Catholic Church

By Maria Augusta Von Trapp, Catholic Exchange - When asked about the origin of these old folk customs, one sometimes finds it hard to answer. They have come down to us through the centu­ries out of the gray past. Some are so old that they go back to pre-Christian times, having been baptized together with the people and turned from pagan into Christian customs. But, once in a while, we know how one or another custom originated.

By Deacon Michael Bickerstaff, Integrated Catholic - “Just as God’s glory overshadowed the Ark of the Old Covenant, so too did it overshadow Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant. Just as the Ark of the Old Covenant contained the presence of God, so too would Mary contain within her God become Man. Not only did Mary bear witness to God, the child she bore in her womb is God”.

By Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine - Matthew Mehan is a large man with large ideas that sometimes pour forth in a gentle torrent. His central claim, that Western Civilization will not be reclaimed unless and until poetry and rhetoric are revived, has been the focus of his personal and professional life... Mehan describes his life’s project as “recomforting my children, my students, my culture, and my Church with the truths and habits of nature, shot through with the grace of Christ.”

By Theresa Civantos Barber, Aleteia - While the rest of the world is moving on to the next thing, how can we really savor the whole Christmas season in our lives and homes?... The USCCB explains, “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord... This year, that’s Sunday January 9.