Saint In Progress

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.

Using the ongoing story of Charlie Kirk as a starting point, Mike takes a look at:

* How we get our news (and what the heck is “yellow journalism” anyway?)

* How we react to our news, especially online

* The Epistle of James 3:5-10

* The dangers of uncharitable speech, especially online

He wraps it up with a lengthy list of sins of the tongue, pulled from several different examinations of conscience. (Spoiler alert: you’ll finish the episode probably feeling the urge to go to confession.)

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.

It’s been a heavy few weeks of bad news. So with no way to not talk about it, in this fast-paced episode, Mike dives in and covers:

* Matthew 24-25

* Where did the “rapture” theory of the end times come from? Is it valid?

* The role of politics in our lives

* Our role in politics

* St. Peter Claver

* Slavery

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 news cycle has moved on from the tragedy in Minneapolis’ Church of the Annunciation, but we shouldn’t be so quick to do the same. This week’s podcast takes a look at what this incident tells us about the bigger picture in the war between good and evil. There are several important lessons that we can learn from this tragedy once we step away from hot takes.

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.

GELATO FIXES EVERYTHING.

Back in Episode 8 of this podcast, Mike talked about the importance of having an accurate map and a knowledgable tour guide on our trip back home to the Father’s house. The truths of that episode were made painfully clear as Mike recounts a few stories from his family’s pilgrimage to Italy in July.

Though not mentioned in this episode, Mike and his family found an amazing tour guide if you’re traveling to Venice. His name is Leo, and he is a native Venetian who knows and loves his city. You can contact him on WhatsApp at +393274511907

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.

Over a century ago, Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, a Franciscan priest, put together a series of novenas for Marian feasts. They are both catechetical and spiritually moving. Take a few minutes to listen and pray along with the podcast in preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary where we ponder her blessed death, bodily assumption, and glorious crowning as Queen of Heaven.

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.

Background music courtesy Corpus Christi Watershed and used under the Creative Commons license. Support them with a donation or the purchase of a hand missal or hymnal.

Over a century ago, Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, a Franciscan priest, put together a series of novenas for Marian feasts. They are both catechetical and spiritually moving. Take a few minutes to listen and pray along with the podcast in preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary where we ponder her blessed death, bodily assumption, and glorious crowning as Queen of Heaven.

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.

Background music courtesy Corpus Christi Watershed and used under the Creative Commons license. Support them with a donation or the purchase of a hand missal or hymnal.

Over a century ago, Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, a Franciscan priest, put together a series of novenas for Marian feasts. They are both catechetical and spiritually moving. Take a few minutes to listen and pray along with the podcast in preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary where we ponder her blessed death, bodily assumption, and glorious crowning as Queen of Heaven.

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.

Background music courtesy Corpus Christi Watershed and used under the Creative Commons license. Support them with a donation or the purchase of a hand missal or hymnal.