Religion To Reality

QUICK SUMMARY What does it mean to be fully committed to your faith while building bridges across differences? In this episode of Religion to Reality, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with renowned Muslim scholar and author Dalia Mogahed for a thoughtful conversation on faith, identity, prayer, fasting, belonging, and interfaith dialogue. Dalia shares her journey from Egypt to America,...

BIG NEWS: Season 2 of Religion to Reality drops all at once on 7/13—no more weekly waits. Subscribe now Join us on Substack (http://religiontoreality.substack.com) for our free interfaith monthly gathering—first Wed of every month, including today!

QUICK SUMMARY What if our culture's obsession with forgiveness is actually getting in the way of healing? In this rich conversation, award-winning author and Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg challenges popular forgiveness culture, arguing that the real obligation falls on the person who caused harm, not the person who survived it. She walks us through the Jewish framework for repentance, repair, and amends...

QUICK SUMMARY What does it mean to take the Incarnation seriously? According to AJ Levine, one of the most respected scholars of New Testament and Jewish Studies in the world, it means taking seriously the time, the place, and the people who first told those stories, and that starts with understanding the Jewish Jesus. In this episode, hosts Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with AJ Levi...

QUICK SUMMARY What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Can ordinary people actually do it? In this episode of Religion to Reality, prolific author and Orthodox Christian writer Frederica Mathewes-Green shares her remarkable spiritual journey: from a devout Catholic childhood to atheistic hippie, to a dramatic conversion in a Dublin church, to 50+ years of daily unceasing prayer. She also opens u...

QUICK SUMMARY What if listening to someone isn’t just a bridge to telling them something, but is itself a formative, sacred act? Sociologist and researcher Josh Packard returns to Religion to Reality to unpack groundbreaking data on the intersection of faith and listening, challenge Catholics to truly live out the concept of accompaniment, and offer...

QUICK SUMMARY What does it actually mean for a 2,000-year-old institution to learn how to listen? In this season premiere of Religion to Reality, multimedia journalist and America Magazine podcast director Sebastian Gomes joins hosts Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich to unpack the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis's sweeping effort to transform the Catholic Church into a culture of genuine listen...

QUICK SUMMARY What does the data actually say about how Catholics live their faith today, and who counts as "active"? In this episode, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with Fr. Thomas Gaunt, SJ, Executive Director of CARA (the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) at Georgetown University, to dig into 60 years of Catholic research. They explore why inactive Catholics still fier...

QUICK SUMMARY What does hard data reveal about the state of Catholic life in America—and what does it mean for the future of the Church? In this bonus episode, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with Stephen White, Executive Director of The Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America, for a candid and wide-ranging conversation. Stephen draws on the landmark 2022 National Study...

Season 2 of Religion to Reality is on the horizon—and it begins with a simple but urgent question: what does it mean to truly listen? In a world marked by noise, division, and constant distraction, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich return to the heart of the podcast’s mission: living an integrated life where faith isn’t separated from the rest of who we are. Reflecting on Season 1, they explore h...