Matt Fradd
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The Saints on Humility

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.

-- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book 3, Chapter 8, “The Great Sin,” Kindle location 1665


True humility consists in being content with all that God is pleased to ordain for us, believing ourselves unworthy to be called His servants. -- St. Teresa of Jesus

To be taken with love for a soul, God does not look on its greatness, but the greatness of its humility. --St John of the Cross, OCD

There is something in humility which strangely exalts the heart. --Saint Augustine

It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. --Saint Augustine

Be humble towards God and gentle with your neighbor. Judge and accuse no one but yourself, and ever excuse others. Speak of God always to praise and glorify Him, speak of your neighbor only with respect -- do not speak of yourself at all, either well or ill. -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The truly humble reject all praise for themselves, and refer it all to God. - St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

In the difficulties which are placed before me, why should I not act like a donkey? When one speaks ill of him - the donkey says nothing. When he is mistreated - he says nothing. When he is forgotten - he says nothing. When no food is given him - he says nothing. When he is made to advance - he says nothing. When he is despised - he says nothing. When he is overburdened - he says nothing. The true servant of God must do likewise, and say with David: "Before Thee I have become like a beast of burden." -- St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

What will be the crown of those who, humble within and humiliated without, have imitated the humility of our Savior in all its fullness! -- St. Bernadette

He who wants to learn true humility should reflect upon the Passion of Jesus. (267) -- St Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

The soul's true greatness is in loving God and in humbling oneself in His presence, completely forgetting oneself and believing oneself to be nothing; because the Lord is great, but He is well-pleased only with the humble; He always opposes the proud. -- St Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

Let us therefore give ourselves to God with a great desire to begin to live thus, and beg Him to destroy in us the life of the world of sin, and to establish His life within us. -- St. John Eudes

To be pleased at correction and reproofs shows that one loves the virtues which are contrary to those faults for which he is corrected and reproved. And, therefore, it is a great sign of advancement in perfection. -- St. Francis de Sales

No man can attain to the knowledge of God but by humility. The way to mount high is to descend. -- Bl. Giles of Assisi

If you would rise, shun luxury, for luxury lowers and degrades. -- St John Chrysostom

Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance. ~ St. Augustine

Our Lord loves you and loves you tenderly; and if He does not let you feel the sweetness of His love, it is to make you more humble and abject in your own eyes. -St. Pio of Pietrelcino

A truly humble person never believes that he can be wronged in anything. Truly, we ought to be shamed to resent whatever is said or done against us; for it is the greatest shame in the world to see that our Creator bears so many insults from His creatures, and that we resent even a little word that is contradictory. - St. Teresa

Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation. -Saint Augustine

We should let God be the One to praise us and not praise ourselves. For God detests those who commend themselves. Let others applaud our good deeds. --Pope St. Clement I

If humble souls are contradicted, they remain calm; if they are calumniated, they suffer with patience; if they are little esteemed, neglected, or forgotten, they consider that their due; if they are weighed down with occupations, they perform them cheerfully. - St. Vincent de Paul

The first degree of humility is the fear of God, which we should constantly have before our eyes. -St. Louis de Blois

The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it. - Saint Vincent de Paul

Prayer must be humble: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Here St. James tells us that God does not listen to the prayers of the proud, but resists them; while, on the other hand, he is always ready to hear the prayers of the humble: The prayer of the man that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds, . . . and he will not depart till the Most High behold. The prayer of an humble soul at once penetrates the heavens and presents itself before the throne of God, and will not depart thence till God regards it and listens to it. However sinful such a soul may be, God can never despise a heart that repents of its sins, and humbles itself: A contrite and humbled heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. - St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

But, my daughter, I am going a step further, and I bid you everywhere and in everything rejoice in your own abjection. Perhaps you will ask in reply what I mean by that. In Latin abjection means humility, and humility means abjection, so that when Our Lady says in the Magnificat that all generations shall call her blessed, because God hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, she means that He has accepted her abjection and lowliness in order to fill her with graces and favours. Nevertheless, there is a difference between humility and abjection; for abjection is the poverty, vileness and littleness which exist in us, without our taking heed to them; but humility implies a real knowledge and voluntary recognition of that abjection. And the highest point of humility consists in not merely acknowledging one's abjection, but in taking pleasure therein, not from any want of breadth or courage, but to give the more glory to God's Divine Majesty, and to esteem one's neighbour more highly than one's self. This is what I would have you do; - St. Francis de Sales

