The Fire Up Podcast

In a relationship, shouldn't love be 50/50? In this video, Simon shares a powerful encounter with Antoun, a man who totally challenged his idea of love. Learn the secret that helped Antoun and his wife endure 53 years of faithful, marital love filled with both joy and suffering.

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Struggling with harmful habits or addictive behaviors and looking for real freedom? Get the support and guidance you need to overcome them for good with our Sexual Freedom Mastermind.

Click the link to learn more and take the next step in your journey:

⁠https://fireup.kartra.com/page/BreakFreeCoaching⁠

When can I begin sharing the beauty of chastity and the Theology of the Body with my child?

In this episode, Simon will share some easy and practical ways to begin sharing the key principles of the Theology of the Body with your child, whether they are a toddler or in their late teens. It is never too early or too late to begin teaching them the importance of self-giving love.

In this episode Simon and Madeleine discuss the challenges of being single and what to do about it. You will discover, through this conversation that a time of singleness is a profound gift that can lead to the fulfilment of your desires. 

Scripture: 

‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’ - Jeremiah 29:11

St Teresa of Avila Prayer - 

Challenge: 

Simon: Get involved in an apostolate or ministry where you can serve others.

Madeleine: Go on a date with Jesus... spend some time in Eucharistic Adoration handing over your desires to God. 

In this episode, Simon and Madeleine discuss practical ideas to growing in holiness. 

Thank you to our sponsor for this episode - Ramcon Group. 

Challenge: 

Simon - Commit to 15 mins of prayer at a set time each day!

Maddie - Read the writings of a Saint!

Show Notes:

Litany of trust 

Peter Kreeft Book 

Saint writings

There are many great writings from the saints. You can find many of the pope’s writings on the Vatican website.

Some of our favourite Saint writings include:

Journal Question:

Quotes to pray with:

‘Follow the saints because those who follow them will become saints’ - Pope St Clement I

‘A wise man first makes himself a reservoir before a channel.’ - St Bernard of Clarivaux

Scripture of the Week:

‘Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.’ -  Mt 5:48

In this episode Simon and Madeleine discuss the essential teaching in the Catholic Church that every single person is called to Holiness! The fall of man in the garden of Eden made way for sin which causes division and death. Living a life of virtue brings about true integration of body and spirit, allowing us to become whole in Christ. 

Show notes

Virtue - Catechism of the Catholic Church 1803

Holiness - Catechism of the Catholic Church 2012 -2013

The Wounded Healer by Audrey Assad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejrg3zXOW-k

Journal Question:

Quotes to pray with:

“Do not be afraid of holiness, do not be afraid to aim high, to let yourself be loved and purified by God, do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit.” – Pope Francis

‘Holiness doesn’t depend on superhuman powers, but rather demands a heart filled with courage, hope, and grace that strives for conversion each and every day.’ - Pope Francis

Scripture of the Week:

'I am the vine, you are the branches.' - Jn 15:5

'Rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the Faith" - Col 2:7

'Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' - Mt 26:41

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Struggling with harmful habits or addictive behaviors and looking for real freedom? Get the support and guidance you need to overcome them for good with our Sexual Freedom Mastermind.

Click the link to learn more and take the next step in your journey: ⁠⁠⁠https://fireup.kartra.com/page/BreakFreeCoaching⁠

Is virginity something you can actually lose?

In this episode, Simon interviews Theology of the Body speaker Katrina Zeno, who shares her unique perspective on the true meaning of virginity. Offering hope and freedom to everyone, regardless of their past. Her insights are unlike anything you’ve heard before!

To learn more from Katrina Zeno, check out her website

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Struggling with harmful habits or addictive behaviors and looking for real freedom? Get the support and guidance you need to overcome them for good with our Sexual Freedom Mastermind.

Click the link to learn more and take the next step in your journey: ⁠⁠https://fireup.kartra.com/page/BreakFreeCoaching⁠

In this episode we discuss the deepest longings and desires of the human heart. We all long for happiness and fulfillment, we all ache for the infinite. What does this desire for God really mean and how can we attain it.

Challenge for the week

Simon - Identify an idol in your life that keeps you from communion with God, and get rid of it.

Maddie - Get in touch with your ache for God - spend some time in prayer or pondering some spiritual reading. Don't run from your desire, press into it. 

