Kresta in the Afternoon

As we enter more deeply into the Eucharistic Revival, it’s important to grow in our awareness of the connection between Eucharist and Reconciliation, and devotion to Jesus’ sacramental self-giving and sacramental mercy. We talk more with Tim Glemkowski.

What will the success of our Eucharistic revival look like? If Catholics are dismayed by the current crisis within the Church or in culture, then we need to look to models for how to live out our Eucharistic faith more robustly. Jared Staudt joins us with some examples of saints whose lives were shaped by the Eucharist.

Every one of us is going to die. In all likelihood, within a century of our death few people will know we existed. So if all he work for, learn, and experience simply comes to nothing, does life actually have any meaning? A Christian can answer Yes, citing the Hope of Heaven – but if Heaven is so wonderful, why waste our time on earth? As the Church has written for centuries, death is not a negati...

The Rwandan Genocide began on April 7, 1994. During the next hundred or so days, more than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered, many by their own friends and neighbors. Fr Ubald Rugirangoga lost more than eighty of his family members in the killings, but in the aftermath he experienced a renewed sense of purpose as a minister of reconciliation and a healing evangelist. Heidi Hess Sa...

As we study history, we find examples of man perpetrating acts of unspeakable evil against his fellow man. Can we believe in an all-powerful, all-loving God in the face of such horrors as the Holocaust or Rwandan Genocide? Al shares some thoughts.

This weekend we’ll celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy has become an incredible part of the Church’s outreach to the world and was the focus of a Jubilee Year in 2016. Al shares some thoughts and we look back on a conversation with Dr. Robert Stackpole, who traces the history of Mercy from Genesis to Today.

As a young physician in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dr. Bryan Thatcher worked day and night to improve the bodily health of his patients. He became very wealthy but was struggling interiorly. He went through the motions of church attendance, but the job stress took its toll on his marriage, and he became estranged from his wife, Susan. The two most important things in life — faith and family —...

This weekend we celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday. Al takes a look at this unique feast and its importance in such difficult times with a special focus on what John Paul II said about Divine Mercy.

Our chief political responsibility as Christians is to bear witness to the King – and not an earthly king. We have access to a different kind of power than regular politicians. Al discusses.

A recent Wall Street Journal poll found several trends in the American public that point to our lost sense of community. In Democracy in America, French political scholar Alexis de Tocqueville describes the tendency democracies have towards this sense of individualism. What else does he have to say about democracy, individualism, and equality? We discuss his thinking with Bill Cook.

The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow Mifepristone, commonly known as the abortion pill, to remain available as the courts consider the legality of the pill. Michael New explains what’s going on.

This month marks 55 years since the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was a groundbreaking film that made pioneering use of special effects and had long stretches with very little dialogue. The Vatican honored it on its 1995 film list and it has often been likened to a “religious experience.” We examine its legacy with Steven Greydanus.

April 17 will be the anniversary of the 2015 death of Francis Cardinal George, former Archbishop of Chicago. He was a man of great intellect and a great leader in the Church, but most of all he was a disciple of Christ. We look at his life and influence with Michael Heinlein

In the Gospel this Sunday we hear of “Doubting” Thomas, who refused to believe in the resurrected Lord until he put his fingers into His wounds. Why would he make such an extreme statement after following Christ for three years? Peggy Stanton joins us.  

A recent poll from the Wall Street Journal gives data to back up trends we have suspected for years. There has been a sharp decline in people who have a high regard for “Traditional American Values” such as patriotism, religion, and family. While the poll has its issues, it does illustrate a deeper shift in American society: our loss of community. We take a closer look with Mark Movsesian.

We were shocked and saddened this week to hear of the death of Dr. Kevin Vost, who passed away in a hospital on Tuesday at the age of 62. Kevin was a regular guest on Kresta in the Afternoon and other EWTN programs and was a prolific writer on many spiritual matters, including the writings of Aquinas. Another one of his books explored the idea of an authentic, virtue-based friendship. We’ll revisi...

With all the focus on the Triduum, many of us may have overlooked two major stories in international politics last week. First, Finland formally joined NATO, a change that doubles the border the alliance shares with Russia. Meanwhile, the Philippines have granted four new sites for US military outposts in the country, enabling the US to respond quickly in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan....

On April 11, 1963, Pope John XXIII promulgated what would be his final encyclical – Pacem in terris, Peace on Earth. Signed on Holy Thursday, it was a landmark piece of writing that appeared at one of the most dangerous points in the Cold War, just months after the Cuban Missile Crisis. We examine the environment in which it was written and the conditions it lays out for peace with Dan Philpott.

“The feminine genius,” a term coined by Pope St. John Paul II, has become something of a buzzword in the Catholic world. But has the fullness of femininity been exhausted? Not if you ask Rachel Bulman. She joins us today – and you can join her on the Good News Cruise! 

Do you remember people talking about the “Three Rs” of education – reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic? They’re the most basic building blocks of education and lay the foundation for everything that follows. What if we apply that principle to the greatest event in human history? We explore the Three Rs of the Resurrection with Carl Olson.

Some people dismiss the claims of Jesus’s Resurrection by saying that such claims were commonplace at the time – that people regularly claimed to see others rise from the dead. But the Roman executioners certainly knew their business. And the ancient people lived in a time where death was commonplace – they knew what it was and how it worked. Al discusses.

Christians have historically understood that Jesus rose to life in His crucified body, citing his encounter with Thomas. But some scholars now argue that Christ’s Resurrected body was a “spiritual” body “purged of every element of flesh and blood.” How can we square that with reports of Jesus eating with His disciples and inviting them to tough his wounds? We examine it with Dr. James Ware.

Last week Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a major US Army hospital in Maryland, ended its contract with a community of Franciscan friars who have provided pastoral care for Catholic patients for nearly 20 years. We find out what’s going on with Matthew Bunson.

St Paul writes that “If Christ had not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is also in vain.” Al reflects on the momentous occasion of the Resurrection.

The question of the historicity of Jesus' resurrection has been repeatedly probed, investigated and debated. And the results have varied widely. Michael Licona joins us with his historiographical approach to the evidence for the Resurrection.