The Cross and the Sacred Heart of the World – Von Balthasar

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Hippolytus on the proper interpretation of Scripture, and the Incarnation of the Son as the hidden Word of God made manifest and visible. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]here is only one God, brethren, and we learn about him only from sacred Scripture. It is therefore...

04 June, 2021 /

John of the Cross here gives forceful expression to the faith of the Church that in Jesus Christ, God the Father has given us his complete and ultimate revelation of Himself and His plan for our lives. The glimplses of God and partial revelations of...

01 June, 2021 /

The first cause argument is one of the classic proofs for the existence of God.  Here Peter Kreefts lays out the essence of the argument in a way everybody can understand. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he most famous of all arguments for the existence of...

01 June, 2021 /

Recounted by an eye-witness, the following is the account of the martyrdom of St. Justin Martyr and companions in Rome about 165 AD. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he saints were seized and brought before the prefect of Rome, whose name was Rusticus. As they stood...

01 June, 2021 /

In this 35 minute video, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. (Dr. Italy) explains the importance of Justin Martyr, a second century philosopher turned apologist, on the development of Christian Thought. The first pagan intellectual to embrace the Christian faith and use some of the conceptual background of philosophy...

31 May, 2021 /

A tribute to Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., from Marcellino D'Ambrosio, one of his doctoral students.  The author notes Dulles' commitment to holiness and discipleship first as the necessary anchor for his work as a theologian.  Dulles was first of all a witness and only secondarily...

26 May, 2021 /

The mystery of mercy revealed in the sufferings of Christ and our obligation to make that extraordinary mercy known to everyone. Our response must be not only prayer, but evangelization. The connection between the Eucharist in which which receive the blood of Christ...

24 May, 2021 /

Often the Catholic teaching about the Eucharist or the Trinity is described as a mystery.  Is this just a way of avoiding hard questions about things you can't prove?  Some thoughts on what we know and don't know about God and his plan for our...

23 May, 2021 /

This excerpt from 2nd century Church Father, Irenaeus, contains beautiful imagery of the Holy Spirit as the rainfall of God as well as a fascinating allegorical interpretation of parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate the role of the various persons of the Holy Trinity-...

23 May, 2021 /

An explanation of the movement known as the charismatic movement and the experience called "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" by a theologian who has participated in the movement for over 40 years....

23 May, 2021 /

Hilary of Poitiers, describes how new Christians in 4th Century France typically felt innundated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon their baptism, Confirmation, & first Eucharist: a sense of joy and the release of the 7 gifts and charisms....

18 May, 2021 /

This excerpt from Basil the Great's landmark work On the Holy Spirit (AD 360) is a marvelous expression of faith in the Holy Ghost as fully divine, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. It also describes the works of the Holy Spirit in the...

18 May, 2021 /

Cyril of Alexandria on the unity of Christians.  Receiving the same sacrament of the Lord's flesh, the Eucharist, and the same Holy Spirit, in baptism and confirmation/chrismation, bind us together in an intimate relationship with God the Father and each another, one body in Christ. [dropcaps...

18 May, 2021 /

This wonderful meditation on the Holy Spirit as living water, so called by Jesus in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, is taken from a catechetical instruction by St. Cyril of Jerusalem who was bishop of Jerusalem around the year 360 AD....

15 May, 2021 /

This Ascension homily by Pope St. Leo the Great on the glory of the resurrection of Christ is wonderful for personal prayer or catechetical use anytime during the Easter Season, especially during the 40 days between Easter Sunday and the Solemnity of the Ascension of...

12 May, 2021 /

This selection from a sermon of a sixth century African Church Father interprets the gift of tongues on Pentecost as a sign of the unity, catholicity and universality of the Catholic Church which is, from the day of its birth, made up of people from...

11 May, 2021 /

The concluding section from an address on Crisis in the Church given by Henri de Lubac, SJ, at the University of St. Louis on May, 29, 1969.  Here de Lubac emphasizes the indispensable pre-conditions of authentic renewal are personal love of Jesus Christ and commitment...

10 May, 2021 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']M[/dropcaps]y Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.   I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.   Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I...

06 May, 2021 /

This resurrection sermon by St. Maximus of Turin hits on many of the same themes and images of the Exultet Hymn that is sung every year in the Easter vigil of the Roman liturgy proclaiming "Christ, our light, our endless day, is risen!" ...

