Today on Kresta - February 2, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Feb. 2

4:00 – Kresta Comments

4:20 – A Prayer to Our Father: The Hebrew Origins of the Lord’s Prayer
We take an exciting journey of faith with a Jewish Bible scholar and an African American pastor who joined forces to uncover the truth about the most beloved prayer in the Christian world. Their gripping adventure begins in the ancient city of Jerusalem and takes them to the very spot in Galilee where Jesus taught the multitudes to pray. Along the way they discover a Hebrew version of the Lord's Prayer, preserved in secret by Jewish rabbis for over a thousand years. The richness of meaning that the Hebrew unlocks reveals a powerful message of spiritual growth for Jew and Christian alike. Join us for this exploration of the Hebrew origins of the Lord's Prayer! Pastor Keith Johnson is our guide.

4:40 – Kresta Commentary – The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers: Felix Mendelssohn
Tomorrow is the birthday of German composer Felix Mendelssohn, a very devout Lutheran, who was born in Hamburg. His "Elijah" oratorio is considered second only to Handel's "Messiah," and he is responsible for rediscovering Bach, whose music had been forgotten for 80 years. Al takes a look at the spiritual life of Mendelssohn.

5:00 – First Court Challenge to Federal “Hate Crimes” Act Filed
The Thomas More Law Center this morning filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., challenging the constitutionality of the recently-enacted federal Hate Crimes Act. The Act criminalizes so-called “bias” crimes motivated by a person’s “actual or perceived” “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” and thus elevates those engaged in certain deviant sexual behaviors to a special, protected class of persons under federal law. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center, and a former county prosecutor, commented, “There is no legitimate law enforcement need for this federal law. Of the 1.38 million violent crimes reported in the U.S. by the FBI in 2008, only 243 were considered as motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation. This is part of the list of political payoffs to homosexual advocacy groups for support of Barack Obama in the last presidential election.” Richard joins us in studio.

5:20 - New Study Confirms Crisis in Catholic Higher Education
Attending a Catholic college has minimal impact on a Catholic student’s practice and embrace of the Catholic faith, according to a new study released Sunday at a gathering of Catholic college presidents in Washington, D.C. The study was presented to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) by researchers at Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). “Catholics should be alarmed by the significant declines in Catholic practice and fidelity at many of America’s Catholic institutions,” said Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. He’s here to tell us why.

5:30 – Catholic Schools Week: The State of Catholic Education in America
In this Catholic Schools Week, we take the temperature of Catholic schools in America. Do Catholic schools matter? Do they make a difference? Where do Catholic homeschools fit into the Catholic educational paradigm? We look at all of these questions and more with Dan Guernsey, Headmaster of the Donahue Academy of Ave Maria in Ave Maria, FL

5:40 – Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship
On Feb. 3, 1994, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta spoke to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. and, in front of then-President Bill Clinton, delivered a now-famous address on abortion. We listen to a bit of that speech and talk with Donna Marie Cooper-O’Boyle, author of Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship.