(73) Matthew James Christoff: 12 Ways to Become a Committed Catholic Man

By  Matthew James Christoff
 

There is a Catholic “man-crisis.” Large numbers of men who were baptized Catholic have left the Church and the majority of those who remain are “Casual Catholic Men”, men who do not know the Catholic faith and don’t practice it.

This large-scale failure of Catholic men to commit themselves to Jesus Christ and His Church has contributed to the accelerating decay of the post-modern culture. The long list of examples of cultural decay is obvious to those willing to look: industrialized slaughter of babies in the womb; the self-sterilization of contraceptives; epidemic promiscuity, pornography and sexual perversion; the avoidance of marriage; rampant divorce and adultery; so-called “marriage” of homosexuals; substance addictions; gender confusion; filth and coarseness in media; the loss of a connection to nature and escape into virtual “reality”; environmental exploitation; rampant materialism; the lost of the dignity of work; racial animas; commercialized gluttony; the dysfunctional political and legal system. Post-modern society is sick.

In midst of the societal decay, there are men who seek the true, beautiful and the good and are working to bring the peace and joy of Christ to the world: Committed Catholic Men. These men have completely committed themselves to the Almighty King, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to His Holy Church, realizing that true manhood is Catholic Manhood. This is the truest of loves, to love God with one’s full being and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.  Committed Catholic Men have realized the great blessings that flow from being committed to Christ and His Church.  Committed Catholic Men have made Sainthood their goal and have made their purpose to lead their families and as many as others as possible to Heaven.

Committed Catholic Men realize that behind the cultural decay, lurks Satan. They have come to know that Satan is real, Hell is real, Sin is real and that life is a battle to confront and defeat Satan, the Evil One who is waiting at every turn to devour the unprepared. Committed Catholic Men are not perfect, but take seriously Christ’s call to perfection. It is only in Christ, that Committed Catholic Men find the courage to persevere when they fall into Sin and are continually strengthened for the battle against Satan.

Every Catholic man is called to give himself fully to Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church. How does one become a Committed Catholic Man? Here are 12 steps to grow in loyalty and devotion to Jesus Christ:

