February 17, 2026 - Hour 2

Segment 1: A Contentious Couple’s Guide to Praying through Conflict Arguments are an inevitable part of any marriage. But when we invite God into our conflicts, He challenges us to approach them in a different way. Greg Popcak has more.Segment 2: Reclaiming the True Heart of Shrove TuesdayMardi Gras gets treated like a civic right to behave badly with a liturgical permission slip, and plenty of Catholics smile politely at the noise while quietly hoping Ash Wednesday will come along and disinfect the calendar. Marcus looks at the Catholic roots of Fat Tuesday and how we can faithfully celebrate it.Segment 3: Jimmy Lai’s Sentence is Tragically Predictable (2 segments)Last week, human rights activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced by a Chinese court to twenty years in prison – essentially a life sentence for the 78-year-old. Tragically, Lai’s fate comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed the CCP. Ben Rogers has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com