Ave Maria in the Afternoon

Our culture has placed a massive value on being busy, constantly involved in events and activities. But this comes at a price – families have no time to spend together or pray together. Greg Popcak has some solutions. Further Reading Catholic Households on Mission Guest Info Dr Greg Popcak is the founder and director of CatholicCounselors.com, a group pastoral telecounseling practice providing fai...

Thomas More is well known for his refusal to sign the Act of Succession and silence when asked why he chose to do so. But from his prison cell in the Tower of London, he launched a prolific campaign in writing to rebuke Henry VIII’s claims. Travis Curtwright joins us. Further Reading The Controversial Thomas More Politics, Polemics, and Prison Writings Guest Info Travis Curtwright is the author of...

During the Holy Week and Easter Season readings, we see many references to “the Jews.” If misunderstood, these readings can lead to harmful misconceptions about the Jewish people. This moment in the Church’s life offers us an important opportunity to reaffirm what our faith truly teaches about Jews and Judaism. Msgr. John Kasza joins us. Further Reading Faithful reading of Holy Week Scripture leav...

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Holocaust arose from more than a brief lapse in administrative decency – it arose because the people of Europe were slowly taught to see their Jewish neighbors as corrosive, parasitic, alien, and disposable. Once that moral infection had ripened, hatred was allowed to masquerade as civic virtue. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to...

When he was a Baptist, Steve Ray thought the Catholic view of the Eucharist was unbiblical and idolatrous. Now, it’s the center of his faith. Steve unpacks the deep Biblical meaning of the Eucharist. Guest Info 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 Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a global community of prayer that is guided by the intentions of the Holy Father to pray for the Church. Fr. Phil Hurley joins us to talk about their work, including a personal encounter with Pope Leo and baseball, and also invites you to join him at the Catholics at the Shore conference in May. Further Reading Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network Catholics at the...

The Book of Acts is widely recognized as a sequel to Luke’s Gospel. It picks up where the Gospel left off and is addressed to Theophilus. And as it chronicles the days of the early Church, it reminds us that the first Christians were – of course – Jews. Angela Coustley joins us to offer a Hebrew Catholic’s perspective on the Book of Acts. Guest Info Dr. Angela Costley is a Hebrew Catholic theologi...

Fr. Mark Thelen has spent more than 25 years preaching the Gospel across Europe. He joins us from Austria to share his stories. Guest Info Fr Mark Thelen is a priest of the Legion of Christ. He grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan 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

On the night of April the 14th, 1912, the grandest ship on Earth struck an iceberg. Within a few hours, the “unsinkable” ship lay at the bottom of the Atlantic. There’s something symbolic about the Titanic disaster that keeps it so ingrained in our collective memory. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

This weekend is Divine Mercy Sunday. We believe in a God who is all-Merciful, but is also perfectly Just. Do these qualities contradict each other? Michael Dauphinais is our guest. Guest Info Dr. Michael Dauphinais serves as the Fr. Matthew Lamb Professor of Catholic Theology and the co-director of the Aquinas Center for Theological Renewal at Ave Maria University. He also hosts The Catholic Theol...

This Sunday’s Gospel presents us with the story of “Doubting” Thomas. 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 avemariapm.substack.com

If you attended the Easter Vigil last weekend, you may have noticed the line in the Exsultet that celebrates the “necessary sin of Adam.” We typically think of Jesus’ sacrifice as the necessary response to Adam’s sin, so what about the sin itself was so necessary? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.su...

Zohran Mamdani’s platform centers on New York’s affordability crisis and includes promises to freeze rents for two million rent-stabilized tenants, build two hundred thousand new affordable units, and provide government-run grocery stores and free universal childcare. Dorothy Day was a radical New Yorker as well. Both Mamdani and Day are defined by their commitment to workers and the poor, but onl...

This weekend we conclude the octave of Easter with the great Feast of the Divine Mercy. Marcus reflects on the meaning of God’s mercy and justice. 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 Church is celebrating a surge in conversions this Easter. What’s next for our newest brothers and sisters in Christ? JonMarc Grodi joins us. Further Reading The Importance of Mystagogy Guest Info JonMarc Grodi is the executive director of the Coming home network and the host of the Journey Home . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access t...

U.S. officials are continuing to defend ongoing military actions in the Middle East amid criticism from top Catholic leaders around the world and after media reports that the Pentagon demanded the Vatican throw its support behind its ongoing military maneuvers. Matthew Bunson has more on this and other Church news. Further Reading U.S. officials continue to defend Iranian conflict amid criticism f...

It’s a common error to think of Jesus as a model for our religious and private lives, but not as one for civic and political engagement. This line of thinking, while common today, would have been entirely foreign in New Testament times. We discuss the Political theology of Easter with Dr Paul DeHart. Further Reading After Easter: The Political Theology of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Me...

Jason Negri is hosting a panel discussion on physician-assisted suicide and end-of-life options next week at Wayne State University. He joins us with the details. 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 world’s eyes remain fixed on Iran. But outrage will serve nobody well while the events are still unfolding across a region that’s already scarred by ideological fury and retaliatory violence. Therefore, Christians especially should slow our speech, discipline our passions, examine the facts, and pray for wisdom before we baptize any instant conclusion with some level of moral certainty. Marcus...

Christ’s glorified body tells us that the promise of eternal life which Jesus’s death and resurrection has opened up for us results not in obliteration or negation, but transformation and glorification. We talk more about it with Randall Smith. Further Reading The Relevance of the Resurrection Guest Info Dr. Randall B. Smith is Professor of Theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texa...

The Catholics at the Shore Conference is an opportunity to step away from the noise for two and a half days of Catholic formation, inspiring speakers, and real relationships in a beautiful coastal setting. Chris McMahon has the details. Click Here to learn more Guest Info Chris McMahon is the founder of the Catholics at the Shore Conference. Learn more at catholicsattheshore.com This is a public e...

America is developing an appetite for killing its elderly. A recent Pew Research poll suggests that comfort is growing: 63 percent of Americans now say physician-assisted death is either morally acceptable or simply not a moral issue at all. Only 35 percent call it morally wrong. The conscience is not yet gone. But it is losing ground fast. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has more. Further Reading Even Rel...

Last night President Trump announced a two-week cease fire in Iran, backing off on threats he made early Easter Sunday. We look at the latest developments with Peter Laffin. Guest Info Peter Laffin is Senior Editor for the Washington Examiner. 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 Artemis II space flight is scheduled to end with a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday. Space exploration remains one of humanity’s greatest scientific achievements – and we must not overlook the Vatican’s continued contribution to the field. Daniel Gallagher has more. Further Reading Space Exploration and the Cosmic Liturgy Guest Info Daniel B. Gallagher lectures in philosophy and literature...

Sam Goodwin has traveled to all 193 countries in the world, and spent nine weeks in a Syrian prison. And it’s during that time that he discovered a lot about gratitude, controlling what you can, and viewing uncertainty as an opportunity. He joins us. Further Reading Saving Sam: The True Story of an American’s Disappearance in Syria and His Family’s Extraordinary Fight to Bring Him Home Sam’s websi...