Today on Kresta - September 8, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Sept. 8

4:00 – Kresta Comments – TIME Cover Photo
TIME Magazine recently published a very disturbing photo on their cover. The editorial page defended the publication of the photo as necessary to tell the truth of what was really happening. They said that children may be disturbed, but the truth should not be hidden. They said that in the midst of a lot of political rhetoric and hyperbole, sometimes the human toll gets lost and forgotten. Were they talking about a photo of an unborn baby destroyed by abortion? Al has a commentary.

4:20 – The Biblical Roots of the Mass
As a Catholic, do you ever wonder why Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb of God” or why the “Body and Blood” of our Lord distributed at Communion time still look and taste like ordinary bread and wine? If the biblical story of the Mass did not begin at the Last Supper, where did it begin? Answers to these and many more questions will be provided in EWTN’s exclusive new 13-part series, “The Biblical Story of the Mass,” which will air 5 p.m. ET Sundays (with a re-air at 2:30 a.m. ET Fridays), beginning Aug. 29. Co-host Tom Nash is here to discuss it.

4:40 – Providing Spiritual Nourishment to Soldiers on the Front Lines
The Frontline Faith Project delivers compact MP3 players preloaded with spiritual content, especially as it pertains to military service, to members of our armed forces currently deployed or returning from deployment, with special emphasis on injured troops and troops stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The FRONTLINE FAITH Players include an audio rendition of the Mass (Provided By EWTN); various homilies; prayers just for those serving, including a recitation of the Rosary; Christian music; prayers from children; and testimonies from soldiers about the struggles and victories of their faith journeys. We talk with the founder of the project, Cheri Lomonte

5:00 – Preconceived bigotry: Response to Anne Rice media shorthand
Anne Rice, author of the popular “Vampire Chronicles” and two novels about the early years of Jesus, announced recently that she was leaving the Catholic Church. In a series of postings on her Facebook page, she explained that she was leaving because: “In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life.” Rice’s confusing pilgrimage is her pilgrimage. She has obviously gotten lost along the road. She needs prayer, not a lot of ad hominem attacks. But the troublesome part of this personal business, says our next guest, has been how her rhetorical flourishes have been exploited by the media meat-grinder. All the assorted stereotypes about Catholics were burped up in Rice’s public explanation. She unfortunately fed more fuel to a media caricature that has nothing to do with the reality of the faith lived. The public issue isn’t Anne Rice. The public issue is how the chattering classes in the media have used her statement to reinforce their own stereotypes of Catholics. Bob Lockwood makes his case.

5:30 – Affirming Religious Freedom: How Vatican Council II Developed the Church's Teaching to Meet Today's Needs
Vatican II adopted an approach to religious liberty based on affirming the human dignity of the religious believer. This new emphasis was reflected in the title of its declaration on religious freedom Dignitatis Humanae which means "On Human Dignity." In it the Church, speaking through the Council, teaches that "the human person has a right to religious freedom." What is entailed by this right is "that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of every human power in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, within due limits." Ken Whitehead is here to look at the implications of this new emphais on what the Church has traditionally held and taught, but which has not always been well understood.