A Rich and Blessed Legacy

What a rich and blessed legacy we have!

Granted, these past months, our attention may have been less on the more sublime matters of our faith and spiritual tradition than on worldly events, such as:

The events surrounding the US presidential election;
The Great Reset; and
The Coronavirus and talk surrounding its lethality, its treatment, public policy response.

Yes, these and other similar events can obscure this legacy. Yet is our age any different from previous ones with their own distractions?

By legacy, I am thinking of our rich faith tradition, which has been handed down to us through the centuries.

Consider the visual arts. Our museums, our churches, and our Christmas cards all depict the wonder of our redemption. The nativity, for instance, has inspired a hoard of artists to represent the birth of Our Lord Jesus, a vulnerable infant child.

A second example of this legacy is the written record amassed over the centuries.

Many theologians, poets, historians and others have been effected by the birth in Bethlehem and the subsequent life of Jesus Christ, to encourage others in writing to lead moral lives and to share the good news of God made flesh.

Consider, for example, the following passage from a contemporary writer:

I heard a saying which has often been repeated in recent years, “We have not to fear a strong Islam in Europe but a weak Christianity.” This is our problem. … our answer to Islam must be to increase our convictions in the Catholic faith, to nurture a virtuous and chaste life, faith in the uniqueness of Christ, in the reality that there is no other way to salvation outside the Church, and that all who are not Christians and who are Islamic have to know Christ and, by God’s grace, freely accept Him. It is our duty to tell them this with love, not with violence; with love, but with conviction. We have to be deeply convinced Christians. We have to foster and nourish in ourselves the spirit of martyrdom, and develop the beauty of a chaste and virtuous life. One of the best and most efficacious means of radiating the Catholic faith and of evangelizing is given when our young people, our families, or priests radiate integrity of the moral life. - Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Christus Vincit.

*** To Quebec residents, for any donation of $100 or more, I will gladly mail you, as a gift, a copy of Mgr. Schneider's Christus Vincit: Christ's Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age.***

I find this passage relevant not only in my defense of the unborn child but also in regards to the Christian apologetics for not infrequently I exchange with pedestrians on matters of faith when I pray near the abortion facilities downtown.

For instance, you may be surprised how often I am told by the people I meet that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

I try “with love, not with violence; with love, but with conviction” to profess the triune nature of God. Jesus is not a prophet but the second person of the divine trinity.

Next, I can identify with “the spirit of martyrdom” as I take a public stand for life and faith.

In these instances, a "beauty" settles over me; i pray “radiating integrity of the moral life.”

This holiday period, a time when we meet and exchange with near and dear ones, I wish you a renewed joy contemplating Our Lord’s rich legacy and allowing this truth radiate its beauty to those about you.

Merry Christmas,

Brian Jenkins

Outreach Coordinator

p.s. Many of you support us, either occasionally or on a regular basis. Your aid permits our efforts to foster a culture of life. All are welcomed during this Advent/Christmas period to express this support again. During this fundraising campaign, we have so far received 1,880$ towards our 7,500$ goal. Thank you!