AfterMass

Ana Munley

AfterMass is the podcast for Catholics who want more than just Sunday. If you’re tired of checking the “Catholic” box without seeing real transformation in your life, this is for you.

Hosted by Ana Munley, Catholic wife and mom. Send an email and share your thoughts to: theaftermasspodcast@gmail.com

New episodes drop every Tuesday on Spotify, YouTube, Apple + Amazon Podcasts.
Find Ana on TikTok and Instagram: @anamunley
and our Podcast socials: @aftermasspodcast

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Friday · 16 min
It's My Birthday: 38 Catholic Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner
It's my birthday! I'm turning 38, so here are 38 things every Catholic should know before they turn 40: the sacraments, the prayers to know by heart, practices that will change your spiritual life, sacramentals and your home, family life, and what the Church teaches about death and what comes after. How many did you already know? 📋 THE LIST You can go to confession at any parish The Saturday vigil counts for Sunday The holy days of obligation The one-hour Eucharistic fast Anointing of the Sick isn't only for the deathbed Perfect contrition The Apostolic Pardon at death The five precepts of the Church An Act of Contrition The St. Michael Prayer The Memorare A Morning Offering A Spiritual Communion The Eternal Rest prayer The daily examen Everyday plenary indulgences Fridays are penance days all year Fasting ages Find an adoration chapel The Liturgy of the Hours Get a spiritual director Read the Catechism Read the Bible in a year Get your house blessed (and Epiphany chalk) Keep holy water at home Bless and properly dispose of sacramentals Celebrate your baptism day Know your patron saints and name day Have Masses offered for the living Godparent requirements What an annulment really is Natural Family Planning The works of mercy The two judgments The Church's rules on cremation Plan your Catholic funeral Pray for the forgotten souls Meditate on the Four Last Things St. Leonard of Noblac, pray for us. #Catholic #CatholicFaith #CatholicTips #AfterMass
Thursday · 18 min
Catholic Response to the 2026 Midterms (Without the Doom)
Democrats swept the House and Senate, and voters in Virginia and Nevada put abortion into their state constitutions. If you're a Catholic who woke up Wednesday feeling discouraged, this one's for you. I don't usually talk politics, but in this episode I break down what actually happened and why, what the results mean for the pro-life movement, why Catholics don't belong to any political party, and five reasons for real hope that go deeper than "just pray about it." Our Lady, Patroness of the United States, pray for us. Scripture referenced: Psalm 146, 1 Timothy 2. #Catholic #Midterms2026 #ProLife #CatholicSocialTeaching #AfterMass
October 29 · 18 min
What Exorcists Want You to Know: Ouija, Tarot, Yoga, WitchTok
🌹 Rosaries, Catholic apparel, and gifts from our sponsor Abundantly Yours: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass The same company that makes Candy Land sells a board for talking to the dead. Exorcists warn that Ouija boards, tarot cards, horoscopes, “healing” crystals, and WitchTok are some of the most common doors into demonic trouble, and most people think they’re harmless. In this episode we look at the surprising history behind each one (including the hoax that started Spiritualism and the made-up origin of tarot), what the Catechism actually teaches about divination and magic, what exorcists say happens when these doors get opened, and exactly what to do if you’ve already used them. St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Scripture referenced: Deuteronomy 18, 1 Samuel 28, Acts 16, Acts 19. #Exorcist #SpiritualWarfare #Ouija #Tarot #WitchTok #Catholic #AfterMass
October 27 · 12 min
Why You Can’t Stop Sinning, According to Science
🌹 Rosaries, Catholic apparel, and gifts from our sponsor Abundantly Yours: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass Why do we keep confessing the same sins over and over? Neuroscience has discovered that the brain physically changes based on what we repeatedly do, and St. Augustine described the exact same experience 1,600 years ago. In this episode we look at the famous study of London taxi drivers’ brains, how habit loops, cues, and dopamine work, why your phone is designed to be hard to put down, and what the Church has always taught about vice, virtue, and grace. You’ll learn why “21 days to form a habit” is a myth, what a real study found instead, what researchers saw in the brains of praying nuns, and a practical five-step plan for breaking a sin habit, including St. Ignatius’s particular examen. Your brain was made to be renewed. Scripture referenced: Romans 7 and 12. #Catholic #Sin #Neuroscience #Habits #Confession #AfterMass
