There is a huge misconception about separation of church and state, especially pertaining to Christmas Nativities. Those claiming offense by displays of the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth often cry foul, and government officials regularly deny applications for scenes depicting the Holy Family on public property.
Monsignor James Dixon may be a retired priest, but he will soon have a new role as the chaplain for Legatus’ Fort Lauderdale Chapter, which will charter officially in early 2020.
Vern Dosch, Vice President of Legatus’ new Bismarck Chapter which chartered October 22, is an ardent proponent of servant leadership. As president and CEO of National Information Solutions Cooperative, a technology company headquartered in North Dakota, Dosch, 66, credits that philosophy with attracting and retaining its talented workforce.
As this season of faith, family, and food approaches, I reminisce not only about holiday seasons past, but also about the original Christmas day so many centuries ago. On a 2013 trip to Israel, I had the privilege of standing in Shepherd’s Field, once traversed by Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, still cradled in His mother’s womb.
In any group of people, asking about back pain will produce nods and frowns. About 80 percent of adults experience low back pain at some point in their life, and it’s the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work days.
Single mom rose and her seven-year-old daughter Katy don’t have it easy. They sleep in a junkyard vehicle, tidy up in a diner restroom, and face a future as bleak as it is uncertain. And little Katy has never had a Christmas present.
This volume does a good job of explaining the cosmos, creation, and evolution in a faith-friendly manner, all the while skewering scientific hubris. Well-written and enlightening.
The author has curated 36 of the best stories, essays, and poems that evoke the spirit of Christmas. An excerpt from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is here, of course, and Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” but there also are lesser-known classics from authors including Henry Van Dyke, Willa Cather, Ruth Sawyer, and Hilaire Belloc. This book will provide seasonal reading for years to come.
In Aquinas’ extensive treatment on depression [in the Summa Theologica], he at one point suggests a number of remedies. One of them is simply the contemplation of truth, since that is “the greatest of all pleasures.”
Anyone who knows me – just ask my staff at HLI – knows I eagerly look forward to the season of Christmas and the wondrous, life-giving message it brings every year. While many do everything possible to celebrate Christmas, they often do so at the expense of why it is worth celebrating.
Christmas is almost here! If ever there was a holiday focused on children—this is it. It seems a good moment to ask: why does childhood seem to be such a sacred, even holy time?
Truth be told, among all the types of Catholic leaders we provide training and formation to, my favorite to work with are seminarians. I’m inspired by their authentic zeal, and despite the seeming narrowness of their perspective, I am grateful for their desire to probe and challenge in order to understand the landscape in which they will, God willing, one day serve. One bright seminarian this year asked me, “Sum it up for us.
The Bible indicates Stephen was a 1st-century deacon, and the first Christian martyr. A Jew from outside Palestine, he became Christian, then headed the first seven deacons. He studied with Saul and Barnabas under Gamaliel (a Sanhedrin member opposing persecution of the Apostles).
It’s unbelievable that a year has passed by again, as we ready to welcome baby Jesus back into our hearts, and celebrate being Christian. We also look forward to the coming year.