News - December 2018 RSS Feed

As a naturalized citizen and member of the Brotherhood of the People of Praise, a small community of men committed to celibate life whose priest- members are incardinated in the Portland Archdiocese, Bishop Smith brings a unique perspective to his roles as an auxiliary bishop and as chaplain of Legatus’ Portland Chapter.

“Every time we come, there are always new things to discover and new things to learn,” Ray, 60, a well-known Catholic apologist, speaker, author, and filmmaker, said during a break from a pilgrimage in early October that he led to the Holy Land.

Nourishing our souls with the sacraments allows others to recognize the joy of Christmas within us, just as when the disciples recognized the resurrected Christ in the breaking of the Bread at the supper at Emmaus.

For the first time in history, non-infectious chronic diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes and dementia) have replaced infectious diseases in the majority of deaths worldwide.

Those who glaze over at the very mention of ballet may find Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms an upgrade over their expectations.

This collection of essays by the eminent Jesuit scholar reflects on the Church’s major observances, primarily Christmas and the seasons from Lent through Pentecost, but also the key Marian feasts, All Saints, All Souls, and even a touch of Ordinary Time.

These meditations stretching from Advent through Epiphany are in this vein as they invite us to contemplate such themes as our need for truth, our dependence upon God, Mary’s role in salvation, the meaning of suffering and martyrdom, and in what true joy consists.

In her compelling indictment, Morse identifies the Contraceptive Ideology, the Divorce Ideology, and the Gender Ideology as the three fronts that built the Sexual State — and the three fronts the Church and social conservatives must focus our own defense and attacks upon if we are ever to restore love, marriage, and family to their rightful dignity.

Have you ever stopped to think about the deeper meaning of the Incarnation and Nativity of Jesus? His birth was the birth of the most unique Person in history – the incarnation of God Himself, the mingling of God with humanity.

Christmas scenes — by the old masters and by modern advertisers — decorate the walls of museums, billboards on the roadside, and cards in the mailbox. For nearly 2,000 years, the world has marked the birth of Jesus as its most festive jubilee. No other day of the year offers the world so many earthly pleasures.

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” Following Christ’s command requires Catholic citizens to know “Caesar” and comply with Caesar’s just commands.

In a time when the Arian heresy was rampant in the Roman world, St. Ambrose of Milan rose up to defend Catholic truth.

He made it easy for Catholics to be proud of their faith and others to envy it. The Jesuit magazine America called him “the greatest evangelist in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States.”

The most accurate word to describe Christmas is “Nativity.” More than anything else, Christmas is about a birth, the birth of Christ. While this simple fact has occupied a comfortable place in the Christmas tradition, its revolutionary implications might remain hidden to many people.

In these days of turmoil within the Roman Catholic Church – on whether longtime doctrine should stand, or priests should remain celibate, or obedience should extend to certain apostate shepherds, or select traditions should be “relaxed” or set aside – there’s a simple but often overlooked reality in the Holy Family.

As we head into the season of resolutions, I think it is a good time to recap 2018 for Legatus and share some of our accomplishments, shortcomings, and our goals for the year ahead.