Exploring Degrees of Humility, Wedding Crashing, and Pope Leo XIV

Overview

In this lively episode, the hosts express enthusiasm for the election of Pope Leo XIV, share personal stories, including a wedding-crashing adventure in Mexico, and dive into a deep discussion on the virtue of humility, drawing from Father Beleckias' book Solid Virtue. The episode blends humor, personal reflection, and spiritual insights, with a focus on Catholic faith and living a virtuous life.

Key Topics

1. Excitement Over Pope Leo XIV

• New Pope Announcement: The hosts are thrilled about the election of Pope Leo XIV, an American cardinal with a Tulsa connection, having served on the board of Cascia Hall, a Catholic preparatory school in Tulsa.
• Historical Context: They discuss Pope Leo XIII, a significant influence (one host named a child after him), and note Leo XIV's choice of name as a nod to this legacy.
• Conclave Insights: The quick election (likely on the fourth ballot) suggests strong consensus among the cardinals. The hosts avoid speculating on insider details due to the sacred nature of the conclave.
• Fun Facts: Pope Leo XIV is a White Sox fan, not a Cubs fan, as initially reported. The hosts humorously claim him as "basically from Tulsa."
• Prophetic Banter: A playful exchange about predicting the length of Leo XIV’s pontificate (jokingly suggested as 25 years) and his potential holiness.

2. Personal Stories and Anniversary Celebration

• David’s Anniversary Getaway: David shares how he and his wife, Haley, celebrated their 13th anniversary with a phone-free weekend in Mexico to focus on their time together.
• Wedding Crashing in Mexico: David recounts crashing an Indian wedding at a resort in Mexico, joining the groom’s procession with a hype man, music, and dancing. He and Haley briefly joined the celebration before slipping away.
• Hype Man Discussion: The hosts humorously explore the idea of having a hype man for life events, likening it to a boxer’s ring walk or a DJ hyping up a crowd.

3. Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

• Historical Miracle: David shares the story of a 12th-century Eucharistic miracle in Lanciano, Italy, where a doubting monk witnessed the host turn into flesh and the wine into blood during Mass.
• Scientific Studies: In 1977, 1978, and 1987, tests confirmed the flesh as living heart tissue and the blood as human, preserved for over 1,200 years.
• Spiritual Significance: The hosts emphasize the miracle’s importance for reinforcing belief in the Real Presence, while noting that every Mass holds the same ontological reality.
• Pilgrimage Plans: The hosts invite listeners to join their October 2025 pilgrimage to Lanciano to celebrate Mass in the presence of this miracle.

4. Discussion on Humility

• Source Material: The hosts draw from Solid Virtue by Father Beleckias, S.J., to discuss the three degrees of humility.
• First Degree: Complete obedience to divine law, refusing to commit mortal sin even if offered the world or threatened with danger.
• Second Degree: Holy indifference to wealth, poverty, honor, or disgrace, refusing even venial sin for worldly gain. The hosts reflect on the challenge of achieving this in a materialistic world.
• Third Degree: Actively choosing poverty, contempt, and disgrace to imitate Christ’s humility, as exemplified by saints like Francis and Katharine Drexel. The hosts acknowledge the difficulty of this level, especially for family men.
• Practical Insights:
• Humility is not thinking less of oneself but thinking rightly about oneself in relation...