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February 19, 2026
What I Wish I Knew When I Converted | Ft. Dr. Scott Hahn

In this episode of Last Call, Matt shares his personal journey from agnostic teenager to committed Catholic, and answers your questions on the topic of conversion. Then, Matt sits down with renowned Catholic theologian, Dr. Scott Hahn, who reflects candidly on what advice he would give his 1986 self upon converting to Catholicism, including the mistakes he made with friends, family, and within his own marriage in his early zeal.

Pints: Last Call Ep. 3

00:55:01
February 17, 2026
Why Mormonism Denies God's Existence (Joe Heschmeyer) | Ep. 567

Catholic apologist Joe Heschmeyer stops by to discuss his debate with LDS apologist and the theological problems with LDS beliefs. Later on they discuss the toxic culture of online apologetics, dating advice and practical tips for breaking phone addiction.

Ep. 567

02:31:45
February 16, 2026
Mind blowing Eucharistic Miracles (Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.) Ep. 566

Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. joins Matt Fradd for an in-depth conversation about Eucharistic miracles, the real presence of Christ, and the spiritual life. Fr. Pine shares his research on miraculous hosts that have turned to human heart tissue, how to detect pride and narcissism in ourselves, and offers practical wisdom on prayer, the dangers of social media, and why showing up in God's presence, even with our mess, is what Jesus desires most.

Ep. 566

📲 Connect with Fr. Gregory:
The Thomistic Institute: https://youtube.com/@thomisticinstitute?si=-y9ceFdY8f1OT2zw
Godsplaining Podcast: https://godsplaining.org/
Your Eucharistic Identity: https://a.co/d/6i9wkEe
Training the Tongue and Growing Beyond Sins of Speech: https://stpaulcenter.com/trainingthetongue

02:25:01
Simple NEW Lofi Song

Working on an entire album of lofi music. Here's one of those songs. Album should drop next week. THEN, a couple of weeks after that we hope to have our 24/7 stream up and running.

Simple NEW Lofi Song
December 01, 2022
Day 5 of Advent

THE ERROR OF ARIUS ABOUT THE INCARNATION

In their eagerness to proclaim the unity of God and man in Christ, some heretics went to the opposite extreme and taught that not only was there one person, but also a single nature, in God and man. This error took its rise from Arius. To defend his position that those scriptural passages where Christ is represented as being inferior to the Father, must refer to the Son of God Himself, regarded in His assuming nature, Arius taught that in Christ there is no other soul than the Word of God who, he maintained, took the place of the soul in Christ’s body. Thus when Christ says, in John 14:28, “The Father is greater than I,” or when He is introduced as praying or as being sad, such matters are to be referred to the very nature of the Son of God. If this were so, the union of God’s Son with man would be effected not only in the person, but also in the nature. For, as we know, the unity of human nature arises from the union of soul and body.

The...

Day 5 of Advent
November 27, 2022
Day 1 of Advent

RESTORATION OF MAN BY GOD THROUGH THE INCARNATION

We indicated above that the reparation of human nature could not be effected either by Adam or by any other purely human being. For no individual man ever occupied a position of pre-eminence over the whole of nature; nor can any mere man be the cause of grace. The same reasoning shows that not even an angel could be the author of man’s restoration. An angel cannot be the cause of grace, just as he cannot be man’s recompense with regard to the ultimate perfection of beatitude, to which man was to be recalled. In this matter of beatitude angels and men are on a footing of equality. Nothing remains, therefore, but that such restoration could be effected by God alone.

But if God had decided to restore man solely by an act of His will and power, the order of divine justice would not have been observed. justice demands satisfaction for sin. But God cannot render satisfaction, just as He cannot merit. Such a service pertains to one who ...

