3 min readby Brian Flagg, December 8, 2013 Second Sunday of Advent Mathew 3: 1-12 In due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea and this was his message: -“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:                                 A voice cries in the wilderness:                                 prepare a way for the Lord,                                 make his paths straight. This man John wore a garment made of camel hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem

2 min read  by Brian Flagg, Thanks to Dave Slutes and Richard Oseran from Club Congress and to everyone who attended! It wasn’t a totally packed house but it definitely wasn’t empty. Rich Hopkins and the Sand Rubies opened with a blistering set of Sand Rubies classics, in addition to the old Ringo Starr song ‘Post cards.’ Brian Lopez followed with some mellow acoustic tunes. Technobanda La Picosa never showed up so the famous Catholic musician from Casa Maria, Cesar Gonzales jumped on stage with his guitar and absolutely rocked the house with Mexicano classics such as ‘El Rey,’ ‘Sabor a mi’

< 1 min readby Brian Flagg Today’s headline, (Arizona Daily Star, Nov. 1, 2013) CUTBACKS IN FOOD BENEFITS HIT HERE In case you missed it, the Federal government cut food stamps. It goes into effect today. More than 1.1 million Arizonans will see their benefits reduced. The effects of this are going to make a bad, intolerable situation even worse. ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 29TH, WE SERVED 580 BAG LUNCHES, AND 200 FAMILY BAGS. We don’t know how many more we can do! In the wealthiest, mightiest, most powerful country in the history of the world, this is a sin that cries out to

6 min readby Brian Flagg Many people have asked me about the eight day silent retreats I have done the last two summers and the thirty day retreat I’d like to do next summer. They take place at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos, CA. For me these retreats have been like dying and going to heaven. Being there is the opposite of the incredibly hectic, chaotic, action, action, action of everyday life at Casa Maria. When there, I have time to actually read books! The food is good, the Retreat Center is beautiful and there is a Mass celebrated every

3 min readby Brian Flagg He might not be the most spiritual guy in the world, but Luke Knipe is a really smart guy and has been an unlikely inspiration to me and others at Casa Maria. Born and bred in Tucson, Luke worked at Casa Maria last year for about six months as a Researcher/Organizer. He also did food pickups, washed pots and worked in the kitchen. To overcome in the struggle for justice for and with those we serve daily, we at Casa Maria need to be smarter, more well-read, more creative and more politically astute. Luke helped plant seeds