Ave Maria in the Afternoon Full Hours

Segment 1: American History for Kids (2 segments) 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. She joins us. Segment 2: The Humility of the Saints (2 segments) Every saint — from the greatest thinker to the commonest servant — has walked the same narr...

Segment 1: How to Prioritize Family Time 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. Segment 2: Was Pius XII “Hitler’s Pope?” (3 segments) Ever since World War II, a controversy has raged about Pope Pius XII. Was the Pope who...

Segment 1: Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Fight against Anti-Semitism 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 civi...

Segment 1: A Worldwide Call to Transform Our Prayer 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. Segment 2: A...

Segment 1: Prayer and Mercy on the Titanic 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. Segment 2: The State of the Church in Austria Fr. Mark Thelen has spent...

Segment 1: “Blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe” (2 segments) This Sunday’s Gospel presents us with the story of “Doubting” Thomas. We unpack the readings with Rob Corzine. Segment 2: Divine Mercy or Divine Justice? (2 segments) 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? Mi...

Segment 1: God’s Infinite Mercy 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. Segment 2: Dorothy Day’s Radical Love (2 segments) 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 thou...

Segment 1: US and Vatican Leaders Debate Iran War (2 segments) 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. Segment 2: What’s Ne...

Segment 1: Let’s Take a Deep Breath on Iran 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 conclusio...

Segment 1: Support for Assisted Suicide on the Rise 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. Andre...

Segment 1: “Were not our hearts burning within us?” In today’s Gospel, we meet Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. His disciples spent hours speaking with Him about the Scriptures, but did not fully recognize Him until dinner, when He broke the bread. The sermon prepared their hearts for the Eucharistic act which unveiled their eyes. Marcus has more. Segment 2: What Surviving a Syrian Prison taught me ab...

Segment 1: What boys lose when they stop studying history We often imagine the founders as older figures, seasoned statesmen and philosophers who arrived at their achievements after long and careful preparation. But many of them were strikingly young. When we forget this, we do our students a disservice – especially our young men. Segment 2: SCOTUS considers Birthright Citizenship The Supreme Cour...

Segment 1: Easter Conversion Surge Shows a Thirst for Truth Even as Christianity loses its cultural prestige, we are seeing signs of hope. This Easter, dioceses across the world reported the highest levels of baptisms and other sacraments in several years – even in countries as secular as France. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Sarah Mullally installed as Archbishop of Canterbury Late last month Sarah...

The question of the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection has been repeatedly probed, investigated and debated. And the results have varied widely. Michael Licona joins us with his historiographical approach to the evidence for the Resurrection. 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

Segment 1: The Most Important Event in History (2 segments) If Christ had not been raised, then all our efforts in this life are pointless. It is the most important, earth-shattering event in human history. Marcus has more. Segment 2: How do we know Jesus rose from the dead? (2 segments) Did Jesus really die on the cross? If so, what became of his body? Is the resurrection a cleverly devised plot...

Producer’s Note: We aired special EWTN Good Friday programming on today’s broadcast. The hour below is additional programming we have made available to help us dive deeper into the mysteries of the Triduum. Segment 1: Good Friday, Death, and Christian Life (2 segments) It’s late afternoon on Good Friday. Jesus’ task has been accomplished. Mary has wept at the foot of the cross, and now weeps as Je...

Producer’s Note: We aired special EWTN Good Friday programming on today’s broadcast. The hour below is additional programming we have made available to help us dive deeper into the mysteries of the Triduum. Good Friday Reflections on the Stabat Mater (full hour) The Stabat Mater is a Marian hymn that portrays the suffering of the Blessed Mother during Jesus’ Crucifixion. It dates back to the 13th...

Producer’s Note: For the 5:00 hour on Holy Thursday, we aired special programming from EWTN. The hour below is additional programming we have made available to help us dive deeper into the mysteries of the Triduum. Segment 1: Holy Thursday: When Love Enters a Cosmos Turned in on Itself St. John tells us that as Jesus initiated his Last Supper with his disciples, he was fully aware of what he was d...

Segment 1: Holy Thursday - the Blueprint of the New Covenant Tonight Jesus begins the ordeal that would culminate on the Cross and result in the formation fo the Church and salvation of the world. It is the blueprint of God’s new covenant with us. Marcus explains the Scriptural significance of Holy Thursday. Segment 2: The Biblical Roots of the Priesthood (3 segments) Is there anything in the New...

Segment 1: SCOTUS Defends Christian Counselor’s Right to Confidentiality The Supreme Court has spoken. In Chiles v. Salazar , the Court ruled 8-1 in favor of Kaley Chiles, a Christian therapist in Colorado Springs who refused to let the state dictate what she could say inside the confidential space of a counseling session. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has more. Segment 2: The Old Testament Prophecies Fu...

Segment 1: What Was Jesus Doing on Spy Wednesday? Spy Wednesday is one of the most sobering days in Holy Week. We are meant to focus on Judas’ work of betrayal, and his indignation over Mary of Bethany’s decision to anoint Jesus’ feet with oil. Marcus looks at these final hours of Jesus’ life. Segment 2: Judging the Judas Within It’s easy for us to make Judas the villain of Holy Week. How could so...

Segment 1: “Take them to Mass!” As a parent, have you ever felt awkward or unwelcome at Mass because your kids were making too much noise? Church teaching makes it clear – your kids should be there! But it can be difficult with little ones, especially during the long Triduum services. Greg Popcak has some tips. Segment 2: A Medical Analysis of Christ’s Passion (3 segments) What Christ suffered dur...

Segment 1: What was Jesus doing on Holy Tuesday? On Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus walked back into Jerusalem, and along the road, the disciples saw the fig tree mentioned in yesterday’s readings dried up and dead. It’s why the Tuesday of Holy Week is known as Fig Tuesday. The fig tree matters because in scripture, Israel is often described through vineyard and fig imagery. Marcus has more. Segment 2...

Segment 1: Mother Angelica Remembered March 27 marked the 10th anniversary of Mother Angelica’s death on Easter Sunday, 2016. We remember her with Doug Keck. Segment 2: Does Jesus Hear the Prayers of Warmongers? In his Palm Sunday homily, Pope Leo condemned war and the use of religion to justify violence, and stated that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them...

Segment 1: What was Jesus doing on Holy Monday? On the Monday after Palm Sunday, Jesus rose from Bethany and he went again into Jerusalem. What he did that day was priestly and he began enacting his Messianic vision. Marcus has more. Segment 2: Steve Ray’s Virtual Tour of Holy Week (3 segments) We all know the story of Christ’s Passion. But have we ever really stopped to think about the people and...