Kresta in the Afternoon

Colonial Catholics were viewed with great suspicion. Many thinkers of the time doubted Catholics’ ability to separate country from pope, and thus declared them to be “dangerous until proven loyal.” Yet Catholics went on to sign the Declaration of Independence and helped draft the First Amendment. We talk with Michael Breidenbach about how those colonial Catholics transformed the idea of liberty.

Catholics recognize May as the month of Mary, and this Sunday we’ll also celebrate Mother’s Day. Why do Catholics make so much of Mary? What do you say to Protestants who are concerned that Marian devotion takes away from our focus on Christ? Al discusses.

Denver’s Archbishop Samuel Aquila has written once again to the head of the German bishops’ conference, reiterating that the country’s Synodal path challenges the deposit of faith. Matthew Bunson joins us with this and other Church news.

The potential that Roe v. Wade could be reversed has of course sparked intense reactions from pro-abortion activists. The whole idea of abortion is based on big cultural lies. Al discusses with Peter Herbeck.

We’ve said before that abortion is the great moral issue of this age, just as race was the great moral issue of the last age. But when the Supreme Court overturned Segregation laws, America’s elite rightly rejoiced – the opposite of how they will react to the overturning of Roe. To engage in this battle, we must begin with prayer. Al discusses.

In December 2015, Petr Jasek traveled to Sudan to evaluate how his ministry could help persecuted Christians there. He planned to be back home within a few days. But as he prepared to board his return flight, he was summoned for questioning by Sudanese security agents. He would spend the next 445 days in prison and would share a cell with ISIS fighters. He shares his story.

Have you ever promised to pray for a friend who is going through a difficult time, only to see them a few weeks later and realize you've forgotten. Prayer is sometimes the only way we can really help, but does it ever feel like it's not enough. Al has some thoughts.

Today, America recognizes the National Day of Prayer. But what does a national day of prayer look like in a nation that has rejected the idea of an organized religion? And how does the decline in confessional Christianity correlate with the rise in identity politics? Jody Bottum takes a deep dive into the religious experience in 21st Century America.

On May 2, we celebrate the Feast of Athanasius of Alexandria, who lived during a period of fundamental change for the Roman Empire and the Christian Church following Constantine’s conversion. As a bishop and theologian he played a central role in shaping Christianity in these crucial formative years, culminating in his defense of the Nicene Creed against the Arian heresy. We look at his influence with Dr David Gwynn.

Peggy Stanton was one of the first female news correspondents in Washington, DC, and was living there as a young mother when Roe v Wade was decided. She shares her memories of the time and also examines what the Catechism has to say about abortion.