(30) Danny Abramowicz: Why Men's Small Groups?

           Danny Abramowicz was the Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal speaker in 2012.  He applied his experience as a former All Pro wide receiver and offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints to helping the men cope with the very serious game of life, the trophy being salvation.  Blog #8 has the interview of him that appeared in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.  Blog #14 introduces his talk and Blog #19 gives a summary of it.

          Danny is the host of "Crossing the Goal" on EWTN satellite & cable television and  www.ewtn.com on the internet Thursdays at 9 pm, Sundays at 6:30 pm and Mondays at 6:30 am Eastern Time.  More information on his Crossing the Goal Ministry and published materials can be obtained from www.crossingthegoal.com.  To see numerous samples of his talks and conferences, go to www.youtube.com and type in Danny Abramowicz.  For a great radio interview of Danny click on http://blessed2play.com/sample-show-4  Then click on Archives above for a library of interviews of  other great Catholic sports figures.  For some excellent video clips of his playing and his talks, click on https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Danny+Abramowicz. 

Danny Abramwicz

Abamowicz: WHY MEN'S SMALL GROUPS?

         If you are a regular viewer of our Crossing the Goal show on EWTN, you have heard all of the team members on numerous occasions mention the importance of men belonging to small groups (Workout Groups).

         Recently, I was reading the scripture passage, Mt. 4:18-22, where Jesus was calling Peter, Andrew, James and John to come after him and he will make them “fishers of men.”  Reflecting on this passage, I came to realize that Jesus, by initially calling the original 12 disciples to follow him, was establishing the first men’s small group. As a result of that first small group, the number of followers of Jesus Christ has now expanded to over a billion.

         Once again, I believe that Jesus is calling more men to become “Fishers of Men.” Yes, common, ordinary guys like you and me—just like the first Apostles who were a group of fishermen.  It’s time to open our hearts to God’s calling and begin to form small men’s groups (workout groups) in parishes throughout this world so that we can become “Fishers of Men.”

         Many of you might be saying to yourself that I am not worthy or I don’t have the time, etc. That’s hogwash! First of all, none of us are worthy and secondly, we have all kinds of time to watch sports and spend time on the computer or listen to our IPods—but we don’t have time for the Lord? If Jesus is a high priority in your life, you will find the time and the courage.

        Each week or so, we will begin featuring, in the “Coaches Corner”, different men who listened to God’s calling and who found the time to either start up or join a spiritual workout group in their parish. Hopefully, these testimonies by men like you and me will encourage you to start or join a workout group in your parish.

        If you are interested in learning more about these “Workout Groups”, you can find more information on how to organize one by clicking here or on the “Workout Groups” tab on the homepage.

God bless,
Coach Danny

Spiritual Fitness Workout Groups
for Parishes

       Crossing the Goal Ministries (CTG) was created to be an outreach ministry to men concerning their spiritual well-being. Coach Danny has personally been involved in Catholic Men’s ministry for 25 years and has seen a growing need for resources, adapted solely for men, that would challenge them to become spiritually fit.

        For this reason, the CTG team began developing resources, beginning with a TV show, Crossing the Goal, that airs on EWTN television and radio and can also be viewed here on this website. Springing forth from the shows, the team developed sets of DVDs based on the various episodes along with sets of questions that can be used either personally or in a group setting which are called Spiritual Fitness Workouts (SFW). This site has a wealth of resources for men who want to start a group at their own parish.

(29) Fr. Thomas Loya: Freedom of Religion and the Theology of the Body

        Fr. Thomas Loya, pastor of Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen, IL., was the 2011 Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal speaker.  An internationally known expert on the subject, he spoke on the Theology of the Body.  Blog #24 introduces his talk.  At the end of that article is a bio and a promotional article that we wrote on him for the Cleveland Catholic and secular media regarding the 2011 Men's Conference. To see numerous samples of Fr. Loya's talks, go to www.youtube.com and type in Fr. Thomas Loya.  More of his materials can be obtained from www.taborlife.org. 

Fr. Thomas Loya

FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND THE THEOLOGY OF THE BODY
By Fr. Thomas J. Loya, STB., MA. Tabor Life Institute  www.taborlife.org

           The “theology of the body” means that all of creation, most especially the human body, reveals
something beyond itself. The physical world points to and makes present spiritual or transcendent realities. Everything in creation “speaks” a language. It tells us the truth about itself. The human body reveals the person and all that comes with that very potent word, “person”.  The theology of the body reveals that we are gendered persons. This observation opens up for us an infinite world of insight into why and how we are hardwired as male or female persons. These insights in turn help us to know how to live as a male person and a female person and in turn how to be truly happy and fulfilled. Looking at life, especially the human person, through the lens of the theology of our bodies is actually crucial to civilization.  When we do not see life through the theology of the body we can end up with something that threatens civilization. This threat to civilization actually occurred in America just recently. It is the erosion of the most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.


            The HHS Mandate.  The Obama administration, through the department of Health and Human Services, has mandated that non-profit institutions such as church-affiliated hospitals, colleges and social
service agencies will have to cover free birth control for their employees as the “preventive services” dimension of health insurance coverage. These birth control items include abortifacient drugs and sterilization. In essence, this mandate requires religious institutions to choose between violating their consciences or foregoing healthcare plans for their employees.  This is a direct attack on First Amendment rights, access to health and on religious liberty. The Catholic bishops of America have called this action by the Obama administration, “literally unconscionable”.  Supporters of the Obama administration’s mandate claim that this decision is putting access and the reproductive rights of women first. Furthermore, supporters claim that
women who work for religious institutions will no longer have to settle for a lower standard of health coverage.

