Kresta in the Afternoon

Al shares his thoughts on what it means to discern the will of God.

Next term, the Supreme Court will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case concerning Mississippi’s statutory 15-week gestational ban on most abortions. The case could be the best chance in decades for a legal breakthrough in the fight against abortion. Michael New is our guest.

Michael New is a research associate at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America and is an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_J_new.

There are some who would have the Church step back to avoid persecution or giving offense. Perhaps there are assets like buildings and land to protect. And maybe some rapprochement with the world will attract more members. Or so the thinking goes. But a study of earlier periods of persecution reveals a different plan for the way forward: confidence, courage, boldness, and love—even for our enemies. Msgr. Charles Pope joins us.

Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter St Cyprian parish in Washington, DC. Along with publishing a daily blog at the Archdiocese of Washington website, he has written in pastoral journals, conducted numerous retreats for priests and lay faithful, and has also conducted weekly Bible studies in the U.S. Congress and the White House. He was named a Monsignor in 2005. Visit blog.adw.org.

· Why are families so important for raising healthy kids?

· A lot of this seems so straightforward – why is so much of it up for debate or outright ignored now?

· Cohabitation before marriage is common now – almost the norm in the general population and the rates among Catholics aren’t that much lower. How did we get to this stage?

· The pandemic forced a lot of families to live, work and study together. Do we have data yet on the effects?

Brad Wilcox joins us to discuss this and more.

W. Bradford Wilcox is a professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Responding to concerns raised by Pope Francis’ motu proprio restricting the Traditional Latin Mass, French Church authorities have issued a series of communiques seeking to reassure Catholics attached to this liturgy. Matthew Bunson joins us with a look at this and other Church news.

Matthew Bunson is Executive Editor and Washington Bureau Chief for EWTN News and a Senior Fellow at St Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He’s the author or co-author of more than 50 books including the first English-language biography of Pope Francis and The Encyclopedia of Catholic History. Follow him on twitter @MattBunson. Register Radio airs Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 11 am.

Today, Dominique Dawes is a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist. But back in 1996, she was a teenage girl feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. She shares her story.

Dominique Dawes is a three-time Olympian, a Gold medalist, and the head of the Dominque Dawes Gymnastics Academy. Visit dominiquedawesgymnasticsacademy.com and follow her on Twitter @dominquedawes

When Joelle Maryn was 6 years old, her family experienced an unimaginable tragedy: an unattended Advent candle set their Christmas tree on fire and her sister died in the ensuing blaze. She tried praying to God to bring her sister back, and when nothing happened she gradually began losing her faith and slipping into a life of worldly pleasures. Years later, a radical awakening set her on the path back to Christ. She shares her story.

Joelle Maryn is a Catholic speaker, evangelist and actress. In 2012, she had a major reversion back to the faith and now spreads a message of God’s healing love that has radiated hope and purpose in life to many around the world. More information can be found online at JoelleMaryn.com.

Chadd Garcia from the Ave Maria Family of Funds joins Al to discuss the state of the stock market and economy.  He also discusses with Al the proper time to save for retirement.

The Ave Maria Family of Funds helps Catholics and other invest in organizations who support pro-life and Catholic values.  Their mutual funds do not invest in companies that fund pornography, contraception, abortion, or other practices that violate our values.  You can find more info at AveMariaFunds.com.

There’s no shortage of graces available to us as followers of Christ, but we don’t always know how to access them. It is here that we can turn to Mary, who is the perfect model for disposing ourselves to God’s grace and to responding to that grace. On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we talk with Fr. Quan Tran.

Fr. Quan Tran is the author of The Imitation of Mary: Keys to Growth in Virtue and Grace. He’s a priest for the Diocese of Orange in California and currently assigned to St. Bonaventure Church in Huntington Beach. Prior to entering the seminary, he worked as a Deputy District Attorney for the County of Orange for ten years. In 2017, Father started his Fullness of Grace apostolate to help Christians grow in their faith by forming a deep spiritual life in which they live out their vocations to holiness, intimacy with God, and bearing witness to Christ. Visit fullnessofgrace.org

Jesus opens the fourteenth chapter of John by comforting his Disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms…” What lessons can we take from this today? Al discusses.