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".
70episodes
Episodes
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#712 Body and Soul Restoration In 2 Simple Steps: The 10-Minute Claymore Morning Ritual, And Meditate on One ACT Each Week
Mar 1900:06:50Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Temptation isn’t the end of the story and it isn’t even a sin. That one truth can crack open a path out of shame, especially for young men trying to live with integrity in a porn-saturated culture where the cycle of “try hard, cave, repeat” feels inevitable. We talk through the Claymore approach to Catholic formation and spiritual battle using a real moment from a men’s conference in Milwaukee. Three teenage boys spot a St Michael banner with a flaming Claymore sword, walk up with a father, and end up hearing something they’ve been aching for: a battle plan that’s actually doable. We unpack the big questions stirring in young hearts right now, identity, purpose, truth, love, and why we’re created male and female, and we speak plainly about sex, sexuality, lust, and the desire to be free. The practical takeaway is simple enough to start today: Order The Claymore Battle Plan Handbook! Visit the Website: ClaymoreMilitesChristi.comDiscuss and Meditate on One short “ACT” from the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook each week. Talk through the discussion questions with a brother, and commit to the 10-minute morning ritual. We call it “knees before the phone,” and it includes “praying with temptation,” a concrete way to redirect desire toward freedom and fulfillment. You’ll also hear Luke’s unforgettable line, “I’ve been praying for this,” and why we believe the world changes when we pass down what is true, good, and beautiful. If this stirred something in you, don’t ignore it. Subscribe, share this with a young man you love, and leave a review so more people can find this conversation on spiritual battle, prayer, chastity, and Catholic discipleship.Support the show
Transcribe →#711 The Claymore Battle Plan Explained: The Next “Luke” Is Waiting—Will You Step Forward?
Mar 1700:15:02Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”You want a better life, a better marriage, a better country in which to raise your kids?Here is the truth of things: The world changes when we pass down what is true, good, and beautiful to the next generation.What does that mean? For one thing It means that you and I must be willing to proclaim the Gospel to them in a way that reaches them where they are hurting. https://claymoremiliteschristi.com/This is not brain surgery. Saint Paul, writing to Timothy, says:“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season” (2 Tim 4:1–2).Pause for a moment and think about that verse.Was Timothy Superman?Did he possess some advanced technology to reach the masses?Was he physically stronger or intellectually wiser than other men?No. In fact, he was young and somewhat reserved by nature.Yet Saint Paul called him to be manly—to be strong in the grace of God—and to step forward and preach the word. And he adds a sense of urgency:“…be urgent…in season and out of season.”Claymore Milites Christi exists to answer that call—to preach the word with urgency, in season and out of season, to a generation that is clamoring to hear the Truth, with a capital T.But someone must be willing to preach the word to them.Email us: info@jp2renew.orgSupport the show
Transcribe →#710 President Donald Trump, Prometheus, Fire, and the Battle Between Good and Evil
Mar 1400:21:56Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Prometheus stole fire from the gods and paid the price. That ancient story is the lens we use to talk about a very modern question: who gets to hold the “fire” today, and what happens to ordinary people when truth, energy, and freedom are locked behind a new Olympus?We start with the ache a lot of people feel right now, especially young men: the sense that shallow answers are everywhere, while meaning is harder to find. From there, we dig into why myths still matter, how archetypes repeat across history, and why the Prometheus story can function like a mirror for spiritual warfare and the battle between good and evil. I connect the symbolism of fire to creativity, discovery, civilization, and hope, then contrast it with the pull toward entropy, disorder, and chaos when we forget God and forget what it means to be human! Then we move into the controversial part: I retell Prometheus as a modern story and frame Donald Trump as a Prometheus-like figure battling entrenched power. I also make the line clear: Trump is not Jesus Christ, and politics cannot protect your soul. The decisive fight is still “Christ or chaos,” and it begins in the individual human heart, then spreads into marriage, family, church life, and the nation.To make this practical, I close with the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook, a three-step blueprint for restoring human dignity through truth and love: renew the heart, renew the family, then rebuild culture. If this challenged you or gave you hope, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.Also check out the Claymore Milites Christi Website!! Support the show
Transcribe →#709 The Divine Mercy Image, Sister Faustina, and the Battle for Souls
