What does it actually mean to persevere?

In this episode, Adam and David unpack the Catholic understanding of perseverance—not as white-knuckled suffering, but as faithfully enduring in the pursuit of the good over time.

Using insights from St. Thomas Aquinas, they explain why perseverance is less about dramatic hardship and more about showing up day after day in prayer, marriage, fatherhood, and work—even when there is no immediate payoff.

From the slow labor of a sow giving birth, to the monotony of daily prayer, to the demands of being present as a father, this episode reframes perseverance as one of the most essential virtues for the modern man.

Topics include:

1. St. Thomas Aquinas’ definition of perseverance
2. The difference between perseverance and constancy
3. Why perseverance is about duration, not difficulty
4. Why there is no “excess” of perseverance
5. Final perseverance as a gift from God
6. Why motivation fades but discipline remains
7. Practical ways to grow in perseverance as a man

In this episode of The Catholic Man Show, Adam and David discuss the essential role of fathers in catechizing their children... not just by teaching information, but by forming habits, traditions, and a lived love for the Catholic faith.

Adam shares a personal update about his family and the power of prayer and community during a time of serious medical uncertainty. From there, the conversation turns to what real catechesis looks like in the home: modeling prayer, creating a culture of beauty, building liturgical traditions, and making the Eucharist the center of family life.

The guys explore why passing on the faith is less about producing kids who can pass a religion test, and more about raising children who know God is real and worth ordering their entire life around.

Topics include:

1. Why fathers are primarily responsible for catechesis
2. The difference between knowing the faith and loving the faith
3. Teaching children how to pray by example
4. Using beauty, art, and the home to form souls
5. Why habits and traditions matter more than programs
6. Making the Eucharist the source and summit of family life

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This episode moves from a lighthearted family practice of setting “New Year’s disciplines” into a serious, practical conversation on Josef Pieper’s The Concept of Sin. Adam and David argue that modern culture often avoids the word “sin” not because sin disappeared, but because the concept of sin has been replaced with softer language: mistakes, weakness, psychological explanations, or vague “bad choices.” Pieper’s central claim, they explain, is that sin is not merely a moral misstep but a rejection of reality itself.

The conversation ties sin directly to freedom. Only a truly free person can sin, because sin requires knowledge, responsibility, and the willful refusal of the good. Drawing on the Catechism, they frame sin as an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience, as well as a failure in love caused by disordered attachment to lesser goods. Sin is not “missing the mark” in the sense of trying hard and falling short; it is a refusal, a “no” to what is.

They also explore how every sin involves untruthfulness and self-deception. To commit sin, a person constructs a false account of reality that makes the act seem reasonable. This helps explain why rationalization demands constant outside validation and why modern life often tries to remove guilt without removing sin. Against that, the hosts emphasize that forgiveness presupposes guilt, and sin can only be understood alongside grace.

Practical takeaways include building a daily examination of conscience, paying attention to patterns and triggers, naming both sins of commission and omission, and running to confession with regularity. The episode closes with a fatherly focus: how to speak about sin with children truthfully without crushing them, holding together mercy and clarity so that kids learn both the seriousness of sin and the permanence of love.

Key topics covered

1. A family approach to New Year’s disciplines: spiritual, virtue-driven, and “free choice” goals
2. Why “the concept of sin” has faded while sin itself has not
3. Pieper’s claim: before sin is a moral issue, it is a metaphysical issue
4. Sin, freedom, and responsibility: why only the free can sin
5. Why sin is more than “missing the mark”: refusal vs. mistake
6. Sin as rejection of reality and the link to truth and the transcendentals
7. The role of self-deception and rationalization in every sinful act
8. Grace and forgiveness: why forgiveness presupposes guilt
9. Vice vs. sin and how habitual patterns can erode clarity and hope
10. Examination of conscience, confession, and spiritual “trench warfare”
11. Parenting: naming sin without demoralizing children, holding truth with mercy

Notable references mentioned

1. Josef Pieper, The Concept of Sin
2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1849 (definition of sin)
3. St. Paul on grace abounding where sin increases

1. The “joyful demeanor” that opens doors to talking about Jesus (without getting weird).
2. A godfather breakfast on a baptism anniversary becomes a living lesson in evangelization.
3. “Five seconds” theology: most of our daily encounters are brief—so what do we do with them?

1. Time accelerates as you age; “someday” becomes a trap.
2. Many men feel stuck for 10–15 years—spiritually, vocationally, relationally, and in work.
3. The antidote isn’t bigger ambition—it’s better order.

