Kresta in the Afternoon

There was a time when Michael Nazir-Ali was tapped as a potential future Archbishop of Canterbury. But last month, he came into full communion with the Catholic Church. Gavin Ashenden can relate; he is a former Anglican vicar and honorary chaplain to the Queen who was received into the Church in 2019. Gavin joins us.

When Elvis Gutierrez was growing up in New York City, his father was often absent for long periods of time. He was enamored by hip-hop culture and his friends ranged everywhere from honors students to drug dealers. He joins us sharing his long journey to the faith, which included working as an EMT on 9/11 and losing a close friend to cancer.

In Colossians 1:10 St Paul tells us to walk worthy of the Lord and increase in the knowledge of God. What happens to our lives when we do this? Al discusses.

Catholics have heard the call to embrace the New Evangelization – but why is it necessary in the first place? Where did we go wrong, and why did we fail to properly preach the Gospel and make disciples? Brian Pedraza presents a Catechesis for the New Evangelization.

This week we celebrated the Feast of St John XXIII. The anniversary of his death is in June, but his feast is on October 11 to mark the anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Most Catholics today can't remember the way the world and Church was on that day in 1962. It is tempting to think that, had the Council Fathers been more foresighted – more critical of modernity and less ebullient in their optimism – the catastrophes that have befallen the Church in the decades since could have been avoided, or at least greatly mitigated – but such thinking is mistaken. We'll take a Long View of Vatican II with Stephen White.

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Pope John XXIII. Known as “good Pope John,” he has also been called one of the most misunderstood popes in history. Why? We talk about it with William Doino.

The loss of a child may be the greatest pain a parent can endure, regardless of the age of the child. 1 out of 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, but these, and other types of pregnancy and reproductive losses, are often underestimated or ignored in our culture. In recognition of that, Friday October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Michaelene Fredenburg joins us with tips and resources to help someone facing this grief.

A visit to the ICU is a sudden, harrowing experience that can alter families and leave both physical and emotional scars for years to come. Dr. Wes Ely set out to fix that problem. He takes us on a journey into the ICU to share how he found hope and healing.

In today’s First Reading, St. Paul tells the Romans that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the Power of God for the salvation of all who believe. What happens when we put our Hope in the Gospel – in the truth of the Resurrection – rather than in the weaknesses of Man? Al discusses.

October 9 was the Feast of St. Abraham – and yes, it’s the Abraham you’re thinking of. How did a many of the early Old Testament come to be a saint? What do we know about his life? We’ll talk with Steve Ray.