Dr. Italy
In this brief video by Sherwood Fellows the key themes of Lent are explored - th...
In this 8 minute video, Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D. (Dr. Italy) shares so...
Saint Andrew of Crete on the nativity of Mary as a turning point between old and new covenant, the frontier where types and symbols give way to realit...
The parable of the merciless servant illustrates the meaning of "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," a petition i...
September 11th is the anniversary of one of most brutal acts of terrorism of all time. Three days later, on September 14, the Catholic and Eastern Or...
Gregory of Nyssa continues his reflections on the Beatitude "blessed are the pure for they shall see God" (Mat. 5:8) by showing how purity of heart is the key the opens the way to seeing, to the hope of the vision of God....
Gregory of Nyssa, commenting on the beatitude "blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God," compares God to an inaccessible rock, a mountain peak impossible to climb except to those lifted up, as Peter was, by the strong hand of Jesus....
Athanasius writes that God the Word assumed our nature and took a human body in order to offer it in sacrifice, winning us salvation from sin and death....
Paul tells us we are justified by faith, not works. The story from Luke 7 about Jesus, the Pharisee, and woman with the alabaster jar helps us to understand what Paul means and why many debates between salvation by faith vs. works entirely misses...
Augustine makes clear that though grace must come before any good works that are truly pleasing to God, grace necessarily leads to good works which are really God's works in and through us as we tred the path of humility....
St. Ambrose here provides a poetic and moving description of the role of the book of psalms in the prayer life of the Church. Though many devotional prayers are are to be found in the treasury of the Christian Tradition, it is the psalter...
An intense tribute to God as the fountain of eternal life, light, and living water by the Irish monk Columbanus around the AD 600. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']B[/dropcaps]rethren, let us follow that vocation by which we are called from life to the fountain of...
Cyril of Alexandria discusses the words of Jesus "I am the vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5)l; how the Holy Spirit is the bond uniting us with Christ & one another, making us bear fruit....
Gregory of Nyssa urges us here to follow Paul's command to keep your eyes fixed on Christ rather than be preoccupied with earthly trivialities. The wise man heeds this advice. The fool preoccupies himself with things destined to pass away....
This article on the importance of the charisms of the Holy Spirit, the supernatural gifts of grace, is helpful for all Christians at all stages of development. But it is especially valuable for those preparing for or teaching about the sacrament of confirmation....
A list of the many titles Scripture gives to the Holy Spirit including counselor, advocate, Spirit of Truth, Promise of the Father, and others....
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']L[/dropcaps]ord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Father all-powerful, have mercy on us. Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us. Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify...
his famous excerpt from Lumen Gentium nos. 4 & 12, Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, deals with the person, mission, and gifts or charisms of the Holy Spirit. It speaks too of the sensus fidei, the instinct of faith or anointing given to...
The Letter to Diognetus, dating from approximately 125AD, is the earliest example we have of an "apology," a defense the Christian faith addressed to a non-Christian. This brief but wonderful document is so close to the time of the Apostles that it is reckoned as...
Pope Francis was elected as successor of Peter and bishop of Rome on March 13, 2013. He chose to be installed on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19 2013. Thus, his very first homily as Pope was on the role of Saint...
Most Americans tend to think of religion as something rather fluid. It's very common for us to say things like "all religions are basically the same," and "we're all just pursuing god on our own path." What a religion ACTUALLY BELIEVES is just not seen...
"Settling Down." You hear the phrase all the time. Images of Bryan, the soulless office drone, hunched over a computer while fluorescent lighting flickers overhead. He’s working the ol’ 9 to 5 grind to provide for his nagging wife and their four-year-old nightmare. Once, he dreamed...
Our amorphous fluffy God has a plan. It (God) has your best interests in mind, and, if you only submit to it enough, you’ll be blessed beyond your wildest imaginings with health for you and your family, wealth to provide for them (and to occasionally take...
I have four kids. As you can imagine I have a lot of “slip ups” when it comes to swear words. By 3pm, I’m pretty much a fuming bundle of nerves because I’ve been cleaning up after a 3-year-old all day long. I always start with a...