1. Develop a rousing case for why Jesus Christ is your King – If a man is asked to describe why he loves his parents, wife, children or friends, most can quickly rattle off a long list of reasons for his love. But for most men, Jesus Christ is abstract, conceptual or a long-gone historical figure. Large numbers of men don’t know Jesus as real, alive and present. Each Catholic man must to be able to give a rousing argument for why Jesus Christ is the greatest Man and why Jesus is his King. If a man is not convinced about Christ’s greatness to the point of being able to articulate the case, his growth in faith will be stunted and he will be unable to draw others to Christ. Committed Catholic Men can make the case for Christ.  
2. Commit to be a Saint of Christ the King – There are no nice people or good people in Heaven, only Saints. Most men have not made a commitment to strive for Sainthood. Men are stuck in mediocrity and need to raise the bar higher; there is no higher bar than Sainthood. Christ’s first words of public ministry were to “Repent!” and every man must repent or die. By making a commitment to Sainthood, a man starts with repentance and aspires to greatness; in this he realizes his own spiritual poverty. In the recognition of spiritual poverty, a man comes to both humbly recognize his need for God’s mercy and to cry out for it. Aspiring to Sainthood changes everything.
3. Go to Reconciliation at least once a month – While the Church teaches each man must go to Reconciliation at least once a year, any man who is truthful with himself and Christ knows he needs the Sacrament of Reconciliation much more frequently.  Keep a guide to Reconciliation with you, recalling regularly the 10 Commandments. Make the commitment to go to Reconciliation on a pre-determined schedule each month and go to Reconciliation immediately when you fall into grave sin (e.g. when you view pornography). Regular and frequent Reconciliation changes men, for supernatural Grace flows to men during Absolution. 
4. Pray for 15 minutes every day – Only about a third of Catholic men pray daily; some smaller number, a much smaller number, pray for 15 minutes. How can a man know Jesus if he never talks to Him? He can’t. Commit to get to know Christ the King on a personal basis by approaching His Throne and talking with Him every day for 15 minutes. It is in this personal conversation that Christ will make His will known to each man.
5. Discover the majestic manliness of the Mass – The Mass is the “source and summit” of the Catholic faith, and yet, the majority of men claim to “be bored by the Mass” and to “not get anything out of the Mass”. This is because they don’t know what is occurring in the Mass: they have little understanding of the manly symbolism of the Mass, a Sacrament that has been devoutly passed down for 2000 years. They don’t realize that during the Mass they are witnesses to the actual Bloody Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. If a man doesn’t actively participate in the Mass because of ignorance and boredom, he can’t receive the Graces that flow from the Eucharist. Learn the Mass to such a degree that you can explain it to others with the reverence and devotion that Christ’s Sacrifice deserves.
6. Participate in Sunday Mass + 1 – It is the minimum obligation of each Catholic man to attend Mass every Sunday; but only about a quarter of men do so on any given week. This is both a catechetical failure and an outrageous insult to Our King. In addition to attending Mass every Sunday, each man should go an additional step to encounter the Eucharist at least one more time during the week either by participating in daily Mass or by kneeling in Adoration for 30 minutes. Most men have much to make up for and precious little time; drawing closer to Christ more regularly will help men make up for lost time. A warning: never approach the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin.
7. Pray the Rosary regularly and carry the Rosary with you – Only about 40% of Catholic men ever pray the Rosary, and only 1 in 10 carry their Rosary with them. Praying the Rosary draws a man closer to our Holy Mother and to her Son, Jesus Christ; it is the manliest of rituals, prayed by the greatest Saints over centuries, in quiet places and in the din of the battlefield. It is a manly act of loyalty and fidelity. Commit to carry the Rosary as a sign of your loyalty and faith and as a weapon against the daily onslaught of Satan; Satan hates the Rosary and fears it. Have the Rosary handy at all times to pray a decade in times of gratitude and stress, relying on the Holy Mother to bring your prayers to Jesus Christ. The Rosary is part of the uniform of the Committed Catholic Man.
8. Get to know your Patron Saint and Guardian Angel – We believe in a Communion of Saints. Many men don’t have a personal relationship with a Saint or their Guardian Angel.   Many men don’t feel connected to the Church, in part because they are not connected to the Saints or to the Guardian Angel that Jesus Christ has appointed for each man. Saints and Angels intercede on men’s behalf and stand by to protect and defend men from daily assault of Satan and his demons. Don’t go into daily battle without a Saint and your Guardian Angel guarding your back.
9. Read Holy Scripture for 15 minutes each day – All of Holy Scripture is about Jesus Christ. When a man reads Holy Scripture, Jesus Christ is with him, not figuratively or conceptually, but in a real and actual way. Jesus Himself came to earth to speak the words of Scripture for all men, across all time, to read and contemplate, drawing strength and wisdom and Grace from His words. Reading Holy Scripture can be done by working through books of the Bible and by reading/praying the Divine Office. A man can’t know Jesus Christ without contemplating His Word.
10. Be a priest, prophet and king in your home – In the face of a secular culture that attacks valid patrimony, Catholic men need to reassert their rightful roles as priest, prophet and king of their family. We are not talking about being a chauvinistic tyrant, but a true Saint of Christ, with each man serving his wife and children with humble sacrifice, holy example and courageous commitment to lead his family to Heaven. Be a priest by leading your family in prayer. Be a prophet by teaching the truth of Christ and His Church. Be a king by defending your family from the perversions of the culture, correcting them when they fall into error and by leading them the Eucharist and Reconciliation.
11. Build a brotherhood with other Catholic men in your parish – In Acts 2:43, the Apostles from the earliest days of the Church give the “formula” for Catholic brotherhood: And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. For a man to grow in faith he must build brotherhood with faithful Catholic men who can challenge and help him grow in holiness. There is an epidemic of loneliness in modern men,  even in regular mass-attending men. Make the commitment to build brotherhood with other Catholic men, particularly younger men, men who are at grave risk as they enter adolescence and move into adulthood. Gather the men of your parish in large groups and small, to pray, to learn, to teach and to serve the poor. Be a catalyst, be a leader, working with your priest. Christ will hold all men accountable for their personal response to His command to “Go and make disciples.”
12. Commit to tithing and begin to work toward it – The willingness of a man to give his hard-earned money to the Church is a direct indicator of the strength of his devotion and loyalty to the King Jesus Christ. Sadly, many Catholic men give little to the Church, both in absolute terms and relative to other Christian’s gifts to their churches. Tithing is the giving of 10% of a man’s income to the Church including a parish and other Catholic charities. While you may not be able to give a full 10% due to economic constraints, commit to tithing and begin to work toward it, making progress each year, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Being a Committed Catholic Man is the greatest challenge to which a man can aspire to accept and the commitment can seem daunting. Don’t be deterred; be a Catholic Man! Make the resolution, right here, right now to be a Committed Catholic Man. Print this list off and post it where you will see it every day. As in all things, start with prayer. Pray that Jesus Christ will send the Holy Spirit to help give you the strength needed to become a Committed Catholic Man. Pray with your whole heart to Christ and do your best. Our King has promised to answer those who persist in prayer.