October 21 · 12 min
St. Ignatius On How To Tell Conviction From Condemnation
Rosaries, Catholic apparel and gifts from our sponsor Abundantly Yours: abundantlyyours.org/aftermass Most of the rosaries you see behind me come from Abundantly Yours, and they have beautiful Catholic apparel and gifts if you’re starting to think about Christmas. Shop at abundantlyyours.org/aftermass Peter and Judas both betrayed Jesus on the same night, and both were crushed with guilt. One ended in despair, and the other became the rock the Church was built on. What made the difference was where their guilt drove them. In this episode: • The difference between the Holy Spirit’s conviction and the enemy’s condemnation • Why Satan is called “the accuser,” and how his voice sounds before and after we sin • St. Ignatius of Loyola’s rules for discerning which voice you’re hearing • Four ways to tell conviction from condemnation in the moment • Scrupulosity, and what the Church actually teaches about mortal sin • King David, Psalm 51, and what real repentance sounds like • St. Francis de Sales on being gentle with yourself after you fall • Three questions to ask the next time guilt hits Scripture referenced: Matthew 27:3–5 (Judas’s remorse) Luke 22:54–62 (Peter’s denial) John 18:18 (the charcoal fire) John 16:8 (the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin) Revelation 12:10 (the accuser of our brethren) 2 Corinthians 7:10 (godly sorrow vs. worldly sorrow) Genesis 3:8–10 (Adam and Eve hide) 2 Samuel 12:1–13 (Nathan and David) Psalm 51 (David’s prayer of repentance) Romans 7:15–19 (I do what I hate) Romans 8:1 (no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus) John 21:7, 15–17 (Peter restored on the shore) Follow along: @anamunley on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok #Catholic #Confession #SpiritualWarfare #Scrupulosity #AfterMass
October 20 · 19 min
Fr. Ripperger Was Asked To Step Away For A Year.
Rosaries, Catholic apparel and gifts from our sponsor Abundantly Yours: abundantlyyours.org/aftermass - Most of the rosaries you see behind me come from Abundantly Yours. If there was ever a week to pick up a rosary and pray for a priest, it’s this one. Shop at abundantlyyours.org/aftermass On October 19, the Archdiocese of Denver announced that Archbishop James Golka asked Fr. Chad Ripperger to take a one-year “fast” from public speaking and interviews, and that Fr. Ripperger readily agreed. I think the world of this priest, and I’m upset about it. In this bonus episode I go through what’s been confirmed, how people are reacting online, a few possible reasons this may have happened, the enormous good his ministry has done, and why I’m choosing to follow his example of obedience, even though it’s one of the hardest things to do. Please pray for Fr. Ripperger, the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, and Archbishop Golka. Articles & sources mentioned in this video: Archdiocese of Denver official statement https://archden.org/archdiocese-of-denver-statement-on-fr-ripperger/ National Catholic Register: Fr. Ripperger agrees to one-year “fast” from public speaking https://www.ncregister.com/news/golka-ripperger-public-speaking LifeSiteNews: Fr. Ripperger “silenced” for a year https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-fr-chad-ripperger-silenced-by-his-bishop-for-a-year LifeSiteNews: Fr. Ripperger briefly listed as “retired” on archdiocesan website https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-fr-ripperger-listed-as-retired-on-archdiocesan-website Daily Caller: Fr. Ripperger’s podcast appearances (Tucker Carlson, Shawn Ryan) https://dailycaller.com/2026/10/19/catholic-exorcist-chad-ripperger-ordered-stop-speaking-interviews-joe-rogan-tucker-carlson-sean-ryan/ InfoVaticana: Fr. Ripperger’s March 2026 comments on the hierarchy https://infovaticana.com/en/2026/03/08/chad-ripperger-denounces-a-compromised-hierarchy-and-speaks-of-dark-practices-in-the-vatican-upper-echelons/ Eric Sammons on X https://x.com/EricRSammons/status/2112284781048422754 Archdiocese of Washington statement on Msgr. Stephen Rossetti (June 2026) https://adw.org/?p=69012 Follow along: @anamunley on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok #FrRipperger #Catholic #SpiritualWarfare #Obedience #AfterMass
October 19 · 18 min
A Pastor Had Kids Smash Mary Statues. Here’s Who She Really Is.
