Liturgy and Sacraments Video #8. In this session, Dr. Italy discusses the history of the Temporal Cycle of the Catholic Liturgical Year which includes Lent, Easter, Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time and the important weekly commemoration of Christ's passion on Fridays and Resurrection on the Lord's...
Liturgy and Sacraments Video #10. Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio (Dr. Italy) discusses the origins, history and development of the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office, in the daily prayers and temple sacrifices of Ancient Israel. He then goes on to explain how the Liturgy...
Liturgy and Sacraments Video #9. In addition to the special seasons of Advent and Lent, Christmas and Easter, there is in the current Roman Calendar "Ordinary Time" during which saints' days abound. The cycle of memorials, feasts and Solemnities of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin...
February 2 is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord Jesus in the Temple. It is known as Candlemass since it is the day that candles are blessed for use throughout the Church year....
In this video, Dr. Italy discusses Augustine's fight against both Manicheans and Pelagians defending free will on the one hand and the utter necessity of grace on the other in light of original sin....
John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This title, so prominent in the Mass, illumines the meaning of Christ's passion, recalling the first Passover remembered every year during Holy Week and...
This short rite of blessing is one of the sacramentals, official liturgical prayer, though it may be led by lay people. It is perfect for the blessing of the Advent wreath in a home. This brief service is a wonderful way to begin a family’s...
The Feast of the Dedication of the St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome on November 9th raises an important question: "why do Roman Catholics and other Christians spend so much money on Church buildings when it is the people who are the true Church and...
Liturgy and Sacraments Video #11. Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio ("Dr. Italy") discusses the particular Hours in the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office. In this video we continue our conversation about the Liturgy of the Hours, going over the specific Hours in the...
St. Gregory of Agrigentum on God's light as our joy and supreme delight and bathing in the radiance of Christ, the Sun of Justice. This excerpt from his commentary on Ecclesiastes exhorts us to a life of contemplation, since to contemplate his radiant beauty is...