Podcast
Claymore: Become Who You Are
Hosted by Jack · EN
What’s the meaning and purpose of my life? What is my true identity? Why were we created male and female? How do I find happiness, joy and peace? How do I find love that lasts, forever? These are the timeless questions of the human heart. Join Jack Rigert and his guests for lively insights, reading the signs of our times through the lens of Catholic Teaching and the insights of Saint John Paul ll to guide us.
Saint Catherine of Siena said "Become who you are and you would set the world on fire".
64episodes
Episodes
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#745 New Here? Let's Get Started!
2w ago00:04:41Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Your day is getting formed before you even realize it and your phone is usually the one doing the forming. We walk through a simple on-ramp to the Claymore Battle Plan that cuts through the confusion and gives you a clear starting line you can actually stick with.We break down the two key resources the Claymore Battle Plan is built around: the Handbook and the Battle Plan Outline (only a few pages). From there, we give you two daily actions. First is the Claymore 10-minute morning ritual, anchored by one rule that changes everything: “knees before the phone.” Second is reading one short Act each day, letting it sink in with a real pause so it moves from your head to your heart. We also highlight Act 11 as a practical guide for praying with temptations when the pressure is real.If you’re doing Claymore with a friend, a fraternity, or a parish men’s group, we explain why one Act at a time creates better conversations and long-term momentum. Begin today! Then share it with one guy who needs it. Subscribe, leave a review, and send this to a friend!Visit Claymore Watch on our YouTube ChannelSupport the show
Transcribe →#744 How Much Power Does Satan Have? Pope Leo XIII's Terrifying Vision: The Claymore Battle For Hearts
3w ago00:23:00Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Gen Z men are walking back into church, and it isn’t because they found a new self-help Podcast. They’re waking up to the cost of the culture’s false promises and they’re hungry for something real: truth, mission, meaning and purpose and a Faith that restores the heart. From there, the spiritual backdrop that sets the present stage we find ourselves in, when Pope Leo XIII overhead the chilling dialogue between Satan and Our Lord coming forth from the tabernacle. To get an understanding of why the last century felt like a pressure cooker of war, corruption, and the breakdown of marriage and family...and why I believe grace is loosening the enemy’s grip in our moment.Then we get practical with the Claymore Battle Plan: a three-step blueprint that begins in the human heart, restores human dignity, clarifies the meaning of sexuality through the beauty of marriage and family, and sends us out to rebuild culture and nation. John Paul II’s voice runs through it all, especially his “be not afraid,” his Theology of the Body, and his insistence that the future of humanity passes through the family. We anchor the fight in Ephesians 6, because this is not against flesh and blood and we need the full armor of God.You’ll also hear exactly how to use the Claymore handbook, the free six-page outline, and this podcast as a three-legged formation rhythm, plus the daily habit that makes it real: the 10 minute morning ritual, knees before the phone. Join the movement: https://claymoremiliteschristi.com/Check Out John Krueger's Book "Dwelt Among Us" and the "Claymore Battle Plan Handbook" on AmazonIf this gives you hope or helps you take a first step, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more men can find the path to Truth.Support the show
Transcribe →#743 The Battlefield of the Human Heart: Between Good and Evil
4w ago00:04:29Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”America is nearing its 250th birthday, but the argument I can’t shake is this: you don’t lose a country all at once, and you lose it from the inside out. I walk through why the real conflict isn’t simply left versus right, but a spiritual struggle over truth, the human heart, and the meaning of the human person. When a culture embraces moral relativism and treats God as optional, “freedom” declines into tyranny...and it is the most vulnerable, especially children, who suffer the most.From Solzhenitsyn’s warning that “men have forgotten God” to Poland’s quiet resistance through faith, language, and family life, we look at what actually preserves a nation’s soul when institutions wobble. Join the movement: Claymore milites Christi Full Episode on YouTube: Family, Culture, and Patriotism--The Soul of a NationSupport the show
Transcribe →#742 Family, Culture, and Patriotism--The Soul of a Nation
4w ago00:34:24Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”America is nearing its 250th birthday, but the argument I can’t shake is this: you don’t lose a country all at once, and you lose it from the inside out. I walk through why the real conflict isn’t simply left versus right, but a spiritual struggle over truth, the human heart, and the meaning of the human person. When a culture embraces moral relativism and treats God as optional, “freedom” declines into tyranny...and it is the most vulnerable, especially children, who suffer the most.From Solzhenitsyn’s warning that “men have forgotten God” to Poland’s quiet resistance through faith, language, and family life, we look at what actually preserves a nation’s soul when institutions wobble. Join the movement: Claymore milites ChristiMen, join us for a special event in Chicago on the feast of St. John the Baptist! The special guest is John Krueger, author of the new book Dwelt Among Us: America's Catholic Comeback. RSVP and Learn More! Support the show
Transcribe →#741 Digging For Treasure: A Young Man Finds Home In the Catholic Church
Jun 1900:29:03Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Watching everyone else walk up for Communion while you stay in the pew does something to you. Our guest, Jack Ray, describes that exact moment as the spark that turned curiosity into a serious search for truth and eventually a conversion to the Catholic Church. He grew up in the Wheaton, Illinois area with a mostly positive view of Christianity, but with faith that felt distant and Catholicism that came with plenty of misinformation. Then friendships, sports, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes reopened the door to Jesus and to the biggest question: which form of Christianity actually makes sense of the world?The conversation turns to brotherhood and accountability. We unpack the difference between friends who are “good to you” and friends who are “good for you,” especially when men are battling pornography, drinking habits, and the slow drift that can crush marriages and families. If you’re hungry for real freedom, real truth, and a community of men who will sharpen you, listen through to the end for an invitation to Claymore Milites Christi. Get a copy of the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook on the website or Amazon. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more men can find the path forward.Support the show
