The 1930s saw a frequent objection made to Christianity: since salvation is personal, Christianity would easily pave the way for individualism, where every Christian looks for his own happiness, forgetting all others. Henri de Lubac wrote "Catholicism" (1937) to reply to this objection by making the point of "social Catholicism." However, few years later, this concept, though well grounded in the Church Fathers, became ideologically ridden, so as to affirm that Faith and its celebration were merely social. What about today? Whilst it seems very odd to preach about saving one's soul, a 'communal salvation' has led to prioritise social issues, such as building up a more human society and ecology (detached from Christ). A strong Marxist component is now facing the Church from within. What is then salvation? The unity and the trinity of the Triune God should be reflected in this discorse. Saving souls is still the supreme law of the Church. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this homily given on Christmas Day, Fr Serafino reflects on the mystery of the Word made flesh. The very difference between any philosophy, any natural religion, and Christianity is that the Word spoke and is made flesh. Incarnation is a gift not a right, as grace is a gift and never a right. Yet, in today's Church, as in the society, grace seems to be a right. Even blessings have become a human right. Christmas celebrated with faith and love is the way to regain the concept of 'gratuitous love,' by which we are mad creatures and Christians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St Francis of Assisi heard the word of the Crucifix: "Go Francis and repair my Church." Only at the third church he arrived with the intention of refurbishing it, St Mary of the Angels, the Poverello understood the correct meaning of that mission: he had to build up the Body of Christ, purchased by Our Lord with his Blood. At the Portiuncula, St Francis was identified with the Mother of God to "give birth unto the spirit of Gospel truth" (St. Bonaventure). That was the beginning, a sort of Franciscan Annunciation. St. Francis, then, identified with Our Lady Co-redemptrix, gave life, as another Christ Crucified on La Verna, to the Church by generating Christ into many souls as well as into society and culture. The point is Co-redemption. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast Fr Serafino M. Lanzetta explores the historical and theological meaning of St Francis' Mission for the Church. There are quite a few similarities between the Church at the time of St Francis and the Church of today. It seems that one same heresy binds together that time and ours: pauperism, i.e., poverty seen as an end and no longer as a means. This led to overlap the institution and the charism. The institution had to be charismatic, forged by poverty, while the charism became the way of the Church replacing doctrine and dogma. Precisely what happens today. That's why St. Francis needs to come back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, Fr Serafino presents the truth about Our Lady's unique cooperation in our salvation. This cooperation can be defined as co-redemption. The 'co' does not express equality but company; the fact that Our Lady is with Christ, though under Him in offering the one price of our salvation. St. Francis of Assisi's mission was in fact co-redemtpive as well as St. Pio of Pietrelcina's, just to mention two Saints. How could they continue the work of Christ in time if there is no co-participation in His salvation? And if there was no active participation of Our Lady on Calvary on behalf of all the Saints? There would simply be a void between Christ and us. And yet, Christian life is co-redemption!PS The delve more into this mystery, you can watch our recent Marian Conference on this topic: https://www.themarianfranciscans.org/coredemptrix-symposium Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fr Serafino in this podcast explores the relationship between two fundamentals virtues, humility and purity, by contemplating them as one, though distinct, in Our Lady's life. And yet the question: which one comes first? St Bernard and St Bonaventure have their say. And we follow it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Gospel of St Luke (5:1-11) Jesus teaches the multitude pressing upon him from Simon's ship. It's Jesus who appointed Peter to be the foundation rock of the Church. However, not as a private person with his own ideas and convictions, but as the one who professes the Faith of the Church: "You are the Son of the living God." Faith comes first. Peter depends on the faith and not the other way round. Moreover, only after teaching the people, Our Lord commanded to Peter: "launch out into the deep" and "let down your nets for a catch". Evangelisation comes only after a clear teaching. If the doctrine is wobbling, or even put aside for the sake of pastoral care (as it is with the recent Synod on Synodality), the outreach is void. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fr Serafino speaks about the relationship between the Triune God and Our Lady, laid out by the mystery of Mary's Virginity, reflection in our creation of God's Purity. Purity in God is the expression of his being: God cannot but be and be necessarily a communion of love. In Our Lady there is a finite but perfect manifestation of God's infinite perfection. This created perfection, which makes Mary resemble the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is Mary's purity, lived out by Her as perpetual virginity. When the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation assented to God with Her Fiat, She publicly made manifest her intimate relationship with the Triune God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, She became the Mother of the Son, virginally generated as He is purely generated by the Father since eternity. The analogy here is breathtaking! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we explore the true meaning of God's mercy. This to avoid two extremes: rigorism, which excludes mercy for the sake of justice and laxism, even more spread in our days, which refuses justice for the sake of mercy. Justice and mercy cannot be set one against the other for the fact that, according to St Bonaventure, whatever God does is done by virtu of the abundance of His goodness. Therefore, for the Seraphic Doctor, while justice is "the fittingness of divine good", mercy is "the abundance of divine goodness." Justice is the presupposition, mercy the completion. There can never be mercy without justice, nor justice without mercy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Papa Francesco, esaminando la dialettica tra Legge (Torah) e fede in Cristo, ha concluso la sua ultima catechesi del mercoledì chiedendosi: «…disprezzo i Comandamenti? No. Li osservo, ma non come assoluti, perché so che quello che mi giustifica è Gesù Cristo». Questo insegnamento letto nel suo contesto non può che lasciare attoniti e smarriti. Se il Decalogo non è più assoluto, se cioè inizia a dipendere dal contesto storico e dalla nostra interpretazione, significa che è relativizzato e così l’agire morale è svuotato del suo contenuto. Francesco arriva a questa conclusione perché difatti identifica il Decalogo con la Legge, che è un pedagogo che ci ha condotto a Cristo. Il Decalogo, però, legge naturale prima ancora di essere cuore dell’Alleanza veterotestamentaria, fa sì parte della Legge (Torah) ma non l’esaurisce; quest’ultima è più ampia e contiene anche norme cultuali, sociali e alimentari. La fede ci libera da queste prescrizioni ma non dai Dieci Comandamenti che San Paolo, come già Nostro Signore, riassume nel comandamento più grande: la carità (cf. Gal 5,14 e Mc 12,28-31). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pope Francis issued on 16 July 2021 a new law on the celebration of the Holy Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal (the Old Rite Mass). The previous dispositions by Pope Benedict XVI, favouring the celebration of this Mass by any priest with no authorisation, have been rescinded, and a very surprising statement has been made: the new Roman Missal issued by Paul VI in 1970 is the only expression of the Lex orandi of the Church. But a permission may be given by the local bishop to say the EF Mass. How can a priest be still authorised to say this Mass when the missal is no longer the expression of the prayer (and faith) of the Church? What is therefore a correct approach to the Apostolic Tradition of which the bishops are the guardians? It seems now that they are rather soldiers of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Lady holds a very special relationship with the Most Holy Trinity. She is the daughter of the Father, the mother of the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. A title given to Her by Hesychius of Jerusalem (V cent.) defines the Blessed Virgin "Complementum Trinitatis" - "Complement of the Holy Trinity". She complements the Holy Trinity from outside, for being chosen by the Father since Her creation as Immaculate Conception to be the mother of his Son by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The Triune God operates our salvation in union with Mary, and only through Her we come to share in the life of the Holy Trinity poured over us by sanctifying grace. There is a Marian attribute that can sum up this trinitarian relationship of Mary with God, the ‘sponsality’ - Mary as Spouse of God. Our Lady has been called by St Ephrem of Syria (IV cent.) “Spouse of God” in relation to the Son, insofar as She is the new Eve beside the new Adam, true Coredemptrix. St Francis of Assisi will be the first to call Our Lady “Spouse of the Holy Spirit”, followed by St Louis Grignon de Monfort and St Maximilian M. Kolbe. Last but not least, Mary is also “Spouse of the Father”, since they both have the same Son, Jesus Christ, generated by the Father in eternity as the Logos, and by the Mother in time as Word incarnate. Hail Holy Bride of the Most High! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mercy depends on justice as charity on truth, though both mercy and charity complete justice and truth. God is just when He forgives and when He condemns. In both cases He is merciful because in both cases he is supremely just. And He is as just as He is supremely good.