Kresta in the Afternoon

May may be the “official” Month of Mary, but December is a special month as well. With the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Guadalupe, not to mention Christmas, it’s an ideal time to rediscover what the Gospels say about our Blessed Mother. William Albrecht and Fr. Christiaan Kappes join us.

Colleen Pressprich first made a consecration to Mary in college and continues to renew her consecration on every Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It's a wonderful gift, but it may be too advanced for young children. That's why she has developed a Marian consecration for families. She joins us.

When Shane Kapler first heard someone speak of being “Consecrated to Mary,” he was skeptical – it seemed to be a clear violation of Scripture. But after studying the life of John Paul II, he came to understand how a consecration to Mary unites us with her and deepens our Baptismal consecration to Jesus. Shane joins us to talk more about the Biblical basis for this consecration.

St. Augustine said that "the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is fulfilled in the New." The early Church Fathers saw every part of Scripture as linked to every other part, and the Blessed Mother's role in Scripture is no exception. In what ways can we find Marian imagery in the Old Testament? We talk with Sandra Miesel.

Parents of an 11-year-old girl are demanding that a Colorado school district change its transgender policies after their daughter was instructed to share a bed with a biologically male 11-year-old student who identifies as a transgender girl during an overnight school trip. Legal Counsel Kate Anderson tells us more.

Jailed Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez is willing to leave Nicaragua and is in rapidly declining health. Matthew Bunson joins us with this and other Church news.

This Sunday’s Gospel takes us to the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. John the Baptist appears in the desert, preparing the way of the Lord and calling on all to repent. Peggy Stanton joins us to discuss more.

It may surprise you to learn that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, one of the most iconic American novels, was actually published in England and Canada before it was available in the US. December 10, 1884 was the day – it wouldn’t hit American stores until February of 1885. Twain begins his novel with a warning: “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be persecuted; persons...

We have more evidence now than ever before for God, a soul, and life after death. So why do scores of people continue to reject the idea of God because of science? Fr. Robert Spitzer says the answer is simple – they don’t know the science. He joins us with more.

We spoke recently about the election of Javier Milei, a frequent critic of Pope Francis, as President of Argentina. Less than a century ago, Argentina had one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world and Buenos Aires was dubbed the “Paris of South America.” Today, it’s in economic turmoil and is facing triple-digit inflation. Milei was elected on the promise to turn things around and has propos...

Henry Kissinger, who died Wednesday at the age of 100, had many admirers and detractors, but anyone who has studied him would acknowledge his influence on the last century of American foreign policy. In the early years of the Cold War he advocated a policy of détente, accommodating to the Soviet Union. This was later rejected by Ronald Reagan, a strategy that John Paul II supported. But was it the...

On this day in 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at the age of 35. Considered one of the greatest Western composers, he was a favorite of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict even contributed to a collection of testimonies about Mozart, sharing his memories of attending a Mozart Mass as a young boy. Al shares the story and discusses why Mozart’s influence remains so strong to this day.

Jesus wants to speak to you—365 days a year. Each day, he meets you right where you are. Through Jesus, you are reminded that God is good, that he provides for you, and that he longs to speak to the deepest desires of your heart. Lucy Scholand joins us with thoughts on how we can meet Jesus every day.

Most of us are familiar with the life story of St. Paul. But what about the men and women who surrounded him, learned from him, and grew to assist in his ministry? We get to know some of them with Al.

Darrick Taylor is an adult convert to Catholicism who was not raised in a religious home. As a student of history, he was intrigued by Martin Luther’s quest to find the certainty of his own salvation. It was this study that eventually led Darrick to consider the Catholic Church. He shares his story with us.

Advent is the time to make room in our hearts and homes for Christ! But how? Between now and Christmas, Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak will be walking families through the Advent season to help them celebrate a more peaceful, loving, joyful and faithful family life. They’re kicking it off with a Webinar tonight. Greg joins us.

Advent is officially underway, and it’s a great opportunity for us to grow in our relationship with Jesus. The path of following Jesus is an ancient and storied spiritual tradition. Yet many believers are not familiar with the three major forms of prayer and the three stages of spiritual growth that exist to bring them closer to God. We’ll explore them with Brant Pitre.

These first weeks of Advent focus more on the Lord’s second coming in glory than on His first coming at Bethlehem. The Gospel clearly states that we must always be prepared, for at an hour we do not expect, the Son of Man will come. “Ready” is the key word. But how should we be ready? We talk with Msgr Charles Pope.

Detective J. Warner Wallace listened to a pastor talk about Jesus and wondered why anyone would think Jesus was a person of interest. He was skeptical of the Bible, but he’d investigated several no-body homicide cases in which there was no crime scene, no physical evidence, and no victim's body. Could the historical life and actions of Jesus be investigated in the same way? He decided to find...

What lessons can we learn about the modern church from a short story written before the Civil War? Al looks at Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark to explain.

This weekend we begin Advent and our preparation for the arrival of Jesus. How was His coming foretold by the prophets? Dr. Lawrence Feingold is our guest.

Having a child with autism can throw anyone's life off. But there are some ways it can make your life better. Chris Peden, the father of two children with Autism, joins us.

Last week, the CDC released updated abortion data for 2021. Unfortunately, the news is not good for pro-lifers. The data indicate that the number of abortions increased in at least 34 states, the third time in four years that the CDC has reported an increase in the incidence of abortion. Michael New has more.

Advent is profoundly eschatological, a reality that grows more apparent as the season reaches its climax. In these days, Holy Mother Church considers Jesus Christ as the Approaching One, who brings into the middle of time not only the spotless light of the Beginning, but also the awesome glory of the End, which He Himself is. We talk more about it with Philip Primeau.

Over the weekend Pope Francis was briefly admitted to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. Doctors have ruled out pneumonia and say he is battling lung inflammation. He has canceled his planned trip to Dubai and an aide delivered his Wednesday address. Matthew Bunson has an update on this and other Church news.