Catholic Heritage with Dr. Italy artwork

Catholic Heritage with Dr. Italy

276 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 10 ratings

Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Church historian, speaker, and author, delivers highly interesting and engaging reflections on Catholic tradition, teaching, and cultural heritage. Find out more about his ministry and discover countless free Catholic resources at www.dritaly.com.

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Episodes

How Can a God of Love send People to Hell? John 3:16 & Judgment

March 08, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.4 MB

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.

Value of Fasting

March 06, 2024 11:00 - 14 minutes - 6.62 MB

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 examp...

Cleansing of the Temple - an end to Business as Usual

February 28, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.63 MB

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.

Isaac, Abraham & the Meaning of Lenten Sacrifice - 2nd Sunday of Lent B

February 23, 2024 17:00 - 6 minutes - 2.75 MB

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.

Polycarp, Disciple of Apostles

February 22, 2024 11:00 - 8 minutes - 4.11 MB

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.

Fresh Ways for the 40 Days - A New Lenten Approach

February 20, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.68 MB

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.

Lent, Noah's Ark, and Baptism - First Sunday of Lent B

February 16, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.65 MB

We begin the forty days of Lent with the memory of a previous 40 days when sin was cleansed from the face of the earth.  This occurred through a flood which spared only 8 people - Noah & his companions on the ark.  This gives us a hint about the meaning & purpose of Lent and its mysterious link to baptism.  For the first Sunday of Lent, cycle B.

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization: The Monks

February 15, 2024 11:00 - 6 minutes - 2.9 MB

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 ...

Why Lent has 40 Days - Catholic Connection

February 13, 2024 11:00 - 17 minutes - 4.04 MB

This 18 minute Lenten podcast from the Catholic Connection addresses the forty days of Lent and the hidden symbolism behind the number 40 which reappears in so many places throughout the Sacred Scriptures.  Show host Elena Rodriguez, pinch hitting for Teresa Tomeo, asks Dr. Italy to uncover the mystery of why Lent has 40 days and what this tells us about how we are to approach the season.

Lowly Lourdes - Reflections on the Apparitions

February 10, 2024 11:00 - 6 minutes - 9.12 MB

Podcast excerpted from radio interview in which Dr. Italy offers some reflections on the apparitions of Mary to lowly shepherd girls in Lourdes in 1858.

Lessons from the Leper - How to Deal with Suffering

February 07, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.37 MB

There is much more to Jesus' healing of the leper in Mark's gospel than first meets the eye.  Hidden in the story are lessons on the role of suffering and how to respond to it in our lives and the lives of others.

We're on a Mission from God

February 03, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.66 MB

The Bible is not just for Churches and Synagogues. Portions of it are read as literature, even in secular university classrooms. Invariably, when you look at the syllabus of such courses, you find Job.

The Presentation - Simeon sees the Light

January 31, 2024 11:00 - 14 minutes - 6.76 MB

In this 15 minute podcast, Dr. Italy discusses the meaning of the ancient feast of the Presentation of the Lord Jesus in the temple by Joseph and Mary.  The righteous Israelite, Simeon, being advanced in years, rejoices to see the child he recognizes to be the one to bring the light of truth & salvation to all people.

Thomas Aquinas, Faith & Reason

January 27, 2024 11:00 - 6 minutes - 9.16 MB

In this 7 minute podcast, Dr. Italy discusses St. Thomas Aquinas and what he teaches us about the roles of faith and reason.  For his feast day on January 28.

Authority over Demons - Spiritual Warfare

January 26, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.68 MB

Demons.  Satan.  Beelzebub.  Lucifer.  The Devil.  Known by various names, evil spirits are to be found in the Bible, both New and Old Testaments.  Jesus casts them out and has authority over them.  What do we now make of this, living as we do in a scientific age?

Conversion of St. Paul

January 24, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 8.16 MB

7 minute Podcast on why the Church celebrates the Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, aka St. Paul, with a special feast.  Dr. Italy on the Sonrise Morning Show of EWTN.

Detachment - the Cost of Discipleship

January 19, 2024 11:00 - 6 minutes - 2.86 MB

There is a cost of discipleship -- Jesus sometimes calls us to leave behind professions, friends, even family.  Does that mean that work and human relationships are at odds with growing in our relationship with God?  The concept of detachment can help us understand this problem.

