Kresta in the Afternoon

If your parish has RCIA candidates this year, you’ll hear a different set of readings at Sunday Mass. They’re called the Scrutinies, and as a whole they illustrate who Christ is. This weekend, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well and asks her for a drink. Al reflects on the meaning of the readings.

The Our Lady of Victory Shrine near Buffalo, New York was founded by Fr. Nelson Baker, who was born on February 16, 1842. At the time of his death, it was known as a “city of charity” and included a home for unwed mothers, a boy’s orphanage, a hospital, and more. Msgr. David LiPuma joins us to share his story.

Jonathan Feldstein is an Observant Orthodox Jew who was born and educated in the United States, but now lives in southern Israel. He joins us in the studio to talk about what he has seen since the October 7 attack, and the work he does to foster relations between Jews and Christians.

A funeral for Russian opposition leader Alexi Navalny will be held this Friday after several locations declined to host the service. It comes just over two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Navalny’s death could end up rallying support for Putin’s opponents, but will it? We get the latest with Stephen Nix.

Earlier this month the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen human embryos should be considered children under state law and are due all the same rights as other humans. Many IVF services in the state have been suspended as lawmakers scramble to figure out what happens next. The ruling has been criticized by many Democrats, as well as Donald Trump, especially because one of the judge’s concurring opinions cited Scripture and Christian theologians. There’s a lot here to unpack, and Carter Snead helps us do it.

The Catholic Church teaches beautiful lessons about human sexuality and our identity as sons and daughters of God, lessons that promote human flourishing. Yet gender activists and their allies in the government and in the media denounce the Church's message of love as harmful and hateful. How do Catholics respond to that criticism? John Bursch will join us this weekend at Fr. Gabriel Richard High School, and he gives us a preview.

In June 2022, a group of theologians met at the Pontifical Academy for Life to discuss how traditional Catholic sexual moral teachings are applied in the modern world. They proposed questions such as the meaning of a “radical paradigm change” in moral theology and whether some Church moral teachings are infallible. Dr. Robert Fastiggi and other theologians have complied a response to these questions; he joins us.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump dominated a straw poll at CPAC, then handily won the South Carolina primary in Nikki Haley’s home state. CPAC covered a range of topics, including a panel devoted to sanctity of life issues. Michael New has more.

The US government’s debt has reached $34 trillion, leading to many pundits predicting that the US could default on its debt and declare bankruptcy. But would this happen? Warren Buffett has pointed out that since our debt is in its own currency, we don’t face the risks that other countries do. Economist Robert Whaples helps us sort it out.

Yesterday Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron wrote a pastoral letter to the faithful addressing questions on the challenges of Gender identity. He approaches this hot-button issue with grace, patience, and concern for all who are affected by it. Al shares parts of the letter with his own thoughts.