Manly Catholicism

[URA]

"More than ever, the Church needs men. Sadly, many Catholic men have believed the lie that being holy isn’t manly, and that the faith is boring. They leave religion to women and children and simply tune out. But holiness is for men. There is nothing more difficult, rewarding, or manly than becoming a saint. The spiritual life is full of combat, struggle, hardship, and adventure. It requires blood, sweat, tears, perseverance, and courage. It isn’t for the faint of heart. Catholic men are called to leave mediocrity behind and to strive for greatness. The Catholic Gentleman exists to inspire men to holiness—to love God, to serve others, and to deny self. And to do it all with class and classic manly flair."

The Catholic Gentleman is a wonderful website with a very masculine approach to Catholicism. Yet descriptions are not as good as examples, so I would like to share some of my favorites from this site.

Here is a great article about how men are not made for pillows, using David and Uriah as examples: Made for Pillows? Men, Boredom, and Pornography

If podcasts are your thing, here's plenty to listen to: The Catholic Gentleman Podcast

This is an introductory page for the website, including links to many of it's articles, such as (and I'm not making this up): the official Catholic beer blessing! Start Here

This is part 1 of a series about dating & marriage: Get Married, Young Man, Part 1: Dating to Marry

This is an article from the Knights of Columbus magazine that really revitalized my faith: https://uknight.org/Councils/Knighthood and the ‘New Man’(1).pdf

And if you look up The Catholic Gentleman & click on Images in your search engine, you will get a lot of great quotes with cool pictures:

May God continue to bless us all, through whatever avenue we can reach him! This much more manly approach to Christianity is it big part of what gets me into it more, and I would like to offer this whole post as prayers for my friend who is not Christian, but would have this sort of approach resonate with him, as well.

 

[URA]

Jason Evert has several great men's talks; here are two! They really address our calling & mission as men in Christ. Jason has a way of packing a lot into a little; even though these tasks are about half an hour, he leaves you with so much to think about. I also highly recommend his books Pure Manhood & Theology of His Body/Theology of Her Body.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I've noticed a trend over a number of years among American Evangelicals, of what I'd describe as "Cowboy Christianity". Sometimes that's actually kind of literal, but in general it's this idea that Christianity has become to "feminine" and "soft", and that it needs to be more manly man man man.

I think it's pretty silly.

But I hope that's not also happening with American Catholicism.

Christianity is bigger and much more important than the stupid cultural ideas of things like "manliness". It's the proclaimed truth of the Crucified and Resurrected Son of God and the salvation of the world. Stupid immature ideas like "manliness" don't have a place in that.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[thecolorsblend]

I've noticed a trend over a number of years among American Evangelicals, of what I'd describe as "Cowboy Christianity". Sometimes that's actually kind of literal, but in general it's this idea that Christianity has become to "feminine" and "soft", and that it needs to be more manly man man man.

I think it's pretty silly.

But I hope that's not also happening with American Catholicism.

Christianity is bigger and much more important than the stupid cultural ideas of things like "manliness". It's the proclaimed truth of the Crucified and Resurrected Son of God and the salvation of the world. Stupid immature ideas like "manliness" don't have a place in that.

-CryptoLutheran

Women have really dominated a lot of programs and volunteer work in the Catholic Church. I understand why there is a push-back with that. And I somewhat support that push-back.

 

[bèlla]

There is a measure of emotionalism in the church that leaves little room for expressions outside itself. Its the expectation of consensus and engagement which causes problems. Most men aren’t touchy feely or emoting just for the heck of it. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging the difference and welcoming other forms of interaction and involvement.

~Bella

 

[URA]

I've noticed a trend over a number of years among American Evangelicals, of what I'd describe as "Cowboy Christianity". Sometimes that's actually kind of literal, but in general it's this idea that Christianity has become to "feminine" and "soft", and that it needs to be more manly man man man.

I think it's pretty silly.

But I hope that's not also happening with American Catholicism.

Christianity is bigger and much more important than the stupid cultural ideas of things like "manliness". It's the proclaimed truth of the Crucified and Resurrected Son of God and the salvation of the world. Stupid immature ideas like "manliness" don't have a place in that.

-CryptoLutheran

Women have really dominated a lot of programs and volunteer work in the Catholic Church. I understand why there is a push-back with that. And I somewhat support that push-back.

There is a measure of emotionalism in the church that leaves little room for expressions outside itself. Its the expectation of consensus and engagement which causes problems. Most men aren’t touchy feely or emoting just for the heck of it. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging the difference and welcoming other forms of interaction and involvement.

~Bella

Personally, this "manliness" with my faith resonates with me at a much deeper level than any social construct would. I really got into the Theology of the Body my freshman year of college, and that really helped me through the gender confusion I struggled with for a few years. God made me male, but I wasn't sure if that was really how I was supposed to be; if it wasn't for all the so-called "hateful conservatives" that I live with, I probably would've come out as both- or neither-gendered. I cringe to think of the fallout if I had been around people with a distorted enough idea of love that they would've encouraged me to declare myself to be something other than what God made me; the Theology of the Body, and Jason Evert books & talks thereof, brought me out of so much depression that I didn't know I had, and into a fuller idea of who Christ made me to be.

This sort of stuff is how I understand my more "masculine" qualities, such as my desire to fight, can be so beneficial for my faith. This is also how I saw my less "masculine" qualities, such as my cowardice & fear of initiating relationships, were things that I should train out of myself. These aren't things I heard outside of Men's Talks & the such; gentleness, compassion, and the more feminine qualities are important, but over-emphasized, and made me feel like I didn't have a place within Christianity.

It's also very good to use this manly approach to Christianity when approaching romantic relationships. I'm 21, prime position to start looking for a girlfriend, and the manly Christian advice tells me that I should really be looking for a wife. The honor of Medieval knighthood (addressed in the Knights of Columbus article) tells me that I should be willing to fight to defend my wife, fight against my own perverted desires (for her sake & God's sake), and use my masculine energy for something that creates & protects life, not destroying another's life for the sake of my own (the second Jason Evert talk addresses this in more detail).

I spread this manly spirituality because I think this is reaching out to an under-appreciated group in the faith. I watch men's talks & women's talks*, and most of it applies just as well to both genders. But just like anything, some of it resonates with some people more than others. St. Paul discusses gentleness as a very good thing, in the same letter where he gets fired up & yells "You stupid Galatians!" Jesus discusses love of enemy & the like, but when you read the Gospels with an open mind, He's really intense. Beyond any gender categorization, gentleness & aggressive energy both have their place, but modern Christianity (Catholic & Evangelical) tends to focus too heavily on the "gentle" side.

*There's some good examples here: Best Catholic talks?

Thoughts?

May we continue to desire God in every area of our lives!

 

[URA]

This is from the knights of Columbus article in the OP, but I thought it was helpful to attach it as a screenshot, so it could be saved us a picture.