Today on Kresta - October 18, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 18

4:00 – Founder of the Servants of Charity to be officially proclaimed a Saint on Sunday

Blessed Louis Guanella, the founder of the Servants of Charity, the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence and the Pious Union of St. Joseph, will be officially proclaimed a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI this Sunday. This “Saint of Charity” who lived an exemplary life of Providence believed that each person has a God-given right of "dignity and love." Fr. Guanella created orphanages and homes for the people he considered the “poorest of the poor,” and cared the most for persons with disabilities and the frail elderly. His charism and congregations spread throughout Italy, Europe, S. America, N. America, and now exist in twenty-two countries; including the Philippines and India. We talk with Fr. Joseph Rinaldo, a priest of the order and Joe Yekulis, Director of PR for the Order.

4:20 – Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Therese of Lisieux

If you have not read Heather King before, her honesty may shock you. In a remarkable memoir, you will see how a convert with a checkered past spends a year reflecting upon St. Thérèse of Lisieux—and discovers the radical faith, true love, and abundant life of a cloistered 19th-century French nun. Heather joins us in this month in which we celebrate the feast of St. Therese.

5:00 – A Testimony of Tithing / A Scriptural Basis for Tithing

Scripture teaches us that that the goods of the earth are meant for all mankind, not just for those who can afford them.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the, “goods of creation are destined for the whole human race.” This doesn't necessarily mean that people are called to give away all that they have.  It means that people who have been blessed have a moral obligation to use their treasures for the betterment of those around them. We talk stewardship and tithing with Gary Morgan and Al has a commentary on the Scriptural basis for tithing.

5:40 – Kresta Comments: Susan Sarandan Calls the Pope a “Nazi” – The Myth Continues

During an interview with filmmaker Bob Balaban this weekend at the Hamptons film festival, the actress mentioned she had sent the Holy Father a copy of Sister Helen Prejean's Dead Men Walking, which inspired the 1995 film for which she won an Oscar. "The last [pope]," she clarified, referring to Pope John Paul II. "Not this Nazi one we have now." After Balaban's shocked response, Sarandon simply repeated the remark, drawing some laughs from their audience at the Bay Street Theater. We talk about Sarandan’s ill-informed statement and set the record straight on this myth of Pope Benedict and WWII.