Check this out 👉👉 Full Description, Show Notes, Segment by-Segment breakdown and Links are below.
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In this episode of Stoking the Embers, I take you through the real messiness of Catholic life today — not the stuff coming from the world, but the muck we find inside the Church, inside the culture, and inside ourselves. From the drama over the Vatican’s guidance on “co-redemptrix,” to the way Catholic media weaponizes narratives, to Fulton Sheen’s sobering words about the “end of Christendom,” we’re pulling the curtain back on what’s actually going on.
But that’s only Part One.
The second half of the episode gets personal — and spiritual — as I share a strategy the devil absolutely does not want you to know. Confession isn’t just about listing sins. Pulling yourself out of the muck and mire means changing your thoughts, changing the narrative in your own head, and training your soul to reach upward toward the eternal. Turning away from sin is only step one. Stepping into the life God created you for means learning how to reject the lies that drag you down…and embracing the truth that lifts you up.
If you’re tired of the noise, tired of the drama, and ready to reclaim your sanity and your sanctity, this one’s for you.
LINKS
Pope ‘Invites Trans Activist to Meeting at Vatican’
StE: Moving Beyond Confession - From Confirmations to Affirmations
📝 SHOW NOTES (Segment-by-Segment Breakdown)
0:00 – Welcome & Opening
Live broadcast intro across Substack, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. Setting the tone: today we’re talking about pulling ourselves out of the muck and mire of Catholic life — both spiritually and culturally.
2:00 – The Co-Redemptrix Controversy
Vatican document clarifies why “co-redemptrix” shouldn’t be used as a title.
The theology behind Mary’s cooperation is still affirmed.
Catholics online respond with heat instead of humility.
Reflection on the growing inability of Catholics to trust the magisterium.
7:00 – The Spirit of Defiance in the Church
Why correcting theological error among Catholics is harder than evangelizing non-believers.
The modern refusal to accept the Church’s teaching authority.
A warning about the consequences of leading others into error.
14:00 – Fulton Sheen Clip
Fulton Sheen’s powerful reflection on the “fourth cycle” of history.
His startling line: “We are at the end of Christendom.”
What he meant, what he didn’t mean, and what it reveals about our current moment.
19:00 – What’s Destroying Christendom Now?
A discussion with the live audience about:
modernism
secular progressivism
cultural lies
the forces pulling society away from truth
23:00 – The Power and Destruction of Lies
Jesus calls the devil a “liar and murderer from the beginning.”
How lies undermine life — spiritually, culturally, and personally.
Why truth gives life, and lies necessarily bring spiritual decay.
28:00 – Catholic Media’s Role in the Chaos
A breakdown of sensational, misleading reporting regarding Pope Leo and the Jubilee lunch for the poor.
How framing, omission, and spin create false narratives.
Insider perspective on how both secular and Catholic independent media sometimes deceive.
38:00 – Pulling Yourself Out of the Muck (Spiritual Segment)
This is the heart of the episode:
Why the devil attacks your thoughts before confession.
How negative self-talk sabotages grace.
The eternal vs. the temporal: why the human soul is built to rise, not stay stagnant.
The spiritual necessity of affirmation — not in a pop-psychology way, but as part of cooperating with grace.
“Don’t psych yourself out; psych yourself up.”
52:00 – Practical Advice for Your Spiritual Life
How to reject thoughts that drag you down.
How to align your mind with grace.
How to reorient yourself toward the eternal every day.
1:02:00 – Invitation to the Substack Chat
I open a chat thread for listeners to share their experience of the “muck and mire” of Catholic life.
1:05:00 – Closing
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⭐ KEY HIGHLIGHTS (Bullet-Point Style)
The Vatican’s clarification on “co-redemptrix” is not an attack on Marian devotion — it’s a guardrail against misunderstanding.
Catholics often distrust the Magisterium more than they realize — and that’s a spiritual problem.
Fulton Sheen’s prophetic commentary hints that we may be witnessing the “end of Christendom” — not the end of Christianity.
Lies destroy culture because lies erode the good, the true, and the life-giving.
Independent Catholic media is just as capable of misleading as secular outlets.
The devil uses negative thoughts to blunt the fruit of confession.
Spiritual renewal requires changing not only behavior, but thought habits.
The finite world is meant to stretch toward the eternal — which means you can’t spiritually stay “level.”
“Don’t psych yourself out. Psych yourself up.”
Your thoughts must rise with your actions if you want to grow in holiness.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
02:34 Controversy Over Vatican Document
18:00 Fulton Sheen’s Prophetic Insights
34:37 Debunking Fake News about the Vatican
46:50 Get out of Spiritual Muck and Mire!
