Kresta in the Afternoon

Joseph Pearce has spent decades studying both the public and private lives of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. So he was surprised recently to discover an old letter by their friend that taught him something new about Tolkien. He joins us.

When most of us think of Marian apparitions, we rightfully think of the incredible events at Lourdes, Fatima and Guadalupe. But those are by no means the only Marian apparitions – they’ve happened all over the world and have had astounding theological, spiritual and geopolitical consequences. As we kick off our celebration of the month of Mary, Dr. Mark Miravalle joins us with an in-depth look at...

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Joseph the Worker. There’s a very specific reason this feast is celebrated on May 1, or “May Day.” How does Joseph’s example of the worker contrast with the socialist view of the worker? Dr. Paul Kengor joins us.

We often see in history how completely separate, yet closely-related, events fall within days of eachother. One such example concerns Leo XII and the Communist Manifesto, the anniversaries of which both fall in late February. Leo XIII, our third-longest-serving pope, is well known for his encyclical Rerum novarum, an explicit response to the proper care of workers and questions generated by the In...

In many ways the world of St Catherine of Siena mirrors our own. The Church was shaken by scandals of clerical abuse and division and the world had been changed forever by the bubonic plague. But out of this chaos arose a newly inspired and empowered laity. Tomorrow’s her feast day; we’ll celebrate her life with Fr. Thomas McDermott.

In the Book of Ephesians, St. Paul writes that ministers are given to us “to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” We’ll look more at the passage with Dr. Peter Williamson.

In Colossians 1:10 St Paul tells us to walk worthy of the Lord and increase in the knowledge of God. What happens to our lives when we do this? Al discusses.

Last week Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that while he would personally not practice assisted suicide, he thinks it may serve the common good for it to be legal. Matthew Bunson joins us to talk more about this and other Church news.

In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus tells us how he is the gate for the sheep, and that anyone who enters through Him will be saved. We sit down with Peggy Stanton for a closer look at the reading.

The Supreme Court is currently considering the case of Gerald Groff, a former postal worker who left the USPS after his managers harassed him for not wanting to work on Sundays. The case is expected to set a precedent for future religious accommodations rulings and could change the Court’s understanding of “undue hardship.” Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has more.

Our faith, Church and families are under attack and as Christians we need to take action and engage with this hostile culture. How do we prepare for this spiritual battle? Doug Barry joins us.

The Catholic Lawyers Society of Metropolitan Detroit and others have voiced opposition to a new rule that would compel Michigan judges to address attorneys and parties in court using their preferred “personal pronouns,” saying the proposed rule violates First Amendment protections of religious freedom and freedom of speech. Marcia McBrien has the details.

This week Israel is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The observance is based on the date on the Hebrew calendar when the country's founders signed its Declaration of Independence, establishing the Jewish state. How should Catholics understand the modern nation-state of Israel? We talk with Andre Villeneuve.

In 2019 Pope Francis named Fr. Joseph as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Military Services. What’s it like to serve as a bishop without a defined territory? He shares his work with us and you can meet him on the Good News Cruise.

In his book Heart of the Christian Life, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that Christ’s presence in the Eucharist “is not static. It is a dynamic presence that grasps us, to make us his own, to make us assimilate him. Christ draws us to himself, he makes us come out of ourselves to make us all one with him.” We examine his Eucharistic Christology with Marcus Peter.

St John Paul II wrote an encyclical called Ut Unum Sint, or - That They May Be One. Its focus was Christian reunion - he knew division in the body of Christ was an impediment to the expression of the Gospel. Dr Mary Healy joins us to talk about what ecumenism looks like today for Catholics and other Christians.

Late last year a professor from the University of Oslo published an article proposing “Whole Body Gestational Donation,” in which women who have been declared brain-dead could be used as “whole-body surrogates” for gestating babies. The author argues that there is no significant ethical difference between keeping a brain-dead person alive so their organs can be donated, and the procedure she is pr...

Far too many Christians have succumbed to sharing a “feel-good, watered-down” Gospel that, ultimately, is indistinguishable from the messages of the wider world and ends in submission to the world. But there is another way – by engaging in the lost art of spiritual warfare we can confront evil rather than try to coexist with it. Fr Dwight Longenecker joins us with more.

We probably all know someone who has struggled with depression. We want to help, but it can be hard to know where to start. Al has experienced this firsthand, as he was hospitalized twice for depression back in the 1980s. He sits down with Dr. Ray Guarendi to recount the story and how he was able to find hope.

Today it is widely accepted that Shakespeare was raised in a devoutly Catholic family at a time when the practice of the Faith was illegal. Blessed John Henry Newman wrote that Shakespeare had “so little of a Protestant about him that Catholics have been able, without extravagance, to claim him as their own.” As this week marks the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, death and baptism, we’ll take...

A recent challenge facing our approach to public discourse has been a changing understanding to the meaning of Knowledge. What we can “know” has become limited to what we can scientifically verify. But that leaves a lot of gaps in our understanding of the world. Al discusses.

Michelle Paine was raised in a devout Christian home, and outside of the Christmas season she didn’t give Mary much thought. That began to change when she spent a year studying Art History in Italy, where Marian imagery was everywhere. She shares how encountering Mary through art helped her find her way to the Church.

Paragraph 1131 of the Catechism defines the sacraments as efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” Finding a metaphor to illustrate this definition can be challenging. David Fagerberg joins us to help understand what the sacraments really are.

The story of abortion in America extends far beyond the 50-year lifespan of Roe vs Wade. It’s been a part of American history since the beginning. Leah Savas walks us through the cultural and legal history of abortion in America from 1652 to today.

“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them what referred to Him in all the Scriptures.” So goes the story of the Road to Emmaus – arguably the greatest Bible study ever. What would it have been like to listen in on that conversation? What kinds of references would Jesus have mentioned? We talk with Dr. John Bergsma.