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...
Saint John Eudes here reflects on St. Paul's words in Colossians 1:24 "In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ." He points out that the mystery of Christ in the Church, his mystical body, means that we are...
Una reflexión sobre la Solemnidad de Todos los fieles difuntos, celebrada el 2 de Noviembre, sobre el misterio dela muerte y el más allá que incluye el cielo, el infierno y el purgatorio y la validez de orar por los difuntos. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color=''...
Augustine explains that constant prayer does not mean non-stop church services or recitation of prayers, but a ceaseless desire of the heart for union with God in heaven. This constant desire for God, actually, is one of the three theological virtues, namely the virtue...
Dr. Italy here coaches us how to share our own story of how Christ and his Church have changed our lives. After listening to this podcast, you'll feel clearer and more confident about how you can be an effective witness to Christ....
Leo on the second & third of the Beatitudes, calling blessed the meek and those who mourn. The mourning Christ references here has little to do with worldly sorrow, and the reward promised to the lowly & gentle goes well beyond the things of...
Leo the Great, comments on the first of the Beatitudes "blessed are the poor in spirit." He makes clear that it is not economic poverty that is blessed, but that poverty of spirit called humility expressed in generosity to others and detachment from the...
Columban's praise of Christ who is our food and drink that can never be entirely consumed, bread, manna and the inexhaustible fountain of living water....
Writing to Proba regarding prayer, Augustine notes that the hope of happiness in heaven is so great and incapable of being expressed in words that the Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he person who asks for and seeks...
By his wounds we are healed- this reading on the Savior's passion is taken from a treatise On the Incarnation of the Lord by Saint Theodoret of Cyr. It reflects on several key scripture passages, including the Song of the Suffering Servant found in...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']C[/dropcaps] hrist, who has shown by his words and actions that he was truly God and Lord of the universe, said to his disciples as he was about to go up to Jerusalem: We are going up to Jerusalem now,...
In this episode of Ascension Rountable's Podcast, Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio (aka Dr. Italy) puts the New Evangelization into the context of Catholic history from the days of the Church of the Catacombs down to the present time....
Augustine had sought God through an exotic Eastern cult and then through the best that Greco-Roman philosophy had to offer before he finally found Him through the Catholic Christianity that he had rejected as a teen. So he could proclaim from personal experience that Jesus...
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote this prayer to be recited after Mass and communion which beautifully expresses what it means to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist and cultivates the proper dispositions so that this sacrament can bear greater fruit in our lives....
Augustine here praises the Lord Jesus Christ as the one Mediator between God and Man, victor and victim, priest and sacrifice, in whom is hid all treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God....
Augustine here addresses a problem we often face in seeking to do good - we are accused of evil that we do not do and are not given credit for the good we do. He reminds us of the words of both Paul and...
The beginning of Cyprian's treatise on the Lord's Prayer, the Our Father. He emphasizes how complete yet concise this prayer is, and how it represents a participation in the intimate relationship of unity between the Father and God the Son....
St. Cyprian, a pagan convert who went on to become bishop of Carthage in the 3rd Century, gives us one of the earliest and most extensive commentaries on the Lord's Prayer, aka the "Our Father." Here is the complete text of his treatise....
Cyprian, a third century bishop, explains the meaning of two of the petitions of the Lord's prayer - give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us....
Ambrose explains how the delighteful book of the psalms provides a true gymnasium for the soul with exercises to develop every virtue, and condense all parts of the Old Covenant - law, prophecy, and history and foreshadow the New Covenant as well, predicting as they...
Origen sees the fall of Jericho in the book of Joshua as a figure of the End of the world, the trumpets of the Israelites as foreshadowing the last trumpet of the angels, Rahab & her scarlet cord the Church saved by the blood of...
Origen, commenting on the book of Joshua, shows that the early Church saw the sacrament of baptism not only as the crossing of the Red Sea, but also as the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land....
Evangelization--Here Pope Paul VI clearly declares that his message is not about himself or the Church, but Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Like St. Paul, he is an evangelist, an apostle and witness of Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. ...
Here St. Thomas Aquinas comments on John 14:6 where Jesus says "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me."...
Dorotheus, a sixth century abbot, here speaks here of a shallow sort of happiness and peace that disappears when hardship comes or offense is given. The true "peace that passes understanding" cannot easily be disturbed by adversity or robbed by those giving offense....
St. Dorotheus, a wise abbot from the early Church, here explains why we get so ruffled by the criticism of others. He illustrates the value of fraternal correction and self-accusation in the spiritual life. ...
Thomas Aquinas on Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. ...
Leo the Great explains how the Ascenion increases our faith in what is unseen, namely the divinity of Christ, and how our Redeemer's visible presence after the Ascension passes into the sacraments....
This excerpt from the 2nd century Letter to Diognetus explains to pagan readers how the Church is in the world and not of it, and why this is a cause of persecution. Christians, he explains, are to the world as the soul is to the...
