Bernard of Clairvaux on the martyrdom of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross – her heart is pierced by a sword as Simeon predicted. For the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15....
The Solemnity or Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated on March 25. Here, in his typically lyrical language and powerful imagery, Leo the Great ponders the unfathomable mystery of God becoming man in the womb of a Virgin who had the...
Bernard here dramatically celebrates Mary's Fiat, or statement of consent in response to the announcement by the archangel Gabriel, behold the handmaiden of the Lord; "let it me done to me according to your word." Appropriate for Advent or for the Solemnity of the Annunciation...
This ancient prayer of protection, in the Celtic style of invocation, is attributed to the great evangelizer of Ireland, St. Patrick. A "lorica" is the Latin name for the breastplate worn by a Roman soldier. I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through...
On February 11, 1858, a 14 year old girl named Bernadette Soubirous had an encounter with a "beautiful lady" when she was gathering firewood on the French side of the Pyrenees, near a town called Lourdes. Here she tells the story of that encounter with...
January 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics not because it is New Years, but because it is the octave (8th day) of Christmas, the feast of Mary the Mother of God. This feast helps bring home the reality of the incarnation, that...
In this 7 minute podcast, Anna Mitchell of the Sonrise Morning show interviews Dr. Italy on the profound meaning of the Magnificat, Mary's canticle uttered on the occasion of the Visitation, and how it manifests her as the Queen of Humility and the Queen of...
This is an excerpt that recounts the famous apparition of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, to the Indian, Juan Diego, on Tepeyac hill outside of Mexico City in the year 1531. The annual Feast commemorating this marvelous event is celebrated on December 12. [dropcaps...
In this 15 minute podcast, Anna Mitchell, host of the Sonrise Morning Show, discusses with Dr. Italy, the significance of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and why this Marian doctrine serves as a bridge rather than an obstacle to unity between Catholics and...
Augustine on the famous words of Jesus "anyone who does the will of my Father who sent me is my brother and sister and my mother." This indicates Mary's true greatness as a disciple, one who conceived not only in body, but in faith; Augustine...