Kresta in the Afternoon

We are born with an inherent understanding of right and wrong - it's one of the things that sets us apart from the rest of Creation. But the world we live in - one that no longer acknowledges even something as basic as the nature of gender - constantly interferes with this understanding. How can we regain our moral compass? We talk with Gerard Verschuurenabout reacquainting our moral judgement.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is re-inventing the story of St. Joan of Arc in an upcoming production called “I, Joan,” in which the French Catholic heroine will be portrayed as a non-binary “queer” character who refers to herself with “they/them” pronouns. For medieval scholar Rachel Fulton Brown, nothing could be more boring. She explains why.

What if we were able to gain profound insight into the unique design, creative drive, and potential destiny of the people in our lives? We are all called to holiness, but we are called to implement it in different ways. How can cultivating our own vocation and call to holiness help us with the mess we are in? We talk with Josh Miller.

Do you see your work as simply a job – or does it change who you are as a person on mission? Al discusses.

In the year 1140, in a cathedral in France, a showdown occurred between two of the era's greatest minds: Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter Abelard. Bernard had accused Peter of heresy, a charge for which he had the power to order Peter executed. Few people know about this small but significant episode in Christian history. Jon Sweeney joins us to shed a light on their clash.

A popular figure in literature is the “strong, silent man,” – a man of few words but great deeds. This certainly describes St. Joseph. He’s one of our most popular saints today, but for centuries artists virtually ignored him. The artwork we do have of St Joseph show him in a wide variety of styles, but always as a man we can turn to. We look at some examples with Liz Lev.

When we think of iconic American landmarks, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the Lincoln Memorial, Mt. Rushmore, or the Grand Canyon. But have you ever thought of American Catholic landmarks? Kevin Schmiesing is our guest as we journey through American Catholic history and meet some of the people and places that made our country the place it is today.

In 1997, a study found that a vast majority of Catholic catechetical materials in the United States were doctrinally deficient. It’s a symptom of what Pope Emeritus Benedict has called the “Catastrophic Collapse of Catechesis.” But there have been improvements. And today more than 70 bishops from all over the world released a letter directed at the German bishops, warning them of the harmful effects of the Synodal path. Al discuses.

We continue a discussion from last week with Fr. John Riccardo, looking at the Rescue Project and what it means to say we are Rescued by Christ.

With all the focus on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, less attention has been given to the work Catholics are doing to assist refugees there. Fr. Marek Machala joins us to share the work he is doing in Poland to help Ukrainian refugees and how you can support him in his efforts.