Ave Maria in the Afternoon

Modern man talks endlessly about happiness and then still wakes each morning with a hollow center. We’ve long been told that pleasure is the primary purpose of a man’s existence and that has left modern man starved for meaning and purpose. Marcus discusses the sources of true happiness. Further Reading Arthur Brooks on How to Find Meaning (and Happiness) in an Age of Emptiness This is a public epi...

From the center of Rome, looking westward, an iconic shape appears on the horizon; a church dome, topped by a cross, reaches 448 feet into the sky. This year St. Peter’s Basilica celebrates the 400th anniversary of its consecration. Marcus looks at its art and history. Further Reading St. Peter’s Basilica at 400: ‘The Parish Church of the World’ Celebrates 4 Centuries This is a public episode. If...

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. Infertility is a burden most couples don’t expect to carry. It can affect your marriage, your relationship with family and friends, and your relationship with God. Infertility often feels like a long and lonely path. And ministries like Springs in the Desert are here to help. Cassandra Taylor joins us with more. Further Reading ‘Springs in the Dese...

Legend states that on this day in 753 BC, Romulus founded the city of Rome. Roman religion from its earliest phases relies heavily on the concept of discerning the will of the gods. Once again, you've got these pre-Christian appeals to divine providence, the hand of God. Marcus has more thoughts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bo...

We often imagine the Holy Family as beyond reach — too holy, too peaceful, too perfect to relate to our own messy, wounded families. But when we look closely through the light of Scripture, a startling truth emerges: the lives of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were marked by all-too-common hardship, misunderstanding, loss, danger, and suffering caused by the sins of others. And yet it was precisely there...

Today is the birthday of two very different figures who shaped the 20th century in very different ways – Mother Angelica, and Adolf Hitler. Marcus imagines a conversation between the two of them as they share their thoughts on life and death. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

While en route from Cameroon to Angola this weekend, Pope Leo said that an extended debate with President Trump is “not in my interest at all.” President Trump for his part recently said that he has “nothing against the pope.” We talk more about this with Doug Keck. Further Reading Pope Leo XIV says debate with Trump is ‘not in my interest at all’ Donald Trump on tensions with Pope Leo XIV: ‘I hav...

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. And while nothing is as fundamental to the human experience as birth, Silicon Valley and other investors are hoping to change that, to “reinvent reproduction.” And Katelyn Shelton has questions about the whole process. She joins us. Further Reading Katelyn’s Technically Human blog Guest Info Katelyn Walls Shelton is a Visiting Fellow at the Ethics...

As society has turned from religion, the value of the self has risen. And with these trends comes the loss of sacrifice, as personal fulfillment is the name of the contemporary game. David Bonagura has more. Further Reading For God and Country – Or for Myself? Guest Info David G. Bonagura, Jr. is the author, most recently, of 100 Tough Questions for Catholics: Common Obstacles to Faith Today , and...

Pro-abortion bioethicists are now claiming that an unborn, gestating baby is a “part of the gestator’s body” and are attempting to make definitions about the metaphysical state of the child. Wes Smith joins us with more. Further reading Bioethicists Argue That an Unborn Baby Is Merely a ‘Gestator’s’ Body Part Follow Wes on X Guest Info Wes Smith is the Chair and Senior Fellow at the Discovery Inst...

In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises us a bread that will endure for Eternal life. But to receive this bread, we must accept the grace of Jesus and faithfully follow Him. We cannot receive the Eucharist if our lives are not fully conformed to the truth of Christ in his church. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus ep...

The sexual revolution offered happiness and great sex—but Americans are increasingly lonely and unhappy, and they even report having less, and less satisfying, sex. Rather than providing fulfilling pleasure, sexual liberation has created a relational wasteland in which men and women are alienated from each other. Nathanael Blake has more. Further Reading Victims of the Revolution: How Sexual Liber...

