{"id":189665,"date":"2015-12-22T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2015-12-22T15:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=189665"},"modified":"2015-12-21T21:09:39","modified_gmt":"2015-12-22T03:09:39","slug":"review-into-the-breach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/review-into-the-breach\/","title":{"rendered":"A Clarion Call to Catholic Men (Review: “Into the Breach”)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although I am not a man, nor am I married to one, I greatly enjoy reading about Catholic men’s spirituality. I’m blessed to have so many examples of strong, outwardly faithful men in my life. Honestly, one of my favorite things is hearing my male friends talk about their personal religious lives as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. It gives me hope that the Church is not yet so happy-clappy that men will steer clear forever.<\/p>\n

I also found great joy in knowing so many men who shared the recent apostolic exhortation by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix, Into the Breach<\/em><\/a>. It is timely, direct, and thoughtful, and I hope it will inspire many more men to take up arms against the sea of trouble raging upon our world, our families, and our hearts.<\/p>\n

Bishop Olmsted begins by highlighting three questions that we must consider when examining Catholic men’s spirituality:<\/p>\n

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  1. What does it mean to be a Catholic man?<\/li>\n
  2. How does a Catholic man love?<\/li>\n
  3. Why is fatherhood, fully understood, so crucial for every<\/em> man?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    First, the bishop highlights the complementarity of man and woman and the reality that the sexes are not meant to be competitors. Understanding masculinity requires an understanding of femininity, and neither makes sense without the other. We are created in the image of God as man and<\/em> woman. That’s why I didn’t like Captivating<\/em><\/a>, and I didn’t like Wild at Heart<\/em><\/a>. Both of those books demonstrated a deep lack of complementarity and a lack of appreciation of the “other.” Indeed, throughout Into the Breach<\/em>, the bishop encourages men to rise up for the sake of the women in their lives as well as for themselves.<\/p>\n

    Continuing on, Bishop Olmsted describes the battle that today’s Catholic men are facing in a world that does not look kindly upon Catholic men (except Pope Francis, curiously, I would add). He offers a list of great male saints, the virtues for which they are known, and the vices those virtues oppose. You can’t find an easier plan than that.<\/p>\n