Kresta in the Afternoon

Many of us are familiar with St. Jerome’s declaration that “ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” But did you know that when he said that, he was studying the Book of Isaiah? Many scholars consider Isaiah to be the Gospel of the Old Testament, and he is the main prophet people look to in order to understand

In March 2020, we were broadcasting from the Called and Co-Responsible conference at Notre Dame. Peter Andrastek was there was well and a statement by Fr. Michael Sweeny, O.P. resonated with him: “As a Church, we have no imagination for lay agency.” The Church has always placed an importance on the co-responsibility of the Laity, and it received special emphasis from recent popes. But do most Catholics have an imagination for lay agency in the modern world? Peter joins us.

Politico correspondent Heidi Przybyla recently stated that Christian Nationalists are united in the belief that our rights do not come from the government, but from God. Al has a quick response.

Last month, the parents of St. Germaine Catholic School in St. Clair Shores received some distressing news: due to financial difficulties, they would be closing their doors at the end of the school year. Parents and others in the school community have banded together with an effort to save the school. Nicole Patten has the details.

Four Catholic bishops recently made media headlines after it was learned that they had met with members of organized crime in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Matthew Bunson joins us with more on this and other Church news.

On the evening of February 26, 1616, Galileo met a future saint. 73-year-old Cardinal Robert Bellarmine had been ordered by the Vatican to inform Galileo that he must abandon his support of Copernicanism, the idea that the earth and other celestial bodies orbit the sun. The Galileo affair is often used as a prime example of faith and science being incompatible, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood events in Church history. We talk more about it with Cory Hayes.

On February 22, 1943, Hans and Sophie Scholl were put to death for their resistance efforts against the Nazis. Today, they are regarded as national heroes in Germany and are among the best-known examples of Nazi resistance from within Germany. Paul Shrimpton tells their story and their legacy.

Karl Marx originally published his Communist Manifesto on February 21, 1848. What did it say? How did the Manifesto impact the last two centuries of human history? What is its enduring legacy, and did the Manifesto deliver what the authors promised? Paul Kengor joins us.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Mark recounts the extraordinary tale of when Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain and was transfigured. We connect the Gospel to the Catechism and our lives today with Peggy Stanton.

Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter and yes, there actually is a physical chair. But beyond that, we will talk about the authority of the Papacy and how Peter’s authority appears in the pages of the New Testament. Al discusses.