Claymore: Become Who You Are

Jack

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". 

  1. 2D AGO

    #729 When Science Hits The Wall: Piety, Father Georges Lemaitre, and the Big Bang

    Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message” A universe with a beginning is a strange kind of good news and it’s not just for physicists. We sit down with historian and prolific author Russell Lawson to follow a 2,500-year thread most people never hear: for centuries, doing science was often understood as a pious act, a way of reading creation with awe, patience, and humility. When that older posture fades, we don’t just lose “religion” we lose meaning, purpose, and the courage to ask the biggest questions.  We dig into the cultural turn Lawson calls modernization: the move from rural life to industrial cities, from silence to constant noise, and from “God’s providence is real” to “humans can fix everything.” That modern mindset can feel powerful, but it can also leave people stuck in cognitive dissonance...resulting in anxiety, and spiritual exhaustion... especially when the heart is searching for love and the mind is still searching for truth.  Then we get concrete with science and the Big Bang. Father Georges Lemaitre, a Catholic priest and mathematician, helps introduce the idea of an expanding universe and a real beginning. The more astronomy pushes toward the singularity, the clearer the limit becomes: science can trace physical evidence back to a start, but it cannot answer what came before time. That boundary doesn’t destroy science; it invites humility and opens a sane conversation about God.  Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves science or struggles with meaning! More on Russell Lawson! The Limit of Piety: Georges Lemaître and the Big Bang The Catholic Exchange Russell's Blog https://theamericanplutarch.com/ Visit Claymore Milites Christi!  Support the show

    48 min
  2. 3D AGO

    #728 Christ Appeals to the Resurrection: ACT Six

    Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message” Your desires are not random, and they are not meant to be medicated into silence or fed with whatever the culture is selling. We slow down and take a hard, hopeful look at what the heart is really reaching for, using Acts Six of the Claymore Battle Plan and Jesus’ blunt words to the Sadducees about the resurrection. When you see the story in “three panels” creation, fall, and fulfillment you start to understand why marriage, sexuality, and longing can’t be explained in flat, two-dimensional terms.  We also get personal and pastoral. After a talk, a young man shares his anxiety about attraction and whether he is still welcome in the Church. We answer with clarity and compassion: your deepest identity is not your temptations, your labels, or your fears, but beloved child of God. From there we widen the lens through Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, where marriage is a real gift and a real sign, ordered toward something eternal rather than trapped in the temporary.  Everything comes to a head in the Eucharist, the supreme spousal sign of Christ’s self-gift: “This is my body given for you.”  We talk about wounded desire after the fall, the courage to seek truth, and the concrete “knees before phone” Claymore 10-minute morning ritual from the Claymore Battle Plan Outline, and the simple practice of reading an ACT a day from the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook and sharing it with a friend.  If you’ve been stuck trying to fill infinite desire with finite fixes, this is your invitation to start living in 3D.  Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us what desire you’re learning to trust. Email Jack with questions and comments to answer and discuss on future episodes! jack@ClaymoreMilitesChristi.com. Visit https://claymoremiliteschristi.com/ Support the show

    21 min
  3. 6D AGO

    #728 The Border and More: A Battle For The Soul of a Nation

    Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message” The most disturbing stories at the border aren’t numbers, they’re names we never learn. We respond to a clip of reporter Ben Bergquam stepping outside a church to face protesters head-on, and the exchange becomes a window into something bigger: what happens to a culture when it trades truth for slogans and formation for outrage. We talk through the border crisis in human terms, focusing on the vulnerability of innocents and the ways cartels profit when order breaks down. The conversation raises hard questions about illegal immigration, border security, ICE enforcement, and the role of NGOs that receive public funding while facilitating movement across the border. We also unpack the mindset behind easy answers like “tax the billionaires,” and why that kind of thinking spreads faster in a society that has lost shared moral ground. From there, we zoom out to the deeper framework that drives the whole show: the Claymore three-step battle plan. We argue that lasting renewal starts in the human heart, strengthens marriage and the family, and then rebuilds culture through truth, virtue, sacrifice, and love. You’ll hear practical next steps, including the Claymore handbook and a simple 10-minute morning ritual designed to pull you out of the spirit of the age and back into prayer, clarity, and courageous action. Visit Claymore Milites Christi to learn more about the Battle Plan for Young Men!  Email Jack with questions and comments to answer and discuss on future episodes! jack@ClaymoreMilitesChristi.com.  If this conversation challenges you, share it with someone who needs a better framework than outrage. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us your take: what’s one concrete step you’re willing to take this week? Support the show

    30 min
  4. MAY 8

    #727 Discussing ACT Five: "The Fall and the Call to Be a Man of God" Marriage and the Family under attack

    Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message” A child can be treated like a purchase, and a pregnancy can be treated like a contract dispute. When that happens, we are not just arguing policy, we are watching the meaning of human dignity collapse in real time. I take you straight into the heart of Act Five, The Fall and the Call to Be a Man of God, and I name what I believe is the central conflict of our age: an all-out attack on marriage, the family, and the most innocent among us. I break down two disturbing surrogacy stories that show how quickly children can become commodities: one involving a legal loophole that allows surrogacy where adoption would be restricted, and another involving a third-trimester abortion demanded because a baby was missing fingers.  Check out this episode on Video: https://www.youtube.com/@johnpauliirenewalcenter4023 From there, I widen the lens to spiritual warfare, using Ephesians 6 to explain why the cultural pressure feels relentless and why confusion spreads when sin becomes “normal.” Then I anchor the response in Pope Saint John Paul II’s Letter to Families (1994) and the Theology of the Body. We talk about the “sincere gift of self,” why the family is a communion of persons, how fatherhood and motherhood reflect God’s creative love, and why every person’s identity is tied to a real genealogy that begins with a mother and a father.  I also lay out the Claymore three-step battle plan: get your own heart and house in order on Christ, rebuild a true vision of marriage and family, and then work so our culture and laws reflect the beauty of authentic love. If you want a clear Catholic framework for marriage, family, the culture of life, and what faithful men can do right now, listen through to the end. Subscribe, share the show, and leave a review so more people can join the fight for truth, goodness, and beauty. Support the show

    36 min
  5. MAY 5

    #726 The Fall and the Call to Be a Man of God...ACT Five

    Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message” You can feel it, even if you can’t always name it: the pressure, the drift, the sense that something essential about love and manhood is under attack. We step into Act Five of the Claymore Battle Plan Handbook to name the fight without flinching. The claim is bold and clarifying: every man is made for adventure, the adventure is a battle, and the battle is for beauty, especially the beauty of authentic love. We use Saint John Paul II’s “triptych” to zoom out and see the whole story, the beginning, the fall, and what redemption is moving us toward. From there, we let Jesus define the battleground. In the Sermon on the Mount, he goes straight for the heart, where lust turns persons into objects and where real freedom begins. That has direct consequences for pornography, dating, marriage, and the kind of strength it takes to protect women and children rather than consume them. We also look at how the fall gets normalized in modern culture, where bodies are marketed, fame and pleasure are sold as fulfillment, and men are trained to surrender attention and conscience. But we don’t stay in diagnosis. We move to hope with traction: grace is stronger than sin, Christ brings transforming power, and the way forward looks like prayer, self-mastery, brotherhood, and a renewed vision of marriage and family as the heartbeat of civilization. We point you to practical next steps, knees before the phone, the Claymore 10-minute morning ritual, then reading One ACT from the Battle Plan Handbook to share with a brother, plus a way to send in your thoughts for a follow-up. Subscribe for the next conversation, share this with a brother who needs his heart back, and leave a review so more men can find it. What part of the battle feels most personal for you right now? Email Jack with questions and comments to answer and discuss on future episodes! jack@ClaymoreMilitesChristi.com Support the show

    27 min
  6. APR 30

    #724 Weak Men Create Hard Times: Tom Undercover, Nick Shirley Attacked, Predators Free, Kids Abused

    Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message” Unveiling the Hidden Attacks on Family, Faith, and Free Speech In this episode, Jack sits down with seasoned investigator and commentator Thomas Hampson to explore the deep-rooted threats to traditional values, free speech, and the integrity of our families. Their candid discussion sheds light on real-world agendas hiding behind laws, organizations, and cultural shifts that compromise our society’s foundation. Main Insights: The ongoing attack on moral and cultural foundations, including the influence of organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)How laws like the Predator Protection Act and conversion therapy bans suppress free speech and parental rightsThe role of sexual abuse, grooming, and societal confusion in breaking down family unitsThe influence of radical gender ideologies and questionable school curricula on children’s innocenceThe importance of courage, conviction, and active participation in defending truth and libertyIllinois HB 5295 and how parental notification, abortion record secrecy, and cross-state travel can create serious blind spots that predators can exploit.  If you care about child protection, parental rights, free speech, and practical ways to push back in your local community, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this conversation with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or the question you want us to tackle next.Connect and Support Thomas Hampson's Work: Resources & Links: Illinois Family InstituteTruth Alliance FoundationSubstack NewsletterClaymore Milites Christi, The Battle Plan For Young Men Waking Up to the Evils of Our DayJohn Paul II Renewal CenterEmail Jack with questions and comments to answer and discuss on future episodes! jack@ClaymoreMilitesChristi.com. Visit https://claymoremiliteschristi.com/Support the show

    55 min
5
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

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". 

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