The day has arrived. The much awaited day of wreckoning (yes I misspelled that on purpose) between Paul, the Free Marketeer, and Josh, the Chestertonian Distributivist. This is the third and final part of our three part series, so those of you who haven't caught up...
Our Pope has the unique talent of stirring the pot on a weekly basis. We here at the Crossroads Pursuit think that’s really awesome. The Church, contrary to popular belief, encourages discourse. Because we are Catholic, we ought to be thinking, arguing, wrestling in pursuit...
Our Pope has the unique talent of stirring the pot on a weekly basis. We here at the Crossroads Pursuit think that’s really awesome. The Church, contrary to popular belief, encourages discourse. Because we are Catholic, we ought to be thinking, arguing, wrestling in pursuit...
If you've completed this step, congratulations! You're already more mature and probably a better wifey than I am. Perhaps it's my aversion to the smarminess in most of these online articles or just the feminist in me that Pat Robertson's been warning us all about,...
The Church is Universal, that means it's cool to be different. So, be different. But, isn't that the opposite of Catholicism? Isn't being different bad? Most people in America - scratch that - most Catholics in America, when they hear the word "Catholic," think: "American-style home parish Roman Catholic". But, what...
I just finished with a two-week summer camp for 200 high school and middle school kids at St. Gabriel's Parish in McKinney. It was an amazing, spirit-filled time. When we played, we had gigantic food fights; when we worshiped, we danced and roared; and when we served, we...
Imagine you’ve just been hired at Google. You know you always wanted to work there, that it’s going to be the best thing ever, but there’s one problem: you have no idea what your job description is. So you come in on your first day...
DISCLAIMER: For those of you who haven’t heard yet before the year’s close, Pope Francis is set to release an encyclical on Climate Change. We don’t know what it is going to say, but with the Church stepping headlong into matters of politics, economics, and science, it...
To my friends who are feeling lost and hopeless in their journey of faith right now: I FEEL YOU. God and I weren’t always on the best terms. I made a lot of bad choices, because I thought God had abandoned me and I didn’t...
“Be very careful with that vase, you know who it belongs to, right?” I asked my 6-year-old daughter as her tiny fingers traced the delicate hand painted flowers on the pink glass. “Your great-grandmother!” she replied, already knowing the answer. “Yep, the one that you’re named after...
If distraction’s what you’re after, there’s no better time to be alive. You can watch TV after work. You can go see a movie. You can scroll through hours of entertainment on Vine. Then there’s Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Not to mention HBO, Starz, and AMC....
So the Internet exploded yesterday. That’s just the best way to describe it. Some are jubilant. Others are disappointed, angry, upset. It’s not surprising that many people took to social media or their blogs or the comment sections of news websites to express themselves. But guess what?...
Having this conversation is never easy, but it is necessary. Since I have four children and none of them are preggo yet, I'm obviously crushing it, so allow me to drop some knowledge bombs on you for how to have "THE TALK" straight from the...
We’ve all had this experience (or maybe just me): You’re in a classroom, an upper-level high school or college liberal arts class, or—God forbid—graduate school. The teacher asks a question, and a well-meaning but ill-informed peer of yours gives an answer, a dead-wrong back-asswords answer....
Being the son of a theologian sometimes has its advantages, one of them being that I was confirmed before I was fully able to say the name John Chrysosystum. (still can’t). You might be surprised to find out that my brother and I never attended...
The Crossroads Pursuit has taken it upon itself a great and necessary task in the Church: to broaden our baby naming horizons. Seriously guys, I have 5 friends named John Paul. JP II was awesome, but man. Lets give some of the other 8,000 Saints some love! The same goes for Confirmation...
“…and every third Sunday, we have a Beatles service.” I did an internal double-take. My friend was just describing her Methodist church and what their services were like, and that was the last thing I expected. I maintained an expression of calm interest as I pictured...