Show notes

Look up St Teresa of Avila's Ecstasy. This beautiful marble sculpture by Bernini encapsulates a great saint on fire with desire for God! 

This is what she had to say about her mystical ecstasy which Bernini uses for his inspiration:

“Beside me, on the left, appeared an angel in bodily form. … He was not tall but short, and very beautiful; and his face was so aflame that he appeared to be one of the highest rank of angels, who seem to be all on fire. … In his hands I saw a great golden spear, and at the iron tip there appeared to be a point of fire. This he plunged into my heart several times so that it penetrated to my entrails. When he pulled it out I felt that he took them with it, and left me utterly consumed by the great love of God. The pain was so severe that it made me utter several moans. The sweetness caused by this intense pain is so extreme that one cannot possibly wish it to cease, nor is one’s soul content with anything but God. This is not a physical but a spiritual pain, though the body has some share in it—even a considerable share.”

For more on St Teresa of Avila and her mystical experience, watch this video by Christopher West.

Journal Question:

Quotes to pray with:

“Jesus always gives me what I want because I only want what he wants.” - St Therese of Lisieux

"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." - C.S Lewis

"The Fathers of the Church say that prayer, properly understood is nothing other than becoming a longing for God." - Pope Benedict XVI

"You have made us for yourself O Lord and our heart is restless until it rests in you." - St Augustine

Scripture of the Week:

John 1:35-42

Catechism Reference: 

CCC #27

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for. 

In this episode, Simon reveals how pornography affects the brain on a neurological level, exposing its addictive nature and the long-term changes it can cause.

Learn how consuming porn rewires the brain, similar to the effects of powerful drugs. If you’ve ever wondered how porn can take control of your mind, this episode is something to listen to.

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Struggling with harmful habits or addictive behaviors and looking for real freedom? Get the support and guidance you need to overcome them for good with our Sexual Freedom Mastermind.

Click the link to learn more and take the next step in your journey:

⁠https://fireup.kartra.com/page/BreakFreeCoaching⁠

Ever wonder what it takes to date with true passion and purpose, without losing sight of your faith? In this special episode, Simon and Madeleine share their beautiful story—how they met, their favorite dates, and the unforgettable proposal that brought them together.

Originally an interview with Isobel Wright on her For Better, For Worse podcast, this conversation dives deep into love, intentionality, and building a relationship that honors your soul.

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Struggling with harmful habits or addictive behaviors and looking for real freedom? Get the support and guidance you need to overcome them for good with our Sexual Freedom Mastermind.

Click the link to learn more and take the next step in your journey:

⁠https://fireup.kartra.com/page/BreakFreeCoaching⁠

Sometimes in life we can battle with the idea or temptation that we are not good enough, and that we are defined by our sin. We often fail to believe that God could still forgive and love us when we have sinned. In this episode we explore God's radical love for you and how we are called to see ourselves and everyone we encounter as a GIFT! You are loved beyond measure. God loves you infinitely, perfectly and unconditionally!

Challenge for the Week: 

Simon - Stand in front of the mirror and thank God for how beautifully he made you!

Maddie - Let love, love you! - Do a Eucharistic Holy Hour. Ponder the Crucifixion.

Extra Resources: 

'The Sea and Spirituality' by Peter Kreeft 

'The Hound of Heaven' by Francis Thompson

Journal Questions: 

1. After listening to this podcast, has your understanding of God's love changed in anyway? 

2. What prevents you from seeing yourself as a gift? 

3. Have you ever thought about yourself as 'a thought of God'? How has this changed your understanding of yourself? 

Scripture to Pray with: 

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you!” - Jeremiah 1:5

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:13-14

"In the image of God he created them, male and female, he created them." - Genesis 1:27

"God is love" - 1 John 4:8

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.." - 1 Corinthians 6:19

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Quotes to Reflect on: 

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” - St John Paul II, Toronto WYD 2002

“Every single person, is a thought of God.” - Pope Benedict XVI

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Struggling with harmful habits or addictive behaviors and looking for real freedom? Get the support and guidance you need to overcome them for good with our Sexual Freedom Mastermind.

Click the link to learn more and take the next step in your journey:

⁠https://fireup.kartra.com/page/BreakFreeCoaching⁠