Kresta in the Afternoon

As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “Within the philosophical system of Marx and Lenin, and at the heart of their psychology, hatred of God is the principal driving force, more fundamental than all their political and economic pretensions.” This is certainly true of the leaders of the Communist “dynasty” that currently rules China. As we commemorate the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, we...

One of Jesus’ most famous parables is the tale of the Prodigal Son, and its message of God’s repentance and forgiveness. This encounter with God’s mercy receives special expression in sacrament of Reconciliation, through which God’s wayward children are forgiven and restored by God’s grace to life in the household of God, which is the Church. James Prothro joins us with more.

Marcus looks at the life and teachings of St Boniface, whose feast we celebrate today.

St. Robert Bellarmine writes that a person may be “compelled, when unprepared, oppressed by disease, and scarcely possessed of reason, to give an account of those things on which when in health, he had perhaps never once reflected.” This is the foundation of Bruce Green’s new book: Now and at the Hour of Our Death: Making Moral Decisions at the End of Life. Bruce joins us.

Last week Monica Miller learned that the Department of Justice has begun legal proceedings against her and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society. She joins us to continue the story.

The concept of the Free Will is essential to the Christian understanding of the world - but could principles of neuroscience "disprove" it? Dr. EJ Neafsey joins us.

The Devil is Real. Evil is Real. Easy things to say, but what does it mean to believe it? Marcus discusses.

When St Thomas Aquinas addresses the mystery of the Eucharist, he makes an analogy between what is necessary for our bodily life and what is necessary for our supernatural life. Dr Lawrence Feingold joins us with more.

Contemporary relativism is difficult to pinpoint or define. This is why theological education at the level of our times must turn to the subject, executing a new natural theology that operates as an existential anthropology. Roberto De La Noval joins us.

The word Martyr comes from a Greek word meaning “witness.” In its basest form, all of us who witness the Gospel are martyrs, but the word is usually used to mean witness to the point of bloodshed or death. It is often misconstrued that martyrs “seek suicide.” Marcus discusses.

Representatives of the Australian Catholic Medical Association, with the support of several Catholic moral theologians and bioethicists, have criticized a book published by the Pontifical Academy for Life for its lack of understanding of “current science” and specific areas of medicine. Matthew Bunson has more on this and other Church news.

On June 1st we celebrate the Feast of St Justin Martyr. He was instrumental in the first century after Jesus died in helping to determine what would become the Bible. Rod Bennett tells the story.

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi – just as the Eucharistic pilgrimages continue their trek across America. We unpack the Gospel with Peggy Stanton.

May 29th would have been the 150th birthday of GK Chesterton. A hundred years ago, he predicted the coming of a New Dark Ages, and we have indeed arrived at the point where we have detail of the sinning and denial of the sin. Dale Ahlquist joins us with more.

The Catholic tradition has much to say about the relation of science to the faith. From the earliest times, Christian writers have emphasized two ways the Natural World points to a creator. Stephen Barr joins us, and also looks ahead to a conference of Catholic scientists.

Prison sentences have started for the nine pro-lifers recently convicted of violating the FACE act. And this week Monica Miller learned that the Department of Justice has begun legal proceedings against her and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society. She joins us.

The Arbor Woman Flourish Fundraiser is coming up on Friday, June 14th. Rusty Chavey joins us to talk more about their work.

While graduation rates have climbed steadily over the past twenty years, a closer look at the data shows that student achievement has stagnated or even declined. Too many school administrators simply want the maximum number of students to get a diploma with the least amount of friction. Jeremy Noonan experienced this firsthand, and joins us with his story.

Today is the feast of Pope St. Paul VI. Marcus discusses his legacy and the prophetic witness of Humane Vitae.

Since Vatican II, tribalism has divided the Church into different camps, each with their own unique paradigmatic lens through which they view the Church’s mission and discipleship. This lack of unity has impeded the Church’s ability to more fully spread the Gospel. How can we move past our tribalism and fully live the Church's mission? Michel Therrien joins us.

It’s early summer – the time of weddings, dancing, merriment and celebration. Dancing and merriment appear throughout the Scriptures – we look at some examples with Steve Ray.

The month of May presents American Catholics with mixed martial messages. On May 12, we celebrated the Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Roman soldiers who left the army after their conversion to Christianity. Yesterday, we joined other Americans in celebrating Memorial Day, which honors those who gave their lives defending a country with no established church and no official religion. And on May 13th...

Every year in the month of May we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation. Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Marcus ties this story into the Old Testament.

Al follows up on our discussion with Dr. Mead, looking at the origins of the Western concept of an achieving individual.

There is a truth about Western culture, especially American culture that is often ignored: the US sees itself as an individualist society whose people seek to realize personal goals in the world, while most of the non-West has a more passive, deferential temperament. In other words, the West sees life as a project while many others are simply trying to survive rather than achieve. This serves as a...