Watch the video: https://youtu.be/RB8ObIPQM3I

We live in a time when some men still live in their parents’ basements, and the greatest crisis they face is the Wi-Fi going out—or not being able to skip an extra-long YouTube ad.

Tonight, I invite you back to another time, when men left the comforts of home, braved the winter woods, and risked life and limb for the thrill of the hunt.

This is one of the wildest stories in American frontier lore and I dedicate this episode to St. Hubert, patron saint of hunters.

Now this story was originally published in the late 1800’s, so instead of saying Mountain Lion, the author actually used the outdated term “Catamount.” So I’ve replaced it with names like Mountain Lion or Cougar, although it was originally titled, “My Fight with a Catamount.”

His story begins:

My guide, Alaric, and I had gone in after moose to the country beyond Mud Brook, in Maine.

Our task was a slow one; we had to examine each snow covered valley for moose tracks, tramping up one side and down the other, or as we usually managed it, separating at the valley's mouth, each taking a side, meeting at the end and then, if unsuccessful, taking the quickest way back to camp.



And unsuccessful we were, since for three days we found no trail.

But Alaric was not in the least discouraged.



"You can never tell about moose," he said; "they travel so. There were moose in this country before the snow, and there are moose within a day's walk of us now. It's just as I told you; we may have to spend five days finding where they are."



It was on the second day that we found that, while after moose, we had been tracked by a mountain lion. The print of its paw was generously large.



"I've seen bigger," said Alaric, "but this feller's big enough. He's just waiting round, I guess, so as to get some of the meat we kill. We'll remember him," he said, looking up at me as he knelt on the snow, "so's to see that he doesn't spoil the hide or the head."



I accepted the theory, and thought little more of it for 24 hours.



At the end of the third day we found that the cougar had for a second time been following our trail—not only our trail, but also mine. He had followed me all day as I walked along the hillside. Alaric examined his tracks carefully for half a mile.



"He was in sight of you all the way," he said. "See here, where he stood for some time, just shifting about in one place, watching?" I saw—and thought...

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

I don't think men today understand how terrible the sin of impurity is. In this highly effeminate world, they might look upon impure behavior as understandable for a healthy man. Tonight I would like to show you the horror we should have for that sin by repeating an excerpt from a sermon by a Doctor of the Church: St. Alphonsus Liguori on the Four Gates of Hell, the fourth being the Sin of Impurity. He also gives us the solution for staying pure and I intend to tell you a very inspiring story at the end that may encourage you.

At the end of his sermon, he said:
We have now, lastly, to speak of the fourth gate of Hell which is impurity, and it is by this gate that the greater number of the damned enter. Some will say that it is a trifling sin. Is it a trifling sin? It is a mortal sin. St. Antoninus writes. that such is the nauseousness of this sin; that the devils themselves cannot endure it. Moreover,the Doctors of the Church say that certain demons, who have been superior to the rest. remembering their ancient dignity, disdain tempting to so loathsome a sin. Consider then how disgusting he must be to God, who, like a dog, is ever returning to his vomit, or wallowing like a pig in the stinking mire of this accursed vice. “The dog is returned to his vomit, and the sow that was washed, to her rolling in the mire.”

The impure say, moreover, God has compassion on us who are subject to this vice. because He knows that we are flesh. What do you say? God has compassion on this vice. But you must know that the most horrible chastisements with which God has ever visited the earth have been drawn down by this vice. St. Jerome says that this is the only sin of which we read that it caused God to repent Him of having made man. It repented Him that had made man; “...for all flesh had corrupted its way.” Wherefore it is, St. Jerome says, that there is no sin which God punishes so rigorously, even upon earth, as this. He once sent fire from Heaven upon five cities. and consumed all their inhabitants for this sin. Principally on account of this sin did God destroy mankind, with the exception of eight persons, by the deluge. It is a sin which God punishes, not only in the other life, but in this also. In confirmation of this, you have only to enter the hospitals, and see there the many poor young men, who were once strong and robust, but are now weak, squalid, full of pains, tormented with lancets and caustic. and ulcers. all through this accursed vice. “Because thou hast forgotten Me and cast Me off behind thy back, bear thou also thy wickedness and thy fornications.” Because, says God, you have forgotten Me and turned your back upon Me, for a miserable pleasure of the flesh, I am resolved that even in this life you shall pay the forfeit of your wickedness...