This episode is brought to you by Abundantly Yours.. where I get all my rosaries, Catholic apparel and gifts! Find them here: abundantlyyours.org/aftermass Mary might be the most misunderstood woman who ever lived. Some say Catholics worship her, some treat her as a side character in the Gospel, and some worry that loving her takes something away from Jesus. With images of Mary in the headlines this week, it’s a good time to go back to Scripture and the Church and look at who she really is. Scripture referenced: Exodus 25, Numbers 21, 2 Kings 18, 1 Kings 2 and 6, 2 Samuel 6, Genesis 3:15, Luke 1, John 2, John 19, Revelation 11–12 In this episode, I mention the incident that recently took place at Stedfast Baptist Church. Instead of making a reaction video that would not reach them, I decided to write them an email. Here is the email below: Jonathan Shelley and the staff of Stedfast Baptist Church, You stood in front of a room full of children, had them read the Word of God aloud, and then put a hammer in their hands and told them to smash the mother of Jesus Christ. I've watched a great deal of anti-Catholic content over the years, and I've rarely seen anything so cowardly, because you didn't even swing the hammer yourself. You handed it to children and let them carry it for you. You read them half a commandment. The very next verse says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them," and a few chapters later the same God commands Moses to fashion golden cherubim for the Ark of the Covenant. He has Moses lift up a serpent of brass so the people who looked on it would live, and Jesus Himself points to that image as a figure of His Cross in John 3:14. Solomon carved cherubim and flowers across every wall of the temple, and the glory of the Lord filled it. Any pastor who preaches from the King James every Sunday knows these passages are there, which means those children were handed a carefully edited Bible right before they were handed a hammer. The woman whose image they destroyed is the one Scripture says all generations shall call blessed. On the very same Sunday, October 11, your church posted a sermon titled "Obey Mom And Dad Like Your Life Depends On It," and I'd love to know how you explained that one to the same children who had just taken a hammer to the mother of Jesus. Christ kept the commandment to honor His mother more perfectly than any man who has ever lived, so you spent one sermon telling those kids to honor their mothers and another teaching them to smash His. I'd ask you to imagine standing before Him and explaining that. Our Lord had something to say about the people responsible for children. He said that whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble would be better off with a millstone hung about his neck and drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6). Those children trusted you. They will grow up with Catholic classmates, coworkers, neighbors, and maybe one day a Catholic husband or wife and the first thing their pastor ever taught them about those people was to pick up a hammer. That's a sin against them and they'll carry it long after the plaster is swept up. #Catholic #VirginMary #BlessedMother #CatholicApologetics #AfterMass
October 16 · 20 min
Exorcists’ Advice for Halloween: Prayers, Costumes, and Where to Draw the Line
🌹 Abundantly Yours’ custom baby & children’s rosary sale is ON through 10/25, bigger than Black Friday! Order now for Christmas: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass Is Halloween spiritually dangerous? Can your kids take candy from the house with the gory decorations? Where’s the line on costumes? If you’re nervous about trick-or-treating this year, this one’s for you. Drawing on exorcists like Fr. Chad Ripperger, we cover what laypeople can and can’t do in spiritual warfare, seven prayers for protection, simple ways to protect your home, and what to do if someone in your family already opened a door to the occult. 📸 SCREENSHOT THESE PRAYERS 👇 ✝️ 1. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS WITH HOLY WATER In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. ⚔️ 2. ST. MICHAEL PRAYER St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. 🛡️ 3. PSALM 91 (excerpt) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” … You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness. … For He will give His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. ☘️ 4. ST. PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE (excerpt) Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. 👼 5. GUARDIAN ANGEL PRAYER Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. 🙏 6. A PARENT’S BLESSING Trace a cross on your child’s forehead (with holy water if you have it): May the Lord bless you and keep you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 🏠 7. NIGHT PRAYER BLESSING OVER YOUR HOME Visit this house, we pray you, Lord: drive far away from it all the snares of the enemy. May your holy angels stay here and guard us in peace, and let your blessing be always upon us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. ⚡ SHORT PRAYERS FOR ANY MOMENT Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, protect us. Most Precious Blood of Jesus, cover us. St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Holy guardian angels, protect our children. #Halloween #SpiritualWarfare #CatholicPrayer #StMichael #CatholicMom #AfterMass
October 14 · 20 min
The Modesty Debate Nobody Knows They’re Having (Shane Gillis, Sydney Sweeney)
🌹 Custom baby & children's rosary sale starts tomorrow 10/15, the biggest of the year! Shop Abundantly Yours: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass Sydney Sweeney's nearly nude sports betting ad was called degrading to women. Weeks later, Shane Gillis was called a misogynist on SNL for criticizing what women wear to the gym. Our culture is arguing about modesty without realizing it. Today we look at what the Church actually teaches about modesty: the Catechism's surprising words about advertising, St. Thomas Aquinas's four kinds of modesty, modesty of the tongue, custody of the eyes, and the fruits of a culture that threw modesty away. 📚 Books mentioned in this video: Introduction to the Devout Life: https://link.amazon/B02xBl5k0 Training the Tongue and Growing Beyond Sins of Speech: https://link.amazon/B04KveGjT Mary, Mother most pure, pray for us. #Modesty #Catholic #SydneySweeney #ShaneGillis #AfterMass
October 13 · 18 min
The Church Allowed the Death Penalty for Centuries. So Why Is It Wrong Now?
