Kresta in the Afternoon

The 45 men who have served as President of the United States have held a wide variety of beliefs about religion, faith, God and Christianity. And these beliefs have greatly influenced their approach to policy. On this president’s day we’ll discuss it with Gary Scott Smith.

For more than a week, a non-stop worship service has been going at Asbury University in Kentucky. These Revival services are fairly common in some Protestant circles, but they aren’t something Catholics tend to be familiar with. Al takes a look at what’s going on.

You might have grown up with an image of masculinity defined by tough guys like Clint Eastwood or Sylvester Stallone. These men had courage, backbone, guts…and “grit.” But grit isn’t enough to satisfy the longing of our soul – we have to trust God and follow His call to be Holy. We talk more with Paul George.

Next week six Red Rose Rescuers, including Monica Miller, will go on trial. Monica has the latest.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that Hell is a “State of definitive self-exclusion.” We talk more about what this means with Regis Martin.

Angels are all around us. But they are much more than New Age sprites or cartoonish Valentine cherubs. They are powerful beings created by God to reflect His light. They are our guardians in spiritual battle. We talk with Msgr. Brian Bransfield.

February 15 marked the anniversary of the 1964 death of Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange. Don’t feel bad if the name doesn’t ring a bell. Fr. Lagrange was an enormously influential theologian during his day, but he’s been largely forgotten. We get to know him with Matthew Minerd.

In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus gives us one of the most challenging commands if we are to be His disciples: we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. And more importantly, we must forgive them. Peggy Stanton has personal experience with the liberating power of forgiveness – she joins us.

The community at Michigan State University is still reeling from Monday night’s shooting, which left three students dead and five others seriously injured. Two of the students, Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner, belonged to Catholic parishes in Metro Detroit, and those parishes have been helping the community to grieve. Fr. Jim Bilot of St. Paul on the Lake Parish joins us.

The death toll from the Earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey last week has topped 40,000. More than 100,000 are injured and more than 2 million people have been displaced. A Christian community already facing challenges has been devastated. Aid to the Church In Needs' Ed Clancy joins us.