Dr. Italy
The Regina Caeli, Latin for “Queen of Heaven,” is a hymn and prayer ...
Saint Joseph always appears in Manger scenes during Advent and Easter time and e...
If you dig deeply into the meaning of the fourth of July, you find that the entire American experiment is based on a single conviction — that th...
The profound origin and meaning of the sign of the cross is just one example of the depth and richness of the Catholic Tradition. It invites us to re...
In his homily at the canonization of St. Maria Goretti, a paragon of chastity and purity, Pope Pius XII notes how the example of her life and death is...
Here Anthony of Padua, one of the greatest preachers of the Middle Ages. interprets the tongues of Pentecost as different "love languages" whereby we witness to Christ by words and, even more importantly, actions. For his feast on June 13th....
Trinity Sunday celebrates the Church's faith in the triune God, one God in three persons. This doctrine has baffled people for 2,000 years. Given that it is so hard to accept, why bother with it? What difference does the trinitarian dogma really make to how...
Writing in the early 8th century, Bede explains why the Magnificat, Mary's prayer on the occasion of her Visitation of Elizabeth, is used daily in the liturgy of the hours (a.k.a the divine office) for evening prayer....
The Solemnity of the Ascension celebrates many things, among them hope, charity, and the Great Commission to preach the gospel to all nations. Thus, it is a fitting time to ponder the call of Pope John Paul II to a "new evangelization."...
For the proper interpretation of Scripture and to discern God's will, where do we turn for guidance, the teaching authority of the Church, or to the Holy Spirit? The Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 gives us some answers....
In John 10, Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice. But clearly, his words provoked controversy and crisis. Some hung on his every word, others rejected them. His words raise many questions about the role of predestination, grace, freedom, confidence and perseverance. For the...
This excerpt from a Easter letter by St. Athanasius was written around 340 AD to prepare the people of Alexandria, Egypt for the celebration of the Paschal Feast of Easter. It clearly demonstrates the sacramental and liturgical nature of worship in the early church....
The origins of the Papacy can be found in the dialogue between Jesus and Simon Peter in John 21, a gospel traditionally read during Eastertide. The question,"Peter, do you love me?" is followed by the command "Feed my sheep." The pope,...
Holy Thursday, the Lord's Supper, the institution of the Holy Eucharist, Corpus Christi -- What did Jesus mean when he said "This is my body and this is my blood" and "Do this in Memory of Me"? And what does the Catholic mean by...
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....