Ave Maria in the Afternoon

A recent longform piece in The Atlantic asks how Civilization can survive the postliterate area. It’s inspired by several recent studies showing a steady decline in American literacy. In one 2024 nationwide exam, only 35% of high school seniors ranked “proficient” in analyzing complex themes in fiction or the effectiveness of an essayist’s argument. From 1984 to 2025, the percentage of 13-year-olds who said they rarely or never read on their own for fun jumped from 8% to 29%. Is the age of reading over? David Bonagura joins us.
Further Reading
The Age Of Reading Is Over
The End of Reading Is Here
David’s website
Guest Info
David G. Bonagura, Jr. is the author, most recently, of 100 Tough Questions for Catholics: Common Obstacles to Faith Today, and the translator of Jerome’s Tears: Letters to Friends in Mourning. An adjunct professor at St. Joseph’s Seminary and Catholic International University, he serves as the religion editor of The University Bookman, a review of books founded in 1960 by Russell Kirk.



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In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples who people say that the Son of Man is – and then he confronts Peter “but who do YOU say that I am?” We unpack the readings with Rob Corzine.
Guest Info
Rob Corzine is the vice-president of programs for the St Paul Center for Biblical Theology



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As we pray for a just peace in the Middle East, some Catholics and Protestants have been engaging in a different yet related battle—regarding whether the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt, how and when the Antichrist will appear, and God’s plan otherwise for the End Times. We talk about the debate with Tom Nash.
Further Reading
Will the Temple Be Rebuilt?
Guest Info
Tom Nash has served the Church professionally for more than 35 years, including as a theology advisor at the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). He is a staff apologist for Catholic Answers, and a contributing writer for both the National Catholic Register and Catholic World Report. Tom appears as a periodic guest host for Ave Maria in the Afternoon and has appeared as a regular guest apologist on Catholic Answers Live for more than fifteen years. Tom is the author of The Biblical Roots of the Mass, To Whom Shall We Go?: The Biblical Case for the Catholic Church, and 20 Answers: The Rosary. He is also a contributing author to Catholic for a Reason: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mass, and Faith Facts: Answers to Catholic Questions, Vols. I and II. He is also a regular member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.



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On Saturday, we celebrate the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. When Marcus was still a Protestant, he detested such celebrations, believing they were proof that Catholics worshipped Mary. Since his conversion, he has come to appreciate Mary as a mother and a queen. He shares more.
Further Reading
Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines



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Stockholm Syndrome is a term used to describe a bond that forms between a captive and their captors, and was coined after an attempted bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in August 1973. While most of us will hopefully never be held hostage, we are all in a “Stockholm Syndrome” relationship with the devil – for we all have sins we have not yet let go of. Marcus has more.


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