Bearing Witness: Cornerstone of the New Evangelization
The New Evangelization is all about testimony. Each is called to be a witness i...
Isn’t Advent great? Welcome to the season where the only song we sing for ...
Most Americans tend to think of religion as something rather fluid. It’s v...
Augustine here notes that we wayfarers should sing alleluia as we make our journ...
On the first Easter, the Risen Lord makes clear to his frightened disciples he not a ghost or specter and in so doing shows why the gnostic gospels ar...
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 w...
Divine Mercy Sunday or the Octave of Easter presents us with one of the most famous of gospel stories -- the story of Doubting Thomas. But it shows us...
The New Evangelization is all about testimony. Each is called to be a witness in both deed and word says Pope John Paul II and Vatican II....
17 February, 2016Isn’t Advent great? Welcome to the season where the only song we sing for four weeks is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! It’s the best! Advent is...
28 November, 2016Most Americans tend to think of religion as something rather fluid. It’s very common for us to say things like “all religions are basicall...
12 February, 2016In this 14 minute podcast, Dr. Italy shares some insights into our predicament – we tend to be lulled to sleep spiritually through the constant motion of modern life. This is especially true in Advent, which is perhaps the busiest time of the year due to how our society prepares for Christmas. Yet the Lord calls us in Advent to wake up to his presence and to move aside the obstacles that block his path into our lives. Pride is the chief obstacle, followed by the noise that makes it impossible to hear the still, small voice of the Lord. The mountains of pride and distractions needs to be made low.
Yet the valleys must also be filled in – there is a lack of meaning in the customs and traditions that we keep. In Advent, we must recharge them with meaning. A great way to do this, notes Dr. Italy, is by making use of the beautiful blessing services of the Church, available on this website, that consecrate the Advent wreath, the Christmas Tree, and the Manger Scene. These are brief but meaningful services that can be led in our homes by lay people, even though they are official blessings of the Church.
The approach of the Puritans to Christmas excess was to abolish Christmas. The Catholic approach is to recapture the meaning, to restore a Christ-centered perspective to all holiday customs and traditions.
From a colorful and varied background as a professor of theology, a father of five, business owner, and professional performer Marcellino D’Ambrosio (aka “Dr. Italy”) crafts talks, blog posts, books, and videos that are always fascinating, practical, and easy to understand. He is a popular speaker, TV and radio personality, New York Times best-selling author, and pilgrimage host who has been leading people on a journey of discovery for over thirty years. For a fuller bio and video, visit the Dr. Italy page.
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