood as “fertility awareness plus discernment” what we are really saying is that NFP is an opportunity to live the truth of the sacrament of marriage. We can see in its fullness, the genius of God’s design. As we promote NFP methods we affirm that fertility is not a disease but a tremendous gift and responsibility. The capacity to co-create with God is incredible, and it requires a sense of “awe” at what we are opening ourselves to in the marital act, namely the possibility of life.
The NFP Mindset
By Michael Johnston – For anyone unsure if NFP is worthwhile I can only speak from experience. It changes the way I see my spouse. Because NFP is a mindset or worldview, it helps me to see my wife and myself as more than things. And really, anything that helps me to move away from making my spouse an object naturally has a two-fold effect; it ensures that I view her as a part of a whole in the relationship and it helps that relationship to last when earthly beauty eventually fades.
Real Talk On Natural Family Planning
Morally speaking, Natural Family Planning is very different from contraception. Contraception is the intentional sterilization of the marital act that essentially says, “Life is not welcome here.” NFP, on the other hand, always remains open to life, even if a couple chooses to wait until the infertile window to share in the marital embrace.
A Fool, For the Sake of Christ
Imagine that you enter your church one day, at a time when no one else is likely to be there. You see a swift motion, one after the other, out of the corner of your eye. When you get closer, it becomes clearer: someone is juggling before the statue of the Blessed...
Temperance for Kids
Have you ever eaten too much food and felt bad afterwards? Or have you felt really angry and acted out by yelling or throwing a fit? Sometimes people struggle with controlling what they do and how they feel. The virtue of temperance is about practicing self-control....
What Catholics Must Believe About the Blessed Virgin Mary
During a recent trip back to Tyler, I was driving down Broadway Avenue with a non-Catholic friend when we spotted a bumper sticker that read: “No Mary, No Jesus. Know Mary, Know Jesus.” He didn’t know what to make of it, and I was soon flooded with all kinds of...
Fortitude for Kids
What is Fortitude? If you have ever watched a football game you know that the goal of the game is for your team to get the ball across your goal line, a touchdown. You also know that the person who is running with the football has many players from the other team...
A Matter of Justice: The Work of Marriage Tribunal Advocates
Divorced? Remarried? Want to receive the sacraments, but a marriage impediment prevents you? Linda Edmondson, and 32 other Marriage Tribunal Advocates in the Diocese of Tyler are anxious to help you. “I felt called to help people who wanted to get into...