This excerpt on the sacrament of baptism from St. Basil the Great’s book On the Holy Spirit (ca. AD 360) describes how baptism fulfills what Jesus says to Nicodemus in John 3 about being born again in water and the Spirit. He also here outlines...
Cyril of Alexandria here emphasizes that the risen body of Jesus Christ, received in the Eucharist, gives life to those who receive it, expelling death and corruption....
A Witness of Christ in the Church: Hans Urs von Balthasar by Henri de Lubac, S.J. As Ludwig Kaufmann has justly remarked in a recent issue of Orientierung, it is disconcerting that from the first summons of the Council by John XXIII, it did not seem to have...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']I[/dropcaps]ntroduction (1-10)1. First of all, the Scripture about the Hebrew Exodus has been read and the words of the mystery have been explained as to how the sheep was sacrificed and the people were saved. Therefore, understand this, O beloved:...
Augustine, in commenting on Jesus' proclamation in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world," connects it with the story in the very next chapter of the healing of the man born blind and with the biblical promise that one day we shall see...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Word took to himself the sons of Abraham, says the Apostle, and so had to be like his brothers in all things. He had then to take a body like ours. This explains the fact of Mary’s presence: she...
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household from 1980 to the present, here discusses the experience known in charismatic and Pentecostal circles as "the baptism in the Holy Spirit" and how it relates to the sacraments of baptism and confirmation....
Barnabas, a second century writer, here emphasizes the importance of virtue as opposed to ritual sacrifice....
Here the 2nd century Epistle of Barnabas emphasizes the newness of the new law and new covenant in contrast with the Covenant made with Moses and the law given on Mount Sinai....
This reading by St. Bernadino of Siena on St. Joseph, the Foster Father of Jesus, is so clear and powerful that it is used by the Church for the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19 to honor the Guardian of the Lord and his...
Origen here treats of the Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah. It is a good example of the "spiritual interpretation" of the Old Testament whereby persons, places, and things are recognized as prefiguring Christ and the realities of the New Covenant. This spiritual exegesis...
St. Augustine here reflects on the famous conversation in the Gospel of John between Jesus and the Samaritan woman who came to draw water from the well. He sees her as a symbol for the Gentiles who are called to conversion and faith and...
Pope Pius XII on the perfect wife and mother of Proverbs 31 whom the Pope calls the radiant sun that brings happiness to the family....
This excerpt from St. Gregory of Agrigentum is an example of the Early Church Father's spiritual interpretation of Scripture whereby realities of the Old Covenant are seen as pointing beyond themselves to Jesus Christ and the realities of the new dispensation. In this case, the...
Tract of Jerome against Helvidius defending the perpetual virginity of Mary, the Mother of Jesus....
Gregory of Nyssa on the famous statement of Ecclesiastes "there is a time to be born and a time to die." He interprets this as a reference to the death and new birth of salvation, dying and rising with Christ through faith and baptism....
The Council of Trent here affirms the existence of purgatory and the great value of praying for the deceased. Yet at the same time it sternly instructs that preachers not distract, confuse, and mislead the faithful with unnecessary speculations concerning the nature and duration...
Athanasius here writes of the only begotten Son as the eternal Word, his perfect image, God's creative Wisdom Incarnate through whom the Father made the universe and all its creatures and in whom he takes delight. Athanasius is anxious to show that...
Procopius of Gaza on Proverbs declaration that wisdom has built herself a house. His explanation touches on many topics-- the divinity and humanity of Christ, the seven gifts of the holy Spirit, the value of prudence, and the gift of Christ's body and blood...
Ambrose on the experience of the absence of God expressed by the psalmist who asks "Why do you turn your face away?" (Psalm 43). In the midst of suffering, it is hard to believe that God is indeed present to us....
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']S[/dropcaps]aint John Vianney (The Cure of Ars) CHAPTER 1 : Catechism on Salvation 2. CHAPTER 2 : Catechism on The Love of God 3. CHAPTER 3 : Catechism on The Holy Spirit 4. CHAPTER 4 : Catechism on the Blessed Virgin 5. CHAPTER 5 :...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]s long as we are sheep, we overcome and, though surrounded by countless wolves, we emerge victorious; but if we turn into wolves, we are overcome, for we love the shepherd’s help. He, after all, feeds the sheep not wolves,...
This excerpt from an anonymous fourth century homily (Hom. 18, 7-11; PG 34, 639-642) is used in the Roman office of readings for Friday of the 4th week in ordinary time. It beautifully describes the various ways the Holy Spirit leads a soul on the...
This excerpt from St. Clement’s First Letter to the Corinthians encourages us to trust in the promise of the resurrection from the dead and eternal life....
BENEDICT XVI TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY, CONSECRATED PERSONS AND THE LAY FAITHFUL ON THE EUCHARIST AS THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF THE CHURCH'S LIFE AND MISSION INDEX Introduction [1] The food of truth [2] The development of the eucharistic rite [3] The Synod of Bishops and the Year of the Eucharist [4] The purpose of the present...