St. Anthony, the Desert & Spiritual Warfare

January 17, 2024 11:00 - 13 minutes - 18.6 MB

When people today hear "St. Anthony," they usually think of the 13th century miracle-working Franciscan who is best known for finding lost objects.  But a thousand years earlier, there lived the first St. Anthony who was also a miracle worker in a most remarkable way.  This Anthony, an Egyptian, was a leader in the movement called monasticism.  Giving away property and privilege to follow Jesus into poverty, Anthony left the comfort of civilization to go alone into the desert to battle the d...

Be a Saint, not a Prude, a Witness, not a Spectator

January 12, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.66 MB

Yes, we are called to holiness.  But no, vocation is not a matter of a particular state in life.   Holiness surely involves purity.  Yet it does not include a prudish disdain for the body and the pleasures of ordinary human life.

Jesus, John the Baptist & the River Jordan

January 08, 2024 11:00 - 6 minutes - 2.88 MB

Everyone has heard of the river Jordan, where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  But few know much about it or can visualize it. Dr. Italy has taught on the banks of the Jordan upwards of thirty times over the past twenty years.  Here he paints a visual picture of the Jordan emerging in far North Israel from the base of the snow-capped Mt. Hermon, and flowing downhill to the Sea of Galilee at the location of the ancient town of Bethsaida and just  a short distance from Capernaum.

Epiphany Revealed - Three Magi Kings & Their strange gifts

January 05, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.55 MB

This commentary on the Feast of the Epiphany uncovers the meaning of the term epiphany and explains why the Magi -- Caspar, Balthasar, Melchior, the three kings of Orient riding camels and carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh -- are found, complete with crowns and camels, in every nativity scene.

Mary, Mother of God?

January 01, 2024 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.55 MB

January 1 is a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics.  Not because it is New Year's day, but because it is the octave (8th day) of Christmas.  This feast of Mary, the Mother of God, brings home the reality of the incarnation. In Jesus, the Creator truly became man.  And that man had, and still has, a mother.  So affirmed the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in AD 431.

Pick up your Mat and Go Home - Healing of the Paralytic

December 31, 2023 17:00 - 5 minutes - 4.85 MB

Pick up your mat and Go Home -What the healing of the paralytic as recounted in the Gospel of Mark teaches us about the faith of the community and even infant baptism.  A reflection on the readings for the seventh (7th) Sunday in Ordinary Time, liturgical cycle B.

Holy Family Feast - Piety in the 21st Century?

December 29, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.58 MB

The Feast of the Holy Family challenges us to grow in the virtues of piety, honor, patience, and forbearance.  And to learn to laugh together.

Bethlehem and the Christmas Story

December 25, 2023 11:00 - 12 minutes - 5.68 MB

14 minute podcast in which Dr. Italy describes the town of Bethlehem and the field of the Shepherds at the time of the birth of Christ.  Helps bring the Christmas story alive as we read of the little town that was the city of David. At Christmas we sing “O little town of Bethlehem.”  But what was this town like at the time of Jesus?  And how likely is it that the Church of the Nativity, on Manger Square, is built over the actual birth site of Jesus.  What is it like to enter and explore th...

The Deeper Meaning of Christmas

December 22, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 5.33 MB

We all know the elements of the Christmas story: Caesar's census and Herod, shepherds and Magi, ox , swaddling clothes & manger, a stable and not room in the inn, Bethlehem and the Prince of Peace.  But underneath each of these people, places, and things, there is deeper meaning that often goes unnoticed.

The Advent Mystery - Annunciation & Incarnation

December 19, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 5.39 MB

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.

Advent & Hope

December 13, 2023 11:00 - 12 minutes - 5.58 MB

In this 13 minute podcast, Sonrise Morning Show host Anna Mitchell Interviews Dr. Italy on Advent as a season of Hope.  What precisely is Scripture talking about when it tells us that hope is one of the most important things a Christian needs?  And what does hope have to do with Advent?

