Saint Lucy & the Radiance of Virginity – Ambrose

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Here Ambrose speaks not of physical light, but rather notes how St. Lucy and other holy virgins light up their grace of body with the radiance and splendor of their souls. Read on the feast of Saint Lucy on December 13, in the season...

10 December, 2023 /

Christmas, at least in the USA, is hard to imagine without Jolly ole Saint Nicholas, aka "Santa Claus."  Since some focus on him to the neglect of the Christ child, some propose that he be banished from an authentically Christian celebration of Christ's birth.  We...

03 December, 2023 /

The Gospel of Luke presents Mary, mother of Jesus, as the model of faith, showing us what faith must include to be authentic and effective. And imitating Mary's virtue is key to an authentic Marian devotion....

03 December, 2023 /

Advent's theme can be summed up in the word's of Isaiah 40: Prepare the way of the Lord!  But what are the mountains that need to be leveled and the valleys that need to be filled in?  Here's a road map through the desert of...

03 December, 2023 /

Andrew, born at Bethsaida, was a disciple of John the Baptist before he left John to follow Jesus. The Gospel of John tells us that it was actually Andrew who brought his brother Peter to Christ. With Philip he presented the Gentiles to Christ and...

26 November, 2023 /

During a time when parties and endless carols dull our spiritual senses, the message of Advent urges to wake up and be alert and vigilant. Our society is asleep spiritually. Here are some ideas to rouse ourselves, our famlies and our neighbors to...

26 November, 2023 /

The Feast of Christ the King reminds us that Jesus will judge the living and the dead. Matthew 25 hints that the pious, decent folk may be in for a surprise . . . sins of omission, failing to love, may figure more prominently...

20 November, 2023 /

The Eucharist- Fruit of the Tree of Life St. Albert the Great [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']D[/dropcaps]o this in remembrance of me. Two things should be noted here. The first is the command that we should use this sacrament, which is indicated when he says: Do this....

12 November, 2023 /

Conrad of Marburg, spiritual director of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, here shares his recollections about how this noblewoman, a busy wife & mother, nonetheless carried out an extraordinary life of prayer and service to the poor....

12 November, 2023 /

A reflection about two passages from Scripture, Proverbs 31 and the parable of the talents from Matthew's Gospel, that demonstrate that faith entails the courage to take bold initiatives, to be creative, even entrepreneurial, to express our gratitude to God for all that He has...

12 November, 2023 /

The parable of the foolish virgins who let the oil in their lamps run out recalls the recurring nightmare that so many experience, of being caught totally unprepared for a test or presentation.  For the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A. To LISTEN to...

06 November, 2023 /

All Saints Day gives us the opportunity to honor and celebrate the multitudes of Christians who are in heaven yet who don't appear on the list of canonized saints or have a feast day in their honor. But it also provides us the chance...

29 October, 2023 /

How did the Pharisees, who were God's champions in the days of the Maccabees, become the villains who sought the death of God's son?  They were deformed by an insidious spiritual disease that is the deadliest of the seven deadly or capital sins - pride....

29 October, 2023 /

 A 15 minute podcast in which host Sonrise Morning show host Anna Mitchell asks Dr. Italy some interesting questions about the origin and meaning of Halloween, the popular US holiday occurring on October 31 which some believe to be of Satanic origin.  Halloween - Satanic Origins? In...

25 October, 2023 /

APOSTOLIC LETTER SALVIFICI DOLORIS OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF TO THE BISHOPS, TO THE PRIESTS, TO THE RELIGIOUS FAMILIES AND TO THE FAITHFUL OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE CHRISTIAN MEANING OF HUMAN SUFFERING JOHN PAUL II In the Apostolic Letter "Salvifici Doloris," the Pope speaks as the Successor of Peter, summing up Scripture and Tradition...

22 October, 2023 /

St. Anthony Claret here writes about evangelization and the apostolic zeal characteristic of the missionary spirit.  He himself exemplified this in his own life, having founded a society of missionaries and serving as a zealous missionary bishop of Cuba....

22 October, 2023 /

When his enemies quiz him about what commandment is the greatest, Jesus reveals just how radical he really is.  His answer goes to the very root of every single one of the 613 commandments found in the law of the Old Testament - the distinct...

22 October, 2023 /

St. Teresa of Avila's comments on the Lord's Prayer, specifically, on the petitions "Hallowed be thy Name" and "Thy Kingdom Come." The excerpt is from her book The Way of Perfection....

15 October, 2023 /

When the Pharisees and the Herodians brought up the issue of paying taxes to the Emperor, Jesus uttered the famous line "render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.  So what does this say about the role of government in our...