Jesus Christ will never let a man down who is committed to Him.

The post 12 Ways to Become a Committed Catholic Man appeared first on The Catholic Gentleman.

This article is reprinted with permission from our friends at The Catholic Gentleman.

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By Matthew James Christoff

Matthew James Christoff is a Catholic convert. He is the founder of The New Emangelization (http://newemangelization.com) Project which is committed to confront the Catholic “man-crisis” and to develop new ardor, methods and expressions for the re-evangelization of Catholic men. Matthew is also a co-founder of CatholicManNight, a parish-based men’s evangelization effort that has drawn thousands of Catholic men into Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, fellowship and lively discussion. Matthew lives in Minnesota with his beautiful bride (and childhood sweetheart); they have 4 adult children, 3 “in-law” children and two grandchildren.

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(72) Press Release 1: Dr. Allen Hunt Featured in the 2015 Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

AMDG

              This article was originally submitted to the Steubenville Catholic Register.

            For the sixth consecutive year, the Diocese of Steubenville is sponsoring a Men's Day of Renewal on Saturday, March 7 from 9 am to 3:30 pm (optional Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 8:30 am) at St. Bernard’s Church in Beverly on State Route 339 northwest of Marietta.  The patron of the Conference is St. Joseph, a model of a true man of God, to whom we depend upon for its success.

            To complement the Mass presided by Bishop Montforton and Penance Service the featured speaker is Allen Hunt, a popular and dynamic speaker around the country.  He was the pastor of a mega-church in Alpharetta, Georgia outside of Atlanta.  Under his leadership, Mount Pisgah Church doubled in size to serve more than 15,000 people each week, one of the largest Methodist congregations in the world.  Dr. Hunt helped to develop comprehensive ministries with children and students as well as a Christian School with over 1200 students, a pregnancy resource center, a Counseling Center, and ministries for the poor and homeless. 

            He discovered the truth in 1992, but it took him 15 years of struggle to make the final decision to leave his mega-church and make a complete change of life and convert to Catholicism.  This act of courage and integrity meant being ostracized by colleagues and friends and losing his prestigious position.

