Ave Maria in the Afternoon Full Hours

Segment 1: The Revolution Devours its Children On July 28, 1794, a man once hailed by the masses as a hero was dragged through the streets of Parish and executed. The man was Maximilien Robespierre, a hero of the same revolution that sent him to the guillotine. Marcus discusses this cautionary tale. Segment 2: Understanding Liberty in the words of the founders The Remnant Trust is a public educati...

Segment 1: Higher Education and the Formation of Character (2 segments) Trust in higher education is fractured. Why have universities at all? To answer such a question, we need first to recover the very idea of a university. Universities exist in order to discover, understand, and articulate truth in each discipline of human endeavor. Do they also exist to help foster the virtues of character? Jon...

Segment 1: Catholics and the FBI The FBI was established on July 26, 1908. Catholics have played a significant role in the organization throughout its history. Marcus looks at some of the stories. Segment 2: Catholic Charities brings hope to Detroit Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan is working directly with the unfortunate in the Detroit area as a working arm of the Church. Paul Propson tel...

Segment 1: The Treasure Buried in a Field (2 segments) In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus explains how the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. Marcus unpacks the readings. Segment 2: We ignored Humane Vitae, and we’re paying the price (2 segments) On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI published Humane Vitae. And on July 25, 1978, the first test-tube baby was born. It seems fitting that th...

Segment 1: A Tax on Light and Air On July 24, 1851, the citizens of Britain celebrated the end of the “Window Tax,” a tax residents had to pay based on the number of windows in their house. This historical curiosity tells us a deeper truth about state overreach. Marcus has more. Segment 2: What does it mean to be human? (3 segments) As humans, we are much more than cogs in a machine or raw materia...

Segment 1: Does the Pope Speak with Political Authority? (2 segments) US Ambassador Brian Burch recently said that when Pope Leo spoke out against the war in Iran, he was not doing so as a leader of the Roman Catholic Church, adding that he was speaking as a world leader of the Holy See. What authority does the pope have in such occasions? Matthew Bunson joins us with more on this and other Church...

Segment 1: Why did Jesus speak in Parables? In today’s Gospel, Jesus is asked why He teaches in parables. He warns us of people who will hear but not understand, and look but never see. We have the privilege of knowing our Messiah – we’ve not only seen his public ministry, we are in his public ministry. Have we taken for granted just how immensely blessed we are? Have we lost sight of the urgency...

Segment 1: Reclaiming a Eucharistic Culture Thousands of Catholics flocked to Detroit today for the Rising from the Ashes revival. Fr. Adam Nowak joins us at the conference to talk about how the Eucharist can revitalize the culture. Segment 2: Fr. John Riccardo: People’s Most Urgent Need (3 segments) Fr. John Riccardo was recently speaking with a fellow priest about what people most urgently need...

Segment 1: Was Mary Magdalene a Harlot? Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. Many popular films and other depictions imagine Mary Magdalene as a harlot, or as the woman caught in adultery. However, the real Mary Magdalene was someone far different. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Music Brings us to Jesus Laura Hovious considered herself an agnostic, until one day when she walked into a...

Segment 1: How Guilt can Set us Free It has become a popular trope to criticize or mock Catholics for being “preoccupied” with guilt. But there is a distinction between healthy Catholic guilt and hopeless shame. Properly understood, guilt can set us free. Dr Greg Popcak has more. Segment 2: Meet England’s new Catholic Prime Minister Andy Burnham was officially named the leader of Britain’s governi...

Segment 1: Who were Jesus’ “brothers?” Today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew includes one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. Matthew says that while Jesus was speaking, “his mother and his brothers appeared outside.” Given this verse, why do Catholics insist that Mary had no other children? Marcus explains. Segment 2: The First Step to Increasing Vocations In 2026, the Church in...

Segment 1: The Tates’ Warped Masculinity The Tate brothers have become a defining symbol of “masculinity” in today’s culture. And their popularity shows that our culture is hungry for true, Christ-centered masculinity – it just doesn’t know where to look. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Can Catholic Colleges be Saved? Since March 2020, over 70 public and private nonprofit colleges and universities hav...

