Andy Burnham was officially named the leader of Britain’s governing Labour Party on July 17, paving the way for him to become the United Kingdom’s first prime minister to enter office publicly identifying as a Catholic. Joanna Bogle tells us more about him.

Further Reading

Labour Leader Andy Burnham’s Catholic Identity in Spotlight as He Prepares to Take Over as UK Prime Minister

Guest Info

Joanna Bogle is a journalist in the United Kingdom. Her book Newman’s London is published by Gracewing Books.

It has become a popular trope to criticize or mock Catholics for being “preoccupied” with guilt. But there is a distinction between healthy Catholic guilt and hopeless shame. Properly understood, guilt can set us free. Dr Greg Popcak has more.

Guest Info

Dr. Greg Popcak is the founder of CatholicCounselors.com Together with his wife Lisa, he’s the author of over 20 popular books, and the host of More2Life, heard each day at 10am E on EWTN radio. Greg and Lisa are also the founders of the CatholicHOM app that provides couples and parents with the coaching and resources they need to build strong domestic churches.

Bill Watterson retired his comic strip Calvin and Hobbes more than thirty years ago, but its legacy endures. The young boy and his tiger friend regularly escaped the confines of reality to explore matters of philosophy, ethics, theology and more.

Further Reading

Doctrines that shape “Calvin and Hobbes”

Guest Info

Terry Mattingly is the former editor of Get Religion. He is a journalist and professor who writes at the Rational Sheep blog.

In 2026, the Church in the United States saw 9% fewer priestly ordinations than it had 10 years earlier. Despite widespread decreases in priestly vocations, some diocese have seen steady or even growing numbers of vocations. Jack Figge joins us with a look at where things are working, and why.

Further Reading

Building a culture of vocations — the strategy behind diocesan vocational success

Guest Info

Jack Figge is a young Catholic journalist with an MBA and a BA in political science and theology from Benedictine College.

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew includes one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. Matthew says that while Jesus was speaking, “his mother and his brothers appeared outside.” Given this verse, why do Catholics insist that Mary had no other children? Marcus explains.

The concept of blood sacrifice, so prevalent in the Old Testament, can be shocking to our modern eyes and ears. But it is deeply rooted in the Natural Law. We explore it with Michael Pakaluk.

Further Reading

Sacrifice is of the Natural Law

Bloody Sacrifices in Judaism

Guest Info

Dr. Michael Pakaluk is the author most recently of The Shock of Holiness: The Romance of Everyday Life. He is a professor at the Catholic University of America and an authority on Aristotelian ethics. His other books include Mary’s Voice in the Gospel According to John, Be Good Bankers: The Economic Interpretation of Matthew’s Gospel, and The Memoirs of Saint Peter.

Since March 2020, over 70 public and private nonprofit colleges and universities have closed entirely, with nearly 50 more merging with other institutions. Other statistical trends suggest the future of Catholic colleges is unstable at best. Dr Randall Smith joins us with more.

Further Reading

Small Catholic liberal arts colleges are doomed. Unless…

Guest Info

Randall B. Smith holds the J. Michael Miller Endowed Chair of Theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. His books include Bonaventure's Journey of the Soul into God: Background and Commentary (Cambridge University Press, 2024), From Here to Eternity: Reflections on Death, Immortality, and the Resurrection of the Body (Emmaus Press, 2022), Aquinas, Bonaventure, and the Scholastic Culture of Medieval Paris: Preaching, Prologues, and Biblical Commentary (Cambridge University Press, 2021), Reading the Sermons of Thomas Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide (Emmaus Press, 2016). His next book, Mapping Bonaventure's Itinerarium: Context and Commentary, is due out from Emmaus Press this summer.

The Tate brothers have become a defining symbol of “masculinity” in today’s culture. And their popularity shows that our culture is hungry for true, Christ-centered masculinity – it just doesn’t know where to look. Marcus has more.

The United States represents the most successful, most extraordinary experiment in religious liberty the world has ever known. Religious freedom is a big part of America’s story, but for that reason, America is also part of Christendom’s long story. Rachel Lu joins us with more.

Further Reading

Our Shining City

Follow Rachel on X

Guest Info

Rachel Lu is Senior Editor at Law and Liberty and a contributor at National Review and America Magazine. She has a PhD in philosophy from Cornell and writes on politics, culture, religion, and family life.

July 16 marks the death of Hilaire Belloc, the French writer and political activist who died in 1953. Along with G.K. Chesterton, he was hugely influential in the growth of the Catholic presence in the wider culture. Joseph Pearce has more on his life and work.

Further Reading

Hilaire Belloc: Champion of the Catholic Cultural Revival

Joseph’s website

Guest Info

Joseph Pearce is Visiting Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University and a Visiting Fellow of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, New Hampshire). The author of more than 30 books, he is editor of the St. Austin Review, series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions, senior instructor with Homeschool Connections, and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative and Crisis Magazine. His personal website is jpearce.co.