On this episode of The Catholic Morning Show, Deacon Mark Campbell explores the transformative power of faith through three compelling conversations. Father Chris Reising of All Saints Parish in Des Moines delivers a profound Corpus Christi gospel reflection on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Jason Gale of TAN Books introduces a newly translated account of the lives and martyrdoms of Saints Peter and Paul, and Kristen Theriault unpacks the gripping memoir of Father Gabriel Romanelli, the Catholic priest who remained in Gaza after October 7, 2023.
This June 5, 2026 edition of The Catholic Morning Show opens with an in-studio Corpus Christi gospel reflection from Father Chris Reising of All Saints Parish on the north side of Des Moines. With the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ approaching that Sunday, Father Reising walks listeners through the Sunday readings — from the manna in the desert to Christ's declaration "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" — and explores the Greek words Jesus used (phagō and trōgō) to emphasize the visceral, undeniable reality of the Eucharist. He reflects on full, active participation in the Mass as a union with the sacrifice of Christ, and challenges Catholics to consider how the Eucharist is transforming their daily lives.
Next, Jason Gale, Vice President of Content and Production at TAN Books, joins the show to discuss The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, newly translated by Father Robert Nixon from the writings of Saint Abdias of Babylon — a disciple of the apostles and first patriarch of the Persian church. Jason highlights Peter's dramatic confrontation with the sorcerer Simon Magus, his miracles of healing and raising the dead, and the moving story behind his request to be crucified upside down. He also recounts Paul's miraculous ministry on the island of Malta, where an entire population converted to Christianity, and the extraordinary phenomenon recorded at Paul's martyrdom. The book is available at TAN Books and through local Catholic bookstores.
Finally, Kristen Theriault joins the program to discuss the memoir Ruins and Light: In the Epicenter of Unrest by Father Gabriel Romanelli — the Claretian priest who returned to his parish at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City immediately after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack rather than remain safely in Jerusalem. Written in diary form in collaboration with a French journalist from Le Figaro, the memoir chronicles the daily struggle for survival, the spiritual care of Gaza's roughly one thousand Christians, and Father Romanelli's radical, cancer-tested hope rooted in Viktor Frankl's philosophy and the Eucharist itself. The memoir is available at Sophia Institute Press.
Tune in to The Catholic Morning Show weekdays at 7 AM Central on the Catholic Radio Network, on the Iowa Catholic Radio app, or at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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