As they eagerly waited to receive the Eucharist they could not help but cry. It had been 15 years since they had last sat at the supper table of their Lord. Anthony and Leticia Rodriguez had not been married in the church and were not able to fully participate in its spiritual rewards. But now they had gotten it "right with Jesus."

As the Catholic Church prepares to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations is promoting "Days with Religious" initiatives and resources to help families learn about the consecrated life of religious men and women. Activities will focus on sharing experiences of prayer, service and community life with those living a consecrated life.

The Office of Life, Justice and Human Dignity of the Diocese of Corpus Christi is sponsoring a t-shirt design contest for the 2015 Texas Rally for Life to be held on Jan. 24, 2015 in Austin. The winner will receive a $250 Visa gift card and two paid round-trip motor coach seats to attend the 2015 Texas Mass, March & Rally for Life.

Alberto Lugo, Jr. was born deaf and relies on government assistance to take care of his wife and three sons. Sometimes this assistance is not enough to take care of his family's needs and Lugo has fallen prey to unscrupulous lenders who have no problem in taking advantage of his disadvantage.

Sometimes Catholics muse, "What does it mean for me to be a Catholic? What more can I do to grow in my faith?" As a result, we may rush around, seeking to do good deeds to prove our Catholicity. Nevertheless we sometimes feel that we are not growing any closer to God-certainly not growing as close to him as we would like.