             Since when is pregnancy a disease? And since when is preventing pregnancy considered to be
“medicine?” Why is our natural gift for love and fruitfulness, stamped in the very language and theology of our bodies seen as something that just gets in our way, something to be suppressed or eliminated at all costs? We are fond of saying in our country that no one religion should impose its values on the rest of us. So, when did government get the right to impose its values on religion? When did government get the right to disregard personal or corporate conscience?  The answer to all of these questions is when we fail to see the human person honestly—through the prism of the theology of the body. The language of the theology of the body tells us that freedom is intrinsic to us as human persons—the freedom to believe and live according to that
belief. This is something that the Founding Fathers of this country knew and built in to our Constitution. Our Founding Fathers designed the United States of America around a view of the human person, not just around some ideology, trend or the latest fad of political correctness.

            A Grave Threat to the Free Exercise of Religion.  Ironically, (or Providentially) on the very same day that the Obama administration was committing this unconscionable blow at religious liberty, Pope Benedict XVI was addressing American bishops in Rome about the challenges they face in protecting things like the freedom of religion and conscience that are currently under threat in the United States of America. The Pope reminded the bishops, and the world, that “when a culture attempts to suppress the dimension of ultimate mystery and closes the door to transcendent truth, it inevitably becomes impoverished and falls prey to reductionist and totalitarian readings of the human person and the nature of society.” Get the theology of the body right and you get America right.

(28) Fr. Thomas Loya: No Such Thing as a Marriage Problem

         Fr. Thomas Loya, pastor of Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen, IL., was the 2011 Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal speaker.  An internationally known expert on the subject, he spoke on the Theology of the Body.  Blog #24 introduces his talk.  At the end of that article is a bio and a promotional article that we wrote on him for the Cleveland Catholic and secular media regarding the 2011 Men's Conference. To see numerous samples of Fr. Loya's talks, go to www.youtube.com and type in Fr. Thomas Loya.  More of his materials can be obtained from www.taborlife.org. 

                                                                    Fr. Thomas Loya

NO SUCH THING AS A MARRIAGE PROBLEM WITH THE THEOLOGY OF THE BODY

By Fr. Thomas J. Loya, STB., MA. Tabor Life Institute  www.taborlife.org

            As a priest and pastor I often receive the phone call: “Fr. Tom, can we come in to see you? We are having marriage problems.” This phone call almost always comes from the wife and almost never from the husband. I tell the wife to try and convince her husband that both of them should come to see me together. Few men ever really want to come to “see the priest” and talk about relational problems. When the wife finally comes to see me, dragging her reluctant husband along, I listen to their story, to their wounds and pains.

            After they tell me their story I offer a statement to the couple that is both encouraging and confusing at the same time: “Take heart. There are no such things as marriage problems.” That‟s right. You read this correctly: There are no such things as marriage problems. I tell the couple: “You see, what we normally deem to be marriage problems are actually problems in what is known as the theology of the body. It is a question of, who man will be for woman and who woman will be for man? If we get this right all of life goes right. If we get this wrong, everything in the whole world goes wrong.

           This is because the human person is a microcosm of the universe and the universe is a macrocosm of the human person. The answer to the question, who man will be for woman and who woman will be for man is actually revealed in the language of our bodies as men and as women, hence, a theology of the body. The theology of the body provides the why behind being human, male and female. The reason we can trust our bodies as a revelation of truth is because, let‟s face it, no matter who we are, what religion, what ethnic background, profession, rich or poor, we all have a body and it is either male or female.

           Since as human beings we are designed in an integrated and not compartmentalized or fragmented way, our gendered bodies are designed to work consistently with our heart, mind, emotions, in fact in the fundamental way in which we interface with all of reality.

            Unless we know why we are male and female, we do not know how to be male and female. The hurts that come in relationships such as marriage are really a matter of man and woman not knowing why they are man and woman. This results in their not really knowing how to be man and woman which in turn results in their not knowing how to be for each other.

           They fail to complete for one another what their genders are designed to do: help meet one another‟s legitimate needs and these needs are stamped in their very bodies as male and female. When this happens a process of hurt begins which compounds over time resulting in what we commonly label as marriage problems.

           Our bodies actually speak a language. They point to transcendent realities; the real meaning behind our being male and female. Happiness in a relationship, in fact in all of life, comes down to whether we are telling a truth with the language of our bodies or telling a lie. I call this entering the H-zone—the Honesty zone. Being honest to the order of things is the secret to happiness especially when it comes to relationships. When we dis-honesty we end up with another "H" word---hurt.

            A Mutual Gift of Self.  So what language do our male and female bodies actually speak? What is the theology that they point toward? Our male and female bodies, precisely in the fact that they are gendered speak a language of gift. The human person is the only creature that exists for its own sake. In other words, we have no natural predators, (except at times ourselves.) Human beings do not exist for animals and plants, rather animals and plants exist for the proper use and benefit and enjoyment of human beings.

            Because human beings are made for their own sakes, so to speak, human beings discover their true
selves only by making of themselves a sincere and total gift of themselves to one another. This is stamped in our very bodies as male and female: A man's body, for instance, does not make sense except in relation to a woman's body and vice versa.  The very parts of a man's body that mark his gender are designed so that he can give himself away (make a gift of himself) to a woman. A woman's body is designed so that she in turn can make a gift of herself to a man. This is the only thing that makes total sense of the very parts of her body that mark her gender.  Male and female bodies are designed to fit together. But along with the body comes the mind, heart, emotions, in fact our total selves.

           There is a whole world to unfold in the language of our bodies. And this language holds the secret to happy marriages and relationships. It answers the question: Who will man be for woman and who will woman be for man? We will unfold that world in this series; The Theology of the Body.  See more on Fr. Tom Loya's website, www.taborlife.org.