Kresta in the Afternoon

An already-damaged section of grain silos in Beirut collapsed Tuesday after a fire slowly burned in the block for weeks when grains trapped inside ignited. The silos were first damaged in the 2020 blast that killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands, and destroyed more than 70 thousand apartments. We talk again with Fr. John Tayar, who is returning to Beirut this weekend.

We probably all know someone who has lost a friend or loved one very suddenly – maybe in a car accident or heart attack. In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us of this: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” What does it mean to live a ready life? Al opens up the Scriptures for the answer.

Peter Flies was raised Catholic, but lost faith when he discovered drinking. He was into sports and church, but those interests shifted to drinking and books. Years later, he would find himself sitting in a police car after being pulled over for driving under the influence. He tells us why that day was the best day of his life.

George Orwell once observed that “At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas of which it is assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question.” What does this “orthodoxy” look like today? What so-called truths are we all supposed to accept? Al discusses.

Is religion a right given to us by the state? Is it an opium for the masses? Is it private opinion with no role in the public sphere? Secularists claim that religion is merely a private matter, personally engaging but socially irrelevant. They may concede that a little bit of faith can be helpful, but you should mostly keep it to yourself. Religion, modern secularists say, is irrelevant to modern justice and law. Scott Hahn joins us with his rebuttal.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the first saint from the Americas, St Rose of Lima. Though she only lived to be 31, she is an incredible model of following the sufferings of Christ. Jessica Keating Floyd tells her story.

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.

Pro-life groups in Michigan have filed a challenge against a pro-abortion petition that would make abortion constitutionally protected in the state. In their challenge, they cite serious errors in the language of the bill. Genevieve Marnon of Right to Life of Michigan joins us.

After keeping him on house arrest for two weeks, Nicaraguan police forced their way into the home of Bishop Rolando Alvarez on Friday and abducted him. In an issued statement, the police said the action was to “recover normality for the residents and families of Matagalpa” and that the bishop would have continued with “destabilizing and provocative activities” if they had not intervened. Ed Clancy has the latest.

We’re living at a time when it’s presumed that our political opponents are stupid, ignorant, or evil. And for that, they must be canceled or shamed. Al shares some examples, including the riot on January 6.