How can you tell whether you are actually growing in the spiritual life?

In this episode of The Devil Is in the Details, Dan and Jordan Burke continue their series through The Devil in the Castle, exploring the Third Mansion of St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle and the signs that a soul is beginning to make real spiritual progress.

The Third Mansion marks a serious transition. Habitual mortal sin is being overcome, mental prayer has become more consistent, and love of God begins to reshape how a person speaks, dresses, works, manages responsibilities, and treats others.

But spiritual growth is also easy to misunderstand.

Dan and Jordan discuss why mystical experiences are not reliable evidence of holiness, how pride can distort our perception of where we are spiritually, and why love, humility, virtue, and fidelity are far better indicators of progress than visions, locutions, or extraordinary experiences.

They also examine the three traditional stages of the spiritual life: the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways, and explain why understanding your general trajectory matters more than obsessing over exactly which mansion you occupy.

In this episode:

• Signs of progress in the Third Mansion
• What it means to overcome habitual mortal sin
• Why mental prayer is essential for spiritual growth
• How love changes speech, dress, work, and relationships
• Why sins of the tongue reveal spiritual immaturity
• The purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways
• Whether someone can be in two mansions at once
• Why mystical experiences do not prove holiness
• How the enemy can imitate spiritual experiences
• Why humility and love are the truest signs of progress
• The importance of confession, the Eucharist, and a rule of life

The spiritual life is usually not dramatic. It is built through ordinary fidelity: getting up, praying, fighting sin, receiving the sacraments, fulfilling your duties, and beginning again.

What happens when zeal moves faster than spiritual maturity?

In this episode of The Devil in the Details, Dan and Jordan discuss the growing feeling of “influencer fatigue” in Catholic media: the trend of new converts, reverts, commentators, and public personalities being elevated too quickly before they have the prayer life, accountability, formation, and humility needed to sustain that platform.

From celebrity conversions to Catholic social media scandals, this conversation examines how the enemy can use genuine zeal, real gifts, and even orthodox teaching as a kind of spiritual judo, turning momentum against the soul.

Together, they discuss:

• Why new converts and reverts are especially vulnerable to premature public platforms
• The danger of making Catholic media about personality instead of Christ
• Why daily mental prayer and spiritual direction are non-negotiable
• How ambition can disguise itself as zeal
• The need for accountability, humility, and silence before teaching
• Why followers should be cautious about quickly elevating new Catholic voices
• How the devil can use even good desires to pull souls off course

This is not a call to cynicism or gatekeeping. It is a call to discernment, humility, and prayer.

Because the goal is not to become known.

The goal is to become holy.

Read Mark's full article here: https://www.catholicunscripted.com/p/the-seduction-of-suspicion

Why does so much Catholic commentary today feel suspicious, divisive, or even spiritually draining?

In this episode, we unpack the rise of a critical spirit and how it often disguises itself as discernment. Drawing from Mark Lambert’s article The Seduction of Suspicion, we explore how partial truths, oversimplification, and emotional reactions can lead souls away from clarity, humility, and ultimately, Christ.

We also discuss practical warning signs to watch for, why conspiracy thinking is so attractive, and how to remain grounded in truth without losing charity.