It is fitting that the feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist, occurs during the Christmas season. For it is John, in his gospel and his first epistle, who so clearly teaching us the wonder of the incarnation, the word of God and word...
Short services of blessing of a Christmas Manger or Nativity Scene that are actually part of the official liturgy of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. But they can be conducted by lay men or women in their own homes. Both full...
Gaudete Sunday calls us to rejoice in hope. As John the Baptist found joy amidst suffering due to the Good News that the Christ had appeared, we too pause from our Advent penance to rejoice in a salvation that has drawn near and whose...
Christmas is a joyous celebration of the birth of Peace. So why does the Church precede the feast of December 25 with a somber season of fast and penance? A meditation for the Second Sunday of Advent, cycle A. ...
In this 13 minute podcast, Sonrise Morning Show host Anna Mitchell Interviews Dr. Italy on the insistent command in many of the scripture readings of the season, to rouse ourselves from sleep. What does it mean to be spiritually awake and alert? The Season of Advent...
Christmas lights begin to appear in November, chasing away the increasing darkness. Is all this just commercialism and secularism, or do holiday lights somehow tie into the true meaning of the Advent and Christmas season?...
Dr. Italy continues his "virtual tour" of sites on his upcoming Rhine pilgrimage, exploring the city of Speyer, Germany, in this 7 min. radio interview. Speyer has its beginnings in a Roman settlement, but in the early Middle Ages, it became an important center and...
On October 1, 1999, Pope John Paul II declared Edith Stein, whose religious name was Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, as one of the co-patrons of Europe. In the following excerpt from his decree, he explains the significance of his proclamation. Edith Stein—Saint Teresa Benedicta of...
Fulgentius of Ruspe on spiritual final bodily resurrection, justification & glorification. In causing both resurrections, God means to give us eternal joy....
The belief second and final coming of Jesus as sovereign Lord and judge of the world is common to all Christians, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. It is commemorated each November in the Roman Catholic Feast of Christ the King, a celebration that inspires both...