🌹 Custom baby & children’s rosary sale starts 10/15, the biggest of the year! Shop Abundantly Yours: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass The Pentagon plans to livestream the December firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, which would be the first public execution in America in 90 years. The U.S. bishops called it “a barbaric promotion of a culture of death,” and the archbishop for the military told Catholic soldiers to ask to be excused. Online, many Catholics are pushing back, pointing out that Scripture, the Church Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, and even popes once accepted capital punishment. So is the Church contradicting herself? Today we go through what the Church actually taught, how doctrine develops, the honest debate over the word “inadmissible,” and why even the strongest defenders of the death penalty in Catholic history never defended making it a spectacle. Please pray for the victims of the Fort Hood shooting and their families. Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us. #Catholic #DeathPenalty #ChurchTeaching #CultureOfLife #AfterMass
October 12 · 22 min
The Cornell 7 and the Sin Christians Are Committing Online
🌹 Shop the Abundantly Yours custom baby and children’s rosary sale, October 15 to 25. It’s their biggest sale of the year on kids’ rosaries, even bigger than Black Friday, and ordering early means your custom rosary arrives well before Christmas: abundantlyyours.org/aftermass The Cornell 7 case is everywhere, and everyone from pop stars to politicians to Megyn Kelly has an opinion. I’m not here to argue the case. The investigation is ongoing and no one has been charged. I’m here to talk about what the reaction to it says about us, and what the Church actually teaches. In this video: What the case is about and where it stands How commentators on the left and the right turned real people into political ammunition True crime and the Eighth Commandment: rash judgment, detraction, and calumny The sin of the bystander, and why we rarely confess what we let happen The problem underneath it all: what casual sex has done to a generation What we do as Catholics: the virtues to practice ourselves and teach our kids If something like this has happened to you, it was not your fault, and you are not alone. National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673, available 24/7. #Catholic #Cornell7 #MegynKelly #TheologyOfTheBody #CatholicParenting #AfterMass
October 7 · 14 min
The Rosary Won This Battle: Why October 7th Is Mary's Feast
🌹 THIS WEEK ONLY: Get a FREE rosary pouch with any rosary from Abundantly Yours for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass In 1571, the Ottoman navy was about to take the Mediterranean, and the whole Church was asked to pray the Rosary. Today we tell the story of the Battle of Lepanto: the wind that shifted, the 12,000 Christian slaves set free, and the vision in Rome. Plus the other times Catholics turned to the Rosary against impossible odds. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. #OurLadyOfTheRosary #Lepanto #Rosary #Catholic #AfterMass
October 6 · 15 min
The True Christian History of Halloween
🌹 Preorder the NEW St. Francis & St. Gemma rosaries from Abundantly Yours: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass Every October, Catholics are told Halloween is a pagan festival in disguise. Today we look at the real history: how All Saints' Day spread from Rome, why early Irish Christians kept their feast of all saints in April, where the "Lord of the Dead" myth came from, how soul cakes became trick-or-treating, and how the Reformation and the twentieth century reshaped the night before All Saints. All you holy men and women, pray for us. #Halloween #AllHallowsEve #Catholic #AfterMass
October 5 · 16 min
St. Faustina Reveals What Jesus Does in Your Last Breath (Today is Her Feast Day!)
🌹 Preorder the NEW St. Francis & St. Gemma rosaries from Abundantly Yours: https://abundantlyyours.org/aftermass On her feast day, we look at what Jesus told St. Faustina about the final moments of life: the hidden grace He offers at the very end, the promises attached to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and why you should never assume someone you love is lost. Plus, three simple things you can start tonight to pray for the dying. St. Faustina, pray for us. #StFaustina #DivineMercy #Catholic #AfterMass
September 2 · 11 min
LIFE/CHANNEL UPDATE.