00:00 Don Bosco: "Two Main Sins That Lead to Hell"

01:33 St. Alphonsus Liguori on the Horror of Impurity

10:05 Inspiring Story of Mary's Intercession





Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

“The praise of Mary is a fountain so full that the more it extends, the fuller it becomes, and the fuller it becomes the more it extends; which signifies that the blessed Virgin is so great and sublime, that the more we praise her, the more there is to praise. So that St. Augustine says: All the tongues of men, even if all their members were changed to tongues, would not be sufficient to praise her as she deserves.” - St. Alphonsus Liguori.

These true stories were taken from the book, “The Glories of Mary,” by St. Alphonsus Liguori, who is an illustrious Doctor of the Church.

Table of Contents:
00:00 Story #1 - The Assassin
04:28 Mary Is Our LIFE
07:36 Story #2 - Purgatory Soul Released
10:07 A Soul Without Mary is CHAOS
12:20 Story #3 - St. Mary of Egypt
15:40 Co-Redemptrix & Mediatrix of Graces
18:36 Story #4 - Demonic Deal
21:34 Story #5 - From Don Bosco’s Biographical Memoirs
26:29 Beware False Devotees of Mary
28:24 Story #6 - The Wayward Nun

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/YQFPLSM_vdQ

Don Bosco often had apparitions of the afterlife. One of his pupils Joseph Perazzo, said:
My father's death saddened me very much, and I kept wishing to know of his state in the other world. Once, after confession, I asked Don Bosco to pray for my father. "I have seen him," Don Bosco replied. He then proceeded to describe him so minutely and accurately that I exclaimed, "Yes, that's my father; that's the way he used to dress."
"Well," Don Bosco went on, "he’s still in purgatory. Pray for him, and soon he'll be in heaven." The amazing thing is that Don Bosco had never seen or known the boy's father in this life.
But a far more frightening specter appeared to one of Don Bosco's parishioners around All Souls Day in 1865. It's lesson is timeless and he gave a chilling account of the event to his Oratory boys, resulting in one of the most remarkable Good Night Talks in the school's history.

Here are some very easy ways to gain a plenary indulgence:

-Vocal Recitation of at least 5 decades of the Rosary in a church, or oratory or when it is recited in a family, a religious community, or a pious association. And in all other circumstances, a partial indulgence is granted.

-Remaining in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for half an hour.

-Reading sacred Scripture with the devotion due to God’s word for half an hour.

-Making the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross at legitimately erected stations.

-On each Friday of Lent a plenary indulgence is granted to those who piously recite the prayer “Look down Upon Me, Good and Gentle Jesus” after Holy Communion, before an image of Christ crucified.

"Indulgence" as defined by the Code of Canon Law (can. 992) and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471):

"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints".
To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed.  [For instance, one must be a Catholic, not excommunicated or in schism.]

A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:
have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
have sacramentally confessed their sins;
receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required); pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope's intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act. Prayer for the Pope's intentions is left to the choice of the faithful, but an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary" are suggested. One sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father's intentions are required for each plenary indulgence.

Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

The Theban legion numbered more than six thousand men. They were encamped near the Lake of Geneva in the southwestern part of Switzerland, under the Emperor Maximian, when they got orders to turn their swords against the Christian population, and refused to obey. In his fury Emperor Maximian ordered them to be decimated. The order was executed, but they endured this without a murmur or an effort to defend themselves. St. Maurice, the chief captain in this legion of martyrs, encouraged the rest to persevere and follow their comrades to heaven. "Know, O Emperor," he said, "that we are your soldiers, but we are servants also of the true God. In all things lawful we will most readily obey, but we cannot stain our hands in this innocent blood. We have seen our comrades slain, and we rejoice at their honor. We have arms, but we resist not, for we would rather die without shame than live by sin." As the massacre began, these generous soldiers flung down their arms, offered their necks to the sword, and suffered themselves to be butchered in silence.
The Blessed Virgin Mary revealed where two of them were martyred to Saint John Bosco. He was an Italian priest who ran an Oratory school for boys in the 1800's and received over 170 mystical dreams or visions which often foretold future events with perfect accuracy. This particular vision, recounted in volume two of his biographical memoirs, took place in 1845, when Don Bosco had already started his apostolate with young men, but couldn't find a suitable home for all of them. He had gone to bed in desolation, not even suspecting that he would receive a great consolation from Our Lady in the form of a mystical dream. It was a promise of a future home for the boys - a massive Oratory School.
00:00 Intro
00:26 Theban Legion Martyrs
01:36 Story #1 - Don Bosco's Vision
05:26 Prophetic Accuracy of Don Bosco
06:54 Story #2 - The Roman Ghosts


Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

“I beg of you to beware of thinking of the Rosary as something of little importance – as do ignorant people and even several great but proud scholars. Far from being insignificant, the Rosary is a priceless treasure which is inspired by God.”

-The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort.


Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Watch the lego timelapse: https://youtube.com/shorts/Uz3ti-DNqeE?feature=share

Griffin the dog clearly knows the Hail Mary clip: https://youtube.com/shorts/MW-0pxNBLNU?feature=share

No matter how much importance you give to the idea of a space race, you have to admit that exploration has always been a very Catholic thing. Whether it be Columbus’ voyage blessed by many miracles from God or St. Brendan setting forth in a leather boat to find the Isle of Saints.

In the 1960s, America's Cold War with Russia and its communist satellites was afoot. We had been threatened with destruction during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Nuclear War was looming on the horizon and the Soviet Union had already launched a man into space successfully. It seemed that the Soviets would dominate the sky - a frightening thought for an American populace already troubled by nuclear annihilation. We needed to step up our game.

All that being considered, space missions from that era had an undeniable anti-communist spark to them. Obviously there can be obsessions with outer space and being first at everything, but when Nuclear War is at hand, I wholeheartedly believe that victory in the space race was very important for the safety of free countries everywhere. Which leads me to the incredible story of Apollo 13, but the space race isn’t actually why I'm interested in this story. I'm interested, because it shows how real men handle problems. What brought it to mind was that one of my subscribers sent me this Lego spaceship and asked me to talk about the three men who escaped death through a series of spine chilling decisions on Apollo 13 — a mission that never reached the Moon… but showed the world what real problem solving looks like. It's a testament to cool thinking, ingenuity and even trust in God and I think it says something about America's calling as a nation, which is important to discern, because patriotism is a virtue.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Watvh the performance: https://youtu.be/JKwdgecfeUM

Special thanks to my talented cast of actors who performed this show live for an audience. 
Led by Don Juan of Austria, with the blessing of Pope Pius V and the prayers of all Christendom, the Holy League sailed into history. Outnumbered and outgunned, their greatest weapon was not their cannons or swords, but the Rosary. As the Pope called all Catholics to prayer, men and women across Europe took up their beads, and the heavens answered. The winds shifted, the battle turned, and Our Lady granted victory to her faithful sons.

If you’ve ever wondered why October 7th is the Feast of the Holy Rosary, or how the faith of ordinary men and women turned the tide of war, this is the story you’ve been waiting for.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

Wath the video: https://youtu.be/W45LoVjhz6I

The Red Room by H.G. Wells, written in 1896.

Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast

If you would like to listen to "The Catholic Insomniac", please click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1a68IKIffqZNI0RjOSSnCd4pxRiNgYvy

Sleep with the angels and rise with the saints!


Check out the YouTube channel, if you want: https://www.youtube.com/@catholicmenspodcast