Ave Maria in the Afternoon

Today’s readings are united by a covenantal theme - we are no longer beggars and now belong to the family of God through the sacrifice of Christ. Marcus has more. 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

When Christopher Hazell was an atheistic college student, he found himself on a flight, staring out the window into the blackness. If God did not exist, he reasoned, than the entirety of life meant nothing. Sin and suffering can render the world dark and clouded, convincing us that our lives are meaningless. He joins us with more. Further Reading The Anti-Narrative of Sin and Evil Chris’ Substack...

Pope Leo’s encyclical had barely been released before some critics began complaining that the Pope should address other matters rather than something like AI, accusing him of modernism and other absurd things. As the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope should offer guidance on things that affect the modern world. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with o...

Something is happening in the country that is being misread as politics. People of faith are reasserting their place in American public life, the law is increasingly vindicating them and the secular establishment has not figured out what to do about it. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has more. Further Reading Religious Expression in Public Life on the Rise Guest Info Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is a legal anal...

In recent times, media coverage of papal remarks—especially in the Wild West of social media Catholicism—has come to assume a regrettable pattern. The pope gives a speech or grants an interview, and opposing factions predictably amplify selected lines to support preexisting positions they want to advance. The trend continues in the papacy of Pope Leo. Matthew Ramage has more. Further Reading The D...

Nigeria is among the worst countries in the world for the persecution of Christians, with attacks on villages and kidnappings of priests happening on a regular basis. This persecution was foretold by the Blessed Virgin Mary in a church-approved apparition that many have never heard of. Muji Kaiser tells the story. Further Reading The Virgin Mary’s Message to Nigeria The Okaja Foundation website Gu...

Today’s Mass readings are woven together by the theme of Redemption. We have been ransomed as a people, bought by Christ’s blood in order to live inside the peace of Zion through humble service to God. Marcus has more. 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

In 2018, Pope Francis declared the Monday after Pentecost as the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church. As a Protestant, Marcus was concerned that Catholic’s devotion for Mary competed with, or interfered with, their devotion to Christ. He explains how he came to understand the Catholic doctrine on Mary. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

In his new encyclical, Pope Leo writes that AI has ‘Even Greater Consequences’ than the Industrial Revolution. Brendan Newell, a Catholic expert on the ethics of Al, weighs in. Guest Info Brendan Newell works as a Principal Technical Architect for Microsoft. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack...

Prayer is an essential part of a Catholic marriage – and not just praying on your own, but praying together for each other and the family. Dr Greg Popcak has tips on how to get started and how to take the next step. Guest Info Dr. Greg Popcak is the founder of CatholicCounselors.com Together with his wife Lisa, he’s the author of over 20 popular books, and the host of More2Life, heard each day at...

In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published Monday, Pope Leo XIV calls on society and AI developers to implement “shared standards of social justice” in order for artificial intelligence to respect human dignity and serve the common good. We look closer at the document with Dr Matthew Bunson. Further Reading Full Text of Encyclical Start Here: 15 Quotes From Pope Leo XIV’s First Encyclical Ma...

In his new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo observes that AI is not a morally neutral tool; it matters not only how it is used, but how it is designed. Zac Johnson of Truthly AI has more. Further Reading Full Text of Encyclical Start Here: 15 Quotes From Pope Leo XIV’s First Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas ‘A Hopeful Document’: Catholic Thinkers on AI Assess ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ Truthly AI...

St. Peter begins today’s readings by taking us into the memory of Israel. The salvation announced in Jesus Christ arrived through God working through salvation history. The prophets searched the divine promises and discovered that the Spirit of Christ was already bearing witness within Israel’s sacred history. What does this mean for us? Have we, as Peter says in the Gospel, given up everything to...

This weekend, Americans will dedicate a day to honor the memory of those who sacrificed their lives in defense of their country: Memorial Day. Although the federal holiday was officially established in 1968, its origins date back more than 160 years to the Civil War. During this time, a grieving nation sought to commemorate the many brave men lost in the brutal conflict. One soldier who has never...

Jimmy Davis was a World War II whose resilience, integrity, and unwavering faith forged a life-giving legacy that transformed not only his family but also countless lives around him. Jack Watts shares his story. Further Reading: An American Hero: One Man’s Legacy of Fatherhood and Faith Guest Info Jack Watts is the co-author of An American Hero: One Man's Legacy of Fatherhood and Faith This is a p...

There is an irony to Memorial Day. Many Americans see it as a three-day weekend that “unofficially” kicks off summer and some stores seem to think it’s simply another cheap excuse to host sales on furniture and televisions. The phrase “Memorial Day” simply doesn’t do the day justice. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access t...

What is happening to the world? Why does it seem like everyone has gone insane? Why are so many things that seemingly everyone believed the day before yesterday suddenly held to be retrograde, hateful, or even criminal? And why are things that everyone seemed to view as lunacy the day before yesterday suddenly taught or even required? J. Budziszewski says it’s time we declared a pandemic of lunacy...

On May 23, 1945, Heinrich Himmler – the mastermind behind the Holocaust and one of the top men in Nazi Germany – swallowed a cyanide pill rather than face justice for his crimes against humanity. His life is a cautionary example of what happens when a man casts aside the divine and enthrones himself. Conversely, Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss felt remorse at the end of his life and asked for a p...

There are different readings for the Pentecost Vigil and Sunday Masses this weekend, but they all come together to illuminate the Feast of Pentecost. We unpack the readings with Rob Corzine. Guest Info Robert Corzine is Vice President of Academic 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...

Near the end of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus instructs His apostles to not leave Jerusalem “until you are clothed with the power on high.” That is the event we celebrate this weekend. Adam van Wart joins us to talk about how the Apostles were changed by the Spirit. Guest Info Dr. Adam Van Wart is an Associate Professor of Catholic Theology at Ave Maria University This is a public episode. If you would lik...

The entire Easter and Lenten season presupposes that we are on a journey culminating with this moment – the Feast of Pentecost. We cannot underestimate the power of the Resurrection – but the Easter season culminates with Pentecost because it is an historical event that continues in the life of the Church to this very day. Peter Herbeck has more. Guest Info Peter Herbeck is the Executive Vice Pres...

It’s a commonly touted line that Pentecost is the Birthday of the Church. But there’s no real root for that sentiment in the Church documents or the Scriptures. So where does it come from? And when is the Church’s birthday? The answer lies is understanding the nature and purpose of the Church’s existence. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subsc...

Reading the documents from the recent Synod on Synodality, you may find yourself wondering who the intended audience is. They certainly don’t seem to be written to the “people in the pew.” The jargon is so thick that the only possible audience could be other bureaucrats. Dr. Randall Smith joins us. Further Reading Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power in the Church Truth Isn’t a Focus Group Guest Info...

The USCCB will consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June, as America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. We talk more about this and other Church news with Matthew Bunson. Further Reading US Bishops Plan Sacred Heart Consecration, Issue Agenda for June Meeting Nearly 500,000 already signed up for main events of pope’s visit to Spain U.S. bishops publish letter of solidar...

Since his 2018 book The Coddling of the American Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has been documenting the harms that well-meaning movements such as “safe spaces” have had on our society, especially our youth. Ironically, his commencement address at NYU this spring sparked the very reaction he has been trying to fight – students treated their emotional discomfort with his ideas as the equi...