15 October, 2023 /

Why would people decline a royal invitation to a wedding feast fit for a king?  This parable of Jesus describes a situation we see around us everyday - pervasive apathy in the face of the offer of salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of...

08 October, 2023 /

St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the respect and gratitude owed to our guardian angels to whom God has entrusted us as our protectors and teachers.   Angels as our Guardians and Teachers   [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']H[/dropcaps]e has given his angels charge over you to guard you...

01 October, 2023 /

The parable of the vineyard and the wicked tenants or husbandmen is a warning to peoples and nations that no wall will protect a society that is abundantly blessed yet continues to bear bad fruit and sour grapes, refusing to give God his due. ...

01 October, 2023 /

The parable of the two Sons makes clear that saying yes to Jesus Christ is much more a matter of deeds and actions than words and promises. Talk is cheap but body language never lies....

24 September, 2023 /

The biblical approach to fraternal correction has nothing to do with the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. Rather, it is all about loving intervention. As Ezekiel was a watchman for the house of Israel, we are all watchmen for each other....

03 September, 2023 /

No sooner does Jesus praise Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi and dub him "the Rock" than he rebukes him as the devil or Satan. Peter had confessed Jesus to be the Messiah. But his idea of what it meant to be the Christ...

27 August, 2023 /

Here Saint Louis, king of France, gives advice to his son as to how a Catholic statesman ought to conduct himself with relation to God, his subjects, and especially the poor. Read on August 25, the feast of St. Louis....

23 August, 2023 /

Saint Rose of Lima on the unfathomable treasure of divine grace which comes to us through afflictions, tribulations, and struggles.  Read on her feast day, August 23. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ur Lord and Savior lifted up his voice and said with incomparable majesty: “Let...

20 August, 2023 /

When we think about the Pope, we often think of the Vatican. But the roots of the Papacy are in the Old Testament as well as in the Gospel story of Jesus changing Simon's name to Peter and giving him the keys of the...

20 August, 2023 /

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary (called the Dormition in the Christian East) has been celebrated as a solemn feast on August 15 since ancient times. What is the meaning and basis of the dogma and the Solemnity?...

15 August, 2023 /

Jesus heals the daughter of the Canaanite woman because her faith was so great. He rebuked the disciples because their faith was too little. Matthew's gospel here is teaching us something very important about the nature of the faith that moves mountains....

13 August, 2023 /

Reflections on the life and work of St. Dominic, founder of the Friars Preachers or Dominicans, by some of his contemporaries and also Marcellino D'Ambrosio (Dr. Italy) for the feast of St. Dominic August 8th....

06 August, 2023 /

7 min podcast of Dr. Italy discussing the amazing story of Edith Stein, aka St. Benedicta of the Cross, philosopher, mystic, martyr. In this brief excerpt from the Sonrise Morning Show, Dr. Italy introduces listeners to the fascinating story of Edith Stein, born into an observant...

06 August, 2023 /

The gospel story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter sinking has much to teach us about the difference between fear, little faith, and the kind of trust that endures waves and storms, trials and crisis....

06 August, 2023 /

St. John Vianney, the humble and simple Cure of Ars, on the glorious duty of man to pray.  He sees prayer, as intimate union with God in love, as producing serenity and sweetness.  And such experience is available to all, including simple lay people. [dropcaps type='normal'...

02 August, 2023 /

John Chrysostom on James and John, the Sons of Zebedee, and their mother's famous request that her sons sit at Jesus' right and left in the kingdom. St. James was born at Bethsaida and was martyred by Herod around the year 42. He is...

23 July, 2023 /

Ambrose here provides a fascinating glimpse into the rites preceding baptism in 4th century Milan as well as into the adult catechesis (RCIA) of the early Church in which direct discussion of the sacraments, mystagogia, was given only after people had already received the sacraments...

16 July, 2023 /

In 2016, Pope Francis elevated the annual memorial of Mary Magdalene on July 22 to that of a Feast, the same status as celebrations of the apostles and evangelists.  In light of the fact that she announced the good news of the resurrection to the...

16 July, 2023 /

On October 24, 1964, in his Apostolic Letter, Pacius Nuntius, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Saint Benedict of Nursia, patriarch of western monasticism, the Principal Patron of Europe at Monte Cassino Abbey.  Here is an excerpt. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]hen the man of God was...

09 July, 2023 /

In Matthew's gospel, Jesus makes the statement "my yoke is easy, my burden light." For many of us who follow him, this does not seem to square with our experience. This post discusses the reasons for this....

