Kresta in the Afternoon

In the last few weeks we’ve seen the passing of two very different, yet very influential religious figures. On April 28, Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, died at 88. And on Friday, Presbyterian minister and author Tim Keller died at 72. While both these men made their mark outside the visible boundaries of the Church, they still left legacies we can benefit fr...

You may have heard about Matt Walsh’s film “What is a Woman,” in which he challenges people to define the meaning of female. This question of gender – who we are as men and women – has never been more pressing or more misunderstood. Abigail Favale joins us to trace the roots of the issue and how gender is reshaping our language, our society, and our own self-perceptions.

Have you ever been told that the Catholic Church is “obsessed” with Sex? That the Church could help the world more if it focused less on people’s personal sexual preferences and more on issues such as promoting peace or combatting poverty? Well, it’s not the Church that is preoccupied with sex – it’s the world. Al discusses this issue through the lens of recent comments by the German bishops.

For a large part of American history, it was widely believed that one could not be a good Catholic and a good American, as you would have to choose between loyalty to country and loyalty to the pope. Catholics play an important role in the American story - but we often make the mistake of seeing them as one, cohesive unit. In fact, Catholic immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Italy and other nations...

Christ has established the Church on earth and with its rich array of sacraments, prayers and teachings it is fertile ground for profound Christian conversion. But no true conversion is purely spiritual. It must bear fruit in our daily lives. Fr. Robert Spitzer returns with a further look at moral transformation, drawing from everything from the Writings of Ignatius to Modern Psychology.

Depending on your diocese, this Sunday you will either hear the readings for the Ascension - or for the 7th Sunday of Easter, in which we hear what has become known as Jesus's Priestly Prayer. Jesus asks the Father to "give Glory to your son, that your Son may Glorify you." We take a closer look with Peggy Stanton.

It's been just over a year since the Supreme Court leak gave us a preview of what would become official in June - Roe v Wade would be overturned. Robert George will be exploring the future of the Pro-Life movement in a webinar this weekend; Michael Kenney has the details.

In the last few centuries, a new focus has been given to the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the work of our redemption. Is she a co-redemptrix, or does this title place her on equal level with Christ? Dr. Robert Fastiggi joins us with a review of how Church leaders have approached the issue.

Over the span of a few days we celebrate two titanic events in Church history - Christ's Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We continue our discussion with Fr Thomas Weinandy, looking at how these two great feasts are part of Christ's mission.

JRR Tolkien was many things – a writer, a professor, a philologist. While he was not, strictly speaking, a theologian, he did have a theology. Like all of us, he had a way of looking at God and the world and he expressed it through his writings. Austin Freeman joins us.

Last month the Surgeon General reported that Americans are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness that affects our health as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes. We’ll talk about it with Chuck Gaidica.

Joseph Ratzinger once observed that the beauty of holiness and the beauty of art are not mere ornaments but the strongest argument for what the Church teaches. Does this mean that beauty moves us in a way that Truth alone cannot? How did the early apostle speak of the Beauty of Christ? James Matthew Wilson joins us.

On the Feast of St. Paschal Baylon, patron saint of Eucharistic Congresses, the executive team for the National Eucharistic Congress is excited to invite Catholic communities across the country to be part of the historic movement to set hearts ablaze along four separate Eucharistic processions destined for Indianapolis, IN for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. We talk more with Will Peterson...

Katy Connors was born with a rare disease that affects one of her heart valves. She always knew she would need a replacement, but during her first six pregnancies it didn’t cause many issues. But during her seventh pregnancy last fall, she was shocked to learn that the valve had almost completely narrowed. Her breathing was severely impaired and she had to be hospitalized. In January, doctors said...

After 9/11 a new wave of combative atheism emerged, claiming to have a more enlightened and accurate worldview than that of historic Christianity. How do we respond to these claims? We put atheism on trial with Louis Markos.

In his new book True and False Reform, Cardinal Gerhard Müller explores the long-term implications of Vatican II and writes that “No opposition may be made between the spirit and the letter of Vatican II.” He also criticizes the contrasting interpretations of the Council for being unwilling to engage in dialogue. We talk more about it with Dr. Eduardo Echeverria.

When Al was in Nebraska, he sat down with Bishop Joseph Conley for a wide-ranging conversation. They discussed pro-life and transgender legislation, struggles with mental health, and more. We’ll share the conversation today.

All of us are invited by Jesus to accept his gift of Eternal Life. What does the Bible say about this? Al discusses.

Everyone has heard of the Fatima apparitions, but many people don’t know the details of exactly what happened. Who was the Angel of Peace? How many times did the Blessed Mother appear? What are the “Secrets” and “Message” of Fatima, and where do they fit into the story? We’ll talk with John Preiss.

On Saturday we celebrated the anniversary of the Blessed Mother's apparition to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. The apparitions came at a dark time, early in a century that would see two World Wars, the rise of Nazism and Soviet-Style Communism, genocides across the globe and countless other horrors. But in the years since then we've seen miracles, testimonies and prayers spri...

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.

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...

The Archdiocese of New York is investigating a Catholic parish in Manhattan for hosting an art exhibit called “God is Trans: A Queer Spiritual Journey.” Matthew Bunson has more on this and other Church news.

This weekend we’ll be celebrating our mothers. Mother Amata Veritas is a mother in a very different way – she provides leadership and spiritual guidance for more than 150 sisters of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. She joins us.

While Al was in Nebraska last week, he sat down with Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt of the Diocese of Grand Island. In his role as a bishop, he has noticed a disturbing trend – that many Catholics think the role of the Church is to make them “feel good” about their lives, rather than pursue the Truth. We’ll share his thoughts today.