Dr. Italy

Saul of Tarsus the Pharisee to Paul, the apostle - both life and fruit were transformed when he met the Risen Lord .  His story tells us where the sour grapes of egoism and violence comes from, and how it can be changed into the fruit of the Spirit.

7 minute podcast by Dr. Italy discussing the two churches rebuilt by St. Francis that still stand in Assisi, his home town.  To be visited on his upcoming pilgrimage to Italy.

The Trinity is the central dogma of the Catholic faith and is equally important to Orthodox and most Protestant Christians.  Yet it is a mystery, something that we as limited human beings can never understand. So does that mean we can just believe it but basically forget about it and focus on more practical things, like morality? Not at all, says Marcellino D'Ambrosio (Dr. Italy) on this episode of the SonRise Morning show.  If we fail to make progress in understanding the Trinity, we will never understand ourselves or understand what love is all about.  In this age in which marriages and families are falling apart, we need more than ever to understanding Trinity since this mystery of loving unity is the key to recovering unity, love and stability in our families.

The image of Jesus as the Good shepherd is a comforting one in the minds of many.  But some of those who first heard Jesus describe himself in this way were deeply disturbed.  For it seems that Jesus is setting himself up as the only true Shepherd and savior.  People still find this claim disturbing.  "What about other religions?," they ask.  For the 4th Sunday of Easter, cycle B.

On the first Easter, the Risen Lord makes clear to his frightened disciples he not a ghost or specter and in so doing shows why the gnostic gospels are bogus and did not make it into the Bible.

The Solemnity or Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated on March 25.  Here, in his typically lyrical language, Leo the Great ponders the unfathomable mystery of God becoming man in the womb of a Virgin, at the moment of conception. Through the Father's love and Mary's faith, the divine Word became flesh and dwelt among us, assuming a full human nature.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this podcast from the Sonrise Morning Show, host Anna Mitchell begins by observing that virtually half the Gospel of Luke is taken up by Jesus and disciples journey from Galilee to Jerusalem.  Holy Land Pilgrimage host and theologian Marcellino D'Ambrosio (Dr. Italy) describes what this journey would have been like for the Lord and his followers and what Jerusalem would have been like in the days before the Passover.  He goes on to explain the distinctive location of the Last Supper high in the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem and the strenuous downhill walk of Jesus and the Twelve from the Cenacle to the Kidron valley, and then up to the Garden of Gethsemane a third the way up the slopes of the Mount of Olives.  Jesus capture is described as well as "the sacred Pit," the maximum security cell in Caiaphas' palace complex where Jesus most probably spent the last night of his earthly life.

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 this 14 minute podcast recorded on the occasion of the Feast of St. Benedict on July 11, host Sonrise Morning show host Anna Mitchell interviews Dr. Italy about the significance that Benedict and the Benedictine way of life holds for Christians today.

14 minute podcast in which Dr. Italy discusses St. Joseph as an often overlooked hero of the Advent – Christmas story.  He shows how St. Matthew’s gospel presents him as a model of faith. In the Advent and Christmas season, all eyes turn to the Holy Family.  Jesus is the primary, focus, of course, with Mary getting secondary attention.  Often, Joseph remains for us a background figure in the Nativity scene, getting less attention than even the Magi.

If "God so loved the world." how can he possibly send people to hell?  Is he a loving Father or a stern judge? Jesus helps us reconcile love & grace with hell & judgment in perhaps the most famous worlds in the Bible, John 3:16.

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.

Religion is not supposed to be the opposite of spirituality.  But sometimes religion becomes a cold routine, even a business.  The Lord's cleansing of the Temple spells the end of business as usual.  Our religion must be a matter of living faith, zeal and fidelity to the Ten Commandments.

On the Second Sunday of Lent, the church places together the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah with the story of Jesus and three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration.  Together, these stories teach us the meaning of Lenten sacrifice.