"St. John Vianney’s ministry gives parish priests a fundamental blueprint for a pastoral plan for any place and time." [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]t. John Vianney (1786 1859) is regaining popularity among diocesan seminarians. After a generation of being ignored, if not ridiculed, the patron saint of...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course. The ancient...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps] ay the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps] sacrum convivium O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.Tantum ergo Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail; Lo! o'er ancient...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ur Lady of Guadalupe ‘completely beyond’ scientific explanation, says researcher Phoenix, Ariz., Aug 7, 2009 / 04:10 pm (CNA).- Researcher and physicist Dr. Aldofo Orozco told participants at the International Marian Congress on Our Lady of Guadalupe that there is no scientific...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]oderate obesity can cut three years off life expectancy A new analysis of almost one million people from around the world has shown that obesity can trim years off life expectancy. Oxford University researchers found that moderate obesity, which is now common, reduces...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]ho are you, sweet light, that fills me And illumines the darkness of my heart? You lead me like a mother's hand, And should you let go of me, I would not know how to take another step. You are the space That embraces my being...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]n the morning of the 14th of September, a great crowd gathered at the Villa Sexti, in accordance with the order of the governor Galerius Maximus. That same day the governor commanded Bishop Cyprian to be brought before him for...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he September 2005 issue of the Archives of Dermatology reports that patients under long-term antibiotic therapy ran a risk of developing upper respiratory tract infections at more than twice the rate of people not using the drugs. The findings highlight the dangers that...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']P[/dropcaps]artridge in a pear tree Jesus Christ, symbolized as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from helpless nestlings. Two turtle doves Old & New Testaments Three French Hens Faith, hope, charity Four Calling birds The Four Gospels Five Golden Rings The Pentateuch or Five Books of...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]t Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548). Little is known about the life of Juan Diego before his conversion, but tradition and archaelogical and iconographical sources, along with the most important and oldest indigenous document on the event of Guadalupe, "El Nican...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]pr. 04 (CWNews.com) - Looking back across a span of 75 years, a boyhood neighbor of John Paul II spoke recently of the simple but deep ties that bound him to the Pope in a lifelong friendship. The bonds that formed...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps] y beloved brethren, the story of Job prefigures that of Christ. Thus we understand it, and we can see the truth of this by detailed comparison. Job was called a righteous man by God; and God is righteousness...
PRI Weekly Briefing 29 December 2005 Vol. 7 / No. 51 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]t’s a sad society, full of sad women—-not to mention men-—when mothers have to be paid not to kill their own children. Yet the situation in Italy, a country once known for a strong...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ften the greatest challenge in bringing someone to Christ and his Church is finding ways to engage him in meaningful conversation. In contemporary America, most people are not moved by claims of truth or goodness. Relativism has made truth to...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]his is a sampling of accolades from interfaith leaders on the occasion of the death of John Paul II in April 2005. * * * Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles "No Pope did more for the Jews." --- --- --- New York Board of Rabbis "We...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']1[/dropcaps]870 Babylonian empire begins 1850 BC (ca.) Abraham 1650 Israel & sons migrate to Egypt 1250 Exodus from Egypt 1200 Invasion of Sea Peoples (Philistines); Period of the Judges begins 1020 Saul becomes king 1000 David becomes king 961 Solomon becomes king 922 Jews split into two Kingdoms: Israel in the North and Judah in the South 721 Assyrians destroy Northern Kingdom ...
Having this conversation is never easy, but it is necessary. Since I have four children and none of them are preggo yet, I'm obviously crushing it, so allow me to drop some knowledge bombs on you for how to have "THE TALK" straight from the...
Message of Synod on the Eucharist "Living Bread for the Peace of the World" October 23, 2005 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']V[/dropcaps]ATICAN CITY, OCT. 23, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the final message of the 21st Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, approved Friday at...
What is the Theology of the Body and Why is it Changing so Many Lives? [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']"I[/dropcaps]t is an illusion to think we can build a true culture of human life if we do not . . . accept and experience sexuality and...
The Theology of the Body & The New Evangelization [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']"I[/dropcaps]t is an illusion to think we can build a true culture of human life if we do not . . . accept and experience sexuality and love and the whole of...
John Paul II's Theology of the Body: Key to an Authentic Marital & Family Spirituality [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]hat is marital spirituality? How does the family become authentically spiritual? For John Paul II, the answers to these questions “of the spirit” are revealed in the...
A Basic Theology of Marriage [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he twentieth century witnessed significant developments in the Church’s theology of marriage, beginning with Pope Pius XI’s 1930 encyclical Casti Connubii, passing through the Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, and culminating...