Aquinas method: name the end (happiness), then rule out false ends.

1. Wealth: money is a means, not a final end.
2. Honor / reputation: depends on others; happiness must be stable and interior.
3. Power: instrumental, addictive, and easily disguised as “leadership.”
4. Pleasure: real and good, but cannot be the end—pleasure perfects an act, it doesn’t define the goal.

1. Perfect happiness is the vision of God (beatific vision).
2. We can’t fully attain it in this life, but we can live an imperfect happiness by ordering our lives toward it.
3. Key shift: beatitude, not optimization.

Three filters for any resolution:

1. Is it ordered toward the highest good? (God, truth, contemplation)
2. Does it support your vocation? (husband/father, priest, etc.)
3. Does it treat lesser goods as means? (money, status, comfort serve the mission)

1. “Not huge shifts—small profitable habits that stick.”
2. Guarding silence and adding a few more minutes of contemplative prayer.
3. A reminder: you can “succeed” without prayer, but not in the way a Christian wants to succeed.

1. Gratitude grounds you in the present and breaks the “always next” mindset.

Cy Kellett, host of Catholic Answers Live, joins the Catholic Man Show for a wide-ranging and surprisingly practical conversation on evangelization. If the idea of “sharing your faith” makes you uncomfortable, intimidated, or quietly guilty, this episode is for you.

The guys talk about why evangelization feels scary for normal Catholics in the pews, why it is not optional, and why God never asked you to be effective. He only asked you to be faithful. Cy explains why pressure to “get results” is misplaced, how discouragement is the devil’s favorite weapon against evangelists, and why introverts might actually be better at sharing the Gospel than extroverts.

They also dig into what the Gospel actually is, why “God loves you” is true but incomplete, and how the full Christian story speaks directly to the modern world’s confusion about meaning, identity, and purpose. From street evangelization to talking with adult children who have drifted from the faith, Cy offers clarity, encouragement, and concrete advice rooted in real experience.

This is an episode about integrity, prayer, the sacraments, and learning how to talk about Jesus in a way that is honest, human, and real.

In this episode:

1. Why evangelization feels intimidating for ordinary Catholics
2. Why you are not called to be effective, only faithful
3. How discouragement shuts down evangelization
4. The difference between proclamation and debate
5. Why introverts can be excellent evangelists
6. What the Gospel actually is, beyond “God loves you”
7. How modern culture misunderstands science and human dignity
8. Why evangelization always includes words, not just example
9. The role of prayer and the Eucharist in sustaining evangelists
10. Why the goal is winning souls, not arguments
11. Cy’s new book, How to Talk About Jesus with Anybody

Guest:

Cy Kellett, host of Catholic Answers Live and co-author of How to Talk About Jesus with Anybody

Book mentioned:

How to Talk About Jesus with Anybody by Steve Dawson with Cy Kellett

Ever wake up with that “today is the day” feeling, like you are ready to conquer the world? The guys start there, take a hard left into Pinky and the Brain, and somehow end up pondering what it was like when Christ rose from the dead.

From there, it turns into a practical, tradition-packed episode on celebrating Christmas well. Not the Hallmark version, and not the American “Christmas ends on December 26” version either. The kind that actually follows the liturgical calendar, keeps Advent as Advent, and treats Christmas as a season, not a day.

Along the way, they review a Taiwanese whiskey from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, talk family customs that make the day feel grounded, and make a strong case for grandfathers and fathers to be the custodians of tradition. One of the best parts is a simple, doable challenge: take the 12 Days of Christmas seriously and mark the feast days with small, intentional practices your family will actually remember.

In this episode:

1. The “wake up and conquer the world” mood vs the day Christ resurrected
2. Advent vs Christmas, and why our culture gets it backwards
3. Why “Merry” used to mean more like blessed than happy
4. Midnight Mass, caroling, real Christmas trees, and reading Luke before presents
5. A great grandfather tradition: gather the family and speak from the heart
6. Gifts for kids: fewer and meaningful vs abundance as a sign of the Father’s generosity
7. The 12 Days of Christmas, and the feast days that stack up fast
8. St. John’s Blessing of Wine and why you should do it
9. A practical idea for the Holy Innocents: dads blessing their children out loud
10. Epiphany water and why you should plan ahead to get it blessed

Whiskey for the episode: Taiwanese whiskey (Scotch Malt Whisky Society pick), “Dunker’s Delight” style notes, 107 proof, with flavors like caramel and apple pie crust.

