Kresta in the Afternoon

Even before the pandemic, it was easy to browse through the news headlines and find yourself asking “where is God?” Most of us have probably experienced this time of spiritual dryness, sometimes called the Dark Night of the Soul. St. John of the Cross explored this in a poem of the same name. We talk with Dr. John Love.

Christ has established the Church on earth and with its rich array of sacraments, prayers and teachings it is fertile ground for profound Christian conversion. But no true conversion is purely spiritual. It must bear fruit in our daily lives. Fr. Robert Spitzer returns with a further look at moral transformation, drawing from everything from the Writings of Ignatius to Modern Psychology.

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.

At 9:25 am on September 11, the Department of Transportation ordered US airspace closed. Thousands of planes suddenly had no place to go. 38 of them were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. The tightly-knit community of less than 10,000 suddenly found itself playing host to nearly 7,000 scared and confused travelers. What followed was an incredible display of love and humanity on one of the world’s darkest days. Jim Defede shares the story.

In the weeks following the terrorist attacks, firefighter Tom Colucci attended the funerals of several of his friends and coworkers. While present at them, an old thought returned to his mind: “Why don’t I become a priest?” He joins us.

Is religion a right given to us by the state? Is it an opium for the masses? Is it private opinion with no role in the public sphere? Secularists claim that religion is merely a private matter, personally engaging but socially irrelevant. They may concede that a little bit of faith can be helpful, but you should mostly keep it to yourself.  Religion, modern secularists say, is irrelevant to modern justice and law. Scott Hahn joins us with his rebuttal.

You probably remember the stories of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans. And now there is a similar tragedy coming out of the UK – a 2-year-old girl named Alta Fixsler who has been taken off life-support because doctors say she has no chance of recovery and is in constant pain. Her parents are Hasidic Jews and doctors in their homeland of Israel are willing to take over Alta’s care, but a European court has ruled that their religious liberty concerns do not apply, as there is no guarantee Alta would feel the same way. It’s a story that illustrates a larger problem: what happens when we lose sight of a human’s inherent dignity. Charles Camosy joins us.

What is the future of the parish in a post-Christian world? It begins – and ends – with the Gospel. It means building on the idea that Catholicism is integral to human flourishing, and is dependent on taking Catholic belief and practice more seriously, rebuilding the parish within the neighborhood. Dr Tim O’Malley has more.

Fr Benedict Kiely was celebrating a Mass in Vermont in 2014 when ISIS was sweeping across the Ninevah plain. For the first time in 2000 years, there would be no Mass at Mosul and he wanted to do something about it – but what could he do? Since then he has begun serving the Iraqi church however he can. He shares his experiences and what Pope Francis’ trip has meant for the people of the region.

Cardinal George Pell was falsely accused, tried, and convicted of molesting two choir boys after Mass.  One of the accusers changed his story twenty-four times and the case was so weak it was later thrown out by the Australian High Court.  The case was only thrown out, however, after Cardinal Pell spent more than 400 days in prison. He joins us to discuss the case, his time in prison, the Church in Germany, and many more topics.