Kresta in the Afternoon

The Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in 1947 and are some of the most well-preserved ancient documents, and a new study at MIT examined how they were written and why they have been preserved for so long. What is written on these ancient texts? What does it reveal about the Jewish roots of Christianity? We talk with John Bergsma.

Scripture and history are full of stories of people who experienced radical transformations after encountering the power of Christ's healing love. And it's encounters like this that can help transform our broken and suffering world. Bob Schuchts joins us to look at how we can find spiritual, emotional and physical healing through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Sacraments.

What is Christian conversion? What leads a soul to return to God, reject sin and accept God’s Divine Mercy? And is there a “second conversion” that happens after the original decision to repent? We’ll look at the phenomenon of Christian conversion with Fr. Donald Haggerty.

Without Genesis, the rest of the Bible is incomprehensible. It’s the foundation upon which the rest of our faith is built. But it can also be a difficult book to understand. Who wrote the book? Is the seven-day account of creation meant to be taken literally? Steve Ray joins us for a deep dive.

Ali Ghaffari’s story is an all-American one. His Muslim father named him Ali, which means “champion.” But he would grow to be a different sort of titleholder. Outcast. Scholar. Warrior. Teacher. Servant. And now, champion for Christ. He shares his story.

July 25 marks the 55th anniversary of the promulgation of Humane Vitae. The teachings that were scorned at the time have since proven to be prophetic, and Pope Paul VI understood that the quality of marital and parental love has social consequences. We talk more with John Grabowski.

The U.S. medical establishment has gone all in supporting gender ideology, including puberty-blocking drugs and surgeries for adolescents. But medical experts in the field have pushed back against the Endocrine Society’s embrace of “gender-affirming care” in the Wall Street Journal.

We’re continuing our celebration of the Eucharist as we approach the Eucharistic Revival next year, and Teresa Tomeo has another great opportunity for you. You can join her in Italy this fall for a journey that will be very Eucharistic, including a visit to the tomb of Carlo Acutis and Orvieto, where the Feast of Corpus Christi is based. Teresa joins us.

Earlier this month, Catholic bishops in India called for nationwide protests to highlight the persecution of Christians in the country. In its annual report earlier this year, the US State Department ranked India among the world’s worst violators of religious liberty. Chad Bauman joins us with more.

Pope Leo XIII died on this day in 1903. We look back on his legacy, including Rerum Novarum, with Matthew Bunson, who also discusses other Church news.