It is something to have smelt the mystic rose,
Although it break and leave the thorny rods,
It is something to have hungered once as those
Must hunger who have ate the bread of gods.
G.K. Chesterton
Is there a “man-crisis” in Christian churches today? Are men committed to church attendance and service to the poor?
In “There is a Catholic ‘man-crisis’” Matthew James Christoff asserts that “large numbers of men who were baptized Catholic have left the Church and the majority of those who remain…do not know the Catholic faith and don’t practice it.”
It is a small stretch to apply Christoff’s statement to a broader “man-crisis” in the Christian churches today. Christoff states that this large-scale failure of men to commit themselves to Jesus Christ and His Church has contributed to the accelerating decay of the post-modern culture.
Christoff lists examples of this decay that include: industrialised abortion, epidemic promiscuity, pornography and sexual perversion, divorce and adultery, substance addictions, gender confusion, filth and coarseness in media, environmental exploitation, rampant materialism, and the loss of the dignity of work.
In midst of this societal decay, Christoff states, there still are men who work to bring the peace and joy of Christ to the world.
These Christian Men realize the great blessings that flow from being committed to Christ and His Church and have made Sainthood their goal, and they lead their families and as many others as possible to Heaven.
These Committed Christian Men realize that Satan lurks behind the cultural decay, that Satan is real, Hell is real, Sin is real and that life is a battle to defeat the Evil One.
Christoff suggests the solution to the “man-crisis” and outlines steps to grow in loyalty and devotion to Jesus Christ. He outlines several practical steps Christian men can follow:
1.Each man must to be able to give a rousing argument why Jesus Christ is the greatest Man… Committed Christian men can make the case for Christ.
2.Commit to be a Saint of Christ the King… Christ’s first words of public ministry were to “Repent!” and every man must repent or die.
3.Frequent examination of conscience is needed.
4. Pray for 15 minutes every day - How can a man know Jesus if he never talks to Him?
5. Discover the…manliness of Sunday Service. If a man doesn’t actively participate in Sunday service he can’t receive the Graces that flow from that service.
6.In addition to attending Sunday services each man should go at least one more time during the week.
7.Pray regularly.
8.Get to know your Patron Saint and Guardian Angel — Saints and Angels intercede on [our] behalf and stand by to protect and defend [us] from daily temptations.
9.Read Holy Scripture for 15 minutes each day.
10.Be a priest, prophet and king in your home by leading your family in prayer, teaching the truth of Christ and His Church, and defending your family from the perversions of the culture.
11.Build a brotherhood with other men in your parish. There is an epidemic of loneliness in modern men. Gather the men of your parish to pray, to learn, to teach and to serve the poor.
12.Commit to tithing and begin to work toward it.
Perhaps a fitting benediction to this reflection comes from an author unknown:
He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.
