Good Friday is the day of the Crucifixion, Passion, and Death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cross was a terrorist weapon. In embracing it, was Jesus accepting defeat or pursuing a brilliant victory?...
The Creed proclaims "He descended into Hell". This homily for Holy Saturday from the 4th Century treats of the "harrowing of hell" and the rescue of Adam and Eve. This was a popular theme in early and medieval Christian poetry, liturgy and song....
Here Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem in the mid-4th century, urges catechumens to prepare themselves to receive the Holy Spirit at the Easter Vigil. He speaks of the sacrament of baptism in nuptial terms, describing it as a wedding feast at which the bridegroom will...
Passion Sunday -- The Sunday before Easter, Palm Sunday, is observed by virtually all Christians. But for Roman Catholics it is also Passion Sunday during which all stand for the entire passion account. It's a bittersweet day, beginning with hosanna's, ending in suffering....
The gospel story of the raising of Lazarus found in John 11 shows us why Jesus can love some friends and disciples more than others, why death is not natural and beautiful, the difference between resurrection and resuscitation, and the deeper meaning of Jesus' miracles...
In this brief video by Sherwood Fellows the key themes of Lent are explored - the mystery of sin, temptation, and transformation through a journey into the desert, the way of repentance and prayer....
The original meaning of Lent in the early Church and how Jesus' dialogue with the Samaritan woman at the well can help us add another dimension to our understanding and experience of the Lenten Season. In the early days of the Church, Lent was...
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?" Lenten Fasting Fasting is what most people first think...
On the Second Sunday of Lent, the church places together the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah with the story of Jesus and three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. Together, these stories teach us the meaning of Lenten sacrifice....
This excerpt from St. Clement’s First Letter to the Corinthians on repentance, written around AD 95, urges us to repent, change our lives, seek God’s mercy & fix our attention on the blood of Jesus Christ. It is traditionally read on Ash Wednesday...