Kresta in the Afternoon

A popular figure in literature is the “strong, silent man,” – a man of few words but great deeds. This certainly describes St. Joseph. He’s one of our most popular saints today, but for centuries artists virtually ignored him. The artwork we do have of St Joseph show him in a wide variety of styles, but always as a man we can turn to. We look at some examples with Liz Lev.

Have you ever realized that St Joseph is a perfect example of the laity taking co-responsibility? He's among the most important saints in our Church calendar – yet he’s famous mostly for his silence. We bring him out of the shadows with Mark Miravalle and learn how we can entrust ourselves, as Jesus and Mary did, to this humble servant of God.

In this segment, we have a very special interview. Irish singer Dana Scallon, known to fans all over the world simply as "Dana," has composed a new hymn to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. She joins us to share the inspiration for her music.

Does everyone go to Heaven? Why would a loving God send anyone to Hell? Renewal Ministries and Ave Maria Radio have co-produced a long-form video roundtable, where Al and Ralph Martin tackle this question with Dr. Michael McClymond. The video is now live and ready to share; we review some tentpoles of the discussion with Dr. Michael McClymond.

What would be going through your mind if you went to your eye doctor for a checkup, and instead of giving you new contacts he rubbed mud in your eyes? Yet that’s what Jesus does in this Sunday’s Gospel. Why did Jesus’ disciples assume the man’s affliction was a result of someone’s sin? Why were the Pharisees so scandalized that Jesus healed on the Sabbath? We dive into the reading with Peggy Stant...

On March 10, California’s Silicon Valley Bank failed after a bank run. It was the second-largest bank failure in US history and the largest since the 2008 financial crisis, and is one of three banks to fail this month. What does it mean when a bank fails? What happens next? Robert Whaples joins us.

There are two heroic Catholics who have become the face of Christian persecution in the world today. One is Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who has been sentenced to 26 years in prison in Nicaragua. This week, Nicaragua also severed diplomatic ties with the Vatican. And the other is Jimmy Lai, who has been jailed by Chinese authorities for his advocacy of democracy and human rights. Ambassador Joe Cella j...

Virtue has by no means disappeared. It’s as much in public view as ever. But it’s been strung up by the heels. Virtue is upside down. Virtue is uncomfortable. Virtue looks ridiculous. All the change and the house keys are falling out of Virtue’s pants pockets. Our culture has rejected virtue. We’ll talk about it with Jonathan Last.

How should you respond when someone asks for help in discerning God's will? How can you go about discerning God's will for your own life? It can be a daunting task, but you don't need to be intimidated. You can draw from the rich Ignatian discipline to form a foundation for understanding the will of God. Fr. Timothy Gallagher joins us.

Albert Einstein, whose birthday is March 14, is best known for his work on the Manhattan Project and theory of relativity. But his work encompasses much more. We'll explore his ideas on cosmic religion, the bomb, social justice and more with Don Howard.

How many of you began the new year resolving to strengthen your family prayer time? And how many have already found yourselves falling short of your goals? The good news is, you don’t have to be a saint to have awesome family prayer time – and it all begins with a relationship. Dr. Greg Popcak explains how.

We've all heard the expression "Rome wasn't built in a day," and it applies to every aspect of our spiritual, personal and physical lives. It shouldn't surprise us, then, that the same principle applies to building the Church - it's not going to happen overnight. What are some habits we can form to help bring about this renewal? Tim Glemkowski joins us.

The 1965 hit song "It's My Life," performed by the Animals, expressed the angst of a generation, proclaiming "It's my life and I'll do what I want. It's my mind and I'll think what I want." For composer Carl D'Errico, it's a deeply personal statement that reflects a crucial step on his journey from despair to Christian hope. Carl shares his story with us.

In today’s Gospel we hear the parable of the unforgiving servant, who tormented a fellow servant over a small debt just after his master forgave him of a much larger debt. It’s easy to be disgusted at his actions, but we must be careful lest we make his mistakes ourselves. Al reflects further on this passage.

The question of Justification is one of the key dividers between Catholics and Protestants. In the Protestant viewpoint, God is a merciful judge before whom the sinner stands guilty. The judge declares the sinner, “Not guilty.” Although there’s no inward change in the person, the great gift of no more condemnation is received by faith. While Catholics don’t deny that there’s a forensic nature to j...

Wellness-minded people today are increasingly turning to intermittent fasting to bolster their health. But we aren’t the first people to abstain from eating for a purpose. This routine was a common part of our spiritual ancestors’ lives for 1,500 years. Jay Richards joins us with a look at the benefits of fasting and how Christians can develop a fasting lifestyle.

In this Sunday's Gospel, we meet the Woman at the Well. The Catechism has much to say about this passage and how Jesus invites all of us to share His table. Peggy Stanton joins us.

The experience of the last three years has damaged many people’s trust in the medical and media establishments. What is a Catholic view of Medicine and Media? We’ll be exploring this at the Red Rose Mass and Dinner next week. Dr. Rusty Chavey joins us.

It’s human nature for us to yearn for something beyond this world. But many people today are skeptical of organized religion and declare themselves to be spiritual but not religious. How can we find meaning in a material world? Why are we attracted to things beyond? We talk with Fr. John Bartunek.

Scripture portrays the covenant between God and his people as a divine-human marriage spanning through all of human history. In the eyes of Jewish scholars, God married humanity in the Garden of Eden, and that union was broken by sin and restored throughout the Old Testament. We explore this union of Divine Love further with Andre Villeneuve.

For more than two years now, Democrats, Republicans and various outlets of the mainstream press have attempted to spin the events of January 6 in such a way to show that they are the patriotic heroes of the day. This phenomenon of constantly trying to prove that one is “More Patriotic than Thou” is poisonous to our political discourse. Al discusses.

It’s been just over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Last night Russia launched one of its biggest air strikes of the war, with 84 missiles targeting Ukrainian infrastructure all over the country. In a recent interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he does not see himself meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin any time soon. What is life like today for Christians in Ukrai...

In John Chapter 16, Jesus tells us “in the world, you will have trouble, but take courage for I have conquered the world.” Though this can be hard to put into practice, relying on Jesus to strengthen us after a fall is an essential part of the Christian experience. We are not called to be “Averse to Adversity.” We’ll be discussing this on March 25 at our annual Familiaris Consortio conference. Key...

Before his radical conversion experience on the road to Damascus, St Paul - then known as Saul - was a strict follower of the Jewish faith. How did he view his Judaism after he became a follower of Christ? Brant Pitre joins us.

Christians in the Henan Province of China must now complete an online form and receive approval in order to attend Church services. Officials claim this is a form of governance for “Smart Religion” but have not provided a legal reasoning for this decision. We get more from Jonathan Dingler.