Kresta in the Afternoon

We continue our walk through the Old Testament with John Bergsma.

St Jerome famously said that Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ. And while it’s relatively easy to get familiar with the Gospels and other New Testament writings, entering the Old Testament can feel like walking into a foreign land. Who wrote these books? When? Why? For whom? And how do we read them in the Light of the New Testament? Brant Pitre joins us in this hour.

The Reformation is one of the most misunderstood and challenging periods in religious history and the problems start with the term itself. There was not one “Reformation” but multiple Reformations occurring over two centuries, which all influenced each other. Carlos Eire gives us an overview of how they played out.

Edmund Miller and Alicia Wong have spent decades in front of abortion clinics providing hope to women who feel like they have none. Many women they speak with choose life, and others do not. And from time to time they will meet a woman who has had multiple abortions and doesn’t plan to change. How do they keep going when things seem hopeless? They join us today.

FDR's most famous quote is probably his radio address after the Pearl Harbor attack, declaring it a "day which shall live in infamy." But he has another address that is just as impactful - his address to the nation on the evening of June 6, 1944, following the landings at Normandy. Those of you who have seen Saving Private Ryan have some idea of just how brutal that battle was, but t...

This Sunday we are treated to one of the most famous, and important, passages in the Gospel - John 3:16. We dive into the reading with Peggy Stanton.

The Supreme Court’s current term will soon come to an end. We’re likely to see victories for a Christian wedding-website designer with traditional views on marriage and a Sabbatarian Christian mailman who cannot work on Sundays. And the backlash will be severe. We’ll talk more with Andrea Picciotti-Bayer.

Are we missing something from our discussion on the Eucharist? The centrality of Sacrifice is an essential part of Eucharistic teachings, yet it is often overlooked. We’ll talk more about it with Tyler Graham.

Over the last several days, thousands of pilgrims have flocked to a monastery near a small Missouri town to visit the seemingly incorrupt remains of Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster. The mainstream press is starting to take notice and experts have been asked to explain what has happened. Catherine Hadro went to check it out herself – she gives us a report.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Justin Martyr. He was instrumental in the first century after Jesus died in helping to determine what would become the Bible. Rod Bennett tells the story.

The Prosperity Gospel – the claim that God will reward the faithful with material goods in this life – is spreading across the US and its effects are even seen in some Catholic teachers. Where did this theology originate and how has it embedded itself so deeply in our country? Thomas Storck joins us.

In the US, few Catholic educators have to take oaths of fidelity to the Magisterium. Justin McClain is working to change that. He tells us more.

We tend to think of the Enlightenment in a negative light – a time when the Church in France was violently dethroned in the name of “Reason.” But it also ushered in a wave of genuine Christian inspiration. We’ll talk with Joseph Stuart about the three strategies Christians employed during the Enlightenment and how they can be employed in our own anti-Christian age.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation. In these short passages, we see just how Mary is revealed as the Ark of the New Covenant. Steve Ray explains.

The word "Fire" appears more than 500 times in the Bible. Christ made salvation possible through a baptism of fire and the Lord hopes to accomplish much in our lives through his Holy Flames. We'll talk more with Peter Herbeck.

Why does God allow us to feel pain? It’s a demanding question, and one that Philip Yancey has explored thoroughly in his work with the late Dr. Paul Brand, whose work as a leprosy surgeon gave him a unique perspective on the matter. We talk with Philip about the issue of pain and the marvel of how our bodies bear God’s Image.

More than 30 years ago, John Paul II issued Ex Corde Ecclesiae, his apostolic constitution on Catholic universities. Rather than denounce the problems happening in schools, he sought to invite Catholic school leaders to the adventure of higher Catholic education. What happened? Dr. James Keating joins us.

What does it mean to say that Christ will Come Again in Glory? AL discusses.

When Jesus sent seventy disciples on ahead of him, part of their mission was to heal the sick. In fact, they were supposed to heal the sick before they preached the Gospel. Mike Aquilina joins us to look at how they fulfilled this “healing imperative.”

This Sunday we’ll be celebrating Pentecost. What does the Catechism have to say about the power of the Holy Spirit? Peggy Stanton joins us.

The South Carolina legislature has given final approval to a bill that would ban abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy. Clare Kosmalski joins us with a review of this and other pro-life news.

Substance abuse is the 3rd-leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 175.000 lives every year – and the crisis has accelerated since the pandemic. Many contemporary therapists overlook the fact that addiction isn’t just a physical and physiological illness – it’s a spiritual disease that requires spiritual remedy. Keaton Douglas joins us with more.

Human rights champion Jimmy Lai has suffered another defeat at the hands of the Chinese court. Despite the fact that he is a UK citizen, he has been denied access to a UK human rights lawyer as he faces charges under Beijing’s National Security Law. We talk more about this, as well as the upcoming Acton University, with Fr. Robert Sirico.

We have all been given a vocation, but we aren’t all called to the priesthood or religious life. For comedian Jeremy McLellan, making people laugh is a vocation. He talks more with us – and you can meet him on the Good News Cruise.

On Friday evening the Nebraska legislature passed a bill that bans abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy and prohibits gender transitioning procedures on kids under the age of 19. Governor Jim Pillen signed the bill into law yesterday. We’ll talk more about it with Marion Miner.