Kresta in the Afternoon

St John Paul II wrote an encyclical called Ut Unum Sint, or - That They May Be One. Its focus was Christian reunion - he knew division in the body of Christ was an impediment to the expression of the Gospel. Dr Mary Healy joins us to talk about what ecumenism looks like today for Catholics and other Christians.

Late last year a professor from the University of Oslo published an article proposing “Whole Body Gestational Donation,” in which women who have been declared brain-dead could be used as “whole-body surrogates” for gestating babies. The author argues that there is no significant ethical difference between keeping a brain-dead person alive so their organs can be donated, and the procedure she is proposing. Is this just a think piece, or is it something that could catch on? Jennifer Lahl joins us.

Far too many Christians have succumbed to sharing a “feel-good, watered-down” Gospel that, ultimately, is indistinguishable from the messages of the wider world and ends in submission to the world. But there is another way – by engaging in the lost art of spiritual warfare we can confront evil rather than try to coexist with it. Fr Dwight Longenecker joins us with more.

We probably all know someone who has struggled with depression. We want to help, but it can be hard to know where to start. Al has experienced this firsthand, as he was hospitalized twice for depression back in the 1980s. He sits down with Dr. Ray Guarendi to recount the story and how he was able to find hope.

Today it is widely accepted that Shakespeare was raised in a devoutly Catholic family at a time when the practice of the Faith was illegal. Blessed John Henry Newman wrote that Shakespeare had “so little of a Protestant about him that Catholics have been able, without extravagance, to claim him as their own.” As this week marks the anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, death and baptism, we’ll take a look at how he expressed his faith. Joe Pearce joins us.

A recent challenge facing our approach to public discourse has been a changing understanding to the meaning of Knowledge. What we can “know” has become

Michelle Paine was raised in a devout Christian home, and outside of the Christmas season she didn’t give Mary much thought. That began to change when she spent a year studying Art History in Italy, where Marian imagery was everywhere. She shares how encountering Mary through art helped her find her way to the Church.

Paragraph 1131 of the Catechism defines the sacraments as efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” Finding a metaphor to illustrate this definition can be challenging. David Fagerberg joins us to help understand what the sacraments really are.

The story of abortion in America extends far beyond the 50-year lifespan of Roe vs Wade. It’s been a part of American history since the beginning. Leah Savas walks us through the cultural and legal history of abortion in America from 1652 to today.

“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them what referred to Him in all the Scriptures.” So goes the story of the Road to Emmaus – arguably the greatest Bible study ever. What would it have been like to listen in on that conversation? What kinds of references would Jesus have mentioned? We talk with Dr. John Bergsma.