Episode Details

In this August 5, 2026 episode of Council of Catholic Men, we open in prayer and continued our reading of Revelation chapter 2, reflecting on Christ’s words to the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira. We worked through the warnings against losing our first charity, tolerating false doctrine, and falling into presumption, while also dwelling on the promises given to those who persevere: the tree of life, the crown of life, hidden manna, and the morning star. We also read through several scriptural footnotes and cross-references to show how the Church has long understood these passages in light of repentance, judgment, perseverance, and the reward of the saints.

From there, we returned to the catechism of St. Peter Canisius on the virtue of hope, focusing on how hope is strengthened by prayer, meditation on God’s goodness, purity of conscience, good works, and patience in adversity. To close, we read from St. Alphonsus de Liguori’s Victories of the Martyrs with the story of St. Afra, whose conversion, penance, and martyrdom offer a powerful witness to God’s mercy toward repentant sinners. We ended by looking ahead to Revelation chapter 3 and the next catechism question on the good things a Christian ought to hope for.