St. John Damascene extolls Sts. Joachim & Ann, parents of Mary, grandparents of Jesus. They have been honored at least since the 2nd century and their feast is July 26. ...
In this 14 minute podcast, Dr. Italy discusses with Anna Mitchell the various misconceptions people have about Mary Magdalene, and corrects them based on the gospels. He also looks at the woman of Magdala in the wider context of Jesus' remarkable ministry to women, and...
In this podcast, an excerpt from a radio interview, Dr. Italy discusses Mount Carmel, Elijah, and why Mary is known by the title Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In the Northwestern part of what is now the state of Israel is a long ridge known as...
The story of Doubting Thomas shows us that even apostles live, not by justice, but by Divine Mercy. That's why this story is always the subject of the gospel on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Octave of Easter....
If you dig deeply into the meaning of the fourth of July, you find that the entire American experiment is based on a single conviction -- that there is a law that is inscribed into the very nature of the human person, a law that...
Did Jesus really perform miracles & raise the daughter of Jairus from the dead? Deists, including several American founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, said no, and their Enlightenment skepticism still influences us today...
Eight days after Easter, Thomas the Doubter has an encounter with the Risen Christ that makes him a believer and even more, an apostle or ambassador who will bring the gospel to an unbelieving world. That should give us hope that he will do...
John Chrysostom on James and John, the Sons of Zebedee, and their mother's famous request that her sons sit at Jesus' right and left in the kingdom. St. James was born at Bethsaida and was martyred by Herod around the year 42. He is...
In this 14 minute podcast, the host of the SonRise Morning show interviews Dr. Italy on Sts. Joachim and Anne, whose feast is July 26, to find out what they can teach us about Jesus as well as the role of grandparents in passing on...
In 2016, Pope Francis elevated the annual memorial of Mary Magdalene on July 22 to that of a Feast, the same status as celebrations of the apostles and evangelists. In light of the fact that she announced the good news of the resurrection to the...