Kresta in the Afternoon

The world claims that the greatest virtue we can have today is to be “Woke.” The term may be new, but its ideology goes back for decades. Fundamentally, it is more than a political movement – it is a pseudo-spiritual one, and it must be reckoned with. But St Paul tell us in Ephesians not to be woke, but to Awake and receive the light of Christ. How do we do this? Renewal Ministries and Ave Maria R...

We get a very dramatic reading in today's Gospel: the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. In today's culture, such a "judgmental" and "exclusive" teaching is very distasteful. Al takes a closer look.

Results are trickling in from Nigeria’s presidential election. The elections took on religious significance after the governing All Progressive Congress party decided to field an all-Muslim ticket, a departure from the usual practice of nominating a Christian and a Muslim. The ticket drew support from prominent Islamic clerics, who encouraged voters to see the election as a “jihad.” We talk more a...

Ahead of the German Synodal Way’s final meeting next month, four prominent participants — all of them women — officially announced they were quitting the controversial process. They say the Way is “casting doubt on central Catholic doctrines and beliefs" and accused organizers of ignoring the Vatican’s repeated warnings and interventions. Matthew Bunson has more.

Over the course of a few days, a small chapel service at Asbury University exploded into a massive Revival. For Catholics, it can hardly escape notice that this revival has occurred as we are eight months into the “Eucharistic Revival” initiated by the U.S. bishops — a three-year movement to renew the Church by rekindling devotion to the Eucharist, the source and summit of our life.  We talk...

St. Peter calls us to “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” It’s one of God’s greatest gifts to us and is an essential and life-giving topic. By meditating on Scripture and the teachings of the Church, we come to a deeper understanding of how hope is necessary in the life of a disciple. We’ll talk more with Fr. Philip Bochanski.

We normally celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St Peter on February 22, but due to Ash Wednesday, it was observed on the 21stthis year. Without the ongoing ministry of St Peter, the Church would suffer the same divisions and contradictions other Christians have experienced firsthand. The teachings of Christ, handed down from the apostles, would be subject to arbitrary and relative interpretation....

In today’s Gospel, Christ tells us to anoint our head and wash our face when fasting, so that only the Father knows what we are doing. Does this contradict the act of putting ashes on our head? Al discusses this and much more in a special Ash Wednesday commentary.

Most people know that Lent lasts 40 days to unite with Jesus' 40 days fasting in the desert. But why did Jesus fast for 40 days, instead of a different period of time? We'll talk with Gary Michuta.

Lent gives us an opportunity to reflect on the Sacrifice Christ made for all of us. The entire Passion narrative is deeply rooted in Scriptural theology, and we continue our look with Ed Sri.

It’s been almost a thousand years since St Peter Damian penned the Book of Gomorrah, but its teachings still apply today as the Church grapples with the latest in the sexual misconduct crisis. It offers a scathing analysis of the evil of sodomy, while also expressing compassion for those who have fallen into such vice and the possibility of their redemption by the aid of divine grace. Matt Hoffman...

The abuse scandals of 2002 and 2018 caused Catholics great distress and turned some people off to the Church forever. But that does not free us of our responsibility to build the Church and spread the Gospel. Al discusses more.

The Communist Manifesto was published on this day in 1848. Its ideology gradually took hold in Russia, and for decades Americans, though divided on many issues, were united against a common enemy in Soviet-style Communism. We’ve talked before about the devastating effects of a Communist ideology, but what of the man who conceived them? We look at the life and thought process of Karl Marx with Paul...

The 45 men who have served as President of the United States have held a wide variety of beliefs about religion, faith, God and Christianity. And these beliefs have greatly influenced their approach to policy. On this president’s day we’ll discuss it with Gary Scott Smith.

For more than a week, a non-stop worship service has been going at Asbury University in Kentucky. These Revival services are fairly common in some Protestant circles, but they aren’t something Catholics tend to be familiar with. Al takes a look at what’s going on.

You might have grown up with an image of masculinity defined by tough guys like Clint Eastwood or Sylvester Stallone. These men had courage, backbone, guts…and “grit.” But grit isn’t enough to satisfy the longing of our soul – we have to trust God and follow His call to be Holy. We talk more with Paul George.

Next week six Red Rose Rescuers, including Monica Miller, will go on trial. Monica has the latest.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that Hell is a “State of definitive self-exclusion.” We talk more about what this means with Regis Martin.

Angels are all around us. But they are much more than New Age sprites or cartoonish Valentine cherubs. They are powerful beings created by God to reflect His light. They are our guardians in spiritual battle. We talk with Msgr. Brian Bransfield.

February 15 marked the anniversary of the 1964 death of Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange. Don’t feel bad if the name doesn’t ring a bell. Fr. Lagrange was an enormously influential theologian during his day, but he’s been largely forgotten. We get to know him with Matthew Minerd.

In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus gives us one of the most challenging commands if we are to be His disciples: we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. And more importantly, we must forgive them. Peggy Stanton has personal experience with the liberating power of forgiveness – she joins us.

The community at Michigan State University is still reeling from Monday night’s shooting, which left three students dead and five others seriously injured. Two of the students, Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner, belonged to Catholic parishes in Metro Detroit, and those parishes have been helping the community to grieve. Fr. Jim Bilot of St. Paul on the Lake Parish joins us.

The death toll from the Earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey last week has topped 40,000. More than 100,000 are injured and more than 2 million people have been displaced. A Christian community already facing challenges has been devastated. Aid to the Church In Needs' Ed Clancy joins us.

Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became one of the greatest abolitionists of his time. He was a man of strong Christian faith who never hesitated to condemn American churches for their support of - or lack of action against - slaveholding. He often felt like an Israelite in exile amongst the Babylonians, and in one Fourth of July speech spoke to the crowd of "your independence, your freed...

During Black History Month, you’ll probably hear discussion of the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. he character Uncle Tom is a very rare example of a black Christ figure – a role typically reserved for characters such as Steinbeck’s Jim Casy, O’Connors Hazel Motes and of course Aslan the lion. We’ll discuss the role of Christ figures in literature and in the novel with John Han.