Thomas Jefferson called the Declaration of Independence “an expression of the American mind.” Not merely a document, the Declaration is the common creed of our civic life, and it inspires the shared poetry of our political soul. Matthew Spalding joins us.

Further Reading

Book: The Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence

Guest Info

Matthew Spalding is the Kirby Professor in Constitutional Government and Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College and oversees the Allan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship at Hillsdale’s Washington, D.C. campus. He is the author of several books including The Making of the American Mind: The Story of the Declaration of Independence

If there were ever a week that summed up the state of our public discourse, it’s this one. Following the backlash over the image President Trump posted a few days ago, talk show host Joy Beher claimed that Jesus never actually claimed to be the Messiah – her determination to portray Trump as a narcissist was so strong she ignored basic historical fact. And Tucker Carlson tweeted that “the people in charge” don’t want you to know that the Muslim faith actually has great love and respect for Jesus – apparently forgetting the plight of Christians in Muslim-majority countries around the world. All it all, it’s been a very silly week – Marcus tries to inject some sanity.

Since the beginning of time they have attended the Holy Trinity with unending praise, and at the Bible’s pivotal moments they were present. They convey God’s saving messages and assist in his continual ordering of the cosmos. Some are hell-bent on our damnation; others intercede tirelessly for our salvation. They are the Angels – and Fr Mike Driscoll joins us to talk about them.

Further Reading

Angelic Answers- Everything You Need to Know About God’s Heavenly Messengers, Guardians, and Guides

Guest Info

Fr Mike Driscoll is the author of several books, including Angelic Answers- Everything You Need to Know About God’s Heavenly Messengers, Guardians, and Guides.

Since President Trump’s explosive social media attack on Pope Leo earlier this week, politicians including Vice President Vance and Tom Homan have claimed the pope should stay in his lane and stay out of politics. But the Vicar of Christ doesn’t suddenly lose his voice when the subject turns from liturgy to law and legislation or from doctrine to politics. Marcus has more.

At a moment when trust in institutions is at historic lows and the public square rewards noise over substance, one question keeps pressing itself forward: What actually produces people of genuine character? The Catholic Church in America has been working on that question in earnest — and the results are becoming visible. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer has more.

Further Reading

Our Catholic Moment

Guest Info

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is a legal analyst for EWTN News, and director of the Conscience Project.

Every saint — from the greatest thinker to the commonest servant — has walked the same narrow road: the path of humility. It is the foundation of every virtue and the key to sanctity. Patrick O’Hearn joins us to talk about it.

Further Reading

Book: Humility of the Saints: The Litany of Humility Made Flesh

Patrick’s website

Guest Info

Patrick O’Hearn is an author, speaker, and content creator. He served as TAN Books’ acquisitions editor for two years and currently works as the Director of Ministry Expansion for Stewardship: A Mission of Faith. He is the author and editor of several books, including The Grief of Dads and Humility of the Saints.

Most American children barely touch the Constitution in school―and when they do, they get little more than a checklist of dates and names. Yet our freedom depends on understanding this remarkable document. Tara Ross has written two new books about the American founding and the Constitution that explain these amazing events at a level kids can understand, but with an extraordinary level of detail. She joins us.

Further Reading

Tara’s website

Follow Tara on Substack

Follow Tara on X

We Created a Country: The Story of Our Constitution

Guest Info

Tara Ross is the author of We Created a Country: The Story of Our Constitution and We Fought for Freedom: The Story of Our American Revolution she is a retired lawyer and a former Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Review of Law & Politics. She obtained her B.A. from Rice University and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. She resides in Dallas with her husband and children.

Ever since World War II, a controversy has raged about Pope Pius XII. Was the Pope who had shepherded the Church through the war a Nazi sympathizer? Was he, as some have dared call him, Hitler's pope? Did he do nothing to help the Jewish people in the grips of the Holocaust? We talk with Ron Rychlak.

Further Reading

Hitler, the War, and the Pope, Revised and Expanded

Guest Info

Ronald J. Rychlak is an American lawyer, jurist, author and political commentator. He is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law and is holder of the Jamie L. Whitten Chair in Law and Government. He is the author of Hitler, the War and the Pope.

Our culture has placed a massive value on being busy, constantly involved in events and activities. But this comes at a price – families have no time to spend together or pray together. Greg Popcak has some solutions.

Further Reading

Catholic Households on Mission

Guest Info

Dr Greg Popcak is the founder and director of CatholicCounselors.com, a group pastoral telecounseling practice providing faithful help to Catholics dealing with personal, emotional and relationship problems. He is also the former chair of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies program at Holy Apostles College and Seminary and an adjunct professor of psychology and graduate theology at Franciscan. Together with his wife, Lisa, he is the author of over 20 books integrating insights from counseling psychology and the timeless wisdom of our Catholic faith. They are also the developers of the CatholicHOM app, a resource helping Catholic families thrive.

Dr. Greg and Lisa are the hosts of More2Life, a call in advice program airing weekdays at 10am E and produced by Ave Maria Radio and carried across the EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network.

Thomas More is well known for his refusal to sign the Act of Succession and silence when asked why he chose to do so. But from his prison cell in the Tower of London, he launched a prolific campaign in writing to rebuke Henry VIII’s claims. Travis Curtwright joins us.

Further Reading

The Controversial Thomas More Politics, Polemics, and Prison Writings

Guest Info

Travis Curtwright is the author of the Controversial Thomas More: Politics, Polemics, and Prison Writings. He chairs the Humanities Department at Ave Maria University