   

            Thus Allen Hunt is in a unique position to speak on the theme of the Steubenville Diocese Men’s Conference:  “This Old House: Ever Dynamic, Ever New”.  This theme promises to give all participants, especially cradle Catholics, a renewed appreciation of the beauty and splendor of the faith, motivating the men to learn and become more committed.  Today with the zeal of a St. Paul, this new Catholic evangelist works night and day to share his discovery of the faith and to spread it.  He does this through talks all over the country, writing, and partnering with Matthew Kelly at the Dynamic Catholic Institute.  See www.dynamiccatholic.com.  He will talk on “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic”  in the morning session.  That is prayer, study, generosity, and evangelization.  His afternoon talk will focus on his journey to the true faith and how God revolutionizes our lives with His real presence in the Eucharist and its remarkable power for each of us.

        Prior to full-time ministry, Allen Hunt worked for an international leader in the textile, apparel, and retail industries.  He also was a management consultant with Kurt Salmon Associates.  Dr. Hunt earned a Ph.D. in New Testament and Ancient Christian Origins from Yale University.

        Dr. Allen Hunt is also a best-selling author of “Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church”; “Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody”; and “Nine Words: A Bible Study to Help You Become the Best-Version-of-Yourself”.

         Since St. Bernard's Beverly is in the geographic center of our far flung diocese, the Steering Committee is hopeful that the men of Steubenville in the north and the men of Ironton and Chesapeake in the south will be able to participate.   Nevertheless, this mini-pilgrimage is still a Lenten sacrifice of early rising and a long trip with great fellowship in a van or bus as the men pray together, discuss the talks and other events of the Conference, and deepen friendships.

A great gift or stocking stuffer would be the $25 registration for the men in your life.......husband, father, son, grandson, boy friend, etc.  A bag lunch is provided. 

One may register with Roger Huck; Men’s Day of Renewal; P.O. Box 54; Beverly, OH 45715.  Fill out the Registration Form in the brochure in your parish or simply send your name, address, phone, e-mail address, and parish with a $25 check made out to the Diocese of Steubenville.  More information from the Chairperson, Chuck Schneider - Chair Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal” 740-338-9091, 740-782-1877, or cjschn1964@yahoo.com.  Ads and donations to underwrite the Conference and keep the registration at a low price are greatly appreciated.  Keep posted on the Men’s Conference and articles on men’s spirituality at http://diosteubmen.blogspot.com. 

(71) Dr. Ray Guarendi: Highlights the 2014 Steubenville Diocesan Men's Day of Renewal

       Dr. Ray Guarendi came off the screen to speak to 184 men at St. Mary’s Church in St. Clairsville.on March 22 to inform, inspire, and entertain.  His two talks went over very well as reflected by the reaction of the men and their written evaluations at the end of the day.  Some of the men shared the day with their sons.

 

As in prior years, there was a Penance Service and Mass, presided by Bishop Jeffrey Montforton.  This time, however, the Men’s Day of Renewal opened with Mass after the rosary during Registration and for the first time ended with a formal Holy Hour.  Furthermore, the Bishop opened himself up to some stimulating questions and spoke off the cuff on diocesan matters.  There was also a vocation presentation given by a seminarian.  It was day of renewal and enjoyable fellowship.

            In answer to a question, the Bishop was happy that St. Mary’s Marietta was designated with the special honor of basilica, only one of 64 in the United States.  It is one of the most beautiful churches that I have seen in my travels all over the world.  He did not agree that St. Mary’s should be a co-cathedral to shift the seat of the diocese closer to the geographic center.  Since the great majority of the Catholics of the diocese live in the north which includes the Steubenville area, the diocese can better serve the most people with the current location of the administrative offices.

            Dr. Ray Guarendi has a unique gift for blending deep insights, practical wisdom, and wit.  A few notes and main points here cannot demonstrate all of that well, especially the humor, but this summary can give you an idea of his two talks.

The Father as the Spiritual Leader of the Family

            He opened his morning talk with the facetious comment that wives sometimes tend to confess their husbands sins.