Transcribe →# 740 Father Gannon of Courage International: The Church's Unchanging Morality, Love Other's in the Truth
Jun 1700:04:18Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”In a time when many are looking for answers, the message of Courage International and Father Gannon's insights serve as a beacon of hope. The call to truth, clarity, and fidelity in faith is more crucial now than ever. As we navigate these spiritual battles, let us remember to embrace the teachings of the Church with courage and compassion.Here is the full video episode: https://youtu.be/PeJ-ERgN2xAThe Claymore Battle Plan, For Young People in Spiritual Warfare https://claymoremiliteschristi.com/Support the show
Transcribe →#739 250 Years: The Miracle Of America's Inalienable Rights That Come From God, Not From the Government
Jun 1600:41:21Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”A revolution can start with noble words and still end in terror. So why did the American Revolution produce a durable constitutional republic instead of the familiar slide into chaos and tyranny?We sit down with Tom Hampson to unpack the claim that America’s founding is a “minority miracle” and why the Declaration of Independence makes what may be the most consequential political statement in history: our rights are God-given, not government-granted. From there, we follow the hard logic that comes with it. If rights don’t come from the state, the state’s job is limited. If rights do come from the state, then power can redefine them, revoke them, and punish dissent whenever it gains a majority.Along the way, we compare America’s path with revolutions in France, Russia, China, Cuba, and Iran, and we talk about how revolutions often consolidate power, weaponize “justice,” and devour their own. Read the Article Here on Tom's SubstackWe also wrestle with present-day fault lines: corruption and dependency, censorship and selective enforcement, voting rules and public trust, and the deeper question of whether a society can remain free without civic virtue. We tie it to the personal level through Solzhenitsyn’s insight that the battle between good and evil runs through every human heart, and we ask what courage looks like after recent cultural tests like COVID-era fear and professional retaliation for speaking up.If you care about natural rights, limited government, civic virtue, and the future of American freedom, this conversation is a gut-check and a call to think clearly. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the one idea you think more people need to hear.Join the Movement: Claymore Milites ChristiSupport the show
Transcribe →#738 Kevin's Journey From Anglican Priest to Catholicism
Jun 1200:49:46Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”A former Anglican Priest says, “I lost the argument,” and somehow that turns into a battle for truth, conscience, and coming home. Kevin Middlesworth joins us to share the winding road from a devoted evangelical childhood, through Calvinist and Reformed theology, into Anglican priesthood, and finally into full communion with the Catholic Church.We talk about the moment when so many Christians hit a wall: the authority question. Who gets to say what Scripture means, what the Eucharist really is, and what the moral life demands? Kevin describes the hidden exhaustion of being your own final judge, the “crushing weight” of trying to carry every doctrine alone. From there, we follow the breadcrumbs that led him to the Church Fathers, the Catechism, and St. John Henry Newman’s insight on conscience as God’s persistent voice.This is not just an intellectual conversion story. Kevin opens up about marriage, friendship, and the real cost of changing course, plus why he refused to pressure his wife while she wrestled with the same Catholic claims. Eucharistic adoration, Confession, the Rosary, the Liturgy of the Hours, and the surprising discovery that what once looked like “extra's” is actually God’s abundance.If you’re curious about Catholicism, returning to the faith, or trying to find solid ground in a noisy culture, come listen. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s asking hard questions, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Join the movement: Claymore Milites ChristiSupport the show
Transcribe →#737 Fr. Brian Gannon, Executive Dir. of Courage Intl: "Intellectually Dishonest Document Wounds the Church"
Jun 900:46:28Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Confusion spreads fastest where people most need clarity, and right now a lot of young adults are walking back into the Catholic Church because they are done with half answers. Jack sits down with Father Brian Gannon, pastor of St Teresa Church in Connecticut and executive director of Courage International, to talk about truth, mercy, and the spiritual battle surrounding sexuality and discipleship.We explain what Courage International actually is: a Church-sanctioned apostolate serving men and women who experience same-sex attraction and who freely choose to live according to Catholic teaching. Father Gannon directly answers an accusation that surfaced around the Synod on Synodality’s “study group #9,” namely that Courage promotes reparative or conversion therapy. He calls that claim false and lays out Courage’s real mission: chastity, friendship, prayer, formation, and sacramental life, plus EnCourage support for parents and loved ones who want to stay faithful while loving well.If you want a serious, compassionate, and plain-spoken Catholic conversation about same-sex attraction, chastity, and the truth that sets us free, press play. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people looking for clarity can find the show.Visit Courage International to learn moreTo assist young men seeking "The Truth of Things"...join us at...Claymore Milites ChristiSupport the show
Transcribe →#736 The Decisive Battle Now Rages For Life, Marriage And Family! Stand Up and Testify
Jun 500:39:49Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”The strangest part of modern life is how easy it is to forget where we are. We sip coffee, scroll a phone, and act like reality is neutral, while the deeper story keeps moving under our feet. We step back and look at awe and wonder, not as a mood, but as a doorway into meaning, order, and purpose in creation and in the human body.We make a hard claim with practical consequences: the decisive battle of our age centers on the human heart, life, and marriage and family. Through a Catholic lens shaped by Scripture, the Trinity, and Catholic social teaching, we discover that marriage and family are not just one issue among many. They are foundational, a living sign of self-giving love, and that’s exactly why they’re attacked in culture, law, and even through confusing “pastoral” language that drifts from clear moral teaching. We also talk about synodality, the limits of accompaniment, and why “lived experience” can’t replace the deposit of faith without leaving people more lost.Are you seeking the "Truth of Things" or do you have a desire to help young people? Join us at ClaymoremilitesChristi.com Support the show
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