Homily for Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter (Year C - 6/2/2025)

Good morning. One of the great joys of my ministry as a deacon is being able to baptize infants with these words: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This is the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we hear in the Gospel of Matthew: “After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (3:16-17).

This is the baptism that the followers of John the Baptist desired when Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers.” They answered him, saying: “We have never even heard that that is a Holy Spirit.” This is the baptism in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we have all received as a child or, if you are like me, as an adult when we followed Jesus home to Rome.

The Holy Spirit comes upon us when we are anointed with the Sacred Chrism when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, and we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord - so that we may have the strength and courage to go forth and “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Moreover, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we have the courage to “observe all that [Jesus has] commanded” us and teach others to do the same (28:19).

In today’s Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that “[in] the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” With these words, our Jesus tells us that we, too, with the help of the Holy Spirit can conquer the troubled world that we live in. How? In his first letter, Saint John the Evangelist, gives us this insight when he wrote: “For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.” And here is the hinge: “Who [indeed] is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:3-5). 

My sisters and brothers in Christ, when we believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; when we keep the commandments that he has given us - to love God and love our neighbors; when we lead others to encounter the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ so that they, too, may come and follow him; then, we can conquer the troubled world in which we live, not with power, but with our faith. The question for us then is, do we have enough faith and the courage to ask the Holy Spirit to activate the graces of the Sacraments that we have received, especially the Eucharist that we receive at every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, be instruments of the peace that Jesus desires for each and every one of us and for the world? Come, Holy Spirit!

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060225.cfm

Trial Preparation: A Reflection on the Great Commandment

Two weeks after the bench trial in Georgetown, Williamson County, TX ended, I found myself back in the courtroom again. This time in Austin, Travis County, TX, on a case where there were a lot of arguments by opposing counsel, supported by their witnesses' testimonies, on what it entails to be a "good neighbor" for two businesses that share a wall. I was waiting for them to quote directly from Scripture  Jesus' Great Commandment (below) but they did not.

Jesus says to us: "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. . . I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another" (John 15:12-17).

Peppered throughout 4-day trial, in which each side had 7 hours to present their evidence, were talks about homelessness and, as I mentioned above, being a good neighbor. A few of the prospective jurors, during voir dire, were very vocal about their views on homelessness in Austin, ranging from those who believe that the government is not doing enough to help people experiencing homelessness to those who believe that homelessness is a lifestyle.

As I reflected on this, something that Pope Leo XIV said in his recent General Audience (5/28/2025) struck me. The Holy Father reflected on the parable of the "good" Samaritan and had this to say about compassion:

". . .before being a religious matter, compassion is a question of humanity! Before being believers, we are called to be human. . .

Compassion is expressed through practical gestures. The Evangelist Luke ponders the actions of the Samaritan, whom we call “good”, but in the text he is simply a person: a Samaritan approaches, because if you want to help someone, you cannot think of keeping your distance, you have to get involved, get dirty, perhaps be contaminated. . 

. . .when will we too be capable of interrupting our journey and having compassion? When we understand that the wounded man in the street represents each one of us. And then the memory of all the times that Jesus stopped to take care of us will make us more capable of compassion."

Turning back to the trial itself, while I had to work pass midnight several days in a row and slept for only 4-5 hours a night, it was a relatively stress-free jury trial. I got to experience pretrial, voir dire, and even waited around while the jury deliberated. It was great that we did not have deposition designations and depo video clips to prepare and play because all the witnesses testified in-person. While we had ~280 exhibits to their ~50 exhibits, there were not a lot of redactions or additional work to prove the authenticity of the documents, especially with native files.

Of course, Chris was a guru with trial presentation to the point that one of our clients called him a "magician" and the jurors, during their deliberation, designated one of them to be their version of "Mr. Stephen" to pull up the exhibits for them. The jurors received from us a joint list of admitted exhibits and a Chromebook with the exhibits on their to review so I did not have to prepare notebooks for them. My litigation assistant, Adam, handled the lunches for us (like he did for our bench trial two weeks earlier) so I am grateful that the courthouse uses LunchDrop and we could eat in the conference room right outside the courtroom.