Salvation history is the story of a journey. Abram goes from civilization to the desert, Moses from the Pharaoh’s palace to a mountaintop. The people of Israel repeat Moses’ journey, and then are led through the desert to the Promised Land. All these journeys have a...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]hat outstanding youth, Jonathan, son of King Saul, made an alliance with David, but it was not in the hope of obtaining the royal crown or winning the kingdom. For the sake of their friendship, he set David above himself...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps]ada año, justo después de Navidad, celebramos la fiesta de la Sagrada Familia. Esto es por una razón importante. Es fácil pensar que la “encarnación” quiere decir que Dios tomó un cuerpo humano, que apareció en la carne. Pero la...
][dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']o[/dropcapsffer to God a sacrifice of praise and pay your vows to the Most High. To praise God is both to make your vow and to fulfil it. That is why the Samaritan in the story is placed above his...
Here St. Ambrose comments on the biblical theme of God as Our Refuge (Pslam 45) and emphasizes God's incomparable goodness for which we must thirst as if deer longing for fountains of water....
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps] he Three Persons of the Godhead were not unknown to the judges of old nor to Moses, for the equality of the Son with the Father, as well as of the Three Persons amongst Themselves, is laid down both elsewhere...
On Priesthood and Those With Homosexual Tendencies Instruction From the Congregation for Catholic Education Here is the text of the new Vatican instruction "Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and...
CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps] NTRODUCTION In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with some frequency by Pope John Paul II, and by the relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See.(1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']F[/dropcaps] rom the diary of her pilgrimage in the 4th Century AD Egeria's Return to Constantinople XXIII 8. On the next day, crossing the sea, I arrived at Constantinople, giving thanks to Christ our God who deigned to give me such grace, unworthy and undeserving...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n the shadows of the Temple we have followed the signposts of a long road. God chooses a people and sends them on their way. Starting with Abram: “Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and...
DECLARATION "DOMINUS IESUS" ON THE UNICITY AND SALVIFIC UNIVERSALITY OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE CHURCH [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]NTRODUCTION The Lord Jesus, before ascending into heaven, commanded his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world and to baptize all nations: “Go into the whole world and proclaim...
QUOD IAM DIU ENCYCLICAL OF POPE BENEDICT XV ON THE FUTURE PEACE CONFERENCE TO THE PATRIARCHS, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES OF THE CATHOLIC WORLD [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']V[/dropcaps] enerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Benediction. That for which the whole world has long sighed, which Christianity has implored with such fervent...
Encyclical of Pope John XXIII promulgated on 11 November 1961 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]o the Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See: Commemorating the fifteenth centenary of the death of St. Leo the...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Churches of the East are worthy of the glory and reverence that they hold throughout the whole of Christendom in virtue of those extremely ancient, singular memorials that they have bequeathed to us. For it was in that part...
To Our Venerable Brethren, All Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World, in Grace and Communion with the Apostolic See. Venerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Benediction. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he God of all Providence, Who in the adorable designs of His love at first elevated...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Apostolic concern leading Us to carefully survey the signs of the times and to make every effort to adapt the means and methods of the holy apostolate to the changing circumstances and needs of our day, impels us to...
Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Paul VI On the Church of Jesus Christ promulgated on August 6, 1964 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]ince Jesus Christ founded His Church to be the loving mother of all men and the dispenser of salvation, it is obvious why she has always...
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI ON THE REGULATION OF BIRTH JULY 25, 1968 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]o His Venerable Brothers the Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops and other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See, to the Clergy and Faithful of the Whole Catholic World, and...
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST SEPTEMBER 3, 1965 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Mystery of Faith, that is, the ineffable gift of the Eucharist that the Catholic Church received from Christ, her Spouse, as a pledge of His immense love, is something that...
Encyclical of Pope Paul VI On the Development of Peoples March 26, 1967 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]o the Bishops, Priests, Religious, and Faithful of the Whole Catholic World, and to All Men of Good Will. Honored Brothers and Dear Sons, Health and Apostolic Benediction. The progressive development of...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']E[/dropcaps]NCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE DECEMBER 31, 1930 To the Venerable Brethren, Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Local Ordinaries enjoying Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See. Venerable Brethren and Beloved Children, Health and Apostolic Benediction. How great is...