With Mother's Day approaching, it’s a good time to explore the women, wives, and mothers of the Bible. We all know Eve and Mary. But who are Rachel, Ruth, Rebecca, Rahab, Judith, or Esther, and what were their roles in salvation history? Father Chris Alar, MIC, explains. Then meet Crystal Nieves, who with her husband took a leap of faith to make God and family the center of their lives.

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122325.cfm Christmas does not begin when the stores say it does. It begins with prayer. As Fr. Chris Alar, MIC explains, the Church enters Christmas at Vespers on Christmas Eve, because the mystery we celebrate is not sentimentality but the Incarnation itself — God entering history to heal what humanity could never repair on its own.

There’s a surprising similarity between reported near-death experiences and Marian Apparitions. What could a moment between life and death possibly have in common with visions of Our Lady? Father Daniel Klimek explains. Then hear Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, in conversation with Ted Flynn, who wrote a book exploring the reported apparition events at Garabandal, Spain and their spiritual implications.