02 July, 2023 /

In this 14 minute podcast, Sonrise Morning Show Host Matt Swaim discusses with Dr. Italy why St. Irenaeus (feast day June 28) was such a pivotal figure in the history of Christianity, truly a link between the apostles and the Church today. Dr. Italy and Matt...

25 June, 2023 /

On the Solemnity (Feast) of the apostles Peter & Paul, disciples & martyrs who said yes to Jesus' call "follow me," the patronal feast of the Church of the City of Rome, the apostolic see, June 29....

25 June, 2023 /

In this 14 minute podcast, Matt Swaim of the Sonrise Morning Show interviews Dr. Italy about St. Thomas More and his relevance for us today, in the struggles we face to maintain our integrity with courage in an increasingly hostile secular society. In the Roman liturgical...

18 June, 2023 /

The term "the New Evangelization" is repeated often in Catholic circles. But what precisely does this phrase refer to and what's "new" about this particular form of the preaching of the gospel?...

18 June, 2023 /

In this beautiful prayer, read by the Church each year on June 9, the feast of St. Ephrem, we see the sacraments as a reflection of the light of the resurrection, an experience of the divine beauty which brings us delight....

05 June, 2023 /

I . [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]ntroduction 52. Wishing in His supreme goodness and wisdom to effect the redemption of the world, "when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, ..that we might receive the        ...

28 May, 2023 /

SEVEN BEAMS FROM A PENTECOST NOVENA. Pentecost, 1942. I. Who are You, sweet light that fills me And illumines the darkness of my heart? You guide me like a mother's hand, And if You let me go, I could not take Another step. You are the space That surrounds and contains my being. Without You...

21 May, 2023 /

Praying this Pentecost Novena for nine days prior to Pentecost is a wonderful way to prepare for the feast and a new coming of the Holy Spirit in your life on Pentecost Sunday.  Keep in mind that the very concept of the Novena comes from...

14 May, 2023 /

The Holy Spirit, aka Holy Ghost, is the third person of the Trinity but is generally the least known and appreciated. In calling him the Paraclete or Advocate. Jesus hints at what the Spirit does and why he is so important....

07 May, 2023 /

Ioannes Paulus PP. II Laborem exercens To His Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate to the Priests to the Religious Families to the sons and daughters of the Church and to all Men and Women of good will on Human Work on the ninetieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum 1981.09.14 Pope John Paul II [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color=''...

30 April, 2023 /

Tertullian, one of the most important Christian writers of the late second and early third century, here explains why the Church's apostolic foundation is so important.  The tradition of the apostles is our link to Christ and our guarantee of continuity and fidelity.  This excerpt...

30 April, 2023 /

Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he leads us to verdant pastures where the food is ample and of the best quality. He wants us to thrive, not survive, so that the world might be able to see where abundant life is to be...

23 April, 2023 /

This moving excerpt from the St. Anselm's Proslogion (Cap. 14, 16, 26) addresses God as the Supreme Mystery who dwells in inaccessible light, source of all wisdom and goodness. It is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the liturgical memorial (feast)of St. Anselm...

20 April, 2023 /

In this 14 minute podcast, Anna Mitchell of the Sonrise Morning Show interviews Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio about his numerous visits to the empty tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Gospel of John tells us that, after the body...

10 April, 2023 /

This classic Paschal or Easter Sermon is from Saint John Chrysostom, fifth century early church father and one of the greatest preachers of all time. This homily for Holy Pascha exhorts all, even those who have not kept the Lenten fast, to rejoice and enter...

10 April, 2023 /

This article uses Aslan, the central figure in the well-known story of C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, to illuminate the meaning of the resurrection of the Lord and the "deep magic" of God's plan of salvation celebrated on Easter....

07 April, 2023 /

Catholic Christians are generally familiar with two creeds - the Nicene Creed which we typically recite at Sunday Mass and the Apostle's Creed which is the first prayer of the rosary. Where do these professions of faith come from, why are they different, and...

28 March, 2023 /

Andrew of Crete comments on Jesus' coming to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to remind us of Christ's continual coming and his final coming, calling us to receive his light and rejoice in his glory....

26 March, 2023 /

6 minute podcast in which on the journey of Jesus and his disciples from Bethany, over the top of the Mount of Olives to Bethphage, & down the Palm Sunday Road from there into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey amidst cries of hosanna.  In...

26 March, 2023 /

Palm Sunday in most Christian Churches involves the distribution of palms and a commemoration of Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem amidst shouts of Hosanna. But what is the meaning of his decision to ride into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey? It has...

26 March, 2023 /
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