Fr. Mark Hamlet

Original Sin and Salvation

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:00:53 +0000

The Church today celebrates “Gaudete Sunday”, the third Sunday of Advent. “Gaudete” in Latin means joy. St. Paul tells the Thessalonians, “Rejoice Always!” With all that is happening in the world, with all the sadness and poverty around us, how can we rejoice? In 2000, the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, made […]

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Forgiveness of Sin

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:00:32 +0000

One of the greatest myths proclaimed by Protestants deals with reconciliation and forgiveness of sin. You have all heard it. Many Catholics even believe it. It goes something like this: “Why confess your sins to a man?”, or “I don’t have to go through a man to confess my sins. I go directly to God.” […]

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First Sunday of Advent 2011

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:00:20 +0000

A most unusual thing happened in human history. Almighty God, the God of all creation, creator of heaven and earth, creator of mankind, became man. The God of Gods became a small baby, born of the Virgin Mary. This only happened once in all of history. We are preparing to celebrate that fact again with […]

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Do You Believe in Hell?

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:00:19 +0000

Do you believe in Hell? Do you believe in it enough? Does the existence of Hell guide and instruct your life and your moral decisions? There is an old American expression for living as if there were no consequences to our immoral actions. We say it is like “whistling past the graveyard”. We don’t speak […]

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All Souls 2011

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:00:08 +0000

Today’s feast of All Souls, and yesterday’s feast of all Saints, could not be more different. Yesterday, we acknowledged how happy we are that some of our race have made it to heaven and received the Promises God promised to the Just, the “poor in Spirit”. Today, we acknowledge that it is not that easy […]

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Generosity and Tithing

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:00:58 +0000

A deacon friend of mine, Deacon Willie Cortez had a ministry in East Austin, working among the poorest of the poor. At Our Lady’s Family Center, he created several youth programs for different ages of children and youth, including help with schoolwork. Deacon Willie wanted to get the kids off the streets and out of […]

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All Saints 2011

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:00:57 +0000

Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feast day mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints have no need of honor from […]

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Heaven is Here, Now

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:00:24 +0000

Although we believe we are Christian, sometimes we discover some really deep-seated pagan beliefs among us. Pagan beliefs die hard. For example the popular belief that heaven begins after death, after the cemetery. That is wrong, and very pagan. For Christians, heaven begins with our baptism. That is our Christian faith. Listen carefully with me […]

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Wedding Ceremony

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 08:00:34 +0000

Adrienne and Bill Makens In the Gospel Jesus is showing us that love is a commandment, when he says, “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” If we learn about love from our culture we may think love is something we feel, or something we deserve to receive. If we […]

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Pitchers and Catchers

Fr. Mark Hamlet — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:00:43 +0000

Can you believe it has been a year since Fr. Victor and I were first assigned to our parish? In my first homily to you last July, I told you that I was a widower, and that I knew what it feels like to “fall in love.” I am in love and growing more in […]

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