Segment 1: We are not isolated believers There’s a common theme in today’s Office of the Readings – the way we are all in communion with the covenant body. God does not form us to be isolated believers. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Hilaire Belloc, Culture Warrior July 16 marks the death of Hilaire Belloc, the French writer and political activist who died in 1953. Along with G.K. Chesterton, he was...

Segment 1: What is the Kingdom of Heaven? (2 segments) In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus uses several short parables to illustrate the meaning of the Kingdom of Heaven. Marcus unpacks the readings Segment 2: What we learned from President Trump’s Speech (2 segments) In a much-hyped address on Thursday night, President Trump presented documents which he claimed were proof of foreign interference in th...

Segment 1: The Witness of the Martyrs of Compiègne Today is the feast of the Martyrs of Compiègne, French nuns who were executed during the Reign of Terror. They bravely walked to the guillotine singing hymns and offering their lives, “so that peace may be restored to the Church and the State.” Marcus honors their memory. Segment 2: Advancing our Knowledge with Aristotle (2 segments) One of the bi...

Segment 1: French Bishop: Catholic Lawmakers Who Back Euthanasia Bill Cannot Receive Communion (2 segments) French Bishop Marc Aillet has declared that Catholic members of France’s National Assembly who voted for the country’s euthanasia and assisted-suicide bill will no longer be able to receive holy Communion. Matthew Bunson joins us to discuss this and other Church news. Segment 2: What the Fou...

Segment 1: The Rewriting of Junipero Serra Today marks the anniversary of the founding of the first California mission by St. Junipero Serra. Modern outrage has tried to “cancel” him for being a colonizer and oppressor of Indigenous peoples, but that is not who the historical record actually shows him to be. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Beware the Cotton Candy Gospel Many Christians today are suffe...

Segment 1: Lawsuit: Colorado discriminates against religious families For many families, there is a clear answer to the question of who they trust to help them raise their children: a school that shares their mission — a genuine partner in a child’s education. But some families in Colorado are being denied that opportunity, a case the Supreme Court will hear next term. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has m...

Segment 1: Tim Staples made me Catholic Today, Catholic Answers announced that legendary apologist Tim Staples has retired as senior apologist, though he will continue with regular appearances on Catholic Answers Live. Tim’s book Behold your Mother was instrumental in Marcus’ journey to the Catholic Church. Tim announced his retirement today, and Marcus reflects on the impact he has had. Segment 2...

Segment 1: Two Personality Traits of Long-Term Couples When people talk about marriage from a secular perspective, they often ask whether a couple is “compatible.” There’s a new study from the Journal of Research in Personality that seems to show “compatibility” is overrated, and other factors are more important for long-term intimacy. Dr Greg Popcak has more. Segment 2: Surrogacy Hurts Women Yest...

Segment 1: “You will go down to the nether world.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus seems to use some particularly harsh language – or it at least seems harsh without its Old Testament context. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Washtenaw County allocates emergency funding to Planned Parenthood On July 1 the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allocate $500,000 in local taxpayer monies t...

Segment 1: The Problems with Surrogacy Our civilization is learning that, while nature can be manipulated, it is only a matter of time before human nature demands its own accounting before God. This is especially noticeable in the matter of surrogacy. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Should a Catholic be “Swole?” Thomas Lahart created Flight Foods to unite faith, fitness, and clean nutrition under one...

Segment 1: “Not Peace, but a Sword” In today’s Gospel Jesus says He has come not to bring peace, but a sword – but what kind of sword? Marcus looks at the Old Testament connections to this passage. Segment 2: Remembering a British Politician who Championed the Unborn Ann Widdecombe, who converted to the Catholic faith in 1993, was known for advocating conservative and pro-life positions in the Bri...

Segment 1: “A Sower went out to Sow”(2 segments) In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the famous Parable of the Sower. Rob Corzine joins us to unpack the readings. Segment 2: Spiritual Fatherhood and the Cost of Discipleship (2 segments) Bishop Jerry Vinke of Salina, Kansas joins us to share his experiences of spiritual fatherhood and how he has seen the Holy Spirit transform lives as we continue...

Segment 1: The Significance of the Scopes Monkey Trial On July 10, 1925, the Scopes Monkey Trial began. The state of Tennessee accused John Scopes, a high school teacher, of violating the Butler Act, which prohibited teaching human evolution in a state-funded school. The trial brought national attention to the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy, a debate over the compatibility of Scripture and m...