Synopsis: We continue our study of our Native Soil with a look into our “Pueblo Hispano,” our “Hispanic Community.” There is a richness that our Hispanic brothers and sisters contribute to the Body of Christ. Among the many things that could be pointed out, today I share a few stories to illustrate three important witnesses they give to our entire Archdiocese— (1) The parish is a place to celebrate life (2) It is worth taking time to celebrate life well (3) Our families are sacred gifts ...

Synopsis:The seed that falls on rich soil is the one who hears and understands the Word of God. Listen to how God spoke to two ministers in Mobile and invited them to “hear and understand” one another better. See how God bore fruit through them a “hundredfold.” Consider how God wants you to hear and understand...ie love God’s word and your neighbor’s word more.Dig In Further:Would you be willing to take this pledge? —“I pledge to love my neighbor and to reject my own tendency to distance myse...

Synopsis: Here on our Native Soil, God has blessed us with many different members of the Body of Christ. Each culture has spiritual gifts and talents that are intended to be blessings to that community and to the entire Body of Christ. Today we explore some of the particular blessings God has gifted to our African-American brothers and sisters. A 1984 pastor letter written by the Black Catholic Bishops entitled “What We Have Seen and Heard” will serve as our guide. Let us not be afraid t...

Synopsis: There is a big difference between doing things “for” God and doing things “with” God. Many times the “yoke” we carry is of our own making—heavy and burdensome and filled with anxieties. However, today Jesus invites us to carry his yoke—easy and light, one he wishes to carry with us. Giving up our yoke and being willing to take on his yoke starts with one simple but life-changing prayer—“I give you everything! And I want everything you’ve got for me!”Dig In Further:Can you identify m...

Synopsis: In order to truly take care of our Native Soil, we must first realize to whom it all belongs. We must be willing to enter into the zany, uncomfortable task of learning to belong to one another so that together we can link arms, dig in and work for renewal. Fr. Victor shares a couple of stories of his experience in our Hispanic Community where he entered into this “Blessing of Belonging.” Dig In Further:How is God calling you to be uncomfortable so that he may welcome you ...

Synopsis: When we welcome someone into our lives in God’s name, miracles happen. Jesus tells us “whoever receives you, receives me.” In the stranger, the lonely, the newly arrived, the different we are called to receive Jesus into our lives. And in response, Jesus will work miracles in our midst.Dig in Further:Have you ever felt that God put someone into your life for a reason? How did you welcome them into your life? What miracles occurred as a result?Have you ever failed to welcome a ...

Synopsis:Hombres Por Cristo…AND PARA CRISTO! A large part of our family here on our Native Soil is Hispanic. They bring an incredibly rich culture with them that in so many ways is infused with the Catholic faith. Getting to know and love another culture is an incredibly rich experience but inevitably it will be messy, difficult and certainly at points hilarious! As I share some of my experiences with the Hispanic community, get ready to laugh and to consider how might God be calling you to e...

Whispers. They can be incredibly good or incredibly bad. They can be the cause of communion or division. How are we as a Church called to hear one another’s “Whispers?” Particularly today, how can we invite our black brothers and sisters to share confide in us…to share their truth with us…that is to share their “whispers” with us? Having heard their whispers, we are called by Jesus to proclaim this truth from the “housetops” and love our neighbor in light of this truth. www.nativesoil.org

Just about 30 miles north of Montgomery. Only 11 years before the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott. Nuns, both black and white, began to live and pray together on our Native Soil—something that had never been done in American history. And things have never been the same since…www.nativesoil.org

How disappointing would it be to get snubbed at the banquet table in heaven?! Heaven is a place free of all division and prejudice. And Jesus is “living bread came down from heaven.” He nourishes us with that heavenly reality. But as Catholics, are we uniquely agents of that reality? Are we distinctly, in our families, neighborhoods and city, Agents of Communion?www.nativesoil.org