02 May, 2021 /

Here Irenaeus underlines the Catholicity of the Church with many cultures professing a single truth, a common tradition of catholic and apostolic faith going back to the apostles and their disciples. Though this was written about 185 AD, one can recognize here the outline of...

22 April, 2021 /

Here the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy lays out a synopsis of God's mysterious plan of salvation through the paschal mystery of Christ's passion, resurrection and ascension, celebrated in the liturgy & sacraments. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]n his desire that all...

08 April, 2021 /

Many have a strong opinion have Vatican II, but few have actually read the documents produced by the Second Vatican Council.  These non-academic documents were intended to be read by ordinary people and actually provide vision, inspiration and spiritual nourishment.  What follows is an overview...

06 April, 2021 /

This 14 minute podcast features Anna Mitchell, host of the Sonrise Morning Show, interviewing Dr. Italy on what light his experience in the Holy Land can shed on the events of Good Friday on the Via Dolorosa and Calvary. On Good Friday, Christians remember the passion...

06 April, 2021 /

One of the most hotly contested issues between Protestants and Catholics has been whether or not the Mass, also known as the Lord's Supper and the Eucharist, is a sacrifice.  Dr. Italy here clarifies the issue. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']F[/dropcaps]rom the very outset of...

03 April, 2021 /

Fulgentius of Ruspe here treats beautifully of the relationship between the unity and charity of the Church and the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of unity and charity (agape or caritas) leading to spiritual fellowship and communion (Greek koinonia and Latin communio). [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100'...

01 April, 2021 /

Gregory of Nazianzen here provides us a wonderful guide to meditating on the Passion of Christ in a way that will make Holy Week and the Triduum a life-changing experience. We are enter into the paschal sacrifice by finding ourselves in the various actors...

29 March, 2021 /

Augustine here reflects on the hope and glory of the cross of Christ and the lesson in patience and love contained in the account of Jesus' suffering and death. By his death, Jesus performed the most wonderful exchange with us. Through us, he died;...

28 March, 2021 /

Origen here shows how the Lord Jesus Christ is the true High Priest and sacrifice whose death occurs on Good Friday, the eternal Day of Atonement foreshadowed by the Yom Kippur of the Old Covenant. In this selection we also learn why the early...

24 March, 2021 /

This talk on SAINT JOSEPH, HUMILITY AND MEEKNESS is 3rd in a series of presentations given by Dr. Italy for the special Year of St. Joseph. Jesus combined tremendous strength with great humility and gentleness. In his human nature, he learned this from his father. In...

22 March, 2021 /

Second in a series of three videos for the Year of St. Jospeh by Dr. Italy.  This talk highlights Joseph as a model of faith. Mary’s famous fiat remains a quintessential expression of what faith is all about. This is an important theme in Luke’s Gospel. But...

22 March, 2021 /

The Prayer of Abandonment, written by Blessed Charles de Foucauld, is one of the most beautiful prayers of faith, trust and surrender in the Christian spiritual heritage.  Memorize it, pray it often, and share it with others! [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']F[/dropcaps]ather, I abandon myself into...

20 March, 2021 /

Tertullian, in the late second century, writes of the power of Christian prayer, which replaces the sacrifices of old and makes us priests who are worshipers in spirit and in truth. Prayer is one of the three traditional tools for spiritual growth in Lent...

10 March, 2021 /

Hilary of Poitiers explains what the "Fear of the Lord" really means in Proverbs, Psalms and Wisdom literature of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Lord Jesus Christ is himself the way to the fear of the Lord that leads to perfect love....

04 March, 2021 /

Why the confirmation is a distinct sacrament, how confirmation relates to sharing in the Lord Jesus Christ's mission as priest, prophet and king, the meaning of the sacred oil called chrism, why the bishop normally confers the sacrament of confirmation, the seven (7) gifts of...

01 March, 2021 /

Paul's concept of "pedagogy," further developed here by Irenaeus, holds that the whole period of the Old Testament with all its characters, events, and institutions, was a preparation for and foreshadowing of the fullness of revelation that was to come in Jesus Christ and his...

01 March, 2021 /

Here John Chrysostom contrasts the Red Sea with baptism, Moses with Christ, showing us that while Old Testament realities point forward to the events of the New Covenant, they cannot begin to equal them. ...

