Ireland’s patron saint has long been shrouded in legend, but the true story of St. Patrick is far more inspiring than the myths. Philip Freeman joins us to bring the historic Patrick and his world vividly to life.

Further Reading

St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography

Guest Info

Philip Freeman is professor of humanities at Pepperdine University’s Seaver College. He is the author of St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography.

Ed Clancy of Aid to the Church in Need has an update on how the war in Iran is impacting the area’s Christian population.

Guest Info

Edward F. Clancy is the outreach director of Aid to the Church in Need-USA

It’s easy for Catholics in the West to take for granted the myriad of resources available to them, and their freedom to worship and to express and grow deeper in their faith. During his time in Taiwan, Marcus encountered people who grew up in a society dominated by the Chinese Communist Party, where the human person is merely a cog in the administrative machine. He shares more.

Further Reading

Why I’m in Taiwan Right Now

Apostles of the Digital Continent

Jesus is the Only Answer to Our Global Decay

The Global Hunger for Bold Evangelists

Marcus’ Taiwan Videos

Every Archbishop of New York has been Irish by either birth or heritage. Each in their own way, these “sons of Saint Patrick” have been saints and sinners, politicians and pastors, and movers and shakers who have shaped the city and the nation. George Marlin joins us with their stories.

Further Reading

Sons of Saint Patrick: A History of the Archbishops of New York, from Dagger John to Timmytown

America and the Sons of St. Patrick

Guest Info

George J. Marlin is Chairman of Aid to the Church in Need U.S.A. A former Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, he is a contributing editor to the Catholic Thing, and the author or editor of several books including Sons of Saint Patrick A History of the Archbishops of New York, from Dagger John to Timmytown.

Last week Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat scored 83 points in a single game, the second-highest total in NBA history. When asked to describe the moment, he said “Man, I wish I could relive it twice. I credit God, my family, my teammates, this crowd.” It’s common for athletes to thank God in the big moments – crossing themselves after home runs and pointing to the sky after touchdowns. We talk more with Michael Pakaluk.

Further Reading

Athletes Acknowledging God

Follow Michael on Substack

Guest Info

Michael Pakaluk, an Aristotle scholar and Ordinarius of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, is Professor of Political Economy in the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America. He lives in Hyattsville, MD with his wife Catherine, also a professor at the Busch School, and their children. His collection of essays, The Shock of Holiness (Ignatius Press) is now available. His book on Christian friendship, The Company We Keep, is now available from Scepter Press. He was a contributor to Natural Law: Five Views, published by Zondervan last May, and his most recent Gospel book came out with Regnery Gateway in March, Be Good Bankers: The Economic Interpretation of Matthew’s Gospel. You may follow him on Substack at Michael Pakaluk.

How did St. Patrick’s Day devolve from a day honoring a heroic missionary to a day associated with binge drinking and debauchery? In his youth, Marcus struggled with alcohol. He reflects on the association St. Patrick’s Day has with binge drinking, what the church says about drinking, and how the real St Patrick can be a virtuous model for us all.

The Catholic Church teaches that the grounds for our justification is our interior state of holiness, which God brings about within us when we are initially saved. For a Catholic, God reckons a believer to be justified because he has freely and gratuitously brought about interior state of righteousness in the believer. This stands in contrast to the Reformed tradition of Protestantism, which denies that our interior state of holiness is the ground of justification. We take a closer look with Karlo Broussard.

Further Reading

You’re Not Ungodly Anymore

Karlo’s website

Karlo’s YouTube Channel

Book: Salvation Is From the Catholic Church

Book: Meeting The Protestant Challenge

Book: Meeting The Protestant Response

Guest Info

Karlo Broussard, DPhil., a native of Southern Louisiana, left a promising musical career to devote himself full-time to the work of Catholic apologetics. As a staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers, and a member of the chancery evangelization team at the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma, he travels the country and the diocese giving talks on apologetics, biblical studies, theology, and philosophy. Karlo is a regular guest on Catholic Answers Live and frequent contributor to Catholic Answers Magazine Online. He is an adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville as well as an adjunct Professor of Apologetics at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.

When Sister Theres Hong Phuoc Tran teaches mental health workshops at Catholic parishes, schools and religious congregations, she uses a simple verse from Scripture – Mark 12:30 – to illustrate the different components of wellness. She joins us to talk about it.

Further Reading

America’s Mental Health Crisis and the Religious Sister Who’s Confronting It in California

Lovers of the Holy Cross

Guest Info

Sister Theres Hong Phuoc Tran was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and immigrated to the United States at age 11. In 2003, she joined the Lovers of the Holy Cross, a predominantly Vietnamese community whose motherhouse is in Los Angeles. Visit lhcla.org.

One of the deepest wounds of modernity is the loss of a sacramental worldview, leading to a society that sees the material world as either meaningless or utilitarian. Marcus discusses.

When Christians of any age or denomination debate the nature of the good life, the soul, or free will, their thought process is based on Aristotelian principles. Though not a Christian himself, Aristotle made full use of general revelation to arrive at deep truths about the nature of God, human identity, and the universe. We explore his thought with Louis Markos.

Further Reading

From Aristotle to Christ: How Aristotelian Thought Clarified the Christian Faith

Guest Info

Louis Markos is the author most recently of From Aristotle to Christ: How Aristotelian Thought Clarified the Christian Faith. He is professor of English at Houston Christian University, where he also holds the Robert Ray Chair in Humanities. His other books include Atheism on Trial and From Plato to Christ: How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith. Follow him on X @loumarkos