Bent, but Unbroken

Catholic Father of 4 | Combat Vet, Ranger School, WP Grad | Faith seeking understanding
Strength, sacrifice, and the interior battle
For the broken & searching

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

Pope Leo XIV has become one of the most debated figures in public life right now — immigration, the War in Iran, the death penalty. And with that debate comes the predictable responses:

"He's a Communist."
"He's a Leftist."
"He's in with George Soros."

I would not defend Pope Leo XIV if any of those were true. Some of the observations behind those reactions are at least understandable — but none of them hold up to real scrutiny.

Here is why: every member of the Catholic clergy — from parish priest to pope — is formed differently. You cannot sort them into Left vs. Right buckets and call it analysis. To truly understand any pope, you need a more rigorous tool.

That search led to a framework. It does not begin with politics — it begins with Providence.

The Guiding Principle: every pope is simultaneously a product of his formation, a prisoner of his moment, a steward of an unchanging deposit of faith, and an instrument of Divine Providence — all at once.

Seven layers follow from that principle. They apply to Leo XIV. They apply to every pope before him.

The graphic below describes each layer in detail. Apply it before drawing conclusions — and see what you actually find.

Let's run it properly — layer by layer — with full pressure applied at each stage.

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@michaelmalice @machinefab27 NPC?? I’m not a Non-Practicing Catholic…

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

LOL how did I get lumped into this?

I was basically agreeing with what Malice said haha

[Michael Malice @michaelmalice]

@MistersHomeRoom @UnbrokenDad quality huh

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@OccamsTruth @Smashin43268298 @michaelmalice @grok God loves you more than you realize

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@baseballisdead_ That’s so criminal to lose like that.

[Sachin Jose @Sachinettiyil]

Catholic content creator Zach Gonring, who has thousands of followers across social media, has announced that he will enter seminary formation for the Diocese of Grand Rapids to become a Catholic priest.

[Sachin Jose @Sachinettiyil]

The Croatia national football team, including captain Luka Modrić, attend Mass in their homeland ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Image: Riječka nadbiskupija

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@michaelmalice And thank you for the compliment

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@michaelmalice I reserve the right to be slow after a long day of parenting four children

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

Didn’t thank God or Christ at any point in this video…

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

In a world of AI Slop

Be a bird caller

[O’Shea Jackson Jr @OsheaJacksonJr]

I saw it. Now you have to see it. His name is Samuel. And he…is a king.

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@michaelmalice @MistersHomeRoom But @michaelmalice

Didn’t you know Anarchism Thanos-snaps the Bible out of existence???

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@OsheaJacksonJr YOU AND ME BOTH, GUY

YOU AND ME BOTH!!!

[Bishop Robert Barron @BishopBarron]

The horror film “Obsession” is a surprise hit at the box office this summer. Made for around one million dollars, it has already grossed over a hundred and fifty million. But it's not only a financial success; it's also a spiritually quite interesting film. What drives the plot is a young man's ardent desire to be loved by the woman whom he loves. Seeking a gift for Nikki in an occult store, Bear finds a device that advertises itself as “One Wish Willow.” If you break the stick and make a wish, it will come true. In his desperation, he follows the instructions, and it works like a charm. The previously diffident Nikki becomes totally devoted to the delighted Bear. All his dreams, it seems, have come true. Then things go, shall we say, south. I won't spoil any more of the plot. Suffice it to say that Nikki proceeds to devour the young man and push him toward despair.

Throughout this film, I kept thinking of Oscar Wilde's famous line: “the only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting what you want.” The spiritual issue here is one that the masters have recognized for centuries and one that stands at the very heart of Biblical revelation: if you tie your deepest desire to anything or anyone other than God, you will find, not satisfaction, but destruction. This is the moral teaching behind the great Shema prayer: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is Lord alone.” Jesus reiterates this when he says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength.” The psalmist affirms it when he sings, “Only in God will my soul be at rest.”

During the rite of Confirmation, I ask the young people a series of questions, the first of which is “do you renounce Satan and all his works and empty promises?” Up and down the ages, Satan has made the same empty promise: I will give you something less than God and it will make you happy. In point of fact, it will ruin you, and the more you seek to acquire it, the unhappier you will become. What becomes clear in the course of “Obsession” is that the owners of the occult shop where Bear bought the fateful wish-willow are in fact involved with very dark spiritual powers. In my conversations with exorcists, I hear over and over again that those who get ensnared by the devil commence by dabbling in the occult.

“Obsession” is a good horror movie. If you like the genre, and you're not too squeamish, go see it. For it won't just scare you; it will offer some important spiritual truths.

[Sachin Jose @Sachinettiyil]

A “June is dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus” billboard has been erected in Colorado Springs

Image: Luke Vercollone

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@michaelmalice Maybe he’s under the gun?

https://t.co/cA224dJwws

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

@owenjonesjourno This is so tragic: she doesn’t realize how much God loves her.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

Artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships, and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean. Nor do they have a moral conscience, since they do not judge good and evil, grasp the ultimate meaning of situations, or bear responsibility for consequences. They may imitate or even simulate, but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the affective, relational, and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow in wisdom. #MagnificaHumanitas

[RT @RT_com]

Brazil is going viral with ‘running raves’

Sao Paulo’s PACETRONIK events mix group runs with electronic music and club energy

The running rave concept is already backed by ASICS Brasil

Footage: PACETRONIK

[Bent, but Unbroken @UnbrokenDad]

Tampa Bay Rays are Moneyballin’

[Baseball’s Greatest Moments @BBGreatMoments]

Worst slide I’ve ever seen goes to this dude 😂