Life in the high-tech world we live in today is complicated. But life in Christ is simple. It is also a choice... 'Mary has chosen the better part...' (Luke 10:42)

Our Father loves us and asks for only one thing... our heart... 'These people pay me lip service, but their hearts are far from me!' (Matthew 15:8)

All I Have To Do expresses the beauty and simplicity of the interior relationship with God... the quiet prayer of the heart.

Image Credit: "Cloistered", oil on canvas, Anne Brennan Vela

In 1984, Cardinal Ratzinger reminded us that The Document of Puebla by John Paul ll pointed out that the preferential option for the poor is two-fold: for the poor... and for the young. Unfortunately, the "for the young" part has been almost universally ignored. The Father's Lullaby was written in response to the anxiety, stress, and spiritual turmoil young people have been suffering for the past three years due to the pandemic. The song, however, is not "age specific" and could be helpful for any person, regardless of their age, who needs a little help settling down before resting.

Image credit: "An Angel Calls" ~ watercolor by: Mariangela Holliday, Laredo, TX

The beginning of a new year gives everyone an opportunity to reflect on one's life; to evaluate priorities and to recalibrate where necessary. What is central... what is truly most important? Ultimately speaking, where does my life come from and what gives it meaning?

We believe our new song addresses this need to see life clearly and to recognize the fundamental role of God in human life... while at the same time manifesting the beautiful reality of our Father's mysterious, loving presence within his children.

"Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself." Pope John Paul ll

St. John Paul ll referred to this spiritual insight as... the law of the gift. In a culture that is consumed with taking, having, and using, this simple recipe for happiness and human flourishing seems virtually impossible and, for many of our contemporaries, so far out of reach as to call forth critiques of idealistic utopianism.

And yet, the truth is that God is simple and he dwells within us... which is why, in his Confessions, St. Augustine is able to say: "God is closer to me than I am to myself."

"Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37). What may at first seem impossible for man, becomes, with God, the easiest and most possible of all things because it is the very thing he was created for... Love! The giving of oneself... as a gift.

{Image for As A Gift taken from a painting by San Antonio, TX watercolor artist, Anne Brennan Vela, titled: Flower Gift}

This simple, peaceful song resonates nicely with the spiritual themes of Advent/Christmas and would be an ideal song to accompany the reverent viewing of the peaceful Creche scene. A season of longing for God's merciful presence culminates in the gift of Jesus; the fulfillment of man's deepest desire. God graciously forms the soul through this mysterious longing... a longing which discovers within itself the ONE who has been sent into this world ("Seek... and you will find!" Matthew 7:7). If you'd like to sing "I've Come To See" as a part of your own devotions, the sheet music is available as a free download at this link - https://brothersister.net/files/1140320/ive-come-to-see-full-score.pdf

Our featured single for the season of Lent!

As we experience life in this digital age, we may find ourselves surprised at how busy, sometimes even frenetic, our lives have become. It is good to recall that only one thing is truly needed; to return home to the peace and love of our Father's heart.

On November 22, 2016, during a morning meditation at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reminded his audience that, while it may be difficult, it is very important to think seriously about one’s life:

“It is the truth. Because if you do not take care of your heart and you always live far away from the Lord, perhaps there is the danger… the danger of continuing in this way; far away from the Lord for eternity.”

(Image - "The Struggle Is Over" - Anne Brennan Vela)

The resurrection of Jesus is infused with so much meaning it is beyond measure and will never be exhausted, this is why it is so critical and so central to man; it is the existential “depth” his soul longs for… and the only thing that will ever satisfy it.

Ever since Charles Darwin, in 1859, published On the Origin of Species, which identified natural selection as the mechanism that explained the theory of Evolution, there has been great attention given to the paleoanthropological record and study of Man.

Given this intense interest in Man’s development, how is it there is not an equally intense interest in a man who rose from the dead and completely transcended all the applicable developmental theories and categories?

Jesus not only rose from the dead, he stated definitively that he would rise from the dead: “He is risen… just as he said.” Matthew 28:6. Jesus was a teacher, and had he not risen from the dead, everything he taught, his life’s work and mission, would have been thoroughly discredited.

The resurrection does not neutralize the theory of evolution, but it does expand the concept of natural selection in that it shows how God himself has “selected” man to rise from the dead and live with him forever!