Be a Man!

Why is it that we men are depicted in media and entertainment as lazy, dumb, silly, unintelligent and brutes? Why is it that we consider this acceptable? Being a man does not mean that we are selfish, lazy, simple minded, purely carnal beings. In fact, a man is quite the opposite. The world today seems to want to deny the goodness of what it means to be a man. Men in the Church tend to look at spirituality and church things as too feminine and are hesitant to pursue them. It is seen often unmanly to pursue depth in thought, action, prayer, are dare I say, feeling. I have been thankful for my dad, because he sought to be more than that, he sought to know his children, to dare to speak to his children about more that superficial topics.

Frequently I receive the question from parents asking me to help understand why their children do not practice the faith.There is no one quick answer to cover every case, but there are several that add together to paint the complete picture. On Fathers' Day, however, I want to focus on the role a Father plays in the life of his children. There was a study done in 2016, here are the findings:

1. If both father and mother attend church regularly, 33% of children will attend regularly, 41% attend irregularly, 25% not at all.

2. If the father is irregular and mother regular, 3% will attend regularly, 59% irregularly, 38% not at all.

3. If the father is non-practicing and mother regular, 2% will attend regularly, 37% irregularly, 61% not at all.

https://romancatholicman.com/wp/dad-takes-faith-god-seriously-will-children/

I do not pretend to understand the intricacy of why this works out in this way, but here are the results. This study was conducted 6 years ago, I am sure these numbers have decreased since. In pointing this out I also intend to cast no blame. I intend rather to call men on to greatness. I intend rather to awaken the wild hearts of men to pursue the adventure to which the Lord calls us. It takes a real man to move out of the "man cave" and into the world to defend, lead, guide, and serve his children, his wife, and his community. It takes bravery to lead a family into virtue and away from the vices the world erroneously values. It takes a man to shake off his sin a sloth and join a bible study, prayer group, attend morning Mass during the week, pray with his wife and children daily. It takes a real man to become vulnerable and to share his Faith with those who need to hear it.

I have several distinct memories of my dad in which he put on this exact courageous armor. The most profound memory has two parts. When I was in high-school, I took my dad to adoration with me, he commented as we left that he didn't know that existed. Later, while I was in college seminary, he began to attend daily Mass. Through tears in his eyes he thanked me that following Christmas break for giving him the Faith that no one had successfully given him before that moment. In that moment, it angered me. I wanted him to have been the one to hand me the Faith. Later, I came to understand that this moment of vulnerability is what a real man looks like.

Happy Fathers' Day