Day 1 of Advent
February 12, 2026
10-Day Pilgrimage to the Seven Churches of Revelation with Fr. Jason Charron and Matt & Cameron Fradd

Join Father Jason Charron, my wife Cameron, and me for a pilgrimage through Asia Minor as we explore the Seven Churches of Revelation and the cradle of early Christianity.

We will journey through modern-day Turkey, visiting the great cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Thyatira, Sardis, Laodicea, Philadelphia, and Hierapolis, as well as Constantinople, walking in places shaped by over 3,000 years of history.

Stand among the ruins of Ephesus, marvel at the white terraces of Pamukkale, and explore the ancient city of Hierapolis and its magnificent necropolis.

This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Space is limited and this pilgrimage will sell out quickly, so reserve your spot today.

https://www.signaturetours.com/JCharron26

My daughter is getting Baptized today! Pray for Rosemary June as she welcomes the Holy Spirit into her heart and for her lifelong devotion to Christ.

If you saw my post from earlier this month, little Rose was in the hospital for almost a week due to illness and respiratory issues. She is back to her healthy self now, but we’ve had other illnesses in the family and my wife also lost an uncle last week. My son has woken up with nightmares, and my wife and I just haven’t been able to get good sleep the past couple weeks.

I can’t help but think there might be some spiritual warfare involved as we approach the Baptism.

Either way, I’m feeling blessed and excited as we prepare for this Sacrament and welcome any prayers for Rose and our family.

God bless,

4 hours ago

I came across a YouTube channel called "Cardinal Robert Sarah's Teachings". The videos show Robert Sarah speaking, but they are AI generated. The channel's homepage admits that they use AI tools. But the videos themselves don't inform the viewer that what they're watching is an AI version of Cardinal Sarah. One video shows Cardinal Sarah describing a vision he supposedly had. But it's not real. Don't be fooled by that channel.

December 16, 2025
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God bless you guys, and thanks again.

Matt

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October 23, 2025
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It's finally here! Jesus Our Refuge 🙌

It’s finally here! 

I’ve been pouring my heart into what I truly believe is an important book—Jesus Our Refuge (get here). It’s the most personal thing I’ve ever written, and my hope is that it helps you find peace and refuge in the heart of Jesus. 

Please consider getting a copy here and reviewing!

P.S. I don’t earn anything from this book. When I wrote it, I knew it had to reach far and wide, so I partnered with a publisher who believes in that mission. Every bit of the royalties I’d have received goes into a fund to give away one million copies for free.

 

 

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What St. Thomas Means by "Curiosity"

In today's livestream I spoke about the sin of curiosity. In this article, I thought I'd sum it up for you in case I didn't do it well in the livestream.

You can read Thomas' own words here, btw. 

For Aquinas, “curiosity” is not simply the healthy desire to know the truth. He distinguishes between the virtue of studiositas—the ordered pursuit of knowledge—and the vice of curiositas, which is the disordered pursuit of knowledge.

Curiosity becomes a vice when we seek knowledge in the wrong way or for the wrong reasons: for pride, idle speculation, gossip, or knowledge that leads us away from God rather than toward Him. For example, indulging in occult practices, probing into sinful matters for fascination, or prying into things that are none of our business (all of social media, or just most?) are all ways that curiosity corrupts the good of knowledge. In other words, knowledge itself is good, but the way we desire, seek, and use it can be distorted.

Aquinas says that curiosity can show itself in several ways: when someone prefers trivial knowledge over what would truly benefit their soul (c'mon ... this is how many people live their lives), when one seeks knowledge to boast or to sin, when one is distracted by an endless hunger for new information at the expense of wisdom, or when one turns to forbidden sources of knowledge.

By contrast, the virtue of studiousness disciplines the intellect so that we seek truth for its own sake, for God’s glory, and for the service of others. Thus, Aquinas sees curiosity not as the love of learning itself, but as the disorder of that love—an appetite for knowing that forgets the proper end of knowledge, which is to lead us to truth and ultimately to God.

So here's a challenge for you and me: What is one practical way that we can avoid curiosity and grow in studiousness?

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