Fr. John Bayer
Discerning the will of God
A Word to Enkindle, September 29, 2022
“Discerning the will of God” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. One of the most laudable questions I receive is about how to discern God’s will. A decision is easy to make when the choice is between something right and something wrong. But a decision can be difficult when the choice is between two […]
Spiritual direction from God
A Word to Enkindle, September 04, 2022
“Spiritual direction from God” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. Someone left copies of “Abandonment to Divine Providence” by Jean-Pierre de Caussade in the monastery one day. The edition is a paperback from Dynamic Catholic, a company that tries to make great Catholic literature widely available. A few ideas in this book stick out […]
Read this book on racial reconciliation
A Word to Enkindle, July 14, 2022
“Read this book on racial reconciliation” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. For a while, I have been studying the topic of race in American and Catholic history. It is a difficult topic for obvious reasons, but it is also a rewarding one. In fact, I have been greatly edified learning about figures like […]
Listening at the Dallas Synod
A Word to Enkindle, May 23, 2022
“Listening at the Dallas Synod” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. Plans are well underway for the 2024 Synod — that big meeting to advise the bishop about the spiritual, material and administrative situation of the Dallas Diocese. Essential to its success are the “listening sessions” now taking place: two years of honest and […]
Faith in Medicine
A Word to Enkindle, April 25, 2022
“Faith in Medicine” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. Our world needs Christian faith. A book that proved this to me regarding the medical field is Losing Our Dignity: How Secularized Medicine is Undermining Fundamental Human Equality by Charles C. Camosy. After a brief account of the Church’s major role in shaping medicine and […]
Wilderness and the Dynamics of Conversion
A Word to Enkindle, March 28, 2022
This Lent I’m studying the “wilderness” or “desert” in Scripture, and especially in the journey of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. The dangerous wild is a powerful image for the spiritual life, and it plays a large part in the lives of figures like Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, John the Baptist and Jesus. What about in yours?
Renewing the joyful gift of Catholic schools
A Word to Enkindle, February 05, 2022
Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 this year) is a time to reflect on the gift of Catholic education and to support the many men and women who work so hard to offer that education to children throughout the world.
On synodality and the ‘listening church’
A Word to Enkindle, January 12, 2022
On synodality and the ‘listening church’ by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. You’ve likely heard that Bishop Burns called for a diocesan synod. You’ve probably also heard that Pope Francis called for the Church to reflect on “synodality” as the very “path … which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” But […]
Evaluating Globalization with St. Benedict
A Word to Enkindle, November 12, 2021
“Evaluating Globalization with St. Benedict” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. One of the hot topics in political discourse today is globalization – that is, the tendency for the world population to become more integrated, or at least more technologically connected. Some people see this tendency as a threat to local communities, while others […]
Seeing Stress in Light of the Gospel
A Word to Enkindle, October 14, 2021
“Seeing Stress in Light of the Gospel” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. Lots of us say we’re stressed. What is stress? According to the American Psychological Association, we can distinguish two kinds, one positive (eustress) and the other negative (distress). Positive stress is what we feel when we stand before a challenge that […]