Bernard of Clairvaux on the martyrdom of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross – her heart is pierced by a sword as Simeon predicted. For the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15....
Saint Andrew of Crete on the nativity of Mary as a turning point between old and new covenant, the frontier where types and symbols give way to reality. This reading shows that September 8th was celebrated as the birthday of Mary, daughter of Joachim and...
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary (called the Dormition in the Christian East) has been celebrated as a solemn feast on August 15 since ancient times. What is the meaning and basis of the dogma and the Solemnity?...
In this 15 minute podcast, Anna Mitchell, host of the Sonrise Morning show, asks Marcellino D'Ambrosio (aka "Dr. Italy") about the origins and meaning of the dogma and feast of the Assumption of Mary, celebrated since ancient times on August 15th by the Catholic Church...
In this 7 minute podcast, Anna Mitchell of the Sonrise Morning show interviews Dr. Italy on the profound meaning of the Magnificat, Mary's canticle uttered on the occasion of the Visitation, and how it manifests her as the Queen of Humility and the Queen of...
I . [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]ntroduction 52. Wishing in His supreme goodness and wisdom to effect the redemption of the world, "when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, ..that we might receive the ...
The Solemnity or Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated on March 25. Here, in his typically lyrical language and powerful imagery, Leo the Great ponders the unfathomable mystery of God becoming man in the womb of a Virgin who had the...
I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through a belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation. I arise today Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial, Through the strength of...
[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...
January 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics not because it is New Years, but because it is the octave (8th day) of Christmas, the feast of Mary the Mother of God. This feast helps bring home the reality of the incarnation, that...