The Wise Guys Podcast

"Offer it up" sounds holy...but what if you're not actually ready to? In this episode, we unpack the reality of redemptive suffering and how our relationship with suffering develops over time. Too often, we try to jump to the language of the saints without first going through the necessary stages of growth. Like St. Paul, when he said in Colossians 1:24, "...I rejoice in my sufferings for your sak...

In this episode we dive into our experience of embracing the three Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. What’s the point of these disciplines? Do they make us more worthy of God’s love or do they make us more capable of receiving the love God already has for us? Duh. But how we frame these practices for ourselves makes all the difference between a performative experience of penance...

Is that perfection even possible? It is, but we must also have a proper understanding of what Jesus means by this. Join us as we discuss this rather challenging teaching and learn the difference between a human understanding of perfection and Jesus’ understanding. Perfection is possible but only if we first learn to receive from the Father of all goodness.

St. Paul describes a struggle that we all have—doing the very thing we hate or know we shouldn’t do (Romans 7). He describes a war that goes on between our conscience and the desires of our flesh for earthly pleasure. Join us as we explore this all-too-common challenge we face as human beings. Together we lay out our own personal challenges and discuss how Lent helps us overcome our divided hearts...

Four great traps capture our hearts today: consumerism, identity politics, idealism, and the victim mindset. Join us as we discuss how our culture holds our spirit captive and what we can do about it as followers of Jesus. Christ can never be held captive, which is why we his followers can be free even with so many ways for our souls to be ensnared.

These two phrases from Scripture—in both the Old and New Testaments—can leave a deeply negative impression on the people of God. Is God wrathful and does He want us to live in fear of Him? Join us as we delve deeply into the meaning of these phrases and discover why they do not mean what we might think they do.

We’ve needed a speech like Marco Rubio recently gave in Munich (2-14-26) for a long time now.  As a faithful Catholic of Cuban dissent, the perspective he laid out on the past and future of Western Civilization is critical and urgent. This speech may turn out to be one of the most historic of the 21st century—perhaps, rivaling Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down this Wall” speech in 1987 at the Berlin Wall...

In our utilitarian and functionalist world, we have lost the sense of wonder. This makes it extremely difficult to face reality, encounter God, and appreciate all the beauty and blessings that surround us. Listen in as we discuss the importance of wonder and our human capacity to appreciate what is truly given and present to us in any moment. Wonder is a contemplative exercise, which is uniquely p...

The web is filled these days with doomsday scenarios about the future of employment. There’s no doubt that big changes are ahead and that the world of work will shift. Sadly, many tech giants don’t appreciate what humans are and what essentially makes us different than computers or machines. Listen in as we explore what possibilities might be on the horizon once AI and robots take over the jobs hu...

Have you ever wondered what wisdom is? The world seems to lack it. Yet the Old Testament has entire books dedicated to this mysterious attribute of God. Scripture tells us that we should pursue wisdom if we want to live a Godly life.  But what does that even mean? Join us as we delve into the Book of Wisdom and Sirach and seek answers about this gift of the Holy Spirit and deeply spiritual mystery...

The Church is a treasury of wisdom on the importance of formation for our lives as disciples. Unfortunately, many Catholics never receive the formation they need to mature into the disciples they are called to be. Join us as we delve into the nature of formation, why we need it, and where we should receive it.

One of the challenges we face in parishes is a lack of inspiration among parishioners that translates into low attendance at parishes programs, like Preambula’s. Why is it so difficult to get people to step into new growth opportunities at the parish? Most formation programs are half filled with the same people that show up for everything. Join us as we explore some of the underlying reasons for t...

During the Christmas season we drink deeply from the First Letter of St. John wherein the beloved disciple leaves us no room for lukewarm discipleship. John is clear that we cannot compromise with the spirit of this world. We either abide fully in the love of Jesus, or we don’t. Listen in as we explore what this really means for us, especially when it comes to the two-fold command to love God and...

At the beginning of a new year, it’s always a good idea to take stalk of ourselves and discern what needs our attention in the year ahead. Resolutions do not have to be big and audacious. Seldom do those work out anyhow. Listen in as the wise guys take an honest appraisal of our personal growth edges and explore the little disciplines that make personal growth possible.

When the religious sense falls out, holidays become hollow days with lots of work but no joy. The purpose of our holiday traditions is to celebrate a sacred mystery that reminds us of what matters most—who we are and to whom we belong. Listen in as we discuss the purpose of all the holiday get up and the importance of how we celebrate our sacred family traditions.

Advent (like Lent) is a season that teaches us about the amazing ways that Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy. Christianity is a historical faith, inasmuch as God enters the human story in a specific time and place, as part of an unfolding plan to save us. The historical nature of our faith matters. We do not believe in a series of abstract ideas but in a series of concrete historical events th...

We live in a society that teaches us to hyper fixate on our feelings. Can we think our way out of emotional paralysis though? Not really. Join us as we explore the anecdote to the excessive emotions that paralyze us. Here’s a hint: good action makes for good feelings.

In our culture today, where masculinity can be either eclipsed or exaggerated, guys find it difficult to be vulnerable. This is our experience anyhow. As disciples, Jesus wants more than a guy’s logic and assent to truth. He also wants a man’s heart for the sake of love, but in ways that mirror the Sacred Heart. Join us as we explore the challenges men have with accessing their emotions, why this...

There’s a reason we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe at the end of the liturgical year. He is truly Lord of all and the perfect form of true authority. His throne is the cross, and He will return to judge the nations according to the measure of his example. Join us as we explore why within our current geo-political environment, Jesus’ Kingship over all nations...

The Pope recently elevated St. John Nueman to the dignity of Doctor of the Church. One of his most famous contributions to the faith is his explanation for the development of doctrine. Listen in as we discuss this important teaching and apply it to two issues that have been hotly debated for decades—The title of Mary as Co-Redemptrix and the church’s teaching on the death penalty.

During the month of November, the Church commemorates the saints and the faithful departed. The Christian belief in a final judgement and the possibility of heaven, hell, or purgatory after death is still a stumbling block for many. When viewed within a framework of law, it seems like final judgement simply boils down to getting what we have coming to us. But what if there’s more to it than that?...

We often see our work as toilsome. TGIF and Monday morning dread are evidence of a culture that misunderstands the nature and dignity of human work. The wrong mindset toward work leaves us either depressed or anxious. Join us as we explore the biblical view of work as a human vocation that images God and brings the satisfaction of peace to the restless human heart.

Join us as we interview Michel’s son-in-law. Tyree grew up in a broken and impoverished household led by the strong faith of his mother. Listen in as he tells the story of how prophetic dreams, Godly mentors, and the grace of Jesus lifted him out of the dark valley of despair and hopelessness into the light of God’s glory.

In this episode we discuss the Church’s teaching on peace and its relationship to the common good. What does true peace require and is it possible to bring a lasting peace to the Holy Land? What will it take to end this age of terrorism in one of the most troubled hot spots in the history of the world?

The Church teaches that we are obliged to inform our conscience. But we are also obliged to obey our conscience even when we are in error about what is right and wrong. Yet when people zealously oppose what is truly good from an erroneous conscience it creates unimaginable moral problems. This is why a proper moral education is so critical. Join us as we explore how this generally unknown teaching...