There are stories you listen to.
And then there are stories that listen to you.
On this Good Friday special, Chesterton Radio enters the most solemn drama ever told—not as spectators, but as those who find themselves uncomfortably close to the scene.
Drawing from powerful moments across classic broadcasts—including The Greatest Story Ever Told, Family Theater, and reflections from Fulton J. Sheen—this episode traces the path from the betrayal in the garden to the silence of the tomb.
Along the way:
The kiss of Judas becomes more familiar than we’d like
The Stations of the Cross become something we walk, not observe
And the Crucifixion becomes less a moment in history… and more a mirror
Our hosts—one Byzantine Catholic, one Roman Catholic—bring together East and West:
mystery and devotion
icon and station
cosmic victory and personal sorrow
Not to explain the Cross…
…but to stand beneath it.
This is not a recap.
This is an encounter.
Shows we review are:
The Crucifixion - Greatest Story Ever Told - Dramas of the Life of Christ
The Greatest Story Ever Told is an American old-time radio religious drama. It was broadcast on ABC from January 26, 1947, until December 30, 1956
The Way of the Cross - Life of Christ - Ave Maria Hour
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion
Spectators and Actors in the Drama of the Cross - Fulton Sheen - Catholic Hour
The Betrayal of Christ - Greatest Story Ever Told
The kiss of Judas, also known as the Betrayal of Christ, is the act with which Judas identified Jesus to the multitude with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests and elders of the people to arrest him, according to the Synoptic Gospels. The kiss is given by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper and leads directly to the arrest of Jesus by the police force of the Sanhedrin.
The Passion and Death of Christ - Ethel Barrymore - Charles Boyer - Family Theater
Family Theater is a dramatic anthology radio show which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the United States from 13, 1947, to September 11, 1957
Good Friday - Mr. President
"Which President Am I" Mr. President was a radio series that ran on the ABC Network from June 26, 1947, to September 23, 1953. Each half-hour episode was based on an incident in the life of one of the people who have held the office of President of the United States, but the dialogs were written in such a way as not to reveal the name of the President until the last line of dialog at the end of the program, when the President would be addressed by name.
Betrayal and Crucifixion - Greatest Story Ever Told - Armed Forces Radio Service
The Greatest Story Ever Told is an American old-time radio religious drama. It was broadcast on ABC from January 26, 1947, until December 30, 1956. Beginning July 25, 1948, the program was also broadcast via shortwave radio to 58 other countries by the Worldwide Broadcasting Foundation.
Station 12 - Jesus Dies on the Cross - Stations of the Cross - Ave Maria Hour
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers
Jesus Meets His Mother - Stations of the Cross - Ave Maria Hour
Fourth Station of the Cross
Church on Good Friday - The Couple Next Door
The Couple Next Door was a radio series which aired on CBS Radio during the waning days of network radio, (December 30, 1957 – November 25, 1960) with Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce as the married couple.
Jesus is Placed in the Tomb - Stations of the Cross - Ave Maria Hour
Fourteenth Station of the Cross
The Way of the Cross - Jeff Chandler - Maureen O'Sullivan - Family Theater
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers.
