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".
60episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
#741 Digging For Treasure: A Young Man Finds Home In the Catholic Church
1w ago00:29:03Tap 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
2w ago00:04:18Tap 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
2w ago00:41:21Tap 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
2w ago00:49:46Tap 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"
3w ago00:46:28Tap 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
3w ago00:39:49Tap 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
Transcribe →#735 A Personal Witness, Seeking Answers—And Why Living His Faith Truly Changed Everything
4w ago00:38:09Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”A single question can dismantle years of certainty: who decides what counts as Scripture in the first place? That’s where Cooper White’s journey gets gripping, because it wasn’t powered by rebellion or a bad church experience. He and his wife were raised in loving evangelical families, deeply involved in ministry, and genuinely devoted to Jesus. But while serving in youth ministry and later studying theology at Wheaton, Cooper kept running into a problem that would not go away: authority. If Christians disagree on core doctrines, if interpretations multiply endlessly, and if even the biblical canon requires a decision, what holds the Church together in Truth?Suffering brought the questions down to the heart. When Cooper’s wife faced Lyme disease, Catholic teaching on redemptive suffering, alongside voices like Relevant Radio and real Catholic families living the faith, made the Church feel not like a system of restrictions but a home with sacraments, confession, and a liturgical rhythm strong enough to carry a family when life breaks. If you’re wrestling with unity, truth, the Eucharist, or the fear that one hard question could unravel everything, this conversation gives you a clearer path forward. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s searching, and leave a review with the question you’re still trying to answer.Join us! ClaymoremilitesChristi.comEmail us at info@jp2renew.orgSupport the show
Transcribe →#734 The Truth Behind the Contraceptive Mentality: And How It Reshaped Marriage and the Culture
May 2700:44:56Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”A single document from 1968 somehow describes the world we’re living in right now. We pick up Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae and ask a blunt question: if contraception was supposed to make sex safer, marriage easier, and society calmer, why are we surrounded by divorce, pornography, fatherlessness, hookup culture, and a deep confusion about identity and meaning?Linda Piper walks with us through the “contraceptive mentality” and why it doesn’t stay limited to the bedroom. We unpack Paul VI’s four warnings: how contraception makes infidelity easier, lowers sexual morality across the culture, reduces respect for women, and invites governments and institutions to treat fertility like a problem to manage. From there we connect the dots to modern claims about contraception rights, abortion, and the feeling many young people carry that something is off even if they can’t yet name it.If this conversation helps you see your relationships and your choices with new clarity, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s searching, and leave a review so more people can find it.Read Linda's article on X at John Paul II Renewal or on Substack "The World Changes When We Pass On What is True, Good and Beautiful" Visit Claymore and Get a copy of the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook! Support the show
Transcribe →#733 The Sacred Romance: Redirecting Your Passions and Desires
May 2200:21:37Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”In a world that often feels disconnected from the divine, many of us grapple with profound questions about identity, purpose, and love. Saint Catherine of Siena once said that if you become who you truly are, you would light the world on fire. This echoes the sentiments of John Paul II and Saint Athanasius, who spoke of the deep yearning inscribed in each human heart—a longing for a divine connection that can transform our lives. In this Episode we delve into these themes, particularly through the lens of Saint Augustine's journey and the insights from the Claymore Battle Plan.To start, we must recognize that our hearts are filled with desires to love and be loved. Yet, they can also be confused and hurt, struggling to find coherence in our experiences. In *Act 26* from the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook, we explore how the gospel intersects with our lived experiences. This interaction leads us to our "aha moment," where we encounter Jesus Christ and begin to understand our true purpose."The World Changes When We Pass On What is True, Good and Beautiful" Visit Claymore and Get a copy of the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook! Support the show
Transcribe →#732 "See No Evil" The Disappeared: Children, Trafficking, and Institutional Failure
May 1900:33:47Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”330,000 missing kids is not a talking point. It’s a flashing red warning that something is broken in how the U.S. Deep State handles unaccompanied migrant children, child welfare, and immigration enforcement. We walk through the story of a young teen released from federal custody who ends up working punishing overnight shifts, then widen the lens to the numbers, the incentives, and the institutions that move children through the system.Tom Hampson, a crime investigator and reporter, joins us to explain what he found while investigating ORR placements, trafficking risk, and the role of NGOs that present as “charities” while being funded almost entirely by taxpayer dollars. We talk about what it means when the government acts in loco parentis, why fractured bureaucracy makes responsibility disappear, and how stonewalled FOIA requests keep the public from seeing where the money and the paperwork actually lead.We also put the moral argument on the table, including Catholic social teaching on immigration: welcome where possible, protect the common good, enforce just laws, and never treat vulnerable people as objects in a pipeline. The conversation touches media narratives, church leadership, and the uncomfortable truth that “compassion” can become cover for negligence when no one is forced to answer for outcomes. If you care about border security, human rights, child protection, and government accountability, this one will challenge you.Visit Tom Hampsons Substack: https://thomasrhampson.substack.com/Evangelizing Gen Z!! Join the movement of young men! Claymore milites Christi (Soldiers for Christ) Subscribe for more, share this episode with someone who thinks they already understand the issue, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Support the show
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