Today on Kresta - August 26, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on August 26

3:00 – Kresta Comments

3:20 – New Words: A Deeper Meaning, but the Same Mass
The US bishops' conference has released a new web site designed to introduce the faithful to a new English translation of the Mass. After years of work, the translation will be introduced after it receives final clearance from the Holy See. The revised translation adheres to new Vatican norms requiring greater adherence to the original Latin text of the Roman Missal. Bishop Arthur Serratelli, who chairs the US bishops' liturgical committee, describes the new texts as "understandable, dignified and accurate." Fr. Peter Stravinskas is here to bring us up to date.

3:40 – Blessed Teresa of Calcutta – Born August 26, 1910
“Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are. . . . You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see.” - Mother Teresa. Lifelong educator Mary Poplin, after experiencing a newfound awakening to faith, sent a letter to Calcutta asking if she could visit Mother Teresa and volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity. She received a response saying, “You are welcome to share in our works of love for the poorest of the poor.” So in the spring of 1996, Poplin spent two months in Calcutta as a volunteer. There she observed Mother Teresa's life of work and service to the poor, participating in the community's commitments to simplicity and mercy. Mary is here to give us an inside glimpse into one of the most influential lives of the twentieth century and the lessons Mother Teresa continues to offer on this 99th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

4:00 – Kresta Comments

4:20 – The Rise of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West
If we stay on the path we're on....Get ready for the Ayatollahs to have the bomb. That's the stark warning of Dore Gold, Israel's former ambassador to the United Nations. Diplomatic engagement with Iran, Gold warns, has never worked. Iran has pursued its nuclear ambitions at first in secret and then in defiance of the United Nations and Western protests--and it will not be stopped by Western diplomats waving olive branches and offering promises of aid or threats of sanctions. Gold confronts us with the most important foreign policy question of our time: will Iran be allowed to become a nuclear power--and at what cost?

4:40 – Ted Kennedy: 1932-2009
Late last night Sen. Ted Kennedy passed away. Drawing on a vast store of original research and unprecedented access to Ted Kennedy’s political associates, friends, and family, Edward Klein wrote the definitive biography of Kennedy, taking the reader behind the scenes to reveal many secrets. Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died does not shrink from portraying the erratic side of Ted Kennedy and his former wife, Joan. There were times during that career–such as after the incident in Chappaquiddick–when Ted seemed to have surrendered to his demons. But there were other times–after one of his inspiring speeches on the floor of the Senate, for example–when he was compared to Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John Calhoun, and other great lawmakers of the past. Klein explains.

5:00 – Kresta Comments

5:20 – Come and See: A Photojournalist’s Journey Into the World of Mother Teresa
Today marks the 99th birth anniversary of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Linda Schaffer is a professional photojournalist and was the last professional photographer granted complete access to Mother Teresa prior to her illness and death. The experience had a profound impact on her and resulted in the book Come and See: A Photojournalist’s Journey Into the World of Mother Teresa. She shares her experience.

5:40 – TBA