Kresta in the Afternoon

Every day, the same Mass is celebrated all over the world. As members of the Church universal, we are united in the liturgy by hearing the same readings and reciting the same prayers. Daniel Markham went on a journey across the US to experience the Mass in every state. He shares his experience with us.

When Elvis Gutierrez was growing up in New York City, his father was often absent for long periods of time. He was enamored by hip-hop culture and his friends ranged everywhere from honors students to drug dealers. He joins us sharing his long journey to the faith, which included working as an EMT on 9/11 and losing a close friend to cancer.

There are two cases before the Texas Supreme Court that demonstrate the need for clarification for abortion bans that have exceptions for fetal abnormalities or risks to the health of the mother. Disabled people are a protected class under United States law, and this protection must extend to people in the womb. Rachel Roth Aldhizer has more.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus appears to His followers and asks them why they are troubled and shows them His hands and feet. Peggy Stanton joins us for our weekly discussion.

We tend to imagine the events of the Gospels through the eyes of Christ, or through the eyes of an uninvolved third party. Scott Hurd re-imagines these scenes through the eyes of Christ's closest companions, who were with him throughout his ministry. By exploring the Eucharistic references throughout the Gospels, he helps us to better contemplate the mystery present in the Eucharist. Scott joi...

In the Book of Ephesians, St. Paul writes that ministers are given to us “to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” We’ll look more at the passage with Dr. Peter Williamson

When we talk with listeners, one concern rises about the rest: how they can help their kids and grandkids keep the faith into adulthood. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate has just concluded the Future Families Project, which analyzes data from Catholic adults to see what was different about the faith environment in which they were raised. Dr Greg Popcak joins us with more.

Jesus has given his followers the words and mission of Eternal Life. We talk about some of those words with Tom Nash.

For years, religious leaders in the U.S. have raised concerns about the rise of the “nones” - people who profess to adhere to no faith tradition. There’s a certain conventional wisdom that young people often fall away from the Church for a time, but return as they become older. But the data suggests otherwise. Brendan Hodge takes a look at the numbers.

In the First Book of Kings, David reminds Solomon what it takes to succeed as king: “Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God.” The Hebrew word for courageous is more precisely translated as “be manly.” In other words, David sees masculinity as a necessary component to flourishing in leadership. Only when Solomon forgets David’s advice does his life come to a crooked end....

In an increasingly secular world, Christians are often pulled in two directions. Some urge us to retreat and build insular communities. Others call upon us to wage a culture war. But there is another option – and we find it my examining how the very first Christians engaged the Culture. Stephen Presley joins us.

Elon Musk is one of the richest and most celebrated men in the world, yet he also has to be one of the loneliest and saddest, bereft of community, meaning, and love. Auguste Meyrat is our guest.

The Arizona supreme court has ruled that an abortion ban with an exception only for the life of the mother, which was enacted by Arizona’s territorial legislature as part of its 1864 criminal code and never explicitly repealed, remains in force. Michael New has more.

The history of science is filled with faithful Catholics who sought to discover more and more about God’s creation. We get to know a few of them today with Joseph Pearce.

In his years of teaching introductory theology, Dr. Roberto De La Noval has observed that many students don’t understand the basic rationale for studying the subject. Unless the problem of relativism is addressed head on, the mandatory study of theology will be perceived as completely disconnected from the formation in knowledge that students are receiving in their other courses of study. He joins...

In order to have a faithful Catholic college or university, you need to have a faculty that honors and respects the teachings of the Church both in their teaching and in their behaviors. Anne Hendershott joins us.

Yesterday the Vatican’s top doctrinal office issued a declaration on human dignity that addresses issues such as gender transition, abortion, and surrogacy. We break it all down with Fr. Thomas Petri.

In the case 303 Creative v Elenis last summer, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Colorado could not compel a wedding website designer to provide her services for same-sex couples. Last month, a federal trial court judge in Colorado entered final judgement in the designer’s favor, a big win for religious liberty. Charles Russo joins us with the details.

Like most wars of attrition, culture wars are wearisome, enervating affairs. Competing and irreconcilable accounts of what it means to be human – and, thus, of what the proper ends of human life and action ought to be – are a source of unrelenting friction, not only in our politics but also within the Church. And to further the problem, few people seem to understand what a “culture” is. Stephen Wh...

In the weeks leading up to the publication of a new Vatican document on human dignity, some speculated that the text would send shockwaves throughout the Church. But based off the initial reaction to Dignitas Infinita, it seems that something of the opposite has occurred. Shannon Mullen joins us.

As more Americans leave organized religion, they find themselves looking for spirituality in other places. They look to all sorts of everyday activities--from eating and parenting to dating and voting--for the identity, purpose, and meaning once provided on Sunday morning. In our striving, we are chasing a sense of enoughness. But it remains ever out of reach, and the effort and anxiety are burnin...

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation, which was pushed back from March 25 due to Holy Week. Fulton Sheen wrote extensively on the Feast, and Al reads from his writings today.

We probably all know someone who has struggled with depression. We want to help, but it can be hard to know where to start. Al has experienced this firsthand, as he was hospitalized twice for depression back in the 1980s. He sits down with Dr. Ray Guarendi to recount the story and how he was able to find hope.

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.

Proposed legislation in California would make assisted suicide available to patients with ‘early and mid-stage dementia,’ while dropping a required waiting period. Wes Smith joins us with more.