Kresta in the Afternoon

Christ’s Passion was much more than a tragic Roman execution. It was the fulfilment of ancient Jewish prophecies of a wedding, when the God of the universe would wed himself to humankind in an everlasting nuptial covenant. Christ becomes the Bridegroom to his Bride, the Church. We dive into Holy Week and Jewish Tradition with Brant Pitre.

Two Vatican departments issued a joint statement today decreeing that the “doctrine of discovery” – the idea that the discovery of lands by settlers gave the settlers exclusive right to those lands – is not part of Catholic teaching. The statement also affirmed the dignity and rights of indigenous peoples. Matthew Bunson has more.

As Mel Gibson was filming the Passion, Fr John Bartunek had a special role: he was on-set to provide spiritual support and theological insights for the development of the film. He joins us today with his thoughts on the film and reflections on how we can grow closer to Christ this Holy Week.

The indictment of former President Trump brings to mind a lot of important questions. Why do we have the law in the first place? From whence does it come? Why do we say nobody is above the law? What happens when people lose respect for the Law? Al discusses.

Holy Week is nigh and are preparing to commemorate our Lord’s passion and sacrifice for us. Those who have seen Mel Gibson’s film know just how horrific Christ’s final hours were. Dr Tom McGovern joins us to take a close look at what Christ suffered, while also offering rich spiritual insights to help you walk along with our Lord as we prepare to celebrate the Triduum.  

Palm Sunday is upon us already. In the Gospel, we’ll hear Matthew’s account of the Passion and Death of Christ. But we will also hear a reading at the beginning

The tragedy in Nashville breaks our hearts, and everywhere we look we see stories of pain, illness, heartbreak and death. But it is in this environment that we are challenged to form hearts and bring people to Christ. Every Eucharist challenges us to remember who God has created us to be. Al shares some thoughts.

On Ash Wednesday, hundreds of Catholics filled the Holy Cross Parish in the Bronx. They were there to sing, to pray, and to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. They spent the whole night praising God – and that’s only the beginning of the story. Fr. Vincent Druding, the parish’s parochial vicar, tells us more. 

We’re starting to learn more about the tragic shooting in Nashville and it’s becoming clear that the shooter wanted the public to know her motivations. But does the press want to do the leg work? What happens when a member of a community typically seen as oppressed becomes the oppressor? Terry Mattingly is our guest.

The Eucharistic Revival is happening in a world that has heard the Gospel and rejected it. After the shooting at a Christian school in Nashville, some pundits on Twitter mockingly asked if the students simply weren’t praying enough. And a recent survey by the Wall Street Journal found that less than 40% of Americans consider religion to be very important, compared with more than 60% in 1998. Yet, we can see signs of the work God is doing. We talk more about it with Tim Glemkowski.