It’s hard to stay joyful today. We’ve all noticed a rise of anxiety, anger, and bitterness, whether in ourselves or among friends. Our cultural climate is toxic, to say the least. Yet, we are called to be missionaries of joy, who spread the eva

BONUS - “Reclaiming Vatican II” - Fr. Blake's New Book!

Oct 11th, 2021 50m 1s

Woohoo!! The big day is finally here! Today marks the release of Fr. Blake’s new book titled Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Said, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church. Brandon and Fr. Blake discuss the book and why s

#029: Holiness in the Digital Age

Sep 15th, 2021 1h 2m

How do we preserve our state of grace in such a volatile and hostile environment as social media? Digital tools allow for a lot of good. We have seen that especially during this pandemic, when people are able to connect with one another across

#028: Dealing with Shame

Aug 18th, 2021 1h 4m

We all experience shame. But what should we do with it? According to John Damascene and Gregory of Nyssa, “Shame is fear of doing a disgraceful deed or of a disgraceful deed done.” In this episode, we explore shame in the spiritual life, dealin

#027: Disney and Theology

Jul 21st, 2021 1h 9m

We are both from Orlando and grew up around Disney. It is part of our culture, as it is for many Millennials who grew up watching classic Disney films. Today we discuss the The Disney Renaissance (aka The Disney Decade), lasting from 1989-1999,

#026: Moving Past the Liturgy Wars

Jun 16th, 2021 1h 15m

We have received several requests to do an episode on the sacred liturgy. We know it's always a hot-button topic in the Church, and for good reason. The sacred liturgy is incredibly important. So, in this episode we discuss what the liturgy is,

#025: Evangelizing Millennials and GenZ

May 19th, 2021 1h 15m

Survey after survey shows that young people, especially Millennials and Generation Z, are rejecting the faith in huge numbers. Whether they grew up going to church, few attend now. So, how can we reach them? How can we present the Gospel in a c

#024: Catholicism, Florida, and the Sacred Acre

Apr 21st, 2021 57m 25s

Brandon and Fr. Blake, both native Floridians, are proud of their home state, especially the sacred ground of St. Augustine. Founded in 1565, it's not only the oldest city in the United States but the site of the country's first recorded Cathol

#023: St. Joseph and Fatherhood

Mar 17th, 2021 1h 22m

This month we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph (March 19), but that’s not the only reason St. Joseph is on our minds. A few months ago, Pope Francis released a beautiful apostolic exhortation on St. Joseph titled Patris Corde (With a Fathe

#022: How to Have a Holy Lent

Feb 17th, 2021 1h 34m

On this Ash Wednesday, Brandon and Fr. Blake reflect on the holy season of Lent and offer advice on how to sanctify your Lenten season through spiritual reading, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.BooksFrank Sheed – To Know Christ JesusFulto

#021: Catholicism in “The Lord of the Rings”

Jan 20th, 2021 1h 24m

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings ranks near the top of almost every “favorite book” or “book of the century” list. Yet few readers know that Tolkien was a devout Catholic who infused his Middle-earth stories with Catholic themes and symbo

#020: G.K. Chesterton and Pope Benedict XVI

Dec 16th, 2020 1h

Let us give you fair warning ahead of time, because this is going to be quite the episode as we discuss two of our greatest heroes, G.K. Chesterton and Pope Benedict XVI. Prophets of their age who spoke truth with wisdom and clarity, these two

#019: Theology of the Saints

Nov 18th, 2020 40m 56s

We often hear about our vocation to become a saint. But what is a saint? And why does the Church honor saints?In this episode, Fr. Blake and Brandon discuss the theology of saints, how that theology is rooted in the Incarnation, and, most impo

#018: The Priesthood

Nov 4th, 2020 51m 55s

We’re in a period of deep confusion about the priesthood. Some people wonder why the priesthood exists, others wonder why women can’t be priests. The abuse crisis and examples of bad priests have added to that confusion, causing people to misun

#017: The Art of Leisure

Oct 21st, 2020 38m 30s

In his classic book Leisure: The Basis of Culture, philosopher Josef Pieper observed that “the original meaning of the concept of ‘leisure’ has practically been forgotten in today’s leisure-less culture of ‘total work.’” For many of us, work is

#016: Faith and Politics

Oct 7th, 2020 47m 3s

With the upcoming general election, it's good for us to reflect on the role of Catholics in the political sphere. Fr. Blake and Brandon discuss a Catholic approach to politics, why Christians should care about the common good, and how to react

#015: Responding to Scandals and Doubts

Sep 23rd, 2020 1h 15m

It seems like each week, another scandal emerges in the Church: sexual abuse, cover up, financial impropriety, poor leadership, heretical teaching, or lack of faithfulness. At the same time, many Catholics have experienced increased doubt and c

#014: The Blessed Virgin Mary

Sep 9th, 2020 34m 58s

The Blessed Virgin Mary is a troubling figure for many Protestant Christians, but this is a relatively new phenomenon. In the early Church, Marian devotion was hardly debated and even the major Protestant reformers themselves, such as Martin Lu

#013: What to Watch and How to Watch It

Aug 26th, 2020 49m 56s

Christians are often divided on questions about movies, television, and video games. Where do we draw the line between good entertainment, worthy of our attention, and bad media we should avoid? What about movies or shows with excessive violenc

#012: How to Raise Boys to Follow God

Jul 29th, 2020 41m 54s

Our culture is experiencing a crisis of masculinity. We're confused about what it means to be a man and because of that, we struggle to initiate boys into authentic masculinity. In this episode, Fr. Blake and Brandon discuss how to father boys

#011: What You Need to Know About Vatican II

Jul 29th, 2020 1h 27m

The Second Vatican Council (aka Vatican II) was convened in 1962 by Pope St. John XXIII and lasted through 1965. It gathered all the bishops from around the world to produce 16 wonderful texts.However, fifty years after its conclusion there’s

#010: Understanding the Bible

Jul 15th, 2020 37m 33s

The Bible is a complicated book. If you read or interpret it the wrong way, you'll quick go astray. In this episode, Brandon and Fr. Blake share some of the basic interpretative principles Catholics should use to understand Scripture, including

#009: Spiritual Woundedness

Jul 2nd, 2020 44m 6s

We live in an age that does not know how to recognize and reconcile its woundedness. This explains why we lash out at others, why we seek false substitutes for God such as Netflix, food, pornography, and drugs, and why we avoid long periods of

#008: Making Your Family Holy

Jun 17th, 2020 53m 25s

The Catechism describes the family as a “domestic church” (ecclesia domestica), the first school of Christian life and a school for human enrichment. How can we excel in this school? How do we help our family members become holy? Brandon and Fr

#007: True Friendship

Jun 3rd, 2020 1h 14m

In numerous studies, Millennials and Gen Z’ers mention “true friendship” as one of their most unmet needs. What is true friendship? What’s unique about Christian friendship? Brandon and Fr. Blake explore what ancient thinkers such as Plato, Ari