Feb 2400:26:57Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”A quiet chair facing the sunrise changed the way we see the battle that surrounds us. In the soft light before daybreak, we talk about the power of beauty to steady the heart, the reality of spiritual warfare hiding beneath cultural noise, and why so many young men feel numb, angry, or lost. From there we chart a clear path: awe that awakens desire, prayer that clears the signal, and mercy that rebuilds what sin tried to destroy.We name the targets of our time with open eyes: the human person, marriage, and the child. We explain how early exposure to confusion, porn, and corrosive ideologies fractures identity and fuels anxiety and depression. Yet the story doesn’t end in despair. We turn to Sister Faustina and the Divine Mercy image—two rays, one invitation—to trust Jesus in a way that is anything but passive. Mercy is not a loophole; it is the strength to rise again, to pass through the narrow gate, and to become fully alive.Download the Claymore Battle Plan! If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend who needs hope, and leave a short review so others can find it. Then take one step: whisper “Jesus, I trust in you,” and start the morning on your knees. The rest of the day will follow.Email us: info@jp2renew.orgSupport the show
Transcribe →#708 A Zombie Is a Wounded and Lost Brother or Sister: Be Willing to Proclaim the Gospel to Them
Feb 2000:32:28Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”What if the “Zombies” you pass on the sidewalk aren’t monsters, but wounded brothers and sisters starved for truth and love? We open with a frank look at cultural fog—how propaganda, scandal fatigue, and the worship of power dulls the conscience—and why so many can’t “see” evil even when it marches in the open. Then we chart a path out: Download the Claymore Battle Plan Outline and start each morning on your knees (before the Phone!!) Join Claymore us as we trade slogans for sanctity and outrage for ordered love. Contact us: info@jp2renew.orgSubscribe, share this episode with someone who needs a map, and leave a review with one action you’ll start today to help a young person choose the narrow gate.Watch the Episode on YouTubeHere is the interview with Tucker and Ian on EpsteinSupport the show
Transcribe →#707 Infertile But Fruitful: Finding Fulfillment When You Can’t Conceive
Feb 1700:35:06Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”The dream was simple: marry young, welcome children, and let love grow. Then biology didn’t cooperate. Author and radio host Leigh Fitzpatrick Sneed joins us to unpack the hidden landscape of infertility—the grief, the pressure to “just do IVF,” the awkward silences at church, and the slow work of finding a path that honors both conscience and desire. Her story moves from clinic waiting rooms to a newborn domestic adoption that arrived in weeks, then to twins and another son, and finally to a broader truth: fruitfulness is more than pregnancy. It’s the overflow of spousal love into family, parish, and community.We talk candidly about restorative reproductive medicine, the Creighton Model, and NaProTechnology—real care that seeks root causes without severing the unitive and procreative meanings of marriage. Leigh is clear-eyed: medicine can be hopeful and still hard, full of injections, surgeries, and timing that tests intimacy. Yet humor, friendship, and shared conviction can keep a couple together when the calendar takes over. We explore how to resist the glossy promises of IVF by understanding why it divides what belongs together and can treat children as products, not gifts.Purchase Infertile But Fruitful! Visit Leigh's WebsiteOn the Radio: Conversations with ConsequencesOr on Substack! https://catholicassociation.substack.com/If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review so others can find these stories of faithful fruitfulness.Contact Jack: info@jp2renew.orgSupport the show
Transcribe →#706 Why I Pray; My Journey Into the Power and Purpose of Prayer
Feb 1300:24:20Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”What if the first ten minutes of your day decided the shape of your soul? We open with a simple practice—knees before the phone—and follow it into the deeper question beneath every search for meaning: why pray at all? Along the way, we travel from the noise of constant distraction to the quiet center where identity, desire, and purpose are forged, and we see how a small ritual can rewrite the way we love, work, and fight for what is good.We share the heartbeat of Claymore Milites Christi, our Apostolate for young men. Through story and reflection, we explore how actions flow from the heart, how choosing the good reshapes the person, and how prayer fills what we later pour out. A moving reflection from James Van Der Beek reframes worth as gift, not achievement—“I am worthy of God’s love”—and becomes a doorway into the truth that love moves first. From there, we step into philosophy and poetry, letting beauty in the mountains and the words of C.S. Lewis widen our vision and break the spell of endless work and distraction.If this resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show. Eamil us for more information on Claymore: info@jp2renew.orgSupport the show
Transcribe →#705 I Wonder What Sort of Tale We've Fallen Into?
