Kresta in the Afternoon

Today marks the anniversary of two dark moments in our history: the FBI raid on the Branch Davidian compound, and the subsequent bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Al shares some thoughts on what we can learn.

The Resurrection is the single greatest event in human history. Without it, Christianity loses all meaning. Even among skeptics and those who reject Christianity, there are elements of Jesus’ life and Resurrection that are beyond dispute. We’ll talk about it with Justin Bass.

As Catholics, we honor the dead in our Liturgy through the Rite of Christian burial because when Christ took on flesh for the salvation of our souls he also bestowed great dignity on our bodies. Our bodies have been made by a God who loves us. Even in death, those bodies point to the mystery of our salvation. As we celebrate the great mystery of the Resurrection, we talk with Scott Hahn.

On Holy Thursday we commemorate the first Mass, recognizing Jesus as our Great High Priest. But did Jesus intend for the priesthood to continue, or was it merely a feature of the Old Covenant? John Bergsma joins us with a look at the roots of the priesthood.

When Jesus died on the cross, nobody thought him a hero. His movement was over. Nothing had changed. This was what Rome did best. Caesar was still on his throne and death once again had the last word. Except in this case it didn't. Jesus' followers came up with the shocking claim that his death had launched a revolution. They believed that God had suddenly put into operation His plan for the rescue of the world. It was the day the Revolution began. NT Wright joins us.

Christ’s Passion was much more than a tragic Roman execution. It was the fulfilment of ancient Jewish prophecies of a wedding, when the God of the universe would wed himself to humankind in an everlasting nuptial covenant. Christ becomes the Bridegroom to his Bride, the Church. We dive into Holy Week and Jewish Tradition with Brant Pitre.

Leadership problems from our bishops is not a new challenge for the Church – it can be traced all the way back to the writings of St Paul. And yet, the Church has prevailed. Why? Al discusses.

We all know the story of Christ’s Passion. But have we ever really stopped to think about the people and places that appear in the story? What did they look like? What is the significance of details we hear about the Agony in the Garden or the trial before Pilate? We take a virtual tour of Christ’s Passion with Steve Ray.

As Mel Gibson was filming the Passion, Fr John Bartunek had a special role: he was on-set to provide spiritual support and theological insights for the development of the film. He joins us today with his thoughts on the film and reflections on how we can grow closer to Christ this Holy Week

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.