Discovering True Friendship with Christ: Insights from John 15

The Catholic Man Show

Leisure, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.9 • 739 Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Episode Overview:

In this episode of The Catholic Man Show, hosts Adam Minihan and David Niles dive into a lighthearted yet profound discussion about the phrase "killing two birds with one stone," the joys and challenges of high school reunions, and a deep exploration of friendship—both human and divine. The episode centers on John 15:14-15, where Jesus calls His disciples friends, not servants, offering a transformative perspective on what it means to live in communion with Christ. A powerful confession experience ties the conversation together, emphasizing the shift from doing things for God to doing them with Him.

Key Discussion Points:

Opening Banter (00:00:16 - 00:04:55): Adam and David humorously debate the origins and modern misuse of the phrase "killing two birds with one stone," referencing historical and biblical imagery like David and Goliath, and even a viral video of Nolan Ryan hitting a bird with a baseball.
Life Updates (00:05:00 - 00:11:39): David shares his excitement for an upcoming family reunion in Wyoming, while Adam talks about his son Leo’s second-place finish in mutton busting at a local rodeo and his anticipation for a 20-year high school reunion, sparking a funny reflection on aging and pride.
Sponsorship Spotlight (00:12:00 - 00:13:15): The hosts highlight their long-time sponsor, Select International Tours, encouraging listeners to explore pilgrimage opportunities at selectinternationaltours.com and join their upcoming trip to Italy in October.
What We’re Drinking (00:13:29 - 00:15:47): Adam and David enjoy The Sassenach, a blended Scotch whiskey with a Gaelic name meaning "outsider" or "stranger." They praise its Highland-like flavor and art deco bottle, likening it to a Mad Men-style decanter.
Literature and Reading (00:16:46 - 00:20:43): David discusses reading G.K. Chesterton’s Man Alive, recommended by Monsignor Gallus, a Chesterton scholar, and touches on Plato’s The Republic. The hosts reflect on Chesterton’s whimsical style and the influence of classical works on Christian thought.
Main Topic: Friendship with Christ (00:22:08 - 00:58:51):
Biblical Foundation: Adam introduces John 15:14-15, where Jesus says, “You are my friends if you keep what I command you. No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends.” This passage sets the stage for a discussion on authentic friendship.
Philosophical Insights: Drawing from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (Books 8-10), the hosts explore his three types of friendship—pleasure, utility, and authentic (virtuous) friendship. Aristotle views authentic friendship as the highest moral achievement, impossible without virtue, as vice renders true friendship unattainable.
Christian Perspective: The discussion connects Aristotle’s ideas to Christian theology, with references to Augustine, Aquinas, and Cicero. Aquinas describes charity as the highest form of friendship, requiring mutual love, willing the good of the other, and a shared life—mirrored in Christ’s relationship with His disciples.
Old vs. New Covenant: The hosts contrast the Old Covenant’s servanthood (e.g., Abraham obeying without full understanding) with the New Covenant’s friendship, where Christ shares divine knowledge, inviting us into intimacy and communion.

Confession Insight:

for

with

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Do you think a dude actually killed two birds with one stone?
0:24.0	Definitely.
0:24.8	Some point in time and history.
0:27.7	Like, imagine you're hungry.
0:31.1	It's like, okay, it's time for lunch.
0:33.8	I'm going to go out and kill something.
0:35.8	And all you have is stones. Maybe a slingshot. I don't know. Let's say all you have is one stone. Let's say all you have is one stone. Maybe you have a slingshot. Maybe you don't, I don't know. And you go out there and like, imagine how hard it would be to just hit one bird. Yeah. And not only hit it, but stunning enough to where it falls down for you to capture it.
0:57.3	Now, and how ecstatic you would be at that point.
1:02.0	Now, imagine somehow, and I think that the only way this could happen is through a slingshot.
1:09.1	I don't think Nolan Ryan could do this because he actually did throw a baseball and hit a bird with a pitch. Have you seen that? On live television. On live television. Yeah, I did. Epic. But even... If it hadn't happened so long ago, no one would believe it was a real video. Like that's an AI video. Yeah.
1:27.9	But that ball couldn't have actually killed another bird on it.
1:32.6	Right.
1:32.8	So like the stone...
1:34.2	Well, it depends on how high up...
1:35.6	How high off the ground it was.
1:38.4	Yeah, maybe.
1:39.5	So imagine that stone actually killing a two bird... A two-fur. You you get a twofer and how a static you
1:47.5	would be yeah now so i think there are a lot of things that depend here first of all what is the size of
1:53.9	the stone okay if you get a like a good size stone you got two birds sitting in the nest you hit one you hit both okay it's almost if you're brock lessner and you have a good size stone, you got two birds sitting in the nest, you hit one, you hit both, okay? It's almost- If you're Brock Lesner and you have a boulder and you just throw it onto this nest. If you get a good size stone, you know, pancake size. Yeah. And you hit, it's almost at that point, if there's two in the nest, good luck hit an only one. Yeah, that's true. You see what I'm saying? That's a good point. But imagine, let's just say hypothetically, this is, you know, tribal, like, they're out hunting. He hits. In your mind, you're envisioning, like, the story I'm telling myself is that you're envisioning like a river stone. Like a river stone, going out, hunting. Yeah, like you might put David picked up out of the river to go kill Goliath with. Yeah, the five stones and just... This is what you have in mind. This is what I have in mind. Okay. Now, if that happened, he'd be absolutely ecstatic in coming back home just like, I am the boss. I am now the chief of
2:53.1	this place. You know, this is, this is my tribe now. And then they made me their king. Hey, I'm the
2:58.0	captain now. You know, that, that mentality. But then I would be so upset with how loose we use that
3:07.3	term these days. Like, hey, I need gas and I want some gummy bears.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Catholic Man Show, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Catholic Man Show and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.