Feb 1000:26:52Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Feeling whiplash from a culture that calls chaos freedom and opinion truth? We step back and ask the question that reframes the noise: what sort of tale have we fallen into? From the first lines of Genesis to the streets of our cities, we trace how order leads to freedom, how evil only distorts what is good, and why the human heart is the primary battleground. Along the way, we confront the early wounds of porn, the pull of relativism, and the emptiness of use, then chart a concrete path toward healing and purpose.We lean into the wisdom of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, exploring why life is a love story set in a real conflict between good and evil. YIf you’re tired of drifting with the spirit of the age and ready to live on purpose, this conversation offers a map: order over chaos, communion over isolation, self-gift over self-grasping. Grab the Claymore battle plan and start the Claymore 10-minute morning ritual! Share this episode with a friend who needs hope. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what tale do you think we’ve fallen into?Discussion Questions• How does the “dictatorship of moral relativism” appear in your own life, and how can Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body help you recover meaning and direction?• What experiences of awe or beauty have stirred your heart, and how might they be leading you toward God’s love story? (John 1:38–39)• In what concrete ways can you step back from the world’s noise, including social media and pornography, in order to hear Christ’s invitation, “Come and see”? (See the Claymore Battle Plan Outline and Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2709) Support the show
Transcribe →# 704 Scholar Daniel Gallagher: "A Coherent Response to Gender Ideology"
Feb 600:45:38Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Start with this unsettling claim: You weren’t born in the wrong body—you were born in the wrong culture. From there we dig into why so many young people feel disoriented, how institutions amplify that confusion, and what it takes to rebuild a sane, humane vision of the human person. Our guest, Daniel Gallagher of Ralston College, brings a rare mix of philosophical clarity, pastoral sensitivity, and classroom experience to a debate that often devolves into slogans.We map the core of gender ideology—the move to treat sex as secondary—and contrast it with a Christian anthropology that insists the body reveals the person. We confront the cultural pressures on kids: pornography in schools, policies that erode innocence, and a vocabulary—like “gender dysphoria”—that can be stretched to fit activism more than care. A recent New York verdict for a detransitioner underscores the stakes and the need for honest medicine, founded on the truth and do no harm!! Here is the link to Bishop Thomas' letter: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/toledodiocese/redactor/BISHOP-THOMAS-RESPONSE-ON-GENDER-2025-FINAL2.pdfHere are some personal links for Daniel Gallagher! Professional webpage: https://www.ralston.ac/people/daniel-gallagherEmail: ralstoncollege@ralston.acMedium profile: https://medium.com/@frdbg70Support the show
Transcribe →#651 With Jason Jones: Justin Bieber’s Mom Pattie Mallete, The Israel-Palestine Conflict, AI, and The Faith!
Aug 12, 202501:07:04Tap to summarizeLove to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”Jason Jones' life reads like an unlikely hero's journey - from teenage soldier who lost his child to abortion, to pro-life activist, award-winning filmmaker, and humanitarian aid worker in the world's most dangerous conflict zones. In this riveting conversation, Jones reveals how personal tragedy became the catalyst for a lifelong mission to defend human dignity wherever it's threatened.The "heart" of Jones' work emerges through his collaboration with Justin Bieber's mother, Patty Mallette, on the film "Crescendo." Their partnership raised $6 million for pregnancy centers across North America. Mallette's own story mirrors the film's message; at 16, both her life and Justin's were saved by a pregnancy center. This full-circle moment exemplifies how Jones connects personal stories to larger humanitarian causes.What truly sets Jones apart is his consistent application of pro-life principles beyond abortion. As president of the Human Rights Education and Relief Organization (HERO), he delivers aid to Gaza, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and other conflict zones. His first-hand accounts from these regions challenge listeners to look beyond political narratives and see the humanity in every situation. When describing his work in Gaza, Jones shares how his team provides food and water to Christians who then share with their Muslim neighbors - a powerful testament to compassion transcending religious boundaries.The conversation takes an unexpected turn when Jones expresses concern about artificial intelligence threatening young people's creativity and connection. Drawing parallels to Pope Leo XIII's response to the industrial revolution, he suggests Pope Leo XIV may address the challenges of Transhumanism and AI to human flourishing.His message is clear: seeing the person, not just the political conflict, is the first step toward creating a more just and compassionate world.Get Jason's Latest Book: Dispatches from the Great Campaign, Defending life on the Front LinesRead Jack's Latest Blog: "The Tale We’ve Fallen Into"Support the show
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