News - May 2012 RSS Feed

I want to begin this morning by thanking the President of the United States, because this week he opened a national discussion of marriage. With divorce rates at 50%, illegitimacy rates for women under 30 at 51%, married households accounting for only 48% of all households in America—down from 75% in 1960—and a tenfold increase in cohabitation (what used to be called living in sin) in the same fifty years, this is a very important topic for our country to be discussing right now. Of course, our President did not bring to the public square any of those issues; he brought up a new topic for discussion, a topic that we as Catholics and as citizens should engage in.

I want to begin this morning by thanking the President of the United States, because this week he opened a national discussion of marriage. With divorce rates at 50%, illegitimacy rates for women under 30 at 51%, married households accounting for only 48% of all households in America—down from 75% in 1960—and a tenfold increase in cohabitation (what used to be called living in sin) in the same fifty years, this is a very important topic for our country to be discussing right now. Of course, our President did not bring to the public square any of those issues; he brought up a new topic for discussion, a topic that we as Catholics and as citizens should engage in.

Monsignor Jason Gray has above-average responsibilities in the most average city in America. In addition to serving as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Peoria, the 40-year-old is the diocesan judicial vicar. Most of his work for the tribunal involves annulments, “a most important ministry.” Recently, however, his work in canon law took a turn from the mundane to the miraculous: He headed the investigation into a possible miracle attributed to Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen, whose cause for beatification the Peoria diocese is promoting on behalf of its most famous native son.

On a crisp Ohio night in the fall of 1991, one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks shatters his knee on a heroic play that brought his hometown the state championship. Fifteen years later, that quarterback, Scott Murphy (Presley), is a struggling farmer and father of two girls, longing for the life he might have had as a pro football player.

Secular and religious thinkers agree: The sexual revolution is one of the most important milestones in human history. But what has been the result? Eberstadt contends that sexual freedom has paradoxically produced widespread discontent.

Getting kids to focus on God instead of their iPods these days takes nothing less than supernatural intervention. Following the Lord might make you look weird to your neighbors, but the Willitses — who host The Catholics Next Door on Sirius XM's The Catholic Channel — stay the course.

The field of Catholic fiction has picked up in the past few years, and Brian Gail is one of the genre’s top new authors. His heart-pounding trilogy spanning 40 years concludes with Childless. Gail takes readers from Manhattan boardrooms to European capitals, Middle East laboratories, church chanceries and confessionals.

Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels on Oct. 2 because every individual has a guardian angel, and awareness of our guardian angel can be a comfort and aid in our spiritual growth.

The Surgeon General recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. For many of us with long work days, this is a daunting recommendation. It’s great if you can hit the gym before work, but what if you can’t? And even if you did hit the gym, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to move the rest of the day.

One of our failures as human beings is the inability to conceive of God in his full greatness. This is not really surprising, given that we have finite minds. But one would hope that we might at least imitate the wisdom of Socrates who said, “All I know is that I know nothing.”

What role should the business leader and the entrepreneur play in helping the poor and promoting social justice in the developing world? As Legatus celebrates its 25th anniversary and looks forward to the future, this is an important question for reflection.

My congratulations to Tom Monaghan and to all the Legatus members! By God’s grace, you have accomplished so much in these last 25 years.

Men and women who join Legatus to grow in their Catholic faith may not think they are enlisting in an army, but those at the forefront of today’s culture wars see them that way.

Born in Turin, Italy, Giuseppe Marello entered the seminary at the age of 12. He suffered a bout of typhus in 1863, and vowed to complete his studies if he regained his health. He recuperated, attributing his physical recovery to Our Lady of Consolation.

Most mornings, as a part of my normal routine, I stop by a small “party store” after Mass to buy a newspaper. The other day when I went to get my paper, I noticed that they had added a porn magazine to their other offerings. I mentioned to the person working there that I was disappointed to see them add this. As a result, I have not been back since; there are certainly other places I can get a newspaper.

There’s a war going on, and you’re in the thick of it. Not figuratively. Literally. It’s a spiritual battle, a battle for souls that’s been going on since the Garden of Eden. It began long before today, of course, when Lucifer famously defied his Creator by saying, “I will not serve.”

Men and women who join Legatus to grow in their Catholic faith may not think they are enlisting in an army, but those at the forefront of today’s culture wars see them that way.