Since late December, protests have swept across Iran against the Islamic Republic government. Hundreds have reportedly been killed, and President Trump says the US is “looking at its options.” Alberto Fernandez has the details.

Further Reading

Iran acknowledges mass protest deaths, but claims situation under control as Trump mulls response

Will the Regime in Iran Fall? History Offers Some Clues.

Pope Leo XIV Condemns Violence in Iran, Syria, and Ukraine

Follow Alberto on X

Guest Info

Ambassador Alberto M. Fernandez is vice-president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and a Contributor to EWTN News and the National Catholic Register. He served as the U.S. State Department’s coordinator for the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications from 2012 to 2015, retiring from the State Department in May 2015. Follow him on X at @AlbertoMiguelF5.

In a letter to her spiritual brother Maurice Belliere, St. Therese wrote how she was profoundly affected by Joan of Arc and felt that she, too, was called to great things. Is the Lord calling you in the same way? Sean Breeden joins us to invite you to an immersive woman’s retreat experience to awaken your contemplative heart and warrior spirit.

Learn about the Retreat

Guest Info

Sean Breeden is the General Sales Manager for Ave Maria Radio and the founder and director of the Warriors of St Michael. He is also the founder and director of Warriors of St. Michael men’s ministry and an avid lover of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Joan of Arc. Learn more at thereseandjoan.com

This week is the 250th anniversary of the publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. It became an instant bestseller and helped fan the flames of America’s revolutionary movement. Marcus has more.

Further Reading

The Revolution’s First Hot Take

When St. Peter answered Jesus’ challenge to step out of the boat and walk on water, he briefly seemed to defy the very laws of nature. Standing upon the waves without support, Peter manifested the ultimate source of man’s support, both metaphysically and spiritually. We discuss God as the source of Nature and Grace with Thomas Kronholz.

Further Reading

Supported Without Support: Providence in Nature and Grace

Guest Info

Thomas J. Kronholz is a systematic theologian, author, and classical pianist. He holds advanced degrees in systematic theology from Notre Dame Graduate School at Christendom College and classical piano from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of Make Our Hearts Like Yours: Daily Meditations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, available from Our Sunday Visitor, and co-author of Mystery of the Altar: Daily Meditations on the Eucharist under the pen name Joseph Crownwood. His writings have appeared in the New Oxford Review on both theology and art.

This Sunday’s Gospel recounts the story of John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan. The heavens open, and God declares Jesus to be His beloved son. Marcus unpacks the readings.

This week Phillip Yancey, an internationally-known speaker and bestselling Christian author, announced his retirement from public ministry due to an extended affair with a married woman. Tragically, it’s yet another example of a prominent Christian leader failing to live by the standards they preach. What lessons can we learn from these failures? Dr. Dave Anders joins us.

Guest Info

Dr. David Anders is a Catholic catechist, speaker, and writer living in Birmingham, Alabama. He also hosts the EWTN Radio Program Called to Communion.

Do you know a young woman who is discerning religious life? The Servants of God Love are hosting a Day in the Life of a Sister retreat on January 17. Join them for a day of prayer, ministry, and mission! Sr. Lisa Zelfa joins us.

Click here to learn more and register

Guest Info

Sr Lisa Zelfa serves on the vocations team for the Servants of Gods Love and is the Director of Campus Ministry for St John the Baptist in Ypsilanti. You can visit servantsofgodslove.net and email [email protected] to learn more about the retreat.

On Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Jesus’ Baptism. But why did a perfect man need baptism at all? The answer begins with an understanding of the immense significance of the Jordan River. Marcus discusses Jesus’ baptism and how we should respond in our own hearts.

Six years ago, the world was becoming enraptured with the COVID pandemic. In the years since then, there’s been an election, the rise of AI, numerous social media scandals, and other viral stories. Whatever the next “New Thing” will be is anyone’s guess, but we can safely say it will consume our attention and generate fresh anxieties over how it will upend our lives. David Bonagura puts things in perspective.

Further Reading

Eternal Precepts for Navigating Newfangled Things

David’s website

In comments sections and emails, Marcus has been accused of being both a socialist and a captialist apologist, a MAGA sellout and a Democrat spokesman, and a “lily-white racist” and Uncle Tom. Such accusations are almost inevitable, as Catholic political theology does not fit neatly in with any major American party, but it also shows the levels to which our public discourse has sunk. Marcus has more.