Is Lent about fasting or feasting? Maybe the two are related, says this commentary on the story of the barren fig tree from the gospel of Luke chapter 13. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. Three inter-related fertilizers which help barren fig trees bear fruit....
Saint Joseph always appears in Manger scenes during Advent and Easter time and even has a special Solemnity or Feast in his honor, St. Joseph's Day, March 19. This essay makes a case that St. Joseph teaches us some crucial things about the nature...
Aelred of Rievaulx on Jesus Christ as the model of brotherly love and patience through his forgiveness of persecutors and enemies and his prayer from the cross "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."...
The New Evangelization means that even our approach to Lent must change. We need to switch our focus from personal growth to Church growth and "give up" not chocolate, but our fear of sharing the Good News of God's love coming to all people...
This post examines the relationship between the transfiguration and the passion of Christ, between Mount Tabor and Calvary. It also asks the question of of whether God the Father ever abandoned Jesus on the Cross. Helpful reading either for the Feast of the...
In this 14 minute segment from the Sonrise Morning Show, Anna Mitchell interviews Dr. Italy on the subject of the third pillar of Lenten penance traditionally called Almsgiving but better known as mercy. When people think of Lent, they most often associate it with what they...
In this 14 minute episode from the Sonrise Morning Show, host Anna Mitchell interviews Dr. Italy about how fasting fits into the Christian life in general and into Lenten penance in particular. "What are you giving up for Lent?" Fasting is what most people first think...
This 5 minute podcast from the Sonrise Morning Show discusses Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio’s book, 40 Days, 40 Ways: A New Look on Lent. The conversation between the author and Matt Swaim explores how this resource can give us a fresh perspective and new practical suggestions to...
So why does Lent have forty days? OK Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days, granted. But why not 3, or 7, or 10, or 12, for the twelve tribes?. clue. In this segment of the Sonrise Morning show, Matt...
Why Lent has forty days, the meaning of the number 40 in the Old and New Testaments, and the meaning of the the fasting and three temptations of Jesus Christ in the Desert....