AFTERMASS: https://aftermass.org FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: https://aftermass.org/#newsletter Taking September off from YouTube + the podcast 🤍 I’m giving myself the month of September to spend some real time working on AfterMass and a few other projects that have been sitting in my brain for a very long time. One of the biggest things I’m working on is aftermass.org. My hope is to build it into a real Catholic hub for everything that happens after Mass ends. Resources to help you understand the faith, live the liturgical year, pray, learn, wrestle with the questions you’ve been afraid to ask and actually bring Catholicism into your everyday life. I’ve also started the AfterMass Monthly, a free newsletter that comes out at the beginning of each month with the month’s important liturgical dates, a Gospel reflection, saint of the month, a Catholic question answered, an examination of conscience, what’s coming next and more. September’s issue is out now, so make sure you sign up above to get it. 🤍 And then there are a few other things happening behind the scenes... I’m writing a lot. I’ve heard the “Ana, when are you going to write a book?” comments for a long time lol. That’s all I’m saying about that for now. 👀 I have ideas and projects that I keep saying I’ll get to “when I have time” and I finally realized I have to actually make the time. So September is my month to build, write, create, pray about where all of this is going and get some things ready that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ll still be around on Instagram and there will be plenty happening over at AfterMass. YouTube + the podcast will be back in October. 🤍
August 21 · 15 min
The Ancient Israelite Law That Explains Mary's Crown
Tomorrow, August 22, the Church celebrates the Queenship of Mary, eight days after the Assumption. Most Catholics have said "Hail, Holy Queen" hundreds of times without knowing where that title actually comes from or what it means in practice. The answer isn't in medieval royal courts. It's in the ancient Israelite office of the gebirah, the king's mother, the one figure with the standing to bring a request to the throne and be heard. This video traces that office from Solomon and Bathsheba in 1 Kings, through Pope Pius XII's 1954 encyclical establishing the feast, to what it actually means to ask for Mary's intercession today. If you've ever wondered whether praying to Mary is a workaround instead of going straight to God, this explains why the answer is no, and gives you a clearer way to pray the Hail Holy Queen this week.
August 20 · 19 min
Padre Pio Reveals the Sin Almost Nobody Confesses
Padre Pio spent decades hearing confessions, and the sin he came back to most wasn't the one people expected. It was gossip, and more specifically what the Church calls detraction and calumny, revealing or fabricating things about someone who isn't in the room. This video breaks down the difference between rash judgment, detraction and calumny, why truth isn't a defense against it, and a simple test you can run before you speak about someone who isn't there. It also covers where the line is when you're talking about real harm someone did to you, since that's a different category entirely. Examine your conscience this week for the conversations you'd never repeat if the person walked in and heard you.
August 19 · 17 min
Scientists Measured What The Rosary Does To Your Heart and Brain
A team of Italian cardiologists put people on heart monitors and had them pray the rosary in Latin. What they measured surprised even the researchers: praying it at a normal pace slowed people's breathing to almost exactly six breaths a minute, a rate where the heart and blood pressure systems fall into sync. Separately, neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg used brain scans to study what happens during repetitive, verbal prayer like this and found something worth knowing if you've ever finished a rosary feeling like your mind never showed up. This video walks through both studies and what they actually mean, without turning the rosary into a breathing exercise or claiming science can measure grace. It can't.. but it can tell you that a distracted, dry rosary is doing something real in your body whether you feel it or not. Sources: Bernardi et al., BMJ (2001); Andrew Newberg's SPECT imaging research on contemplative prayer.
August 18 · 10 min
Fr. Mike Schmitz Explains What You Need To Know About Purgatory
Purgatory gets treated two ways: either as an overcomplicated invention or as something Scripture never actually supports. Both are wrong. Drawing on a video Fr. Mike Schmitz made years ago on Ascension Presents, I break down what purgatory actually is: three simple claims, real scriptural backing (1 Corinthians 3, 2 Maccabees 12) and why it's less about punishment and more about mercy finishing what it started. If you've ever wondered what happens to someone you love after they die.. or wondered what to actually do about it.. this one's for you. 🔗 Fr. Mike Schmitz's original video: https://youtu.be/GnwDDsN6ZfM?si=-219ylpnNcGfekFk #Purgatory #CatholicFaith #FrMikeSchmitz
August 17 · 14 min
This Simple Practice Has Transformed My Suffering
What if the inconveniences, exhaustion, and suffering you experience every day could actually become prayer? I first heard this practice from Catholic author and speaker Megan Hjelmstad at the Defending the Faith Conference at Franciscan University. Megan is the author of Offer It Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering, and her approach completely changed the way I think about the ordinary hard moments of my week. In this video, I’m sharing the simple weekly practice I’ve started using to intentionally offer those moments for the people in my life. Learn more about Megan and her work: https://meganhjelmstad.com/ #Catholic #RedemptiveSuffering #CatholicPrayer #CatholicFaith

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