All Things Catholic by Edward Sri

What gives the cross its redemptive value is not the amount of suffering or bloodshed, but the amount of love that was put into Christ’s sacrifice. The cross is less about taking on punishment and more about the total gift of love Jesus offered to the Father on our behalf. As the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross this week, Dr. Sri takes us into the heart of the cross—which is ultimately the heart of God and his passionate love for his people.

We’re not called to be like the Amish, separating ourselves completely from the world.  But we must be careful how much of the world’s influences we allow into our homes and into our hearts. How do we strike the right balance? Dr. Sri draws on wisdom from Blessed John Henry Newman to help us live a Christians 'in this world' without being 'of this world.'

Do you have family or friends away from the Catholic Faith?  St. Monica’s example offers six practical things we can do to help bring our loved ones back to Christ and the Church.  Too often we focus on how to change our son, sister or friend.  But the first step in evangelizing our loved ones might involve changing our own heart and approach to evangelization itself. Are we willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach them with the Faith?

Where is Mary’s Queenship in the Bible? Is this just Catholics exaggerating Mary’s role, trying to put Mary on par with Jesus the King, so they make her a Queen? In this episode Dr. Sri unpacks the rich Biblical foundation for the feast the Church celebrates this week - the feast of Mary’s queenship - and shows clearly how the Bible reveals Mary to be our Queen. Get a chance to win a free signed book from Dr. Sri by taking the short survey on the podcast at edwardsri.com/podcast

099 Did Mary Die Before Her Assumption? Did Mary experience death before she was assumed into heaven? Or was she preserved from death because she did not have original sin? You might be surprised about what the Catholic Church actually teaches about Mary's Assumption.

“How can we stay with a Church that has so many problems?” Dr. Sri unpacks key insights from Bishop Barron’s recent book “A Letter to a Suffering Church” - a book that takes a hard look at the clergy abuse scandal and offers hope and practical ways forward. If you don't have time to read it, listen to this brief summary of the many gems in this helpful book. Shownotes: Learn more about this book by Bishop Robert Barron:  https://www.sufferingchurchbook.com

Why would Catholics build a whole basilica dedicated the Blessed Virgin Mary? Isn’t this distracting from Jesus? Shouldn’t we be building churches in honor of Jesus, not Mary? And why would the Catholic Church have a special liturgical feast day celebrating the dedication of this basilica?  In this special edition, we go to the principle church dedicated to Mary all the world, as we prepare to celebrate on August 5 the Basilica of St. Mary Major’s - one of Dr. Sri’s favorite churches in all o

Our marriage began with JP2 blessing it in Rome. So for our 20th wedding anniversary last week, we wanted to do a special marriage pilgrimage to Krakow and walk in the footsteps of this great saint. Beth and Edward Sri discuss the importance of couples getting time away and share from their experiences at the sites of JP2's younger years in Krakow, where he poured his life into university students, battled the atheistic Communists, and guided young couples in their marriages.

Every detail of the Gospels is there for a reason: to show Jesus fulfilling all the ancient prophecies from the Old Testament.  More than any other Gospel, Matthew is constantly alluding to Jewish hopes and expectations to demonstrate how God has been preparing humanity for the Savior and how Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah. Do you know the two main ways Matthew shows prophecies coming to fulfillment in Christ?

Why does the Catholic Church hold up Matthew’s Gospel as so crucial for passing on the Faith--whether as a parent, teacher, catechist or friend? And why does Matthew stand out in times of evangelization and renewal in the Church? Matthew’s background as a tax collector gives an important clue into how he gave his Gospel a beautiful structure - a structure that is the key to understanding the story of Jesus as the climax of the history of the world.

When the saints die, they don’t get cut off from the Body of Christ. They’re closer to Jesus and thus even closer to us, able to hear our prayers and intercede powerfully for our needs.  In this episode, Edward Sri answers listeners questions on a range of topics, including Mary, the Saints, Purgatory, and responding to our teen and young adult children’s questions about the Catholic Faith.   You can send your questions to Dr. Sri at edwardsri.com/contact

Mercy is the highest expression of God’s love. But His mercy is not like that of a judge who merely pardons our violations of the law or a demanding boss who one day decides to overlook the mistakes in our work.  This week’s Solemnity of the Sacred Heart invites us to ponder the Biblical truth of God’s mercy - a mercy rooted in God’s amazing unconditional love, a love that remains faithful even when we are unfaithful.

How can Catholics believe the Eucharist is really the Body of Christ? ‘It’s just a piece of bread!  It’s just a symbol of Jesus, not his real presence,’ some would say.  But there’s one Biblical passage that offers the richest theology of the Eucharist and most clearly demonstrates how much Jesus wanted to give us his very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the total gift of Himself in every Holy Communion.

Do you want your heart to have more space to receive God’s Love in your life? Learn from one of Dr. Sri’s favorite saints in Rome, St. Philip Neri, who is a patron saint for the New Evangelization. This special edition was recorded in Rome outside Chiesa Nova, where St. Philip Neri is buried.

“Holy Spirit, inspire me in all my actions….guide me in all my decisions….” After Pentecost, the Apostles were transformed men. We can experience that same transformation in the Spirit today - if we grow in deeper relationship with the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.