Jesus Archives - Vincent Ryan Ruggiero Official website - Author

Why Catholics Venerate Mary

Vincent Ryan Ruggiero — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 13:27:58 +0000

At this time of year, every Christian’s thoughts turn to the beginning of what is known as “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and their focus is rightly on the babe in the manger, the Son of God, the Savior of the World. But my thoughts also turn to Jesus’ relationship to the woman who brought [...]

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Making Lent Meaningful

Vincent Ryan Ruggiero — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 14:46:41 +0000

Lent is a time for deepening our faith and growing closer to God. Traditionally, for Catholics and many other Christians, it has been a time for prayer, fasting, penance, and self-denial in acknowledgement of their imperfection and mortality. Many also devote additional time to meditation on the Gospel by considering the relevance of its message [...]

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Meditating on the Nativity

Vincent Ryan Ruggiero — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 18:21:49 +0000

In 1223 in the Italian town of Grecio, the crèche was first displayed by the man who, it is said, was most like Jesus—St. Francis of Assisi. From that time until this, over the course of almost eight centuries, Christians have displayed crèches in their churches, homes, and public places. Although some are small and [...]

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The Catholic Church and Salvation, Part 2

Vincent Ryan Ruggiero — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 09:43:01 +0000

Part 1 documented that “Outside the Church there is no salvation” has been a consistent Catholic teaching for many centuries. The essay quoted thirteen popes from Innocent III to John Paul II, named five prominent scholar-saints who supported the teaching, and noted that some contemporary Catholic writers consider it both definitive and infallible. In closing, [...]

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The Other Side of Forgiveness

Vincent Ryan Ruggiero — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 15:50:52 +0000

We are reminded of the importance of forgiving others every time we recite the Lord’s Prayer and ask God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” But there is another side to forgiveness that is less prominent in Christian, including Catholic, teaching. That side is helping others to forgive [...]

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