Dr. Italy

6 minute Podcast by Dr. Italy showing the connection between Easter, the resurrection, and the Eucharist through an examination of the road to Emmaus story from Luke 24.

Divine Mercy Sunday or the Octave of Easter presents us with one of the most famous of gospel stories -- the story of Doubting Thomas. But it shows us how and when the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, aka "confession," was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ -- and why.

Eight days after Easter, Doubting Thomas has an encounter with the Risen Christ that makes him a believer and even more, an apostle or ambassador who will bring the gospel to an unbelieving world.  That should give us hope that he will do the same with us.

Easter is not a day but a season of 50 days.   The octave - eight days of high celebration beginning on Easter Sunday - is followed by 42 more days of rejoicing concluding on Pentecost.  Here are some ideas for a fruitful celebration of the joy of Eastertide during this extraordinary time while Churches are closed due to COVID-19.

The meaning of Easter is more than springtime and dyed eggs. The significance of Easter is that not only sin but death has been conquered by the risen Christ who foretold his own resurrection from the dead before he gave his life for us on Good Friday.

The Gospel of John tells us that, after the body of Jesus was taken from the cross, it was laid in a new tomb, close to the place where he was crucified.  Yet, when people visit the Holy Land, they are surprised to find out that the tomb is only a stones throw away from the top of Golgotha.  Dr. Italy shares what it is like to visit both places, both inside the same massive Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built in the 12th century by the Crusaders.

On Good Friday, Christians remember the passion of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem.  This podcast is the second in a three part interview of Dr. Italy, theologian, historian and Holy Land pilgrimage leader, on the events of Holy Week.  This segment focuses on the events of Good Friday, when Jesus is dragged from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium of Pontius Pilate, most likely the Fortress Antonia located at the Northeast corner of the Temple.  Dr. Italy shares what it is like to descend below street level to Gabbatha, the stone pavement, which made up the courtyard of the Fortress and where Pilate condemned Jesus to death.  He then shares the experience of walking through the narrow streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, carrying the cross and witnessing to the passersby.  Finally, he discusses the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built over both Golgotha and the tomb of Christ, and what it is like to touch the spot at the top of the hill where the world's salvation was won.

Before thanksgiving was an American holiday, it was a hallmark of the Judeo-Christian tradition.  All ancient peoples gave thanks for creation; only Jews and Christians believe that God acted decisively in history to secure our liberation from slavery.  Eucharist simply means thanksgiving -- and it is the supreme act of worship and thanks for the sacrifice that won our ultimate liberation.

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.

Passion Sunday -- The Sunday before Easter, Palm Sunday, is observed by virtually all Christians. But for the Roman Catholic Church it is also Passion Sunday during which all stand for readings and meditations from the passion account. The feast has a bittersweet taste. Though it celebrates the King's triumphal entry into Jerusalem amidst hosannas, the parade leads straight to the Lord Jesus' suffering and death on Calvary.

The biblical term "mystery" refers to a long thread running through history, hidden under ordinary faces and events.  It comes to a climax in an Angel's annunciation to a Virgin that puts together many biblical concepts -king, messiah, emmanuel, son of God - for the fourth Sunday of Advent.

The gospel story of the raising of Lazarus found in John 11 shows us why Jesus can love some friends and disciples more than others, why death is not natural and beautiful, the difference between resurrection and resuscitation, and the deeper meaning of Jesus' miracles or "signs" as they are called in the John's gospel.

In this 6 minute radio interview with Anna Mitchell of the Sonrise Morning Show, Dr. Italy begins a discussion on the vast topic of how the Catholic Church built Western civilization.  Starting with the indomitable missionary monks of Ireland, he illustrates how they not only saved but helped build Western civilization by preserving and spreading literacy and literature across Europe.  He also discusses how his upcoming Rhine pilgrimage will focus on this theme, and how many of the sites to be visited are crucial examples of it.

The gospel story of the healing of the man born blind is notable for the method Jesus used to work this miracle - he made mud with spittle and clay and rubbed it on the man's eyes. This is a figure of the sacraments in which the Lion of Judah communicates his healing power through earthy realities like water, oil, wine and bread.

Fasting is what most people first think of when they think about penance in general and Lent in particular.  But surprisingly, fasting, as valuable as it is, is probably the least important of the three main groups of Lenten Spiritual Exercises: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (or mercy). In this podcast, Dr. Italy points out that the real value of fasting is when it is combined with either prayer or almsgiving into a sort of one-two punch at sin and spiritual lethargy.  Some practical examples and tips are offered in the course of the discussion.

In them, we recognize ourselves. For many of us, then, Lent is time for the spiritual equivalent of New Year's resolutions. We set aside forty days to work on ourselves so we don't end up wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years. We do things to burn off the excess fat that's weighing us down, try to improve our spiritual diet, and do some meaningful spiritual exercises to strengthen the spiritual muscles we call "virtues."

Saint Joseph always appears in Manger scenes during Advent and Christmas time and even has a special Solemnity or Feast in his honor, St. Joseph's Day, March 19.  But he is so often neglected that St. John Paul II decided to write a special teaching about his role as foster-father of Jesus.  This essay makes a case that St. Joseph teaches us some crucial things about the nature of faith that we can't afford to forget.

Imagine: you are ten years past customary retirement age.  It's time finally to kick back and relax.  You live in a great city where everything is at your fingertips – shopping opportunities, cultural events, all your relatives and lifelong friends.  Suddenly an unknown God appears and tells you to pack up, uproot your life, and march into an uncivilized wilderness.

In this Lenten podcast, Matt Swaim asks Dr. Italy about his new book, 40 Days, 40 Ways, A New Look at Lent (Servant Books).  In response, Marcellino D'Ambrosio explains the book's aim to help people break out of "same old" stale Lenten patterns. The book does this by offering forty fresh ideas of how to combine prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  The goal is to make us new people by the end of the season.

7 minute interview of Dr. Italy by Anna Mitchell of the Sonrise Morning Show, on St. Polycarp, one of the most fascinating of the Apostolic Fathers, those who pass on to us what they heard from the apostles of Jesus.