We Beat Heresies by Listening to the Church
There was a season of my life where “growth” meant intensity.
I repented loudly.
I studied aggressively.
I listened to sermons like they were emergency broadcasts.
I chased insight.
Every week felt like a breakthrough. Every new church felt like a layer unlocked. Every doctrinal debate felt like a spiritual battle.
And I genuinely believed I was growing.
But what I was really doing was building theology on momentum.
From “Codebreaking” to Communion
A Catholic reflection on moving from KJV concordance “codebreaking” Bible study to the Church’s deeper approach: Scripture understood through liturgy, tradition, and context.
Formed, Not Reactive: Authority, Discernment, and the Making of Catholic Men
There’s a temptation in every generation of men:
To become the rebuker.
We see confusion.
We see bad theology.
We see emotionalism masquerading as revival.
We see social media prophets and group chats spiraling into speculation.
And something in us rises up:
“Someone needs to say something.”
Sometimes that instinct is righteous.
But sometimes it’s ego dressed as zeal.
Formation is learning the difference. God Forms Men Through Authority; Catholic masculinity is not freelance.
From “They Are Blind” to “Lord, Have Mercy”
New clarity often produces defensive energy.
We read the Fathers.
We study the Reformation.
We examine heresies.
And we think in categories:
Right / Wrong
Fullness / Deficiency
Truth / Error
Those distinctions are real. The Church does not pretend otherwise.
The Catechism states clearly:
“Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church… is necessary for salvation.” (CCC 846)
Fullness matters. Apostolic continuity matters. Sacraments matter.
But then comes the deeper layer.
The Discipline of the Word: From Eden to the Desert
Lent is not only about fasting from food.
It is about fasting from distortion.
This week’s liturgy brings us through three movements:
Genesis – The distortion of God’s word
St. Paul – The superabundance of Christ’s redemption
The Gospel – Christ answering the tempter with precision
At the center of all three is a single battlefield:
The Word.
Staying Rooted When the Church Feels Like Breaking News
“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.”
— Matthew 6:34
There is a temptation that follows many converts into the Catholic Church.
It comes from good intentions.
It comes from hunger for truth.
It comes from wanting to be faithful.
But slowly, if unchecked, it turns the spiritual life into a form of religious journalism.
The Friendships That Help or Hurt Your Soul
Friendship is one of life’s greatest gifts — but also one of the most subtle spiritual battlegrounds. We don’t often think of relationships as something that can lift us closer to God or quietly pull us away. Yet St. Teresa of Ávila, one of the great doctors of prayer, devotes an entire chapter of The Way of Perfection to warning her nuns about dangerous friendships. Her teaching is surprisingly modern. In an age where we’re surrounded by connections but starving for depth, she reminds us that not every friendship is healthy for the soul. Here’s the heart of her message.