Ave Maria in the Afternoon Full Hours

Segment 1: Why Millennial Women Like Me Are Rethinking the Pill (2 segments) It doesn’t take a medical degree to hypothesize that women’s healthcare has gone terribly wrong. It is almost entirely structured around either suppressing or bypassing the female reproductive system altogether. And it’s why women like Katelyn Shelton are rejecting hormonal birth control. She joins us with more. Segment 2...

Segment 1: Finding Fulfillment When You Can’t Conceive (2 segments) Those suffering from infertility too often do so in silence, isolation, and even shame. Some married couples find the suffering so raw and intimate that they are unable even to lean on each other. Leigh Snead has experienced this firsthand with her husband Carter. She joins us to share her story. Segment 2: Countering Satan’s Twel...

Segment 1: How James Earl Ray’s Plan Backfired (2 segments) James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, was born on this day in 1928. Ironically, this date also marks the anniversary of the death of Civil Rights hero Harriet Tubman. Marcus compares their lives and how Ray’s efforts to combat civil rights ultimately drove the movement to even greater heights. Segment 2: How the...

Segment 1: Yes, there is a Hell Of all the theological errors commonly held today, the most popular is surely the denial of the doctrine of hell. Even self-described Christians question whether God would consign anyone to hell permanently. We discuss the issue with Doug Keck. Segment 2: Embracing our Dynamic Faith (3 segments) What are young people looking for in the Church? What is the meaning of...

Segment 1: The Devil’s Plan for Your Motherhood (2 segments) C. S. Lewis’s classic -The Screwtape Letters brilliantly unmasked the devious psychological and philosophical roots of human temptation. Inspired by this, Samantha Stephenson has compiled the “Bellbind Letters,” unravelling the targeted attacks against the feminine genius as they manifest themselves in contemporary family life. She joins...

Segment 1: Jesus Meets the Samaritan Woman (2 segments) In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well and asks for a drink. We take a deep dive into their conversation as we unpack the readings with Rob Corzine. Segment 2: A Beginner’s Guide to the Summa (2 segments) Aquinas’ Summa Theologica is one of the great works of Christian theology and philosophy, and it offers unmat...

Segment 1: Remember the Alamo! The battle of the Alamo ended on this day in 1836. The defenders of the fort lost the battle, but their sacrifice became a powerful symbol of courage, liberty and the fight for independence. Marcus has more. Segment 2: What is a Man on Purpose? Pete Burak invites you to a special conference Ave Maria Radio is excited to announce the next annual edition of Familiaris...

Segment 1: Drinking from the Cup In Matthew’s Gospel, James and John’s mother kneels before Christ and asks that her sons may sit at His right and left in the Kingdom. Her request has historical context – she thinks that Christ’s kingdom will reign on earth as David’s did. In response, Jesus asks her to “drink from the cup.” He’s telling her that her sons need to join Him in suffering. Marcus look...

Segment 1: Walter Cronkite and the Devolution of News In March of 1981, Walter Cronkite signed off CBS’ evening broadcast for the final time. He represents an era when the news industry was trusted, conveying a sense of authority with every declaration of “And that’s the way it is.” Al Kresta frequently observed that the industry has devolved into “News as Entertainment” and multiple surveys show...

Segment 1: Meet the New Campus Radicals There is a new kind of radical on college campuses today, and they look nothing like what we have come to expect. They are not barricading buildings or shouting down speakers. They are not demanding the overthrow of institutions or vilifying those who disagree with them. Instead, they are challenging institutional decisions and the dominant culture of their...

Segment 1: Greetings from Taiwan! For the next several days, Marcus will be on a mission trip with Renewal Ministries to Taiwan, spreading the Gospel in a country where a mere one percent of the population is Catholic. Where do you begin evangelizing someone who may never have even heard of Jesus and has no inherent understanding of their value as a human person? Tom Edwards joins Marcus. Segment...

Segment 1: John Paul II and the Family’s Call to Holiness As the first post-Vatican II pope to serve a full papacy, John Paul II made the Universal Call to Holiness his mission. But much of traditional Catholic spirituality is drawn from the monastic tradition, and doesn’t fit neatly into a family life. John Paul II thus spent his entire pontificate laying the groundwork for a universal approach t...

Segment 1: Did the Pharisees kill Jesus? Or did We? The Pharisees were instrumental in Jesus’ death. But we would be wrong to say the Jews killed Jesus. No, our sins killed Jesus. When Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, he’s rebuking the Pharisee in all of us. Marcus has more. Segment 2: When Fulton Sheen went Viral Like his hero St. Paul, the Venerable Fulton Sheen never shied away form using the techn...

