Kresta in the Afternoon

There is a beautiful relationship between the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of the Eucharist, especially with respect to our communion with Jesus and his Body, the Church. Bishop Andrew Cozzens joins us to discuss more as we get closer and closer to the Eucharistic Congress.

When a welder lifts his mask, you might not expect to see a priest’s clerical collar. But that’s the case with Fr. Dominic Couturier, who is the chaplain and welding instructor at Harmel Academy of the Trades in Grand Rapids. He joins us with more on his work and how he came to find this vocation.

Are we, on Earth, the lone intelligent inhabitants of this vast universe? The Catholic tradition teaches us that there are other rational creatures, namely angels, who are purely intellectual, non-physical beings. But do we humans share the cosmos with any other embodied intelligent forms of life? Paul Thigpen joins us.

When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in December 1948, its writers made sure to include an article on the importance of religious freedom. And in 1993, President Clinton signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, ensuring the federal protection of religious freedom. But now, some intellectuals are questioning whether religious freedom merits a right of its own. Fifty years...

If the Catholic Church were merely a human institution, she would've entered the dustbin of history centuries ago, both because of internal scandals and external persecutions. Instead, two thousand years after the Resurrection, the Church continues to advance her God-given Great Commission. We examine the Biblical basis for the Church with Tom Nash.

In a letter published last week, Bishop Eduardo Kussala of South Sudan lamented the challenges Christians are facing in his country, including ongoing violence and continued fallout from the pandemic. Ed Clancy of Aid to the Church in Need joins us with more.

On Friday, Irish voters considered two changes to the country's constitution that would have broadened the definition of family and removed language about the social value of women within the home. Despite overwhelming support from political parties and cultural elites, both measures were resoundingly defeated. Marie-Louise O’Donnell, a former Irish Senator, joins us.

Late last week the Coptic Orthodox Church announced it has suspended dialogue with the Catholic Church due to Rome’s “change of position” on homosexuality. While their statements did not explicitly mention Fiducia Supplicans, the timing is hard to ignore. Matthew Bunson joins us.

G.K. Chesterton is among the most prolific Christian literary apologists of the last century. In more than 100 books and essays, he made a convincing case for the Gospel. Yet he is often portrayed as a simple, cheery many. Ralph Wood argues there is more to the story – he joins us.

In Psalm 84, we hear of the swallows and sparrows that have an envious place for nesting, for they have built their nests at the altars of the Lord. We unpack the meaning of the passage with Steve Ray.

In a 1946 essay, George Orwell criticized the “ugly and inaccurate” state of the English language, and observed that the decline would have political consequences. Words matter, and when they lost their meaning we lose our ability to communicate. We see this in our current debates on the meaning of equity. We’ll talk more about it with Dr. Robert Kennedy of the University of St. Thomas.

40 Days for Life will host a Closing Rally and Jericho March at the Ann Arbor Planned Parenthood on Palm Sunday. Keynote speaker Heather Gardner joins us.

After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, National Conservatives sought ways to attract moderate Democrats and other voters to their cause. This attempt has mostly failed, for a few reasons. What does this mean as America braces itself for an election between two deeply unpopular candidates? James Patterson joins us.

There are two statements that can help illustrate the cultural crisis of transgenderism. The first, by second-century apologist Tertullian, says “the Incarnation is the hinge of salvation.” Centuries later, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI would observe that “Iconoclasm as a denial of the Incarnation is the summation of all heresies.” We unpack more with Monica Miller.

Naomi White has been on the Camino de Santiago 11 times, and it’s had a profound impact on her. She dreamed of opening a little hostel on the Camino, but ended up going another direction and now hosts a retreat house in Chelsea, Michigan. She joins us to share how you can travel your own Camino without leaving home.

There was a time when the priesthood was largely respected by the general public. Actor Alec Guinness began his journey to the faith after a young boy saw him in his Father Brown costume and assumed he was a real priest; Guinness reflected that a Church which could inspire such trust in a child must be doing something right. Sadly, the abuse crisis and shifts in the culture have changed that. But...

President Biden addressed the nation last night in a speech that was much more a campaign speech than a State of the Union address. Both parties offered many of the same tired talking points they have for years. Al has some thoughts.

In March 2022, a critique of Pope Francis entitled The Vatican Today was published under the name “Demos.” It was later revealed to be authored by the late Cardinal Pell. Now, a new piece by a “Demos II” entitled The Vatican Tomorrow is making the rounds. Matthew Bunson has more.

CS Lewis is remembered as one of the great Christian writers and apologists of the 20th century, but many people don’t realize he had a lot to say on the concept of gender. Woven throughout his works, Lewis offers us a coherent, orthodox, and imaginatively satisfying vision of gender, one in which gender is a unique revelation of God—an apocalypse—and a powerful sign of reality itself. Jane Scharl...

St. Thomas Aquinas died on this day at the Fossanova Abbey in 1274, 750 years ago. In the nearly eight centuries since then, there may not be another theologian who has done so much to shape our understanding of God, man and the Church. We talk more about him with Roger Nutt.

The Catholic tradition has much to say about the relation of science to the faith. How does the natural world point to its Creator? From the earliest times, Christian writers have emphasized two ways. We explore them with Stephen Barr.

Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678. Often called the Red Priest, he is one of the great composers of the era. Al introduces us to his music and life.

On Monday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states may not bar Donald Trump – or any candidate – from their primary ballots. What does this ruling mean? Does it even matter anymore, given the Super Tuesday results? Dean John Czarnetzky of the Ave Maria School of Law joins us.

The 96th Academy Awards will take place this weekend. The films nominated for Best Picture showcase how our culture is wrestling with a post-Christian society, whether or not these films feature religion or not. We talk more about it with Joseph Holmes.

March is Trisomy Awareness Month. It has special significance for Beverly Jacobson, who learned 18 weeks into her ninth pregnancy that her baby had Trisomy-18. As is often the case, her doctors suggested she have an abortion. That was seven years ago, and now her daughter Verity is living an amazing life and brings joy to her family and others. Beverly joins us