Challenge for the week: Pick two feast days during the 12 Days of Christmas and do something small but real. Bless your kids, bless wine, invite someone over, go to Mass, or start a tradition worth keeping.

In this episode, Adam and David welcome back longtime friend and mentor Matthew Christoff of EveryCatholicMan.com to talk about what it really means to become a happier Catholic man.

Matthew shares the story behind his new devotional, “Becoming a Happier Catholic Man 2026,” and why he believes every man can be happier by drawing closer to Jesus, embracing suffering, and living a zealous Catholic life.

Topics discussed:

• Why God actually wills our true and lasting happiness
• The difference between fleeting pleasure and beatitude
• Practicing the presence of God in ordinary daily life
• Using “triggers” like sirens, cemeteries, and churches to turn the mind to God
• How technology, curiosity, and pornography are devastating modern manhood
• Homeostasis of the soul: breaking habits and building new spiritual baselines
• Why pornography and AI-generated lust are a major assault on men and women
• Confession, near occasions of sin, and forming a real battle plan
• The need for a “penance revival” to accompany the Eucharistic Revival
• Why evangelizing men is decisive for families, parishes, and culture
• How awe of Jesus, not just information about him, is the foundation of conversion
• The structure of the book: weekly Gospel commentary, awe-of-Jesus focus, maxims, and prayers
• Using the devotional as a couple and in the domestic church

Resources mentioned:

• Becoming a Happier Catholic Man 2026 – devotional for Sundays and feast days of the liturgical year
• EveryCatholicMan.com – Matthew Christoff’s apostolate and resources for men
• Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church (references used throughout the book)

Learn more and get the book:

Visit EveryCatholicMan.com or search “Becoming a Happier Catholic Man 2026” on Amazon.

Support The Catholic Man Show and get access to extra content and community at:

TheCatholicManShow.com

This episode is packed — saints, miracles, Marian devotion, vocations, fatherhood, fasting, silence, and the rise of a new generation of men hungry for God.

Fr. Charbel, a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate, joins Adam and David in Tulsa along with first-class relics of St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Charbel, sharing powerful stories of faith, mission, intercession, and what young Catholic men are longing for today.

Fr. Charbel introduces the Franciscans of the Immaculate, an order founded to continue the Marian mission of St. Maximilian Kolbe:

• Total consecration to Mary as a fourth vow
• A spirituality built on St. Francis + St. Maximilian
• Missionary availability (“Send me anywhere in the world”)
• Heavy emphasis on prayer, poverty, obedience, and Marian devotion

He explains how Our Lady’s presence has shaped every major moment in salvation history — from Nazareth to the Cross — and why consecration gives Mary “permission” to form us the way she formed Christ.

As the newly appointed vocations director, Fr. Charbel reveals something astonishing:

40+ serious vocation inquiries in just two months.

Why the sudden surge?

• Men want something real
• They crave mission and purpose
• They want orthodoxy and reverence
• They want a spirituality that demands something of them
• Marian devotion draws them in a unique way

“It’s inspiring,” he says. “Young men want authenticity.”

The guys talk about:

• The Franciscan blend of active + contemplative
• The thrill of trusting God with everything
• Poverty that becomes a doorway to providence
• Why Franciscans never seem to fundraise (“God just provides”)

Religious life, he says, is more adventurous than most men realize.

St. Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese hermit, is becoming one of the most beloved saints of the century.

Father explains why:

• Lived a hidden, humble, ascetic life
• 23 years in community + 23 years as a hermit
• Entire life centered on the Holy Eucharist
• Body discovered incorrupt with supernatural light rising from his tomb
• Over 29,000 documented miracles since 1950
• Miracles among Muslims, Druze, Orthodox, and nonbelievers
• Global pilgrims: 2 million+ per year

One stunning story:

A Muslim sheikh publicly visited St. Charbel’s shrine to thank him for healing his mother of cancer.

“Why would God confirm the life of a hermit who spent his life before the Eucharist,” Father asks, “unless the Eucharist is truly what the Church says it is?”

What does a hermit from Lebanon have to teach us? A lot.

Fr. Charbel lays out practical takeaways:

• Faithfulness in the small things
• Silence — making space for God’s voice
• Daily prayer even without consolations
• Obedience and humility
• Eucharistic devotion
• Marian devotion as a way of being formed
• Asceticism and fasting: dying to self in small ways
• Doing your duty with...