Prepare the Way 2nd Sun Advent B

December 09, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.44 MB

Advent’s theme can be summed up in the word’s of Isaiah 40: Prepare the way of the Lord!  But what are the mountains that need to be leveled and the valleys that need to be filled in?  Here’s a road map through the desert of Advent road construction to the joy of Christmas. Advent is a time of joyful anticipation. For someone even bigger than Santa Claus is coming to town.

Immaculate Conception & Mary as a Model of Faith

December 07, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 5.03 MB

The Gospel of Luke presents Mary, mother of Jesus,  as the model of faith, showing us what faith must include to be authentic and effective.  And imitating Mary's virtue is key to an authentic Marian devotion and an adequate understanding of the deepest meaning of the Immaculate Conception -- that it's all about grace.

The Immaculate Conception & The Protestant Reformation

December 06, 2023 11:00 - 14 minutes - 6.72 MB

For the past 500 years, devotion to Mary has been a bone of contention between Catholics and Protestants. But the meaning of the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 highlights some amazing common ground between these two groups. Would you believe that on this feast, Catholics actually honor Mary as the perfect example of the greatest Protestant virtue? To understand why true Marian devotion actually should bring us together, listen to this podcast.

How to Prepare the Way in Advent

December 05, 2023 11:00 - 13 minutes - 5.97 MB

In this 14 minute podcast, Dr. Italy shares some insights into our predicament - we tend to be lulled to sleep spiritually through the constant motion of modern life.  This is especially true in Advent, which is perhaps the busiest time of the year due to how our society prepares for Christmas.  Yet the Lord calls us in Advent to wake up to his presence and to move aside the obstacles that block his path into our lives.  Pride is the chief obstacle, followed by the noise that makes it imposs...

Advent Reminds us to Wake Up - You Snooze, You Lose!

December 02, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 4.92 MB

Have you ever had one of those days when you just wish God would show up, snap his figures and work miracles? The people of Israel had about 500 years worth days like that, groaning under the oppression of one tyrant after another. The book of Isaiah gives voice to these sentiments: “O that you would rip open the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you!

Awake & Alert - Rouse yourself with this Advent Podcast

November 30, 2023 11:00 - 13 minutes - 6.01 MB

The Season of Advent provides us a rich selection of Scriptures from both New and Old Testaments.  One recurring theme of many of these readings is that it is now time to rouse ourselves from sleep and become much more spiritually awake and alert.

Christ The King, Last Judgement & Sins of Omission

November 24, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.5 MB

The Feast of Christ the King reminds us that Jesus will judge the living and the dead.  Matthew 25 hints that the pious, decent folk may be in for a surprise . . . sins of omission, failing to love, may figure more prominently in the last judgment that we may think.

Passover, Thanksgiving and the Eucharist

November 21, 2023 11:00 - 8 minutes - 7.74 MB

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.

Parable of the Talents & The Proverbs 31 Woman 32 Sun A

November 18, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.4 MB

The Proverbs 31 woman and Jesus’s parable of the talents proves that bold initiative, not timid passivity, is what true faith is all about.  If we are to bear abundant fruit, our faith must be seasoned with boldness. I’ve seen it time and time again. Someone decides to seek a better paying job, or pursue an investment strategy, or launch a new business. Invariably some pious person in the parish objects that maybe this is too worldly, that it will be a distraction from Church and family pr...

Crossing the Sea of Galilee

November 15, 2023 11:00 - 6 minutes - 3.2 MB

In this episode from the Sonrise Morning Show, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Holy Land tour leader, describes what it is like to sail on the Sea of Galilee and to look down upon it from the mountains and hills upon which Jesus prayed.  Surprising details about this body of water, also known as the Lake of Genessaret, that explain how sudden and violent storms can often arise that can catch even experienced mariners like Peter and the apostles off guard.

Caught Unprepared - The Foolish Bridesmaids

November 10, 2023 11:00 - 5 minutes - 2.48 MB

The parable of the foolish virgins who let the oil in their lamps run out recalls the recurring nightmare that so many experience, of being caught totally unprepared for a test or presentation.  For the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A.