Segment 1: What is Notre Dame’s Catholic Identity? Now that abortion-rights advocate Susan Ostermann has stepped away from an academic leadership post at Notre Dame, the university needs to undertake meaningful reforms to ensure a comprehensively Catholic identity. Doug Keck joins us to talk about it. Segment 2: Pope Leo XIV urges diplomacy amid Iran tensions Pope Leo XIV voiced concern on Sunday...

Segment 1: Let’s Think Rationally about Iran President Trump’s decision to bomb Iran has sparked a variety of reactions, with many questioning its constitutionality or asking if the US should involve itself in yet another war in the Middle East. But there is a line that must be drawn – and claims that Iran was a peaceful and rights-respecting state defy any basic fact-checking. Marcus shares more....

Segment 1: Jesus’ journey in the Sunday Readings (2 segments) This Sunday’s readings highlight a theme of beginning the journey of faith, telling us the story of God’s Covenant with Abraham and Jesus’ Transfiguration. We unpack the readings with Rob Corzine. Segment 2: Paul Thigpen, RIP Paul Thigpen, the noted theologian and convert to the Catholic faith known for his prolific writing career that...

Segment 1: Don’t Let President Trump (or anyone else) drive you crazy! This week political philosopher Robbie George shared some thoughts on social media regarding President Trump, observing “you are not required to let him cause you to forget or abandon your principles, to turn against what you once believed, or to become an ideologue who simply reacts to him pro or con.” But even this call for r...

Segment 1: An Atheist who “Loves God?” (2 segments) Pope Leo XIV responded to an atheist who paradoxically described himself as someone who “loves God,” explaining to him that “the real problem of faith” isn’t believing or not believing in him but seeking him. Marcus discusses this and other Church news with Dr. Matthew Bunson. Segment 2: Transgender Lessons from the Dobbs Case Last month, a young...

Segment 1: Can a Pro-Lifer Support the Death Penalty? It’s a popular claim that if one is against abortion, they must also be against the death penalty, for they are both incompatible with a pro-life worldview. But what does the Church actually say about the death penalty? Does it still have a place in modern society? Marcus weighs in. Segment 2: U.K. Hospital Cuts Off Life Support of Disabled Pat...

Segment 1: A Good Day for the Ten Commandments Late Friday afternoon, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a significant ruling a case concerning the display of the Ten Commandments in schools, vacating an injunction that had blocked their display. The Court’s decision is welcome news for religious expression in public life, and there is reason for genuine optimism about what comes next. Andr...

Segment 1: “The Greatest Love Story of All Time is Contained in a Tiny White Host” Venerable Fulton Sheen was famous for his love of the Eucharist, and once observed “the greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white host.” Christianity presents a claim that no other religion would dare to say: the God we worship doesn’t merely send laws or prophets; he takes on our very nature. Mar...

Segment 1: The Lifelong Effects of Childhood Discipline Have you ever seen an adult behaving badly and wondered if they were ever disciplined as a kid? Childhood discipline has lifelong effects – and not just on how we behave. It also predicts the way we resolve conflicts as adults. We discuss Discipleship Discipline with Dr Greg Popcak. Segment 2: Explaining the Eucharist to someone who’s never h...

Segment 1: Beyond the State of the Union On the morning of January 28, 1986, President Reagan was preparing his State of the Union address when the country was shook by a national tragedy – the Challenger spacecraft had exploded just seconds after takeoff. Reagan postponed his planned remarks, setting aside politics for a moment of national unity and grieving. What can we expect from the State of...

Segment 1: St. Peter’s Chair and the Church’s Enduring Authority Yesterday was the Feast of the Chair of St Peter. Since the Reformation, we have seen what happens when a church “unhooks” itself from the authority of the Church and tries to go on its own. We discuss the feast and the Church’s enduring authority with Doug Keck. Segment 2: The Marxist Weaponization of Matthew 25 Today’s Gospel foret...

Segment 1: Renaming Death does not remove its power Our culture tends to speak about death in hushed euphemisms, as if renaming death will remove its power. We hide our decline behind hospital curtains and try to forget that we will all eventually die. Cancer breaks down these boundaries and ignores these so-called etiquettes. Ben Sasse’s reflections on his own impeding death from cancer illustrat...