            Discipline. Dr. Ray, utilized his experience as a father of ten kids and a clinical psychologist, specializing in parenting, marriage, and family.  He emphasized the need for discipline in the home:  “If we don’t discipline the kids, the world will.”  But he cautioned, “Discipline without love is child abuse”.  A father should not take any satisfaction from making a comment such as “He’s not on drugs or anything like that”.  The standard to be aspired for is “moral character”.  Psychological correctness is becoming part of the culture and is replacing moral correctness.  We overanalyze.  The common question has become: Is it normal?  “Sin is normal”, but that does not make it right.

            Dr. Guarendi discourages yelling and screaming, but still the father must assert his authority.  He can be firm without losing it.  Too often a kid learns to ignore his parents until he raises his voice.  Don’t only look at the kids; look at yourself.

            Sons and daughters must be treated differently because they are wired differently.  Little girls talk earlier and more often.  They gently caress their baby dolls; boys will tear it apart.  Boys are more aggressive and would turn a stick into an imaginary machine gun.

                  

            Leadership of the Father.  He hears women say more and more that they are the authorities in the house…….tone, standards, not the men.  Dr. Ray lamented that too often “the guys are there for the ride”.  Dr. Ray recalled: “My father loved me desperately”, but did not verbalize it.  The father should not only say “I love you, but show it in many ways.”

            Parents will often abort their baby because prenatal tests indicate that the child will be abnormal.  However the tests are often wrong and parents kill a normal baby.

Why Be a Catholic?

            In his afternoon talk Dr. Ray tried to help the men, especially the cradle Catholics, to appreciate the faith.  He fell away from the Church as a youth, but rediscovered the faith of his fathers. 

Atheism.  He opened his remarks with the observation that the old atheist would assert that there is no God and I can do whatever I want.  The new atheist believes in God, but “believes that he thinks like me” as to what is right and wrong, etc.

Faulty Thinking of Protestants. While in a Bible Study, Dr. Guarendi was exposed to different beliefs.  “Who’s right among these diverse beliefs?”  Only the Catholic Church has a coherent and consistent body of beliefs.  Protestants believe in the Bible and interpret it according to what they believe are the proddings of the Holy Spirit.  But there are 35,000 different Christian faiths!  God established one Church to be an arbiter of this mess. 

  

Nevertheless, they say that they agree on the basics because they believe in the Bible.  Then why separate into so many different groups?  Our separated brethren believe that once saved, always saved.  Then some who lose their faith must not have been saved in the first place.  By that reasoning, that person was saved for three years until he lost his faith.

Where did the Bible come from?  The Early Church Fathers put together the Bible, which originally had 34 books in the Old Testament.  But Martin Luther took seven of them out because they did not agree with his theology.  So the Holy Spirit inspired the 34 books, and then corrected it after 1500 years?  Did the Holy Spirit change His mind on abortion?  Over the centuries they diluted down this body of teaching.  “You can’t agree to disagree on Physics because the bridge falls down”.

St. Irenaeus knew St. John personally.  The early Church fathers either knew the apostles or knew somebody who did.  This is the faith they handed down and we call it tradition.  Christ is either incredibly true or incredibly false.

It’s hard to believe that the fertilized egg in Mary’s womb was God of the Universe.  It’s hard to believe that a chair is mostly space within the atoms and molecules that are its building blocks.

“Spanking and having more than 2.13 kids are the only sins left” in our relativistic culture.

“If the Holy Spirit did not protect the Church for 20 centuries, it would be today a fractured mess.”

For more on Dr. Ray Guarendi, his ideas, and his work, go to his website, “Faith, Family, and Life” at www.drray.com.  His many books can be ordered there.  His television program, “Living Right with Dr. Ray” is on EWTN television and internet at www.ewtn.com every Saturday at 10 pm with an encore on the following Friday at 5 am.  He also has a radio program, “The Doctor is In” can be heard 1 pm Monday thru Friday on EWTN Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Sirius Radio Channel 130,  and on the internet at www.ewtn.com.  Archived broadcasts can be heard on his website.  One can find many excerpts and complete talks on You Tube by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Dr.+Ray+Guarendi.