Bob Johnston reads Justin Lee’s "The Death of Halloween" and explores Halloween’s origins in All Saints and All Souls, its links to Samhain, and how commercialization and social change drained the festival of its play, meaning, and communal purpose.

The episode calls Christians to recover a spirit of reverent play and communal memory—reminding listeners why Hallowtide once united the living and the dead and how that sacramental imagination might be restored.

Deacon Al explains how faith requires both God’s grace and our cooperation, using vacation-planning analogies and the readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Exodus, 2 Timothy, Luke) to emphasize persistence.

Hear practical encouragement to persevere in prayer, practice obedience, love your neighbor, and make daily choices that prepare you for a deeper relationship with Christ.

Email your questions to Deacon AL: goodnews@catholicspiritradio.org

Bob Johnston and Lynn explore scientific and spiritual perspectives on consciousness, from microtubule and quantum theories to organ-transplant cases, asking whether consciousness is produced by the brain or received from the universe and how this connects to Catholic faith.

They discuss research findings, personal stories, and the implications for identity, the afterlife, and the presence of good and evil in a mysterious, intelligent universe.