The Wise Guys Podcast

Freedom of speech is under assault today. Yet there are also very real problems with the way free speech is exercised. It should be no surprise that the Church has important things to say about this basic civil right. Join us as we delve into this teaching and apply it to the problems we see in our media.

In 1917 Our Lady of Fatima prophesied that, unless we returned to God in faith, the poison of Russia would spread throughout the world. She was referring to the ideology responsible for Communism and Secularism, which today we call Critical Theory. Yet she also predicted that her Immaculate Heart would Triumph in the end. Listen in as we discern what’s happening in the West today. Is God about to...

The last several weeks has revealed a dark moment in our nation. A Catholic school Mass shooting, a brutal subway murder, and a political assassination have left everyone stunned and the country reeling. As everyone flocks to their preferred political commentaries and narratives, it provides us an opportunity to look more deeply at the mystery of evil. Join us as we try to make sense out of the mu...

What happens to us when we approach our faith with a performative mindset?  We tend to live our lives to make ourselves worthy in the eyes of God and others. But the other problem is having a minimalist mindset, as though our faith is simply about checking boxes. And of course, there’s those who want to do everything their own way with a certain autonomy. Listen in as we unpack these three mindset...

Mass shootings seem, tragically, to be commonplace anymore. Listening to all the commentary in the media is disquieting and also misleading. When we politicize real social problems, we seldom discuss important issues on the level they require and deserve. Listen in as we explore what lies beneath terrible tragedies like the recent Catholic school shooting in Minnesota.

This is always a popular topic! Listen in as we discuss the Church’s teaching about the common good, the rule of law, governance, and obedience to authority. It’s a difficult but very necessary teaching, especially in this age of distrust and radical individualism. Without this important injunction, any social organization will disintegrate.

Fr. Mike is the parochial Vicar of St. James and St. Katharine Drexel parishes in Washington County, PA. Listen in as Fr. Mike unpacks his amazing faith-filled upbringing in rural PA and his powerful vocation story. Fr. Mike is a man of adventure who has never shied away from a good challenge, even if that means giving up everything for Jesus.

We hear much in the media these days about corruption. And lots of it is being exposed. Scripture tells us that the “love of money” is the root of all evil. Join us as we discuss the ways in which the inordinate or unjust pursuit of wealth can corrupt the institutions that support key values such as health, education, politics, and sex.  

Is there a best way to receive Holy Communion? Many have strong opinions about this, and there are arguments on both sides of the debate. Join us as we seek an answer to this contentious issue. Is how we receive our Eucharistic Lord a theological issue or a matter of personal preference? And is there only one way we ought to outwardly express our interior piety? Listen in as we seek to discern Jes...

These are unsettling words from Jesus. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us not to fall into self-deception. Just because we do many great things for Jesus, it doesn’t mean we are fulfilling the will of the Father. Listen in as we explore the meaning and significance of Jesus’ warning for our lives. Here’s a hint: it's all about the relationship with God and not the pursuit of sel...

Listen in as we explore Tristan Collin’s conversion story on the set of The Chosen. Tristan was invited to be an extra in seasons 3 and 4 of the series. He shares with us how God spoke to him and has since led him on a journey of healing and redemption, a journey that led him to Preambula Group and his participation in The Way and On Fire.  

The story of Job raises big questions about whether God is good and loves us. The story itself never ultimately resolves Job’s dilemma of innocent suffering and God’s providence, except to say that faith is the only proper response to God’s will. Listen in as we explore how the drama of Jesus’ passion and resurrection provides the answer to the riddle of Job’s suffering. The story of Job is really...

Jesus is good at blowing up our assumptions and upending our paradigms. In a consumer society, we have become used to a transactional experience of faith, wherein if we do something, we get something in return. Jesus flipped the tables in the Temple because the Father’s House was no longer a house of prayer but a marketplace for consumers. Are we merely seeking the high of a mountain top experienc...

Jesus’ teaching about judging others is all about the human tendency to project our own faults onto others. What goes around will always come around, which is why Jesus tells us not to judge but to measure others with mercy. Listen in as we explore why we judge others for the very things we ourselves do, and what to do about it.

Is progress always good? Just because technology makes some activity more efficient, that doesn’t mean our lives are better. Would it be good for us if AI eliminated our need to do math, write, or even create movies with real actors? Would I experience the fullness of life if I didn’t have to mow my grass, drive, do my dishes, or vacuum the floor ever again?  Listen in as we explore the subject of...

The greatest challenge we face in the Church today is that there simply aren’t enough people who truly believe in the love that God has for them. It is the love of Christ that urges us on, to quote St. Paul. At the end of the day, nothing else truly matters except to know the depths of God’s love for us. Listen in as we explore the importance of experiencing this love personally and the reasons th...

Every technological revolution leads to an urgent need to reflect on human dignity. With artificial intelligence exploding across our cultural landscape, the question of human dignity is again front and center in our public debates. As Christians, our understanding of the human person begins in our understanding of who God is and the image of God that we bear. Join us as we explore why artificial...

Listen in as we dive into the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives as disciples of Jesus. The Feast of Pentecost is not simply the birthday of the Church and that spring day we wear red at Mass. Pentecost celebrates the dispensation of the New Law of Charity to the world and the anointing of Jesus’ followers as a royal priesthood sent out to reconcile the world to God’s mercy.

The Ascension of Jesus is an under-celebrated feast of the Church. So, what’s the point? Why does it matter that the Son of God goes back to heaven? Listen in as we explore this amazing mystery of our faith. We discuss everything from the restoration of David’s Kingdom to the cosmic mystery of time and eternity, the relationship between heaven and earth, the reality of death, and the means by whic...

In this episode, we share our reactions to the election of our new Pope. Join us as we explore the significance of his chosen name and the historical moment that God has chosen for this humble and hidden Augustinian monk to step into the shoes of the Great Fisherman.

No, not the band! Here we discuss the challenge of developing morally mature men, especially in a culture that does not hold up Godly standards of masculinity. Listen in as we wrestle, even with a bit of frustration, at the difficulty of raising boys and becoming true men ourselves. A boy becomes a man when he no longer wants to be mothered, either by his own mom or his wife. Personal responsibili...

The Parable of the Sower teaches us about the differing degrees of receptivity in our hearts to God’s word and grace. In order to bear good fruit in our lives, we need to tend the soil of our hearts and become more receptive to the seeds of divine life Jesus wishes to sow in us. Is your heart impervious to the Word of God? Listen in as we explore the many reasons we might not be able to receive th...

Pope Francis has had a profound impact on us at Preambula Group. We especially love the prophetic way he challenged us to live a more incarnational and gritty kind of discipleship in the world. He reframed our life as Catholics with concepts like field hospital, accompaniment, apostolic endurance and the messiness of pastoral care. Join us as we discuss all the things we most loved about this pope...

The resurrection of Jesus is an unprecedented and truly incomprehensible event. It might actually be crazier to believe it than not to. What would you do if someone you saw brutally executed, just showed up sitting at your breakfast nook the next morning perfectly cleaned up and radiant? Today, we can take the resurrection for granted and miss the total drama of it. Join us as we discuss the perso...

In a culture of material gluttony, it's strangely ironic that people find the Church’s spiritual practice of indulgences incompatible with enlightened faith. During this Jubilee Year of Hope, the Church invites us to a spiritual feast of mercy, which is intended to draw us deeper into a relationship with that reckless generosity of our beloved Savior. Yet misconceptions of this ancient practice ab...