Lenten fasting works best when accompanied by almsgiving and works of mercy, says Leo the Great, writing around AD 450. This powerful combination brings healing, spiritual renewal, and progress in virtue....
The call of Abraham and the Transfiguration of Jesus are presented to us on the 2nd Sunday of Lent because they teach us about how to approach hardship and suffering with faith and hope....
The Temptation of Jesus in the Desert is the gospel of the first Sunday of Lent. The purple color of Lent symbolizes penance, but also royalty. As we remember how the first Adam was tempted and failed his test, we rejoice that...
Dr. Italy discusses in this podcast how can we find tranquility in the midst of turbulent times of turmoil. The value of the famous Serenity Prayer. 2020 was a time of exceptional turmoil and disruption throughout the world due to the COVID 19 pandemic. America, in...
6 min podcast by Dr. Italy discussing Bethany as a rest stop between Jericho and Jerusalem. Describes the journey Jesus would have taken, his familiarity with a particular family of Bethany, and the help this provides in understanding the story of the raising of Lazarus. Jesus,...
The key penitential practices of Lent-prayer, fasting, and almsgiving or mercy are here explained by one of the greatest preachers of the early Church. Saint Peter Chrysologus shows how Lenten prayer, mercy and fasting are one, and they give life to each other....
John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This title, so prominent in the Mass, illumines the meaning of Christ's passion, recalling the first Passover remembered every year during Holy Week and...
Basil the Great here urges generosity in almsgiving. Basil views works of mercy as sowing seeds of charity that bears the fruit of eternal happiness....
The seven corporal & seven spiritual works of mercy, where they come from in Old and New Testaments, and why they must always be kept together following the example of Jesus in the gospels....
Mercy goes beyond justice & who is responsible. Mercy is love’s response to suffering. How the Eucharist, charity, and the works of mercy are related, and practical principles on building a lifestyle of mercy in the Year of Mercy...