Kresta in the Afternoon

There are some who would have the Church step back to avoid persecution or giving offense. Perhaps there are assets like buildings and land to protect. And maybe some rapprochement with the world will attract more members. Or so the thinking goes. But a study of earlier periods of persecution reveals a different plan for the way forward: confidence, courage, boldness, and love—even for our enemies...

· Why are families so important for raising healthy kids? · A lot of this seems so straightforward – why is so much of it up for debate or outright ignored now? · Cohabitation before marriage is common now – almost the norm in the general population and the rates among Catholics aren’t that much lower. How did we get to this stage? · The pandemic forced a lot of families to live, work and study to...

Responding to concerns raised by Pope Francis’ motu proprio restricting the Traditional Latin Mass, French Church authorities have issued a series of communiques seeking to reassure Catholics attached to this liturgy. Matthew Bunson joins us with a look at this and other Church news. Matthew Bunson is Executive Editor and Washington Bureau Chief for EWTN News and a Senior Fellow at St Paul Center...

Today, Dominique Dawes is a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist. But back in 1996, she was a teenage girl feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She shares her story. Dominique Dawes is a three-time Olympian, a Gold medalist, and the head of the Dominque Dawes Gymnastics Academy. Visit dominiquedawesgymnasticsacademy.com and follow her on Twitter @dominquedawes

When Joelle Maryn was 6 years old, her family experienced an unimaginable tragedy: an unattended Advent candle set their Christmas tree on fire and her sister died in the ensuing blaze. She tried praying to God to bring her sister back, and when nothing happened she gradually began losing her faith and slipping into a life of worldly pleasures. Years later, a radical awakening set her on the path...

Chadd Garcia from the Ave Maria Family of Funds joins Al to discuss the state of the stock market and economy.  He also discusses with Al the proper time to save for retirement. The Ave Maria Family of Funds helps Catholics and other invest in organizations who support pro-life and Catholic values.  Their mutual funds do not invest in companies that fund pornography, contraception, abort...

There’s no shortage of graces available to us as followers of Christ, but we don’t always know how to access them. It is here that we can turn to Mary, who is the perfect model for disposing ourselves to God’s grace and to responding to that grace. On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we talk with Fr. Quan Tran. Fr. Quan Tran is the author of The Imitation of Mary: Keys to Growth in Virtue and Gr...

Jesus opens the fourteenth chapter of John by comforting his Disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms…” What lessons can we take from this today? Al discusses.

It looks as though God is shaking the heavens and the earth. The Church is facing severe crises. Our nation is more divided than at any time in recent memory. Western culture continues to forget the Church that birthed her. Trust in our institutions is at its lowest recorded levels. But we are a people who have inherited an unshakeable Kingdom and serve an unshakeable King. How do we live faithful...

Here's the latest news with Ave Maria Radio's Matthew Handley.

For Dr. Carlos Eire, the protests in Cuba aren't just of academic interest - they are personal. He was born there and fled the country at age 11 with 14,000 other Cuban children who were brought to the US to escape the Castro regime. He gives us his take on what's been happening there. Dr. Carlos Eire is Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University, where he specializes in the his...

Al shares his thoughts on Pope Francis' recent motu proprio Traditionis custodes.  What does it mean for most parishes?  Is the traditional Latin Mass better than the norvus ordo?  Al Kresta comments.

Here is the latest news with Ave Maria Radio's Matthew Handley.

Holly Ordway was raised in a nonreligious home and for years was an atheist academic firmly convinced that faith was nothing but superstitious nonsense. She was well-educated and had no use for Christianity's thoughtlessness and triviality. Her views of the faith began to change when she studied the writings of JRR Tolkien and the great Christian poets. This started her down a path that eventually...

As the world descends into chaos, Christians are thinking deeply about how to stem the tide. Many options and suggestions have been presented to deal with Christian persecution and cultural decadence, but none can hold a candle to The Marian Option. Carrie Gress joins us to explain what this is and how it works. Carrie Gress has a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America and...

Al comments and defends the editors of the Pillar, Ed. Condon and JD Flynn, for their reporting on Monsignor Jeffery Burrill.  Unlike other online Catholic outlets, they broke a real investigative piece.  However, the mainstream media isn't happy.  They are accusing the Pillar of yellow journalism or exposing the "private life" of an individual.  Al explores how a priest, high...

We’ll be looking with Fr. David Meconi at the first 500 Years of Christ’s Life. But wait – didn’t Jesus’ time on earth only last 33 years? Well, the early Christians understood the Church not as a set of teachings but as an extension of Christ Himself. Fr Meconi has more. Father David Meconi, S.J., is the author most recently of Christ Unfurled: The First 500 Years of Jesus’ Life . He holds a Doct...

Will classic literature be the next victim of the “Woke Culture” mob? Last year the University of Lancester proposed that authors prior to the year 1500 be dropped from the English curriculum in favor of “a selection of modules on race, ethnicity, sexuality and diversity” and a “decolonized curriculum.” What makes the Classics worth studying? Robert Kirkendall joins us. Robert Kirkendall is an ins...

Al shares his thoughts and analysis on Monsignor Jeffery Burrill's resignation as general secretary of the USCCB amid allegations of serial sexual misconduct by the priest.  

BREAKING TODAY: Monsignor Jeffrey D. Burrill, the general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, resigned hours before a report by the Pillar was published detailing serial sexual misconduct by the priest.  Burrill was the highest ranking member of the USCCB who was not a bishop.  Matthew Bunson, executive editor and Washington bureau chief of EWTN News joins us t...

Fr. David Meconi, SJ joins us to discuss the first 500 years of Jesus' life.  Plus, how J.R.R. Tolkien led an atheist to the Catholic faith.

Our culture has a fascination with the paranormal. But how do we distinguish between reality and unreality when it comes to these things unseen? Dr Richard Gallagher is a psychiatrist who has devoted his career to investigating possessions, diabolic attacks, and the paranormal. He joins us with what he has discovered over the last 25 years of looking at demonic foes. Dr. Richard Gallagher is the a...

Early in Mark's Gospel Jesus calls us to repent - or, in the Greek, metanoia. But the word "repent" doesn't capture the full meaning of metanoia - because it isn't a one-time event. It's an ongoing process that takes our entire lives to complete. We'll talk about living metanoia in our daily lives with Fr. Dave Pivonka. Fr. Dave Pivonka is the author of Living Metanoia: Finding Freedom and Fulfill...

Steve Karlen never expected to find himself debating the most contentious moral issue of our age – especially when there was a ball game on. But when a friend found herself facing a crisis pregnancy, he was launched into the center of a statewide firestorm. Since then, he’s joined forces with 40 Days for Life and will be in Ann Arbor this week. He shares his story with us. Steve Karlen is the camp...

In a tweet earlier this year, PETA brought attention to another alleged stain on our society – speciesism; in other words, favoring the human race over animal “races.” PETA claims that this is manifested in our everyday language; when we say a sloppy person is a “pig” or a treacherous politician is a “snake,” we are practicing speciesism. Al shares some thoughts.