28 February, 2021 /

The spiritual circumcision of the heart through repentance and the sacrament of baptism -- Lenten meditation by Aphraates, a Syriac Father of the early Church.. All the biblical covenants are covered: the pact with Adam, Noah, and Moses. Just as Joshua led the people of...

23 February, 2021 /

This excellent reflection on one of the three pillars of Lenten penance, almsgiving or generosity, is an excerpt from a sermon on the love of poverty by Saint Gregory of Nazianzen. It is also a very clear statement on stewardship -- that we are stewards,...

22 February, 2021 /

Ambrose here speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Wisdom of God upon whom we must meditate day and night, whether we are at work or rest, at home or abroad (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9)....

16 February, 2021 /

Leo the Great here emphasizes that the Incarnation, the mystery of God becoming man, changes everything.  Human dignity is now vastly elevated, requiring us to live in a new way, with a new relationship to the visible things of this beautiful but passing world....

12 February, 2021 /

Augustine, commenting on Galatians, hits many themes: grace, merit, freedom, and imitation of Christ. Paul, laboring with the Church which is a mother, experiences birth-pangs until Christ is formed in the children of God....

10 February, 2021 /

In this 14 minute podcast excerpt from the SonRise Morning Show, Anna Mitchell interviews Dr. Italy on the subject of the third pillar of Lenten penance traditionally called Almsgiving but better known as mercy, service or charity.  Mercy is love's response to suffering When people think...

10 February, 2021 /

Ambrose  comments on Paul's Letter to the Galatians and its statement that we are heirs of God, coheirs with Christ, co-heirs who are saved in hope. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he person who puts to death by the Spirit the deeds of our sinful nature...

09 February, 2021 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']J[/dropcaps]esus Christ: "The Measure of True Humanism" Homily delivered by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger during the Mass "for the election of the Roman Pontiff" in St. Peter's Basilica, before the conclave 2in April 2005 which went on to elect him as the...

08 February, 2021 /

Augustine, in his commentary on Galatians, here comments on the Apostle Paul’s insistence that Christians are no longer under the law but have received salvation as a free gift of grace. The context is the controversy over whether Gentile converts must be circumsised. The circumsisers...

07 February, 2021 /

The Virtues: Seven Habits of Champions by Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D. www.crossroadsinitiative.com [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]HOW #1: VIRTUE-THE POWER TO BE LIKE CHRIST I. Weakness – strength A. 2 Tim 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and love and...

04 February, 2021 /

Irenaeus here comments on the famous line of John's Last Supper discourse in which Jesus tells us that he no longer calls us servants but friends.   Friendship with God and service to him leads to immortality. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']O[/dropcaps]ur Lord, the Word of...

04 February, 2021 /

Podcast discussing an amazing opportunity to celebrate the end of pandemic confinement - pilgrimage to Fatima & Compostela including a Spain/Portugal River Cruise. It's been a long time that travel and freedom have been restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  But restrictions are about to be...

03 February, 2021 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']G[/dropcaps]lory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth,because the grain of wheat has fallen into the earth and has died. Christ has died in order to reign in heaven. Not only that: by his death...

03 February, 2021 /

John the Serene was a bishop of Naples and Early Church Father who here reflects on the famous first verse from Psalm 27: The Lord is my Light and my Salvation.  Who shall I fear? [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Lord is my light and...

02 February, 2021 /

Here John Chrysostom praises the zeal of Paul to win the crown of glory and calls us to imitate his example of virtue. It is most appropriate reading for the feast of Saints Timothy and Titus on January 26 since they were among the...

26 January, 2021 /

Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians in the history of the church, here focuses on the passion of Jesus Christ not only to redeem us but also to teach us.  Indeed, the cross exemplifies every virtue and teaches us all we have to know...

26 January, 2021 /

[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Apostle commands us to rejoice, but in the Lord, not in the world. For, you see, as Scripture says, whoever wishes to be a friend of this world will be counted as God’s enemy. Just as a man cannot...

25 January, 2021 /

St. Sebastian is is often depicted as tied to a tree and pierced by many arrows.  Ambrose says Sebastian was from Milan and was venerated there during Ambrose's episcopate in the latter part of the 4th century.  It appears Sebastian died in the great persecution...

19 January, 2021 /

The flip side of eternal life is eternal dying. This brief essay on hell, an excerpt from Peter Kreeft's book, The Fundamentals of the Faith, is one of the most succinct and compelling reflections on Hell that I've read -- Dr. Italy...

15 January, 2021 /
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