Since Christians are members of Christ's Church and the term Church means those who are called, that must mean that every single believer without exception has a call or a vocation....
Pope Benedict here speaks of the Holy Land as "the Fifth Gospel" and speaks about the power and value of pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a way to increase our longing for the New Jerusalem. As we call to mind the Word of God who became flesh...
The reason why Josef Ratzinger, upon his election to the chair of Peter in 2005, selected the name of Pope Benedict XVI. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n the Bible, when God changes someone's name, it's a sign of a change of destiny, of a new...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps] utstanding among the saints is Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness. In the Gospel of Luke we find her engaged in a service of charity to her cousin Elizabeth, with whom she remained for "about...
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...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]t. Ambrose of Milan's life (Sant Ambroggio de Milano in Italian) is a particularly fascinating story. St. Ambrose was born around 339 in what is now Trier, Germany, the son of the Roman prefect of Gaul. Following his father's footsteps,...
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...