Kresta in the Afternoon

Everywhere you look, the world is asking us where we find our identity, whether it be in race, nationality, political allegiance, or sexual orientation. What happens when we rediscover an identity that is rooted in Jesus? We sit down with Fr. John Riccardo.

Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of Saint John of the Cross, the Church's premier teacher on contemplative prayer. He authored four massive treatises on the Spiritual life, helped Teresa of Avila renew the Carmelite order, and was a favorite of Therese of Lisieux. Such work demands to be better understood, but it can be intimidating. Fr. Donald Haggerty helps us out.

There has been a lot of talk in the Catholic world over the past year on the concept of synodality, most notably in Germany, and there’s reason for concern about where these synods could go. Would a “Lay Synod” be a solution to the Church’s problems? Jason Negri joins us.

The famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast we celebrate today, has become a powerful cultural icon associated with motherhood, feminism, social justice, dignity and hope. But for Dr. John Bruchalski, she represents something more personal. It was through her intercession during that the Lord called him to turn away from performing elective abortions and to practice life-affirming medicine. He shares his story.

A new law in Indonesia, set to go into effect in 2025, will prohibit sex outside of marriage and cohabitation and applies not only to citizens but also to tourists. Most of the reaction globally has focused on how this may hurt the country’s tourism industry – but why should we care? Robert Reilly weighs in.

Ben Rogers first went to China just a few years after the Tiananmen Square Massacre. He planned to spend six months teaching English and then move on with his life. Little did he know he would spend the next 30 years closely studying the country and the CCP. He shares his memories and lessons with us.

This Sunday's Gospel continues the story of John the Baptist. Now in jail, John sends messengers to Jesus to ask if He is the one who was promised. We take a locser look with Peggy Stanton.

Many grandparents today are concerned about the world their grandkids are growing up in. You want to pray for your grandkids and assist them however you can - but maybe you aren't sure where to start. What if we approached the role of the grandparent as a form of youth worker? Mike Shaughnessy joins us.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was one of the great souls of the twentieth century. A survivor of World War II, cancer, and 11 years in captivity in the Soviet Gulag, he exposed the true nature of Soviet brutality to the Western world. December 11 is the anniversary of his birth and we are looking back at his life with David Deavel.

The Michigan State Supreme Court recently redefined sex discriminations laws to protect sexual orientation and gender identity. This could pose a problem for institutions who want to hire employees that pledge to live by a certain code of values, especially Catholic institutions who want their employees to publicly uphold Church teachings. St. Joseph Parish has filed a lawsuit against the State Attorney General, and we talk with Lori Windham about what happens now.