Kresta in the Afternoon

May may be the “official” Month of Mary, but December is a special month as well. With the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Guadalupe, not to mention Christmas, it’s an ideal time to rediscover what the Gospels say about our Blessed Mother. William Albrecht and Fr. Christiaan Kappes join us.

St. Augustine said that "the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is fulfilled in the New." The early Church Fathers saw every part of Scripture as linked to every other part, and the Blessed Mother's role in Scripture is no exception. In what ways can we find Marian imagery in the Old Testament? We talk with Sandra Miesel.

Some Biblical scholars like to question how much the New Testament can tell us about the Blessed Mother. She doesn't appear much and speaks on limited occasions. Is there really reason to believe what we do about Mary? We talk with Ed Sri.

Jesus wants to speak to you—365 days a year. Each day, he meets you right where you are. Through Jesus, you are reminded that God is good, that he provides for you, and that he longs to speak to the deepest desires of your heart. Lucy Scholand joins us with thoughts on how we can meet Jesus every day.

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, but communism didn’t. One hundred years after the Bolshevik Revolution, one-fifth of the world’s population still lives under single-party communist regimes in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam. And in the West, more and more people are expressing favorable attitudes towards communism and socialism. In times such as this, we must remember the stories of the victims of Communism. Ambassador Andrew Bremberg joins us.

December 6 was the anniversary of the explosion of the Mont-Blanc, a World War I munitions ship, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was the largest non-nuclear, manmade explosion in recorded history and devastated the entire town. But from this tragic story arose incredible stories of heroism. John U Bacon joins us.

Protests have swept Iran in the months since the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s Morality Police and the Iranian soccer team has reportedly faced backlash for showing support for the protests before their World Cup match. Reports surfaced over the weekend that the country would be abolishing the Morality Police – are they? What are the implications if they do? Michael Rubin is our guest.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas of Myra, also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. Considering how famous he is, it’s surprising how little we actually know about him. How did he become the inspiration for the modern-day Santa? And did he really punch a heretic? Dr. Ines Murzaku joins us.

Do you love Christmas music, but feel like you’ve heard the same few albums a thousand times? Scythian has the solution. Their new album Christmas Out at Sea combines classic Christmas songs with traditional sea shanties for an experience like no other. Dan Fedoryka tells us about it.

For the second year in a row Nigeria has been left off of the U.S. State Department’s list of countries that engage in or tolerate the world’s worst religious freedom violations, despite regular reports of kidnappings and killings of Christians. We talk with Ed Clancy, who also gives us a view of the lives of Christians in Qatar.