St. John Fisher, reviewing the history of salvation, marvels at God's goodness and generosity how lacking humanity is in gratitude and wonder in the face of such unmerited and lavish gifts....
Diadochus of Photice, an early Church Father, discusses the link between humility and love of God. To be humble is not so much to look down on yourself as to look away from yourself and focus on the beauty and glory of the Lord....
Head and members are one son, yet, many sons; in the same way, Mary and the Church are one mother, yet more than one mother; one virgin, yet more than one virgin....
A feast and gala procession in honor of Jesus' Presentation in the Temple was celebrated by Jerusalem Christians at least as early as the late 4th century. It took place 40 days after the feast of the Lord's birth since the Jewish law required a...
La festa della Sacra Famiglia ci sfida a crescere nelle virtù di pietà, onore, pazienza e tolleranza, e ad imparare a ridere insieme. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']L[/dropcaps]a Passione di Cristo è stato il film più intenso che abbia mai visto. Ma c'è stato un momento...
Leo the Great exhorts us, in celebrating Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord, to recognize that the incarnation ennobles our humanity. Christian remember your dignity!...
The announcement of the Nativity of the Lord from the Roman Martyrology formally proclaims the birth of Jesus Christ, based on the biblical accounts. Beginning with creation, it relates the birth of the Lord to the major events and people of both salvation...
A strong affirmation, by Athanasius, of the full Divinity of Christ in an age when that doctrine was under attack. The heresy of Arianism, which taught that Jesus was inferior to the Father, originated in Alexandria, Egypt, the native place of St. Athanasius....
William of St.-Thierry explains the history of salvation, culminating in the Incarnation, as a revelation of the love of God who comes to empower us to love him in return. The advent of the Savior is the coming of Jesus Christ, the apostle of...
Athanasius here identifies the only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ as God's uncreated Wisdom Incarnate. He insists that the "Wisdom" praised in Sirach, Wisdom, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, and other biblical books is not a creature but is rather the Creator, the Divine Word in whose...
This excerpt from Eusebius of Caesarea's commentary on Isaiah 40 focuses on the role of St. John the Baptist, one of the key figures of Advent. John, the voice crying out in the wilderness, comes to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ....
In 1531, Our Lady appeared to a humble Indian named Juan Diego on a hill called Tepeyac, near what is now Mexico City. The following account of the apparition is found in the Nican Mopohua, or Huei Tlamahuitzoltica, written in Nahuatl, the Aztec language,...
It is not absolutely certain that it was St Ephraem who wrote this lyrical praise of Christmas, but the piece is sufficiently beautiful to be attributed to the poetic theologian and father of the church who is known as "the Harp of the Holy Spirit"...
Ephrem, on the brilliant light of God's wisdom that illuminates us especially initially through the sacrament of baptism and daily through the sacramental table of the eucharist. The sacraments are a mirror reflecting God's beauty and a pledge of our future resurrection....
Isn'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 my favorite season, and not just because, as a music minister, I get to play more songs with minor keys. Advent is my favorite...
St. Augustine explains how we can rejoice and even delight in something that we can’t yet see and don’t yet possess. In so doing, he helps us understand better the power of the theological virtue of hope....
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]wake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man. You would have suffered eternal death, had he...
Augustine here notes that we wayfarers should sing alleluia as we make our journey through constant temptation, trial and danger toward our heavenly homeland where we our song will be sung without anxiety, temptation or toil....
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]hough I like many can’t help but roll my eyes over the popularity of the Da Vinci Code, we are indebted to Dan Brown in a way. For he has reminded us that the early Church is terribly important. On...
The Second Vatican Council points out that it is only the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ that will bring the Church on earth, the universal sacrament of salvation, to perfection and cause the renewal and restoration of the entire earth. This is what we...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='65' color='' background_color='' border_color='']W[/dropcaps]e do not know the time when earth and humanity will reach their completion, nor do we know the way in which the universe will be transformed. The world as we see it, disfigured by sin, is...
The Second Vatican Council here speaks of need of all human activity to find purification and perfection through the paschal mystery of the cross and resurrection of Christ....
Senator James Harlan of Iowa, whose daughter later married President Lincoln's son Robert, introduced this Resolution in the Senate on March 2, 1863. The Resolution asked President Lincoln to proclaim a national day of prayer and fasting. The Resolution was adopted on March 3, and...
It's important to market yourself when it comes to getting a job and then advancing in your career. But climbing the corporate ladder can become exhausting, leaving you feeling empty, trapped, and alone. Is there anything that satisfies, that actually lasts? Is...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he kingdom of God, in the words of our Lord and Savior, does not come for all to see; nor shall they say: Behold, here it is, or behold, there it is; but the kingdom of God is within us, for...