From a best-practices standpoint, particularly related to trial exhibits, I am happy with how I tracked exhibits that have been admitted because I was able to quickly provide the paralegal on the other with a list of admitted trial exhibits for both sides. She just needed to verify with her notes. It was the same with the court reporter. The process was smooth and "painless" for all of us and I am glad for that.

After the jury came back with the verdict (for our clients. . . woo hoo!), the trial team went out for drinks. One of the attorneys asked me how many trials have I done over the years since I had just completed a bench trial and a jury trial in a month's time. Since 2014, I have done 8 trials. One jury trial in Comal County lasted a month and a half. I had two 2-week jury trials back-to-back years in 2021 & 2022. I also had a week-long criminal trial in federal court and a week-long hearing at the Railroad Commission. I also had 2 week-long arbitrations, one was during the COVID-19 pandemic in December of 2020. Of course, I had cases settled right before trial started, including one in 2023 that we prepared for a jury trial twice and the case settled the morning we had to pick a jury.

One of the attorneys in this jury trial said something that resonated with me. He said that what he liked most about trials is the interaction between the attorneys and even the parties; however, the aspect of trial that he does not like is the long-hours, late nights, and sleep deprivation. I agree with him 100%, even if he was opposing counsel. Ha!

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Other related blogs:

Trial Preparation: A Reflection on Getting to Heaven https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/09/trial-preparation-reflection-on-getting.html

Trial Preparation: A Reflection on the Call of Saint Matthew https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/05/trial-preparation-reflection-on-call-of.html

Reflecting on Conclave and Pope Leo XIV as the Successor of Peter (May 8, 2025) (UPDATED 5/17/2025) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/05/reflecting-on-conclave-and-pope-leo-xiv.html

Homily for Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter (Year C - 5/29/2025)

Good morning. Yesterday, I shared how incredibly busy Paul and his companions were as they carried out their mission to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. They traveled to Antioch, Pisidia, Inconium, Lystra, Asia Minor, Europe, and the list goes on and on. In today’s first reading, we learn that Paul also had a “day job”. He was a tentmaker like Aquila and Priscilla. We hear that Paul “went to visit them and, because he practiced the same trade, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.”

Like all of us, Paul had to work to make a living. However, his passion, what gave his life its true meaning and purpose was to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the people that he encountered. We hear that “[every] sabbath, [Paul] entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks.” And “[when] Silas and Timothy came down. . ., Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.” In the busyness of his life, between making a living as a tentmaker, probably to support his mission. . . going all over the place to proclaim the Good News, Paul was “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ. . .” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

My sisters and brothers in Christ, when we take a moment to reflect on Paul’s passion and zeal to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, we begin to realize that Paul knew exactly what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples, in today’s Gospel: “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me. . . Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” We can get a sense of Paul’s desire to be with Christ for eternity from his letter to the Philippians, in which he wrote: “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. . . I long to depart this life and be with Christ, [for] that is far better. . .” (1:21). However, Paul also understood the mission that Jesus had given him in his life, saying: “Yet that I remain [in] the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.“ (, 23-26).

I am sure we can all agree that our hope is that a little while later, we will see our Lord Jesus Christ and that the grief that we presently feel, from being separated from God, will become joy in heaven. However, until that time comes, we can look to Paul as an example of how we should live our lives in a way that our Lord Jesus Christ is always at the center of everything that we do. We must work to provide and care for our families and those who depend on us, no doubt about it. However, we can certainly find the time to worship God, share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those we encounter (especially with our own family members and friends), allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to all truth, and help others come and follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After all, this is the mission that Jesus has given to all of us.