The Heritage of Pilgrimage

November 08, 2023 11:00 - 14 minutes - 6.61 MB

On this episode of the Sonrise Morning show, Dr. Italy shares about the way pilgrimage has been a central theme and serious obligation for Jews and Christians alike from Abraham through Jesus right down to the present time.  God seems very concerned to get across the idea that we are pilgrims and wayfarers, not settlers who get comfortable amidst the concerns and priorities of the present life.  Having just returned from leading his 24th pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Marcellino has fresh in h...

All Souls, Purgatory & Prayers for the Dead

November 01, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutes - 2.6 MB

A reflection on the Solemnity of All Souls, November 2, touching on the mystery of death and the afterlife including heaven, hell, and purgatory, and the validity of prayers for the dead.

Meaning & Mandate of All Saints Day

October 30, 2023 10:00 - 15 minutes - 6.91 MB

Each November 1st Catholics are obliged to attend Mass to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints.  This feast is more than a dutiful remembrance of the various saints that don't make it into the Roman calendar of feast days.  It is celebrates us - the fact that all of us are destined to attain the heights of holiness, that all of us are called and equipped to become saints, and will do so if we don't get in the way of the Holy Spirit.  Dr. Italy discusses where the feast comes from and why so...

Does Halloween Have Satanic Origins?

October 27, 2023 10:00 - 15 minutes - 6.9 MB

In this podcast, historical theologian Marcellino D'Ambrosio ("Dr. Italy") clears up misunderstandings about the holiday that are nearly universally believe by Christians, neo-pagans and secularists a like.  It will be of great help to grandparents and parents trying to decide how to approach this celebration.

The Radical Rabbi & The Greatest Commandment

October 25, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutes - 2.63 MB

When his enemies quiz him about what commandment is the greatest, Jesus reveals just how radical he really is.  His answer goes to the very root of every single one of the 613 commandments found in the law of the Old Testament – the distinct kind of divine love known as charity or agape is the great commandment.  For the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, liturgical cycle A.

Render Unto Caesar - Taxes & the Role of the State

October 20, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutes - 2.42 MB

When the Pharisees and the Herodians brought up the issue of paying taxes to the Emperor, Jesus uttered the famous line “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”  So what does this say about the role of government in our lives?  What do we owe to the state?

Ignatius of Antioch, Apostolic Father

October 17, 2023 10:00 - 17 minutes - 8.01 MB

Ignatius of Antioch, whom the Church remembers on October 17, is one of the most important of the apostolic fathers, the Fathers of the Church who lives overlapped the lives of the last of the apostles.  Ignatius was, in fact, only the second successor of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas in the important city of Antioch, where the followers of Jesus were called Christians for the first time.  He is, therefore, a crucial link between us and the generation of the apostles who preceded him, a witness ...

Teresa of Avila, the No-Nonsense Mystic

October 14, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutes - 2.51 MB

In this podcast Dr. Italy describes the great Carmelite mystic, Teresa of Avila, pointing out how she combined practical wisdom, mysticism and a sense of  humor in an extraordinary way.

The King's Wedding Feast - Invitation Declined

October 13, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutes - 4.96 MB

Why would people decline a royal invitation to a wedding feast, a banquet fit for a king?  This parable of Jesus describes a situation we see around us everyday – pervasive apathy in the face of the offer of salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.  The cause?  A sneaky but deadly sin called sloth.

John XXIII and the Origin of Vatican II

October 11, 2023 10:00 - 14 minutes - 6.76 MB

Angelo Roncalli, better known as Pope St. John XXIII, was a simple peasant boy who never quite lost his country simplicity even as he moved up through the Church’s hierarchy to occupy the chair of St. Peter. His election to the Papacy in 1958 surprised everyone, as did his announcement that he had decided to convene an ecumenical council to meet at the Vatican. We learn in this podcast why this Pope was canonized as a saint and why the council he convened cannot really be understood without ...

Sour Grapes & Tumbling Walls - Parable of the Vineyard

October 07, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutes - 2.59 MB

The parable of the vineyard and the wicked tenants or husbandmen is a warning to peoples and nations that no wall will protect a society that is abundantly blessed yet continues to bear bad fruit and sour grapes, refusing to give God his due.  Security and the peace that passes understanding are the rewards only of those who return thanks in response to God’s blessings.

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