This time of year as we prepare to celebrate the coming of our Lord, a common Advent theme is one of waiting. This week Mike avoids talking about the Israelites waiting for the messiah, and instead looks at the growing impatience that we all suffer, and why we need to embrace waiting.

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Are you feeling overwhelmed by being always busy, and still feeling like you’re not working hard enough? You’re not alone. You’re living a broken work ethic that dates back to the mid 1500’s. (Gee, what happened around then?)

This week Mike takes a look at:

* The work ethic that the Puritans brought over that drives America today

* The modern secular always-at-work mindset

* The concept of “re-homing”

* Rerum Novarum, an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII

* Enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

* The one thing we should all do, starting this Advent, to “re-home”

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A postcard of Michelangelo’s Pietà and a discussion of sacred art is the jumping off point for this week’s episode. Listen in as he covers:

* Michelangelo’s unfinished “The Prisoners”

* A profound quote from Michelangelo

* The Martyrs of Constantinople (circa 730 AD)

* Exodus, Deuteronomy, the Ten Commandments, and “graven images”

* How God works as the Divine Sculptor

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Many devout Catholics who have a strong Marian devotion are up in arms about the latest document Mater Populi Fidelis (“The Mother of the Faithful People of God”) which they claim is de-throning the Mother of God by saying that we are not to use the title “Co-Redemptrix.”

Many Protestants who see Marian devotion as “Mary worship” see the document as the Catholic Church finally realizing the truth and changing its teaching.

In this episode, Mike uses Mater Populi Fidelis to look a litter closer at the nature of Magisterial teachings: what they are and a few of the reasons they’re issued, with a closer look at why this latest one was issued, and provide some clarity. Some highlights:

* Mark 2:23-28 as an example of Jesus’ correction of inaccurate teachings

* Some of the crazy Jewish Sabbath laws, including one involving a radish

* The role of the Church as steward of the faith

* The epistles… the first Magisterial teachings?

* The prayer, “Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.”

* An incredible conversion story from the life of St. Gemma Galgani that explains the proper understanding of Mary’s role in salvation better than anything else

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Mike has a devotion to praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, so in this “deep dive” episode, he covers it all:

* What’s a triduum?

* When did the Christian practice of celebrating saints begin?

* Did All Saints’ Day begin with a pagan festival called Samhain?

* How to respond when someone says, “You can’t find the word Purgatory in the Bible! Purgatory is a thing made up by the Catholic Church just to sell indulgences!”

* The scriptural basis that proves Purgatory… that also disproves the “rapture.”

* What are the two kinds of sin, and the two consequences of sin?

* Why is Purgatory necessary for some people?

* What is the history of praying for the dead? Is it something Catholics made up?

* What are indulgences? Are they just “permission slips to sin?”

* Did the Catholic Church ever sell indulgences? What’s the history behind that?

* Where is Purgatory? What is it like?

* How can you get indulgences for the faithful departed?

Resources

* Mozart: The Requiem in D minor, K. 626

* English Translation of Mozart’s Requiem

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Following up from last week’s episode about crosses in the spiritual life, this week Mike takes a deeper look at quote from St. Philip Neri and gives you some ways to determine if a cross you’re carrying might be a cross of your own construction.

A challenging episode that’s not to be missed!

Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription.

The spiritual life can be a hot mess sometimes. Maybe it’s just distractions, maybe it’s a period of discouragement, maybe it’s something deeper and more difficult. This week Mike takes a look at:

* Temptations to take a shortcut (or abandon the journey)

* Spiritual desolation and consolation and St. Ignatius of Loyola

* The dark night of the soul and St. John of the Cross

* The three ages of the interior life

* What to do when you’re on a patch of “rough road” in the spiritual life

Episode Resources

* Our birth defect, Saint in Progress Episode #2

* Our handicapped life, Saint in Progress Episode #3

* Getting to the root of it all, Saint in Progress Episode #4

* Obstacles to truth, Saint in Progress Episode #44

* The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living

* Dark Night of the Soul

Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription.

A story from the trenches of parenthood was the inspiration for this week’s episode, where Mike talks about:

* Re-watching the John Hughes 1984 classic 16 Candles (but only the first half hour)

* The rise of Christendom… and the influence of the Enlightenment in its decline

* The inversion of vice and virtue

* How our moral compasses are “programmed”

* How to begin to re-program your moral compass this Advent

Other Resources

* Calibrating your compass — Saint In Progress Episode 7

* For a deeper look at how the Enlightenment (and other factors and people) have contributed to the decline of our society and the attack on marriage, be sure to check out the book Rebellion.

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Last week’s episode* inspired a listener to email about the lack of natural family planning (NFP) education, which is a small part of the bigger picture: are you ready to say “yes” to God in the work he’s calling you to do?

This week Mike talks about:

* Feasts and saints of the week

* The listener’s email

* Trusting God’s grace

* Get up, go out, go do

Pray your Rosary!

*Last week in Episode 44, Mike talked about the Catholics who disagree with the Catholic Church’s teaching on birth control, using it as an example of how people use logical fallacies and cognitive biases to arrive at—and then defend—erroneous viewpoints.

Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription.

The truth is out there.

And we all have a desire to know it.

But how do we find it?

Understanding the truth and accepting the truth depends on how we receive information, how we process it, and how we form our conclusions. Unfortunately, in our fallen state we are our own worst enemy when it comes to being open to accepting the truth when it’s presented to us. Our tendency to defend our pre-existing beliefs can seriously hurt us on our journey home to the Father’s house.

And when it comes to sharing the truth with others, how we present the information determines how and if it’s accepted. We may know the truth, but if we fail in our presentation, we might as well be spreading a lie.

This week, Mike explores two obstacles that stand in our way: logical fallacies and cognitive biases. Using a common (but gravely sinful) belief held by 87% of self-professed Catholics, he shows how fallacies and biases keep us trapped… and prevent us from making progress in the spiritual life.

Resources

* https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com

* https://www.logicalfallacies.org

* https://www.logical-fallacy.com/articles/list-of-syllogistic-fallacies

* https://yourbias.is

Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription.