The feminist and demonic attack on manhood is a double-edged sword that rips into the heart of womanhood. All are wounded. All need conversion to Christ and His healing. This healing will build whole and healthy families, provided both spouses know who they truly are before God and cooperate in His plan for mankind. Families must pray and worship together. Fathers must be the bulwark against the enemy and the world. They must work assiduously against the third pernicious enemy...the self. Mothers have the same interior battle..self-love. Conquer that by true self-sacrifice as Christ commands: "Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow me". If both spouses work at this much will be accomplished. Both need to put the good of the other, the marriage and family first. This requires the personal pursuit of virtue.
The toxic culture we live in wars against all of this. We must reject its premises that we must have large houses, two incomes, brand new cars, tvs, cell phones that can access evil at the touch of a button. Women are not "fulfilled" by careers that spread them so thin that the family is neglected. Men are meant to do the hard things that build up authentic manhood...and teach that to their sons. A comfortable materialistic lifestyle is not the goal...it is, in many ways, the poison that infects everything. Sacrifice, self-sacrifice, is the sign of true love which "wills the good of the other."
Our natures are written into our very beings by the Finger of God. Manhood protects, defends, provides, builds and fights, builds the exterior. Womanhood nurtures, builds the interior, supports, comforts, nests, draws the man inward to the family and strengthens him. Their tasks and roles intertwined to build a home and family.
Above all, men must pray, must worship the One True God, draw his strength, wisdom and help from Him to be the spiritual head of the family. He must resist the pull to the effeminate which is the failure to do the difficult and seeks comfort, ease. This is the sin of Adam.
Women must center themselves on the nurturing and support of the family. She too, does this through right worship. She has a receptive and nurturing role, given by God. Her role-model is the Blessed Virgin Mary. She must permit the man to lead (though not to sin) and support his decisions. (Failure in this leads to the sin of Eve which demands to control and lead.) The man must allow her to give her gentle counsel to him but she must let him lead and must not demean him before their children. Both must pray daily, pray much, for each other, for the family and for God's strength and Wisdom, and especially His love...it takes His supernatural Love to persevere.
Only by following the plan of God completely embedded in the beings of men and women will there be hope for children...for society...and for the Church. Our spiritual fathers, clergy, do not arise in a vacuum. The family is the nesting ground from which they spring. As they were parented, so too, do they tend to parent their flocks.
How desperately needed are true spiritual fathers who are ready to die for the Truth of Jesus Christ, and for their flocks. And how, when we are blessed with such fathers, must we listen, follow and support them.
Is all of this easy? NO! However, it is most necessary. It orients souls to their Maker and helps each to find the heart's deepest longing...union with Jesus Christ in the Heart of the Triune God. And God helps us, if we let Him.
I always feel rather odd reading this substack, as "it" (its author) seems to think only men are its audience. But if Christian women do not care how Christian men are doing and thinking, what on earth is wrong with THEM?
Hi Juan, Great, much-needed article.
I wrote a novel exploring and explaining this topic, in case you're interested. Here's the link, but happy to send you a free copy.
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Causes-Richard-Nichols-ebook/dp/B0893M6PQF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lost+causes+richard+nichols&qid=1618187048&sr=8-1
Thanks for reading and sharing Richard, I'll definitely take a look at your book
Two signs of possible change in media and entertainment: the new Superman and the Nike ad with Scottie Scheffler
The pendulum is definitely swinging!
The feminist and demonic attack on manhood is a double-edged sword that rips into the heart of womanhood. All are wounded. All need conversion to Christ and His healing. This healing will build whole and healthy families, provided both spouses know who they truly are before God and cooperate in His plan for mankind. Families must pray and worship together. Fathers must be the bulwark against the enemy and the world. They must work assiduously against the third pernicious enemy...the self. Mothers have the same interior battle..self-love. Conquer that by true self-sacrifice as Christ commands: "Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow me". If both spouses work at this much will be accomplished. Both need to put the good of the other, the marriage and family first. This requires the personal pursuit of virtue.
The toxic culture we live in wars against all of this. We must reject its premises that we must have large houses, two incomes, brand new cars, tvs, cell phones that can access evil at the touch of a button. Women are not "fulfilled" by careers that spread them so thin that the family is neglected. Men are meant to do the hard things that build up authentic manhood...and teach that to their sons. A comfortable materialistic lifestyle is not the goal...it is, in many ways, the poison that infects everything. Sacrifice, self-sacrifice, is the sign of true love which "wills the good of the other."
Our natures are written into our very beings by the Finger of God. Manhood protects, defends, provides, builds and fights, builds the exterior. Womanhood nurtures, builds the interior, supports, comforts, nests, draws the man inward to the family and strengthens him. Their tasks and roles intertwined to build a home and family.
Above all, men must pray, must worship the One True God, draw his strength, wisdom and help from Him to be the spiritual head of the family. He must resist the pull to the effeminate which is the failure to do the difficult and seeks comfort, ease. This is the sin of Adam.
Women must center themselves on the nurturing and support of the family. She too, does this through right worship. She has a receptive and nurturing role, given by God. Her role-model is the Blessed Virgin Mary. She must permit the man to lead (though not to sin) and support his decisions. (Failure in this leads to the sin of Eve which demands to control and lead.) The man must allow her to give her gentle counsel to him but she must let him lead and must not demean him before their children. Both must pray daily, pray much, for each other, for the family and for God's strength and Wisdom, and especially His love...it takes His supernatural Love to persevere.
Only by following the plan of God completely embedded in the beings of men and women will there be hope for children...for society...and for the Church. Our spiritual fathers, clergy, do not arise in a vacuum. The family is the nesting ground from which they spring. As they were parented, so too, do they tend to parent their flocks.
How desperately needed are true spiritual fathers who are ready to die for the Truth of Jesus Christ, and for their flocks. And how, when we are blessed with such fathers, must we listen, follow and support them.
Is all of this easy? NO! However, it is most necessary. It orients souls to their Maker and helps each to find the heart's deepest longing...union with Jesus Christ in the Heart of the Triune God. And God helps us, if we let Him.
A Catholic woman.
I always feel rather odd reading this substack, as "it" (its author) seems to think only men are its audience. But if Christian women do not care how Christian men are doing and thinking, what on earth is wrong with THEM?
My oldest is 55…saw that emasculation model when I read ‘Berenstain Bears’ to him as a child. Father was always an ineffectual dummy.
Juan,
I like your point about men being consumed with porn, video games, sports etc. over real purpose.
Each of these things points to something real, but are not the thing in of itself e.g. sex exists and porn points to it.
So men are getting lost in the representation of reality, not reality itself.
I don't really have a point to make, but just wanted to note your keen observation.