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052925-thursday.cfm

Homily for Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter (Year C - 5/28/2025)

Good morning. Starting with Chapter 13 of the Acts of the Apostles, we follow Paul and his companions’ incredible journey from Antioch in Pisidia to Iconium to Lystra during their first mission. They traveled to Lycaonia through Asia Minor into Europe. He was stoned and left for dead in Lystra (Acts 14:19). Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi. After their deliverance from prison, Paul’s journey took him to Thessalonica, Beroea, and, finally, as we heard in today’s first reading, to Athens.

Paul and his companions had some successes during their mission. At Iconium, “a great number of both Jews and Greeks came to believe” (Acts 14:1). We hear that “[day] after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number” (16:5). In Philippi, a woman named Lydia and her household were baptized (16:15). In Beroea,”[many] of [the Jews] became believers. . .” (17:12). In Athens, some of the people “did join him, and became believers. . . [including] Dionysius and Damaris, and others with them” (17:34). Through it all, Paul never wavered. He “resolved to know nothing. . . except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul preached a simple, yet powerful message: the Good News of Jesus Christ - his crucifixion, death, and glorious Resurrection.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, this is the Good News that Jesus commissioned the eleven apostles to “[go], therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit. . .” (Matthew 28:19). Two thousand years later, it is the same Good News that Jesus commissions us, through our own baptism, to teach others “to observe all that [he has] commanded [us]” (28:20). In the same way that Peter, Paul, and all the apostles and disciples went on missions in the early days of the Church, the Lord calls us to “announce the Good News to the ends of the earth” (Bishop Robert Barron) and he promises to be with us “always, until the end of the age” (id.).

Pope Leo XIV, who himself was a missionary in Peru before he was elected Pope, gives us this bit of advice about planting seeds of faith in the hearts of others. The Holy Father said: “Jesus tells us that God throws the seed of his Word on all kinds of soil, that is, in any situation of ours: at times we are more superficial and distracted, at times we let ourselves get carried away by enthusiasm, sometimes we are burdened by life’s worries, but there are also times when we are willing and welcoming. God is confident and hopes that sooner or later the seed will blossom. This is how he loves us: he does not wait for us to become the best soil, but he always generously gives us his word” (General Audience, 5/21/2025).

And so, we cast a wide net because “the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind” (Matthew 13:47). We do not “primarily focus on being successful; [rather, we ] focus on being faithful. Announce the Gospel, and leave the increase [in the numbers of believers] up to God and his time” (Bishop Robert Barron). We trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us to all truth as we pray, “Come, Holy Spirit.”

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052825.cfm

Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Red Ash Italia (Anniversary Edition)

For the 26th anniversary of when we first met, which was in 1999 at the University of Texas-Austin, my wife and I decided to celebrate with a fine-dining experience at Red Ash Italia (https://www.redashgrill.com/). I actually made reservations for us back in February because they book up fast and far in advance. Our reservation was at 6:30 but they were able to seat us right as we arrived around 6:15.

We had a table in the upper loft in the corner that gave us a great view of the dining room below. The atmosphere was really quiet and romantic until. . . a large party arrived and it got noisy real fast. Thank goodness we had the table in the corner because the woman that was seated next to the large party had to move. Our servers were very attentive and the food came out at a good pace that allowed us to enough the meal in a leisurely fashion.

 

We toasted 26 years of friendship and love with an old-fashioned for me and a moscato for her.

As an appetizer, we had the special of the day and it was delicious. These are risotto balls that are deep-fried. Inside are lobster and crab meat cooked perfectly.

I had one of my favorite Italian seafood dish - frutti di mare - and it did not disappoint. The clams and mussels were so fresh and cooked so well. The shrimps were fantastic and the lobster tails were so sweet and delicious!

Theresa had the cold water lobster tails "Scampi style". Not only did she enjoyed that dish but she kept putting her generous portion of lobster tails onto my plate. I was not complaining at all.

We wrapped up our dining experience with a generous serving of their house made gelati & sorbetti. It was amazing and went well with their coffee. They comped us dessert because it was our anniversary. So sweet of them!