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Homophobia is a label put on those who have an opinion about homosexuality that does not go with the flow, namely those who respect the person but condemn the acts. But is it true that those who advocate the rights of homosexuals are really respecting their dignity? The homophobic shield, used to rather convey the ideology of homosexualism, reveals an idea of person as merely grounded in the gender and not in the person as such. A person, in fact, is worthy in itself, for being a person, and not for feeling as gay, lesbian, transexual, etc. This corrupted and partial measure of human dignity leads unfortunately to inhumanity. Man is only what he feels and not what he is - a simple instrument. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catechesi di P. Serafino M. Lanzetta: in prossimità della Solennità di San Giuseppe e nell'anno dedicato a questo grande Santo, riflettiamo sulla figura straordinario del Falegname di Nazareth. Scelto dal Padre per una missione unica, diventa anzitutto sposo casto di Maria. Per mezzo di questa unione sponsale e mistica con la Madre di Dio - la sua consacrazione a Lei - San Giuseppe è introdotto in una relazione unica con Gesù: diviene il suo padre verginale, cioè custode della filiazione divina di Gesù con il Padre e ombra del Padre dei cieli sulla terra. Ite ad Ioseph, ricorriamo a questo grande Santo e avremo accesso ai tesori di Dio: Gesù e Maria. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

St Joseph's ministry and mission come into play thanks to his espousal with Our Lady. Above all, it is from this blessed and virginal union that the Holy Carpenter of Nazareth is able to embrace Jesus and to minister unto Him. There are two moments in Joseph's union with Mary: a first official betrothal and the final cohabitation, which took place after the instructions of the Angel: "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your spouse." Can this cohabitation, meant to be virginal since the outset, be understood as a total consecration of Joseph to Mary to be perfectly united with Jesus? Discover why! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catechesi di P. Serafino M. Lanzetta: Sant'Agostino definisce l'obbedienza virtù radicale, madre di tutte le virtù, origine e perfezione di ogni giustizia e virtù nella quale si riassume tutta la religione. Il P. Agostino Trapè, grande conoscitore del pensiero dell'Ipponate, riassume così la teologia di Agostino su questo punto: «L’ordine naturale vuole che l’inferiore sia soggetto al superiore; ma perché lo sia, è necessario che questi, il superiore sia soggetto a chi gli è, a sua volta, superiore, affinché sotto Dio, che è al sommo dell’essere, tutto sia ordinato». E se accadesse che il superiore rifiutasse sia l'ordine naturale che quello divino? Ne deriverebbero molti guai, uno molto noto: ricattare i sudditi, costringendoli ad obbedire a ciò che ripudia alla ragione illuminata dalla fede. L'obbedienza non è illimitata. L'autorità nella Chiesa non è autoreferenziale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lectio divina con P. Serafino M. Lanzetta: Il Vangelo di Marco (9,2-10) ci racconta l’evento epifanico della Trasfigurazione del Signore. Si tratta della seconda tappa nel nostro cammino quaresimale. Gesù manifesta lo splendore della sua divinità a testimoni scelti. Ma si tratta solo di un assaggio. Per entrare nella sua gloria, il Figlio dell’Uomo dovrà soffrire ed essere crocifisso. Il Tabor è un anticipo della gloria futura, a cui non si giunge se non per mezzo del Calvario. Due monti che diventano uno nel "per Crucem ad Lucem". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catechesi di P. Serafino M. Lanzetta: In preparazione della Quaresima, facciamo insieme la Lectio divina sul Vangelo di Marco (1,12-15). Un passaggio chiave, oltre al richiamo urgente alla conversione, è quello di Gesù tentato dal diavolo. Con Sant'Agostino scopriamo che in Cristo eravamo tentati noi, perché Egli prese da noi la sua carne ma da sé la nostra salvezza: «Così, egli prese da te e fece sua la tentazione, affinché per suo dono tu ne riportassi vittoria. Se in lui noi siamo tentati, in lui noi vinciamo il diavolo». Convertirsi è accorgersi di questo aiuto divino per sconfiggere non solo il diavolo, ma anche il mondo e la carne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Con il motu proprio "Spiritus Domini" del 10 gennaio 2021, papa Francesco ha stabilito che anche le donne possono accedere ai ministeri del Lettorato e dell’Accolitato, già aperti ai laici da Paolo VI ma riservati ai soli uomini. Si tratta della regolarizzazione di una prassi più che diffusa e di uno sviluppo logico: i fedeli sono sia maschi che femmine. Le radici vanno ricercate nello spirito della riforma liturgica partorita dopo il Vaticano II e nel cambiamento introdotto da Paolo VI che trasformò gli ordini minori (senza abolirli perché non poteva) in ministeri. Cosa succede ora? Non si tratta di essere sessisti ma di capire cos’è veramente la liturgia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.