Kresta in the Afternoon

When natives of third-world countries visit the West, they often comment on how uncomfortable many westerners are with talking about death. We know it happens to everyone, but we're afraid and hide from the very idea of it. For some, this has even led to transhumanist efforts to "conquer" death. But that's not what God the Father wants us to do. For Christians, death is not something to fear - it is something to embrace. We'll talk about it with Monica Hannan.

The 1965 hit song "It's My Life," performed by the Animals, expressed the angst of a generation, proclaiming "It's my life and I'll do what I want. It's my mind and I'll think what I want." For composer Carl D'Errico, it's a deeply personal statement that reflects a crucial step on his journey from despair to Christian hope. Carl shares his story with us.

What does it mean to believe that God is love, and what does it mean for the church of Jesus Christ to live this love? Extravagant love is costly. It was won at the great price of Christ's sacrifice; thus, its value is beyond words. John Armstrong joins us with a look at the path to Christian unity.

You've probably heard of "life hacks," little tricks you can use to make everyday tasks more efficient. What if we had life hacks for our prayer lives? Well, that's what Patti Armstrong has given us. She joins us.

Nordic Catholic bishops have issued an open letter expressing alarm at the direction of the German Synodal way. The letter also warns against “capitulation to the Zeitgeist” and “an impoverishment of the content of our faith.” We look at this and other church news with Matthew Bunson.

We talked in the last hour about the religious experience Ernest Shackleton had as he hiked over a mountain to reach help for his stranded shipmates. Religious experiences are common in human history. Al looks it over.

Ever since the early 1960s, the Vatican has been infatuated with the idea of a bilateral entente with Russian Orthodoxy. Whatever its noble intentions, that has been a fool’s errand. George Weigel joins us with his latest thoughts on this and other news out of Ukraine.

This week the New York Times published an article claiming that the Texas Heartbeat Act has had only a marginal effect on the number of abortions that Texas women have obtained. But according to the most recent data, Texas reported a large decline in the in-state abortion rate after the law took effect in September. Michael New joins us.

Researchers have found the wreck of the Endurance, the ship used by Ernest Shackleton on his doomed Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Shackleton and his men returned from that voyage in one of the century's great survival stories and he attributed it to "Providence." What does that mean? Al discusses.

For two weeks now, the world has been focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and people of all faiths have joined in praying for the Ukrainian people. But what happens when the news cycle inevitably moves on to the next world event? Will we continue to pray for them when the story isn’t at the front of our minds? We talk with Randall Smith.