Kresta in the Afternoon

In today’s Gospel, Christ tells us to anoint our head and wash our face when fasting, so that only the Father knows what we are doing. Does this contradict the act of putting ashes on our head? Al discusses this and much more in a special Ash Wednesday commentary.

Archbishop Gudziak has returned from Europe and today celebrated an Ash Wednesday Mass with Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington. He joins us with his thoughts on the latest developments in Ukraine.

“There will be a war. Russia will become a godless country. The Ukraine, as a nation, will suffer terribly for eighty years, will have to live through the world wars, but it will be free afterwards.” These were the words heard by twenty-two Ukrainian farmers in the village of Hrushiv in 1914 when they saw the Blessed Mother appear near the Church of the Holy Trinity. We dive into the story with Peggy Stanton.

President Biden delivered his first State of the Union address last night. He called once again for Unity, but one element of his speech stands in the way of that unity. Al explains.

"How can someone as smart as you believe in something like that?" Most scientists today who are public about their faith in Christ have faced a question along those lines. Ian Hutchinson still remembers when a fellow MIT professors asked him many years ago. The answer is crucial, and it isn't restricted to just scientists. He joins us with more.

The Church’s primary formation documents promote a strong, healthy relationship between the spiritual and psychological dimensions of our identities as Christians. We talk with Br. John Mark Falkenhain about this connection and how to address spiritual and mental health challenges.

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most beautifully-written and theologically-dense books of the New Testament. It shows how the Old Covenant finds its fulfillment in Christ and calls upon its readers to maintain their faith despite persecution. This single epistle contains the basis for several core Catholic beliefs. We'll take a look with Shane Kapler.

The mainstream press has presented the invasion of Ukraine as the work of a madman, bent on domination, attacking an innocent bystander. And while Putin's actions should be condemned, there are elements to the story that are being ignored. Al explains.

A new EWTN film “To Believe” gives an inside look at what life was like under Communist rule in Ukraine. This hour-long film presents the true story of Father Sebastian Sabudzinski and the families in his small Catholic parish during the Communist persecution. The film has long been in production and was set to premiere in June, but is airing now in light of the Russian invasion. Doug Keck joins us.

This weekend the United States and its allies agreed to remove several major Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging system and further sanctions against Russia's central bank were announced this morning. Will these sanctions work? How might they affect our own economy? Chadd Garcia joins us.