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus meets two disciples on the road to Emmaus. And the other readings this week are equally rich. We unpack the readings with Rob Corzine. Guest Info Rob Corzine is the vice president of programs for the St Paul Center for Biblical Theology. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariap...

One of the great falsehoods that is ingrained in our culture is that faith and reason are incompatible, when just the opposite is true – they are intertwined by their very nature. We do not have to choose between a spiritual or an intellectual life – we can live a life of reasonable faith and faithful reason. Dr. Christopher Kaczor has more. Further Reading Is Belief Believable? Reasoning About Go...

As Christians, we can be serious and faithful citizens of the United States or any other nation- but we can never be political idolaters. We can vote with good discernment and speak the truth, but we must remember that Caesar will die and Christ is the king that remains eternal. To forget this runs the risk of moving from patriotism to overt nationalism. Marcus has more. Further Reading Two Cities...

Today is Pope Emeritus Benedict’s 99th birthday, and Catholics around the world are planning a centenary celebration for next year. Marcus shares his own thoughts on what Benedict means to him. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

The two biggest Church news stories of this week have been the clash between President Trump and Pope Leo, and the papal trip to Africa. Matthew Bunson has the latest on these and other stories. Further Reading Vance says Trump was ‘posting a joke’ with now-deleted Jesus-like image Donald Trump on tensions with Pope Leo XIV: ‘I have nothing against the pope’ Bishops reaffirm just war limits amid V...

Thomas Jefferson called the Declaration of Independence “an expression of the American mind.” Not merely a document, the Declaration is the common creed of our civic life, and it inspires the shared poetry of our political soul. Matthew Spalding joins us. Further Reading Book: The Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence Guest Info Matthew Spalding is the Kirby Pro...

If there were ever a week that summed up the state of our public discourse, it’s this one. Following the backlash over the image President Trump posted a few days ago, talk show host Joy Beher claimed that Jesus never actually claimed to be the Messiah – her determination to portray Trump as a narcissist was so strong she ignored basic historical fact. And Tucker Carlson tweeted that “the people i...

Since the beginning of time they have attended the Holy Trinity with unending praise, and at the Bible’s pivotal moments they were present. They convey God’s saving messages and assist in his continual ordering of the cosmos. Some are hell-bent on our damnation; others intercede tirelessly for our salvation. They are the Angels – and Fr Mike Driscoll joins us to talk about them. Further Reading An...

Since President Trump’s explosive social media attack on Pope Leo earlier this week, politicians including Vice President Vance and Tom Homan have claimed the pope should stay in his lane and stay out of politics. But the Vicar of Christ doesn’t suddenly lose his voice when the subject turns from liturgy to law and legislation or from doctrine to politics. Marcus has more. This is a public episode...

At a moment when trust in institutions is at historic lows and the public square rewards noise over substance, one question keeps pressing itself forward: What actually produces people of genuine character? The Catholic Church in America has been working on that question in earnest — and the results are becoming visible. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has more. Further Reading Our Catholic Moment Guest In...

Every saint — from the greatest thinker to the commonest servant — has walked the same narrow road: the path of humility. It is the foundation of every virtue and the key to sanctity. Patrick O’Hearn joins us to talk about it. Further Reading Book: Humility of the Saints: The Litany of Humility Made Flesh Patrick’s website Guest Info Patrick O’Hearn is an author, speaker, and content creator. He s...

Most American children barely touch the Constitution in school―and when they do, they get little more than a checklist of dates and names. Yet our freedom depends on understanding this remarkable document. Tara Ross has written two new books about the American founding and the Constitution that explain these amazing events at a level kids can understand, but with an extraordinary level of detail....

Ever since World War II, a controversy has raged about Pope Pius XII. Was the Pope who had shepherded the Church through the war a Nazi sympathizer? Was he, as some have dared call him, Hitler's pope? Did he do nothing to help the Jewish people in the grips of the Holocaust? We talk with Ron Rychlak. Further Reading Hitler, the War, and the Pope, Revised and Expanded Guest Info Ronald J. Rychlak i...