We enjoyed our dining experience at Red Ash Italia. The staff gave us a card for anniversary. It is certainly a special occasion restaurant, though, because of the costs. We might return in 4 years for our 30th anniversary. Bon appétit!

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Other Ngon Quá Foodie blogs:

• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Plank https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-plank.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: JINYA Ramen https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-jinya-ramen.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Maxine's Gumbo House https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/03/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-maxines.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: 16th Anniversary Edition https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/05/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-16th-anniversary.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Deckhand Oyster Bar (Round Rock) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/04/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-deckhand-oyster.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Sushi Koen (Round Rock) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/07/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-sushi-koen-round.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: K Ramyun (Cedar Park) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/04/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-k-ramyun-cedar-park.html
• Ngon Quá Foodie Blog: Saigon Quan (Austin) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/04/ngon-qua-foodie-blog-saigon-quan-austin.html

Homily for Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Year C - 5/12/2025)

Yesterday, we celebrated Mother’s Day. Pope Leo XIV said that “one of the most wonderful expressions of the love of God is the love that is poured out by mothers, especially to their children and grandchildren.” There are so many reasons why mothers are so amazing. Their kisses heal our “booboo”. Their hugs make us feel safe and secure. Most of all, they listen with a loving heart to everything their children have to say. Saint Theresa of Lisieux wrote that “the loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.” It is no wonder that when children hear their mother’s voice, they listen and they follow. 

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say: “. . .the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Now, you may recall from yesterday’s Gospel that Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-30). In the same way that we, as a child, recognized our mother’s voice, we too can hear and recognize the voice of God speaking to our hearts in prayer, his love for us, his desire for us, and what he is calling us to in life - our vocation.

In reflecting on the Gospel for Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Leo XIV encouraged us to search for our vocations together, saying: “All of us must search together. First and foremost, by giving [a] good example in our lives, with joy, living the joy of the Gospel, not discouraging others, but rather looking for ways to encourage young people to hear the voice of the Lord and to follow it and to serve in the Church.” The Holy Father continued, saying: “Listening is what allows us to enter into true dialogue. . . We have to know how to listen - not to judge, not to shut doors as if we hold all the truth and no one else has anything to offer. . .”

My sisters and brothers in Christ, whether it is during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in our personal prayer time or in our day-to-day activities or in the beauty of his Creation around us, God is always speaking to our hearts and calling us to Himself. Our only response to God when He speaks to us is for us to open our ears in faith to hear God’s voice and listen to Him. However, this can be a challenge for us because we live in a very loud world that is  continuously bombarding us with noise, noise that drowns out the voice of God and makes us deaf to Him. And so, it is important for us to spend time in sacred silence with God (whether it is during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament) to hear his voice and have the courage to follow him. After all, we are the sheep of his flock and he is the Good Shepherd who came so that we “might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051225.cfm

Prayer for Mother's Day (5/11/2025)

My prayer for all mothers. . . 🙏🕊❤️

Lord Jesus Christ, send your Spirit to strengthen and protect all mothers. Help them to know in their hearts that they are seen, appreciated, and, most of all, loved by their families, not only for all that they do and the sacrifices that they make for their families but, above all, for who they are - your beloved daughters.

Strengthen by your love, O Lord, a mother is the rock of her family. She is the glue that holds everyone and everything together. Her kisses wipe away tears. Her hugs heal the broken-hearted. Her love fills her home with warmth and joy.

In times when the cross that mothers bear becomes too heavy, help them to know that they can yoke themselves to you because your yoke is easy, your burden light (Matthew 11:30). Bless all mothers that their hearts become ever more like the Immaculate Heart of your Mother Mary.

We ask all this through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary as we pray. . .

Hail, Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen. 🙏🕊❤️

Links:

A challenge for all fathers for Father's Day: https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/05/reclaiming-faithful-fatherhood.html

Prayer for Mother's Day (5/12/2024): https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2024/05/prayer-for-mothers-day-5122024.html

Prayer for Mother's Day (5/14/2023): https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/05/prayer-for-mothers-day-5142023.html