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In this episode of Into the Desert, Fr. Ken Geraci and John Heinen confront the tension at the heart of Palm Sunday: the same voices that cry “Hosanna” can quickly turn to “Crucify Him.” What looks like devotion can collapse under pressure, revealing how easily men drift with the crowd, seek approval, and abandon the path of Christ when it becomes costly. They press into the question: “Will I remain with Him when the path leads through suffering, rejection, and contradiction?” This is not about chasing hardship or proving strength. It is about surrendering preference and choosing the will of God over...

We get this question all the time, what do I need to do to find a wife or get married? So often we find men waiting for the right woman to find them, the right opportunity to arrive, the right moment to finally step up. The problem isn't that they lack a desire; the problem is that they haven't yet done the interior and exterior work of becoming marriageable. In this episode, John Heinen and Devin Schadt cut through the noise and lay out five concrete frameworks every man needs to examine, from the physical to internal, if he's...

Every father eventually faces a moment when his child pulls away. The distance grows, the relationship hardens, and most men respond in one of three ways. In this episode, John Heinen and Devin Schadt use the parable of the Prodigal Son to diagnose what's really happening beneath the surface: why rebellion cuts so deeply into a man's sense of worth, and what the wounds underneath his reactions are actually telling him. But this conversation doesn't stay in the failings we have, it moves toward the father who ran. John and Devin unpack what it...

We start Lent with strong intentions. The fasting plan is clear. The prayer routine feels doable. The discipline is there. But somewhere in the middle of Lent, the struggle begins. The motivation fades, the routine breaks down, and we quietly give up. In this episode of Into the Desert, Fr. Ken Geraci and John Heinen explain why this exact moment is where real spiritual growth begins. The desert exposes the limits of self-reliance and reveals how much a man still depends on his own strength instead of God’s grace. Instead of seeing failure as the end of Lent, th...

The word "headship" has become so loaded that most men either weaponize it or abandon it entirely. In this episode, John Heinen and Devin Schadt cut through the cultural noise to recover what male leadership actually means, not as domination or control, but as a divine paradigm rooted in the very nature of God and modeled from the beginning in Adam, St. Joseph, and Christ Himself. Why do men of goodwill still feel confused about their role? This is Satan's playbook and plan of attack. What follows is a frank, theologically grounded unpacking of what Devin calls "charitable authority"...

We can look disciplined on the surface while still clinging to comfort, control, security, and the illusion that what we have is our own. This conversation gets underneath the act of giving and presses on the deeper question: what am I holding onto? Fr. Ken Geraci and John Heinen talk about why almsgiving is more than generosity, why it exposes the heart, and how gratitude breaks the instinct to accumulate. If fasting teaches a man to master his appetites and prayer teaches him to abide in God, almsgiving teaches him to let go. It trains him to live open-handed...

We avoid thinking about death until it forces its way into the room. But what happens when a husband and father is suddenly told he has ninety days to live? In this episode, John Heinen and Devin Schadt examine the striking story of former Nebraska senator Ben Sasse, who recently revealed a stage-four pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Drawing from his candid interview reflecting on that moment, they explore how the ancient Christian discipline of memento mori, remembering death, cuts through ambition, noise, and distraction to reveal what actually matters in a man’s life. Sasse speaks openly about regret, fatherhood, se...

Prayer becomes one of two things: a religious obligation or a strategy to get results. But it's not a productivity tool. It’s not emotional therapy. And it’s not a way to convince God of anything. In this week’s Lent series, Fr. Ken Geraci and John Heinen cut through the purpose of prayer. If fasting makes room, prayer is where union happens. Prayer is where control dies, and where a man learns to be with God instead of trying to manage Him. Fr. Ken breaks down why so many men stall in prayer: they measure success by feelin...

How a man treats women is never a side issue. It is one of the clearest revelations of his interior life, where it is at and even where it is going. In this episode, John Heinen and Devin Schadt explore why masculinity is tested not in dominance, intellect, or achievement, but in whether a man honors, protects, and reverences the feminine. From the way a man looks at women in public, to how he speaks about them in private, to how he carries the emotional and spiritual weight of his marriage, the conversation exposes the subtle ways men either...

It's time for a reset to the entire purpose of fasting. John shares how he spent years fasting the wrong way, treating it like self-mortification for the sake of self-control. Until a spiritual director challenged him: fasting isn’t mainly about proving you can suffer. It’s about making room for loving union with Christ. Fr. Ken explains why the Church gives a minimal fasting prescription. It’s meant to be doable for everyone, including children, the elderly, and those with health issues. But if you’re able-bodied and serious about Lent, the question becomes: what is Christ actually inviting...

You see over 5000 marketing messages every day. In 2025, hundreds of billions of emails were sent every day, notifications never stop, and research shows the average person switches attention every 47 seconds. We are conditioned to live and stay teathered to noise. But all of this keeps us separated from God. In addition, Scripture warns that men will render account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36), and God Himself speaks not in the earthquake or the fire, but in the whisper. In this episode, John Heinen and Devin Schadt expose how noise is not neutral; it weakens men, fragments our...

This Ash Wednesday, Fr. Ken Geraci and John Heinen go straight to the heart of Lent’s first command: repent and believe. We're focusing on two concrete actions that we avoid until we're desperate: a real examination of conscience and a clean, simple confession. Not scrupulosity. Not vague generalities. An honest inventory of blind spots, weak spots, compromises, and missed opportunities for virtue. 🟢 Father's of Mercy Examination of Conscience: https://fathersofmercy.com/fathers-of... 🟢 FREE ROSARY - Join Catholic Gentleman+ with over 30 sessions of exclusive formation, daily saint quotes, and a brotherhood of men pursuing holiness: https://catholicgentleman.lpages.co/l... 🟢...